Chery has been making some big moves this year. The company has just confirmed one of their newest models, the Omoda 5, for the Malaysian market, after not launching any new models in Malaysia since 2015. Now, Chery is officially launching the Tiggo 8 Pro in South Africa. The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro is the company’s flagship seven-seater SUV and is part of Chery’s successful PRO series which includes other Tiggo Pro models like Tiggo 2 Pro and Tiggo 7 Pro. This also helped Chery achieve a great sales performance this January.
The Tiggo 8 Pro was first launched in other big markets such as Russia, South America and the Middle East. South Africa is the first country on the African continent to receive the SUV. The Tiggo 8 Pro is also one of the Chery models that will be available in Malaysia on a later date.
When it comes to its exterior, the Tiggo 8 Pro utilizes the company’s ‘Movement Design’ design language. It has a large galaxy-inspired three-dimensional grille flanked with LED headlights with LED daytime running lights. The SUV’s somewhat sporty look is finished with 18-inch black and chrome alloy wheels and an Executive variant’s panoramic sunroof.
The interior is simple but modern looking. There are a total of 3 screens fitted in the dashboard – a 12.3-inch driver instrument screen, an 8-inch climate control screen and a 10.25-inch central floating infotainment screen, which is the size of choice for most infotainment screens in Chinese vehicles nowadays.
Other interior features include a N95-grade air purifying system, wireless charging, intelligent voice control, Sony surround speakers, leather seats, 60:40-split folding rear seats, USB and 12V ports, and ambient lighting.
With the Executive variant, you will be getting all these features plus a few exclusive ones. A diamond stitched pattern on the leather seats, an extra air conditioning system for the rearmost seats and four-way adjustable front passenger seats with lumbar.
Safety-wise, The Tiggo 8 Pro has all the standard features including six airbags, Traction Control (TCS), Roll Stability Control (RSC) and ISOFIX. The Executive variant adds on to that with Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Automatic Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Traffic Sign Recognition (TSC), Intelligent High-beam Control (IHC), Blind Spot Monitoring (BSD), Front Collision Warning (FCW) and an emergency Brake Override System (BOW).
Owner can also make use of the rear parking distance control (PDC) with the 360-degree reverse camera view. Meanwhile, enjoy a keyless entry and start as standard in both variants.
Its finally time to talk about what’s under the bonnet. The Tiggo 8 Pro is powered by a 1.6-liter turbo direct-injected engine, one of Chery’s award-winning powerplants. The engine produces 197PS and 290Nm of torque which is a comfortable amount. It is paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission as standard. Three driving modes are included – Standard, Eco and Sport, while there are two steering modes – Eco and Sport.
Buyers of the Tiggo 8 Pro in South Africa are accommodated with a 10-year/1,000,000-km engine warranty, linked to the original buyer. While there is a 5-year/150,000km warranty linked to the vehicle with five years of roadside assistance included.
