Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max Ultimate: Time to consider the bargain-priced 7-seat SUV?

Price: from $44,990 drive away
Engine: 1998cc turbocharged four-cylinder petrol
Peak power: 180kW (@ 5500rpm)
Peak torque: 375Nm (@ 1750 to 4000rpm)
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, AWD
Combined fuel consumption (claim, as tested): 8.7L/100km, 11.3L/100km
CO2 emissions: 200g/km
Length/width/height/wheelbase: 4720/1860/1705/2710mm
Boot: 117L (3rd up to top of seatback)/479L (3rd folded to seatback)/(739L (3rd folded to roof)
Tare mass: 1731kg
Warranty: 7-year unlimited km, 12 months (up to seven years service activated)
Five-year service cost: $1495 ($299 per year)

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Chinese car maker Chery is going from sales strength to strength here in Australia after being one of the first – and therefore most recognisable – Chinese brands to go on sale locally.

The largest vehicle in its range is the Tiggo 8 Pro Max, a seven-seat SUV that competes with cars such as the Mitsubishi Outlander and Hyundai Santa Fe.

As you’d expect from the brand, its asking prices are bargains – $38,990 drive away for a fully loaded, turbocharged seven-seat SUV – and it’s also covered by a long warranty and a cheap servicing regime. Is it the seven-seat SUV of your dreams? Let’s look closer.

Price and equipment

For now, the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max is offered in three models: Urban, Elite and Ultimate AWD, with all three using a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine. Plug-in hybrid variants are due in July.

2025 Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max pricing (drive away):

Tiggo 8 Pro Max Urban standard equipment:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Roof rails
• Dusk-sensing automatic LED exterior lighting
• Rain-sensing automatic wipers
• Keyless entry with push button start and remote start
• Auto-folding mirrors that auto-drop in reverse
• Synthetic leather steering wheel
• Black synthetic leather upholstery
• 10-way electric driver’s seat with memory functionality
• Four-way electric front passenger seat
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Dual-zone automatic climate control with rear air vents
• N95 air purification
• 12.3-inch digital driver’s display
• 12.3-inch touchscreen
• Satellite navigation
• AM/FM radio
• Wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Eight-speaker Sony sound system
• 50W wireless phone charger
• 4x USB ports
• Auto-dimming rear mirror
• Multi-colour cabin ambient lighting

Tiggo 8 Pro Max safety equipment:

• 10 airbags (including front centre, driver’s knee and rear side units)
• Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist and intersection assistance
• Lane keeping assistance with lane departure warning
• Adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist
• Adaptive lane guidance
• Auto high beam
• Door open warning
• Traffic sign recognition
• Driver attention monitoring
• Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (including braking)
• Front and rear parking sensors
• 360-degree camera
• Alarm

The Tiggo 8 Pro Max range earned a five-star ANCAP safety rating with scores of 88 per cent for adult occupant protection, 87 per cent for child occupant protection, 79 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 86 per cent for safety assist.

Elite adds:

• Heated mirrors
• Illuminated door sills
• Third row air vents with fan speed control
• Power tailgate
• Remote windows
• Inbuilt dashcam
• Cargo blind

Ultimate adds:

• All-wheel drive system
• 19-inch alloy wheels
• 10-speaker Sony sound system
• Illuminated sun visor mirrors
• Panoramic sunroof
• Privacy glass
• Puddle lamps
• Inbuilt fragrance system (only with no-cost optional brown interior)

Interior, practicality and bootspace

Jump into the Tiggo 8 Pro Max and you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’d entered a car that costs significantly more money. Yep, the screen resolution could be better and some of the details are a bit chintzy, but the build quality is impressive and the material choices are surprisingly plush for the asking price, with plenty of soft touch materials dotted around the cabin.

Centre of the cabin are two 12.3-inch screens that use identical software to other Chery models. While there’s no live functionality yet, it’s well featured with wireless smartphone mirroring and inbuilt sat-nav. It’s generally quite easy to use, though some functionality could be made easier by featuring a home button on the centre console. Otherwise, we quite like the physical climate buttons and shortcuts next to the gear lever.

The Tiggo 8 Pro Max’s cabin is practical as well, with big door bins, a large box underneath the centre armrest, a big tray underneath underneath the centre console and big cupholders. Front seat comfort is good, though the use of vinyl upholstery means that they’re a bit soft as well and could be more supportive.

Space in the middle row is plentiful, with ample leg- and headroom, even for taller people. Three people could fit fine there as well. There are also some good amenities on offer, such as air vents, map and door pockets, a central armrest with cupholders and two USB ports. There are also two ISOFIX and three top tether points for child seats, though the action for moving the seats forward to grant access to the third row could be easier.

The third row of the Tiggo 8 Pro Max is definitely tighter than a Santa Fe or CX-80, but larger than the tiny third row of the Outlander. Two kids would be fine there, but adults would struggle. For third row occupants are a fan speed controller, air vents and cup holders, though no charging ports.

With all rows erected, there is 117 litres of bootspace on offer and a little bit of under-floor storage as well – folding the third row down unlocks 479 litres of space to the seatback (739L to the roof), but Chery doesn’t quote a figure for the second row folded as well. Regardless, it’s a practical space, which is impressive considering that it’s not a huge car on the outside.

Performance and economy

For now, all Tiggo 8 Pro Max models use a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making 180kW of power and 375Nm of torque. That’s mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and power is sent to the front wheels in the base and mid-spec models, and all four in the top-spec Ultimate tested here.

Chery claims combined fuel consumption of 8.7L/100km for the Ultimate AWD, and we achieved 11.3L/100km in purely urban driving. The Tiggo 8 Pro Max features a 57-litre fuel tank and it must be filled with minimum 95RON premium unleaded.

On the road

On the road, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max impresses with its refined and comfortable driving experience. A lot of Chinese cars feature low road noise levels and the Tiggo 8 Pro Max is no different: it’s impressively well hushed, even at highway speeds. Its visibility is also good, though the rear three-quarter view can be a bit spoiled by the small rear windows.

It should also be noted the Tiggo 8 Pro Max is not a sporty car, despite the quad tailpipes. Instead, it’s softly sprung and while that means its handling isn’t amazing, its ride quality soaks up the worst that some of our city roads can throw at it.

The Tiggo 8 Pro Max’s engine is strong, with enough punch for its target market. Peak torque hits at just 1750rpm and lasts until 4500rpm so that you’re almost always in the meaty part of the rev range in normal driving. The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission could be more refined however, and can feel confused at low speeds.

The active safety systems of the Tiggo 8 Pro Max are generally refined and work well, though a lot of the features, such as the active lane keeping assistance, are just too sensitive in everyday use and feel like they’re working against you. That’s nothing new in modern cars, but we still think they need some more tuning.

Service and warranty

The Tiggo 8 Pro Max is covered by a seven-year/unlimited km warranty with 12 months of roadside assistance that is service-extended by 12 months with each service up to seven years in total.

The five-year/75,000km service cost for the Tiggo 8 Pro Max is $1495 ($299 per year).

Verdict: Should I buy a Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max?

If you’re after a bargain seven-seat SUV, there’s no denying that the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max is a strong contender. It’s absolutely loaded with equipment across the range – especially the top-spec Ultimate AWD tested – and features a cabin that’s well finished and practical. Its engine is gutsy and refined, while the driving experience is generally solid as well, plus, its warranty is long and its capped price servicing is cheap.

Counting against the Tiggo 8 Pro Max is its indecisive dual-clutch transmission, its restricted third row and that more powerful rivals such as the Mazda CX-80 are more efficient, though that issue will be rectified in July when the plug-in hybrid drivetrain arrives. Overall, we’d suggest looking at more expensive rivals to make sure what you buy is what you’re happy with, but the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max is one of the best value cars on the market today and it backs up the value equation with solid all-round capability.

Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max rivals

Hyundai Santa Fe
Mazda CX-80
Skoda Kodiaq