Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max review: Why the seven-seat large SUV is winning new fans

Chinese brand Chery had an absolute belter of a 2025. Its 34,889 sales represented a massive 176.8 per cent increase on 2024’s numbers, and Chery’s Australian product, dealer and sales expansion continued at a rapid rate. One of the successful sales increases for the brand was the Tiggo 8 Pro Max seven-seater SUV, which increased its numbers by 99.6 per cent.

Since its launch almost two years ago, Chery has removed the mid-spec Elite from the Tiggo 8 Pro Max range, leaving just the entry-level Urban and top-spec Ultimate. But it’s also made the range more accessible in pricing as the Urban is currently priced at just $38,990 driveaway. Considering that the cheapest seven-seat variant of the Nissan X-Trail asks $41,140 plus on-road costs (so around $45,000 driveaway, depending on location), the Chery looks like great value for money.

Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max pricing (driveaway):

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Standard equipment on both the Urban and Ultimate models is strong, with the former including 18-inch wheels, LED exterior lighting, synthetic leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, dual 12.3-inch displays and a full suite of active safety kit. The Ultimate adds features such as larger 19-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, an all-wheel drive system, a power tailgate and a 10-speaker Sony sound system. See the full list of equipment here.

What sort of power and fuel economy does the Tiggo 8 Pro offer?

Unlike the seven-seat X-Trail, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max has proper grunt from under the bonnet. Standard across the Tiggo 8 Pro Max range is a 180kW/375Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Combined fuel consumption is rated at 8.7L/100km, with claimed CO2 emissions of 200g/km.

It’s a great engine with a raspy note and more than ample performance. Peak torque hits at just 1750rpm and stays until 4000rpm so that most urban driving occurs in that range and you can just ride the torque wave. The only fly in the ointment is the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which can stumble and get confused a bit at low speeds, but at higher speeds, it’s excellent.

The Tiggo 8 Pro Max isn’t the thriftiest car in its class, and you’ll be getting around 12L/100km in purely urban driving, but Chery does offer the Tiggo 8 CSH plug-in hybrid with a 95km electric driving range and a total range of around 1200km from a full charge and tank of fuel.

On the road, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max is refined and very comfortable. Even in the Ultimate with its larger 19-inch wheels, the ride quality is excellent and rarely unsettled. Road noise levels are low, and although it can roll around a bit in corners thanks to the soft suspension, in regular everyday driving it’s totally fine.

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What’s the Tiggo 8 Pro interior like?

But while the driving experience is solid, it’s the cabin that needs to impress buyers as that’s where they’re going to spend their time. Here, it impresses with good quality materials, modern design and useable tech that makes it easy to interact with. Sure, some of the details are a bit chintzy, like the ‘Tiggo’ text above the rear air vents and on the seats, but it’s otherwise quite tasteful.

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

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The front cabin also offers big door bins, a large box underneath the centre armrest, a big tray underneath the centre console and big cupholders. Front seat comfort is generally good, though more under-thigh support would be a useful addition.

Space in the middle row is plentiful, with ample leg- and headroom, even for taller people. 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 space of the X-Trail with noticeably more headroom on offer. Two kids would be fine there, but adults would struggle. For third row occupants there are air vents and cupholders, plus a fan speed controller in the Ultimate, though no charging ports.

With all rows in use, there is 117 litres of boot space on offer and 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 and impressive space, especially considering the price.

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Warranty and servicing

The Tiggo 8 Pro Max is covered by a seven-year/unlimited km warranty with 12 months of roadside assistance that is 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 just $1495 ($299 per year).

Final verdict

Should you buy a Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max? If you’re after a seven-seater SUV and are aware that there are more efficient and more practical rivals… but for more money, absolutely. As we’ve seen on Chery’s other models in Australia, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max offers a lot for the price with a good quality and modern cabin, a gutsy turbo-petrol engine, comfortable driving experience and long list of features.

It’s not the most fuel efficient product, though the CSH plug-in hybrid version exists for those wanting more efficiency. Overall, however, there is plenty of substance behind the headlines and the sub-$40k driveaway pricing for the Tiggo 8 Pro.

Chery Tiggo 8 specifications

Tiggo 8 Urban standard features

• 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 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

Ultimate model adds

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Panoramic sunroof
• Rear privacy glass
• Power tailgate
• All-wheel drive system
• Heated mirrors with puddle lamps
• Illuminated door sills
• Third row air vents with fan speed control
• Remote window operation
• Inbuilt dashcam
• Cargo blind
• 10-speaker Sony sound system
• Illuminated sun visor mirrors