The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro range was unveiled locally in early 2022 with two derivatives, the 1.6TGDI 290T Distinction and the 1.6TGDI 290T Executive. Later in the same year, Chery introduced the Tiggo 8 Pro Max in 2.0TGDI 390T Executive guise. This new offering is positioned as the flagship of the entire range and offers a larger and more powerful engine as well as unique styling items.
But will the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro range be a good option for a new driver? Before you start your search for new or used Chery Tiggo 8 Pro models on AutoTrader, or sell your car quickly and conveniently with our Instant Offer tool here, let us find out if it is a good option for your needs.
Related: Does the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro have ISOfix?
Space
If you are looking for a lot of space, the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro will most likely meet your needs. All three variants offer owners up to seven seats, however, with the 6th and 7th seats folded flat, the boot grows from 193 litres to 892 litres. The boot can be expanded further by folding down the second row of seats, which will make available 1 930-litres of luggage space.
But if seating is what you are after, both the front and second-row passengers get ample leg-, shoulder- and headroom. The third row could be a little cramped for taller individuals. However, children and even teenagers should find the space ample.
Safety
One key area that should be at the top of the list of any car purchaser is safety. For all three variants of the Tiggo 8 Pro, Chery has fitted no less than six airbags each, front and side units for the front occupants as well as two curtain airbags to help keep the rear occupants safe. For parents, all three derivatives come standard with ISOfix anchor points on the outer rear seats.
All three variants also offer traction control, roll stability control, ABS brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist as standard. Furthermore, hill assist and downhill ascent control as well as rear park distance control with a rear-view camera with dynamic guides are also fitted. Owners can also switch views to access a 360-degree parking view that comes from cameras around the vehicle.
Those with the Executive trim further benefit from a lane departure warning system, automatic cruise control, automatic emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, intelligent high-beam control, blind spot monitoring, front collision warning and an emergency brake override system as standard.
Performance
Is the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro range too powerful for a new driver? Both derivatives that are fitted with the 1.6-litre, turbocharged, 4-cylinder petrol engines provide 145 kW and 290 Nm of torque, good for a respectable acceleration time of 0-100 km/h in 8.9 seconds and a top speed of 190 km/h.
The 2.0-litre, turbocharged, 4-cylinder petrol motor develops 187 kW and 390 Nm of torque which sees a slightly quicker acceleration to 100 km/h, 7.3 seconds, and perhaps an ever so slightly higher top speed. Both engines, however, don't deliver sports car levels of performance and, as such, should be more than ample for a new driver, but not too much.
Verdict
While the large dimensions might take some time for a new driver to get used to, it isn't anything that cannot be done. Also, should the Executive trim be selected, there are a plethora of safety systems that will help a new driver owning a Tiggo 8 Pro. If anything, the only characteristic that would dissuade a new driver is the price point, the base model asking for R 496 900, at the time of writing this article. But if that hurdle is one that can be overcome, the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro should make for a good car for new drivers.
