Chery Tiggo 8 - a car for a big family

Chery is one of China's largest car-making groups and is already present in more than 100 countries. Its portfolio includes other brands already familiar on the Polish market, such as Omoda and Jaecoo. When it launched Chery, the group first offered the 7 and 8 series models, and the range was later expanded with the 4 and 9. We were given a Tiggo 8 with plug-in hybrid drive to test.

Chery stands out for what all Chinese brands boast about: generous equipment and an affordable price. But the Tiggo 8 has something more: a third row of seats and a range of well over 1000 km.

The Chinese SUV is 472.5 cm long, 186 cm wide and 170.5 cm high, with a wheelbase of 271 cm, and it competes directly with Korean and Czech counterparts (Hyundai Santa Fe, Skoda Kodiaq).

Design, seven seats and the boot

The car's styling cannot be faulted: it is very neutral and understated. From the front you see a huge grille. There are no surprises at the back either. The brand's logo sits in the middle of the tailgate, and two dummy exhaust pipes have been placed under the bumper. Looking at the car from behind, you get the visual impression that it is rather narrow and tall. Unfortunately, the car we tested did not have a luggage cover.

The generous dimensions promise a spacious interior, and indeed the Tiggo 8 we tested came in a seven-seat version. The two extra seats can easily be unfolded using straps from the boot side. They are reasonably large and have headrests, and their occupants get cupholders built into the wheel arch housings.

With the rearmost seats folded into the boot floor, the Tiggo 8's luggage capacity is 889 litres. With all seven seats occupied, the boot will take only 193 litres of luggage.

Cockpit, screens and seats

The cabin of the Chery Tiggo 8 is similar to those found in other Chinese cars. In front of the driver is a smaller screen (10.25 inches), while the large main screen sits in the centre (15.6 inches). On the smaller screen you can change which parameters are displayed, and the whole display comes in a white or black theme.

Moving almost all the functions onto the main screen is rather irritating. You have to take your eyes off the road to activate the functions you need. When navigation from your phone is on, the air conditioning control panel is hidden and has to be “forcibly” brought back up. Fortunately, some of the necessary buttons have been placed on the steering wheel. The armrest flows smoothly into a control panel, which houses a knob for selecting the three drive modes: “eco”, “normal” and “sport”. The panel also has a wireless charger.

The electric seat adjustment lets you tailor the seats very well to your body. Particularly praiseworthy are the precise lumbar support adjustment, the massage and ventilation controlled from the central screen and the multi-level heating. Curiously, though, the massage function is only available for the passenger seat. The rear seats are heated too. With the climate screen open, you can activate the “pet” function, which keeps the temperature in the car comfortable when your animal is inside. It only works when the battery is sufficiently charged.

Plug-in hybrid drive and a range of over 1000 km

The Chery Tiggo 8 PHEV has plug-in hybrid drive; at the rear of the car, on the passenger side, there is a charging socket, and opposite it, on the driver's side, the fuel filler. The powertrain consists of a 1.5 combustion engine (143 hp) and an electric motor (204 hp). Energy comes from an 18.3 kWh battery and a 60-litre fuel tank. The car can travel almost 100 km on electricity and 1100 km on petrol. You can switch between power sources and force zero-emission driving. The screen shows two figures: electric range and fuel range. When the electric range drops to a critical level, a message is displayed and read out by the system. Unfortunately, the Polish it speaks is so mangled that it brings a smile to the faces of everyone in the car.

The Chery Tiggo 8 PHEV is a spacious, versatile seven-seat SUV offering generous equipment, a high level of travel comfort and a long range, with the option of zero-emission driving.