Chery TIGGO 8 review
Having a big family is expensive – extra mouths to feed, extra clubs to fund, and all the costs that come with buying and running a bigger car. Step in the Chery TIGGO 8, which is a seven-seat family SUV that costs less than many five-seaters from established brands. Excellent kit lists and a ‘Super’ hybrid system are just some of the benefits. Still unsure about this newcomer? Read our Chery TIGGO 8 review to find out more.
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Pros
- Outstanding value family SUV
- Huge 15.6-inch screen and 540-degree camera
- Comfortable ride over poor surfaces
Cons
- Third row is best for children
- Petrol isn’t especially efficient
Interior
Our rating: 9/10
Driving position
While the Chery TIGGO 8 may be a large, seven-seat family SUV, it’s very similar to the slightly smaller five-seat TIGGO 7, so driving it will feel no different.
Of course, the cabin is laid out differently, and the ‘8’ feels different from the ‘7’, which we love because they have their own identities, but all-around visibility and the seating position are more or less identical.
You get that same high-up seating position, but you still feel like you’re sitting within a car rather than riding on top of a Range Rover, which is perfect for town and city manoeuvrability.
Steering wheel and seating adjustment are good, and the front seats are electric as standard.
Rear visibility is good in terms of A-pillars, but you get a different rear-view mirror in the TIGGO 8 than in the TIGGO 7. It’s like you're looking into your phone camera’s zoomed-out 0.5x lens.
As well as seeing what’s behind, you can also see all the rear-seat occupants. It takes some getting used to, but you get a much more comprehensive view than a standard mirror.
– Buy a new Chery car at cinch
Tech and features
Chery TIGGO 8 trim levels
– Aspire
– Summit
First things first, the TIGGO 8 is not just a bigger TIGGO 7; it has a totally different feel inside, and we welcome that.
Let’s start with the layout – the gear shifter is mounted on the steering column like in a Tesla, which frees up space on the centre console for additional climate controls.
Instead of the twin-display setup you get in its smaller sibling and the OMODA 5, the TIGGO 8 comes with a much bigger, iPad-style 15.6-inch screen. It’s like sitting in a Tesla or BYD.
It responds well, is easy to use and is nice and clear, so top marks here. You also get wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto for a more familiar interface, and a standard-fit 540-degree parking camera that’s as crisp as you’d hope.
There are still reasons to upgrade to high-spec Summit, though, with additions including heating for the steering wheel, front seats and rear seats, cooled front seats, a massaging driver’s seat, a powered boot lid, a head-up display and a 12-speaker SONY sound system.
A quick note on that 12-speaker system – there's a speaker in the front headrest for maximum surround sound. It’s not the loudest or sharpest system, but it does a really good job of blaring your favourite tunes.
In short, the TIGGO 8 is more than just a size upgrade over the TIGGO 7, so even if you don’t plan on using all seven seats, the bigger boot and extra kit may swing it for you.
Performance
Our rating: 7/10
Engines and power
Chery TIGGO 8 performance stats
– Power: 147 to 204hp
– 0-62mph: 8.5 to 9.8 seconds
– Top speed: Up to 118mph
– Driven wheels: Front-wheel drive
You get the same 147hp 1.6-litre petrol engine and 204hp 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid as you get in the five-seat TIGGO 7, as well as the OMODA 5 and JAECOO 7 (because those are sub-brands of Chery).
The petrol model comes with a dual-clutch automatic, similar to a DSG gearbox in the VW Tiguan. It drives well in a car of this size and has enough poke to help you out at busy roundabouts.
We’d recommend going for the hybrid, because it’s quicker, quieter, smoother and more efficient. An all-round clear winner.
Handling and ride comfort
Chery says it’s tuned its cars by a European R&D centre specifically for UK roads, and that much is clear.
We’ve driven plenty of other family SUVs, and Britain’s potholes are a problem for most of them.
The TIGGO 8 rides well over poorly surfaced roads, and bigger potholes don’t send a shock through the cabin as they do in other cars.
If we’re being picky, the steering could be a bit more direct for country lane driving, but for around town, it’s perfect.
Practicality
Our rating: 9/10
Boot space
Chery TIGGO 8 boot space
– Boot space: 494 litres
– Incl. Seven seats up: 117 litres
– Incl. Rear seats folded: 1,930 litres
Boot space is impressive in five-seat mode, with a 494-litre space matching the Nissan X-Trail's 485-litre space.
Even in seven-seat mode, you get 117 litres of space, which is enough to store a few soft bags. If you’re going food shopping, you won’t need to fold down the rearmost row to fit in the groceries.
The VW Tayron might have a much bigger 850-litre space (or 345 litres in seven-seat mode), but it’s a bigger and far more expensive car. Then there’s the fact that it only has 1,905 litres with the two rear rows folded, which is actually less than the TIGGO 8.
Rear seats
Just like the smaller TIGGO 7, the second row of seats is plenty comfortable enough for adults, with good legroom and headroom. The flat floor is also a bonus.
Third-row seating is less impressive, being that this is more of a 5+2-seater than a true seven-seater.
Something like the Hyundai Santa Fe might be better for rear-seat occupants, but compared to the VW Tayron, it’s about on par. Legroom is better than it is in the Nissan X-Trail, but headroom is still short.
Storage solutions
Chery’s floating centre console is a big addition to the cabin, with enough room underneath it to store bigger bags and so on.
Your USB sockets are also down there.
On top, you get twin wireless phone chargers (one of which is cooled to prevent your phone from overheating – a common problem with wireless charging), and two cupholders.
The split-opening centre armrest uncovers a deep storage area, too.
Chery TIGGO 8 dimensions
– Height: 1,705mm
– Width: 1,860mm (excl. door mirrors)
– Length: 4,725mm
– Kerbweight: Up to 1,916kg
Safety
The TIGGO 8 was initially given a four-star rating by Euro NCAP, but a change to its airbag system and a reassessment got it the full five-star rating.
You get all the essentials across all trim and powertrain variants, like autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning and rear cross traffic alert.
Running costs
Our rating: 7/10
Fuel economy
Chery expects 36mpg from its TIGGO 8 petrol, but we think 30mpg is more realistic in most conditions. It’s far from ideal, with the mild hybrid VW Tayron 1.5 eTSI rated at 46mpg.
It’s for this reason that we’d suggest the Chery Super Hybrid (CSH) version, which is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).
The 18.4kWh battery is good for 56 miles of petrol-free motoring, and 40kW rapid charging will give it a 30 to 80% charge in 20 minutes.
Because it has a bigger fuel tank too (60 litres vs. 57 litres for the petrol version), it’ll travel further. Up to 750 miles, in fact.
Reliability
Chery might be a new brand to the UK, but it’s already well-rooted in China, where it sells other TIGGO models too.
And just to set aside any worries you have about longevity, all cars get a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty with a separate eight-year hybrid battery warranty.
The verdict
Interior
9/10
Performance
7/10
Practicality
9/10
Running costs
7/10
Set against a backdrop of established rivals, the Chery TIGGO 8 stands out as being ‘the cheap one’. But we think it’s so much more than that.
First of all, its two trim level options are really strong, and the hybrid system impresses in mixed driving.
Then you’ve got the fact that it’s that much more of an upgrade over the TIGGO 7, which already sets a really strong foundation.
If you’re after a true seven-seater, you’ll need to go bigger, but if two additional occasional seats suit and a huge boot works well the rest of the time, we really think the Chery TIGGO 8 is worthy of your consideration.
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