Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max: A road trip in this luxurious seven-seat SUV

Not only is Chery's first seven-seat SUV in Australia its best effort to date, it's also easy on the eye and offers exceptional value for money; boasting an enviable list of luxury features, smart packaging, and a punchy four-cylinder turbo petrol engine under the bonnet.

Kicking off from $41,990 drive-away, the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max is a spacious SUV that ticks all the boxes when you factor in design, engineering, and (importantly) cost of ownership.

It competes in one of the most contested automotive segments in the country, so I thought I'd take a road trip south to my relatives' place at Kangaroo Valley in the NSW Southern Highlands and judge this latest and greatest Chery for myself.

On the most direct route from Sydney's Northern Beaches it's a solid 2-hour 40-minute stint behind the wheel down to my accommodation. But I wanted to take in a few interesting stops along the way, first of which is the delightfully quaint seaside town of Kiama and an all-time favourite of mine.

Along with its rolling hills, panoramic views, and harbour-side fish shops, you'll find spectacular attractions like the lighthouse and always-on blowhole.

Treat yourself to any number of interesting cafes including Flour Water Salt bakery for coffee, delicious deli sandwiches, wraps and sweet treats, all of which I was keen to incorporate into the trip south.

It wouldn't matter how many hours driving you did in the Tiggo 8 Pro Max, the level of comfort is such you're still going to arrive refreshed and relaxed. That's regardless of the weather, which started out with warm rays of sunshine but by mid-morning had turned decidedly wet and stormy.

Long before I started crowing about the comfort, space, and endless list of features in the Tiggo 8 Pro Max to anyone who'd listen, it's as much the design surprised me thanks to some softer European styling influences. There's a certain resolve to this design that makes it more appealing than some rivals.

From any angle it looks good. But with animated LED lights and cool light signatures worthy of any luxury brand, you'll find yourself looking back at it. Proportionally it works well and that's not always the case with seven seaters which can look a bit ungainly.

And while it's easy to see the glowing value from the base model at $41,990 drive-away there's outstanding value across the Tiggo 8 range, including the range-topping Ultimate AWD we drove here at just $47,990 drive-away. That's value you simply can't ignore.

If you're coming out of a used vehicle even just a few years old, you're going to be blown away by this cabin for the tech on display, and the sheer level of comfort it offers in all three seat rows.

The faux leather seats are some of the most sumptuous in the business and genuinely worthy of top-flight billing alongside anything you'll find in luxury German models.

While that might sound like I'm drinking a bit too much of the kool-aid, I'd defy anyone not wax lyrical about these pews even after just sitting behind the wheel for the first time. It's eye opening what the interior team has delivered here.

Not only does the upholstery look and feel like the softest Nappa leather, it's quilted with contrast stitching. They're also superbly cushioned and bolstered with both heating and ventilation, even in the base-spec Urban variant.

I've got a theory on this – given the metal speaker grilles look to have been inspired by those Burmester units deployed in high-end Mercedes-Benz variants, I'm betting the flagship S-Class was the inspiration for those in the Tiggo 8 Pro Max.

And that's not half of it. There are powered controls to move the front-passenger seat forward or aft for easier access for rear-seat passengers.

You can't blame Chinese carmakers for using legacy brands like Range Rover or Mercedes-Benz as benchmarks – at least for interior design and materials. There are examples of both here, but not in a crass way. It blows my mind that today's new car buyers can get this level of comfort and kit at this price point.

Most buyers will enjoy the seating position. It's slightly elevated but given you sink into these armchair-style seats – it still puts the driver in the vehicle rather than on top, with a commanding view of the road all-round.

Even the flat-bottom steering wheel has a luxury look and feel to it, along with loads of functionality built in. And while luxury kit and cutting-edge tech are par for the course these days, the Tiggo 8 takes it to a new level with an exhaustive inventory of features.

The dual 12.3-inch displays on-show here are crystal-clear, high-definition units with good response from the touchscreen and sound ergonomics to boot.

There's ambient lighting in two seat rows which is customisable to any number of colours you might fancy, though I'm partial to purple or green.

And while wired smartphone connections are fast becoming old hat (even USB-C), the Tiggo 8 gets wireless CarPlay and Android Auto that's a cinch to connect to. There's a knurled volume scroller that also turns the touchscreen on and off – just be careful not to press too firmly when scrolling.  

When you're otherwise engaged with both hands firmly on the steering wheel, go ahead and use the "Hello Chery" voice command for things like 'lower the temperature' or 'turn the volume up'. It works well and you'll find yourself relying on it more often than not.  

Behind those metal speaker grilles is a 10-speaker Sony audio system in the Ultimate that delivers superb highs and lows.

There's also a 360-degree camera to help you in tight spots or just backing out of your driveway with superb clarity, as well as a built-in dashcam.

It's a clean, well-organised cabin and I like the fact there's a smart looking shifter, but actual drive mode selection is via a rotary dial directly aft. It's tastefully knurled too.

There's no shortage of cubbies up front for phones, keys, or wallets, and there's a wireless charging pad along with an under-console storage area for handbags or an iPad. Directly above is a good size centre console bin that's cooled, as well as being nicely damped for soft close.

For a family-friendly SUV in the mid-sized segment you'll find the Tiggo 8 benefits from clever packaging to accommodate passenger comfort and luggage requirements.

Crucially, second row seats can slide to cater for any number of configurations over the two rear-seat rows. You might only use the third row very occasionally so you'll want lots of rear legroom for those in the second row. And for those middle-seat passengers back there, the floor is almost flat.

Further back, the third row seats are easily deployed from the boot and accessed via the second row on the kerbside door. They have separate vents and a fan control for maximum comfort. When not in use they can also be lowered almost flat for extra carrying capacity.

And just for the record, those rearmost seats are upholstered in the same super-soft material as those further forward. There's also a stack of luggage space (479L) when folded.

After our stop for coffee, sandwiches, and pastries, it was time to take the windy country roads around Jamberoo's Saddleback Mountain along with a very cool front-lawn feature I was keen to get a pic of before making our way towards Robertson and Carrington Falls.

With almost all model lines you'd need to buy the range-topper to get a punchy motor, but even the entry variant in the Tiggo 8 line-up gets the lively 2.0-litre turbo-four that delivers plenty of getup and go.

What's more there's a punchy engine note from the midrange that adds some character to the Tiggo 8.

It starts off in the default Eco drive mode each time you hit the knurled start button. While throttle response is fine around town, there's more urgency to be found in Normal and it's decidedly sharper again in Sport.

There's also good breadth between the different modes, but in Sport with favourable driving conditions prevailing you'll find steep hill climbs and safe high-speed overtaking just some of the benefits of this torquey powertrain.

The Tiggo 8 might be positioned in the mid-size SUV category but it's at the larger end of the scale given its packaging. That doesn't mean it wallows in any way through the twisty sections.

On the contrary – the body is taut and well controlled to eliminate any unnecessary lean, even when you're pushing along at a fair old clip.

Moreover there's sound suspension damping at play here too, with all manner of potholes and broken roads being largely ironed out by the Tiggo 8. Even the steering is direct and relatively linear from lock-to-lock.

Off the beaten track is no real barrier either. There's a variety of off-road drive modes to choose from, but even left in the standard tarmac mode the going proved easy over dirt roads on our way to a few of the spectacular waterfalls around Barrengarry, before we headed down into Kangaroo Valley proper for the night.

After a few heavy rain periods that night the creeks and rivers were running solid and although we passed on a 500mm depth crossing due to both the speed and depth of the water, we managed two water crossings that were shallower without so much as a blip.

Before heading home to Sydney via Bowral for top-shelf pizza at Café Rosso, it's worth reflecting on Chery's Tiggo 8 Pro Max and its proposition to new car buyers or at least those with a keen eye for value.

It would be all too easy to call out the sweet spot as the kit-rich entry-level Urban for the number of lush features it offers for less than $42k drive-away, never mind the seven-year warranty, roadside assist, and inexpensive capped-price servicing.  

For me though, it's the top-spec Ultimate thanks to its exclusive AWD offering. I've always been a big fan of all-paw traction in the family SUV for bad weather reassurance, and that's before you consider the extra high-value kit like the panoramic sunroof, larger wheels and 10-speaker audio upgrade to name just a few.

It looks good, goes well on all levels, and offers the kind of luxury cabin, technology, and features that not long ago were the sole domain of upper-spec German makes and models.

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Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au