Shots fired! Chery Tiggo 8 Pro: Luxury personified

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“In planning for the South African introduction of the Tiggo 8 Pro, we used the analogy of first-class travel. Once in first class, your every need is satisfied. There are no hidden costs, no surprise bills, and luxury is a given. That is what we have created for customers of the Tiggo 8 Pro, from design, to seating, to performance and of course to luxuries. We invite customers to enjoy their first class,” says Tony Liu, executive deputy general manager of Chery South Africa.

Design

Called 'movement design', the new design mixes bionics and aesthetics to create a vehicle that has a fluid design, while maintaining a striking presence. From the outside, the three-dimensional grille is inspired by the stars in the galaxies, which draws your eye into the grille and clearly accentuates its design and depth.

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Two fully automatic matrix-LED headlamps with dual daytime running lights – called Tiger Eyes – flank the grille. These headlamps are at the heart of the vehicle’s striking visual signature and are standard in all Tigon 8 Pro vehicles.

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Other unique design elements in this new Movement Design Tiggo 8 Pro include subtle but striking satin chrome finishes across the lower air intake, which double as a strike plate, the fog lamps, grille, windows and lower door section.

Interior design

Inside, all major controls have been digitised on three separate screens. The first is the instrumentation panel, which is a large horizontal 12.3” high-resolution screen. The screen not only displays the necessary vehicle information but dynamically adapts to the driver’s needs and can display much of the infotainment and mobile phone information as well.

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Mounted in the centre of the dashboard is the infotainment system. This 10.25” high-definition floating multimedia display takes care of the audio controls, display from your mobile phone via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the image from the reverse camera. Tiggo 8 Pro models offer wireless charging, intelligent voice control and crisp clear music through a Sony sound system with eight surround sound speakers as standard.

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First class space

All seven seats are leather-clad on the Distinctive model, and should you opt for the Executive model, the trim is upgraded to black and brown leather with a modern diamond-stitched pattern. All Tiggo 8 Pro models have a six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat with a memory setting. The rear seats in both models can fold completely flat in a 60:40 configuration.

Chery power

The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro is powered by one of Chery’s award-winning turbo-petrol engines with direct injection and intelligent control. As fitted to the Tiggo 8 Pro, the 1.6 TGDI delivers a maximum power output of 145kW at 5,500rpm and a solid 290Nm across a notably wide powerband between 2,000rpm and 4,400rpm. The engine is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (7DCT) that delivers power to the front wheels. Standard, Eco and Sport driving modes are all available to ensure smooth driving on any terrain.

One million reasons

The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro will offer a comprehensive 10-year/one-million-kilometre engine warranty. Only the original owner is afforded this warranty and it is not transferrable. Chery will also offer customers a comprehensive five-year/60,000 km service plan as standard with its flagship Tiggo 8 Pro.

Priced to sell

• Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Distinctive – R496,900
• Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Executive – R546,900