The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro is set to launch in Malaysia sometime around June this year, but it won’t actually be the same car that was shown off in the preview last year. Instead, we’ll be getting an ‘all-new’ version, dubbed the Tiggo 8 Pro Max, which has just made its official debut in China last week.
Chery says that it’s an all-new generation model, although having seen it in person in Wuhu, China, we’re more inclined to call it a major facelift update – think the facelift for the third-generation Toyota Vios. Anyway, we digress.
On the outside, the new 2023 Chery Tiggo 8 Pro now wears a “galaxy”-inspired front grille, with new prism-shaped inserts on the mesh, drawing your attention to the new illuminated Chery emblem.
Round the back, the Tiggo 8 Pro is also now fitted with a new full-width tail light, alongside a fancy-looking third brake light that’s integrated into the roof-mounted spoiler. The wheels are also now 19-inch items, an inch bigger than the previous unit seen during the local preview. However, that can still change depending on the final equipment list for the Malaysia-specification car.
While the styling updates does make the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro look quite a bit better (in our opinion), the main highlight on this 2023 model is actually on the inside. The updated seven-seater SUV now gets a completely reworked dashboard, featuring a more horizontal layout and a neater dual-screen set-up atop.
The bottom level of the multi-tiered dashboard design houses the new touch-sensitive climate control buttons, eschewing the weirdly old-school sci-fi secondary screen from the outgoing model for a much more modern design. Look closer, and you’ll start to find some Mercedes-inspired details, including the push-start button, door card designs, and Burmester-style speaker grilles.
RELATED: Chery Malaysia to begin CKD production in June, Tiggo 8 Pro launch expected in July
To be fair, these small details do really help give the new 2023 Chery Tiggo 8 Pro a much more premium look and feel – even the switches on the new flat-bottomed steering wheel also come with detailed knurling. And it’s not just looks, either – on the range topping variants, the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro even comes with a high-end Sony sound system.
The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max will be offered with 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four powertrains over in China, but for Malaysia, we’ll only be getting the bigger 2.0-litre mill. Outputs are unchanged from before, at 250 hp and 390 Nm. Power is sent to either the front wheels or all four wheels via a seven-speed DCT gearbox.
Chery Malaysia has also confirmed the arrival of a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant for the Tiggo 8 Pro, which will be making its official debut in the country late-2023. The PHEV’s powertrain consists of a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, two electric motors, as well as what the marque calls a 3DHT (Dedicated Hybrid Transmission) gearbox, for a combined output of 241 hp and 510 Nm.
Pricing for the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro in Malaysia is not confirmed yet, but rumours are suggesting a figure of around the RM160,000 mark. Either way, you can expect it to be priced similarly to the Honda CR-V, which the company is naming it as its chief competitor, despite it being only a five-seater SUV compared to the Tiggo 8 Pro’s seven seats.
ALSO READ: Chery to produce 30,000 cars annually in Malaysia CKD plant
GALLERY
