Traction increased as Chery prices all-wheel-drive Tiggo 8 Pro Max

After teasing the arrival of the all-wheel-drive Tiggo 8 Pro Max this week, Chery has finally detailed specification and pricing of its first all-paw gripping model in South Africa.

All four wheels pulling

Differing visually from the regular front-wheel-drive by means of a chrome AWD badge on the bottom left of the tailgate, the all-wheel-drive’s biggest and most obvious change, is its traction system Chery says switches from two-wheel-drive to all four wheels gripping in 100 milliseconds.

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Said to have undergone “extreme testing” throughout last year in a variety of conditions, the setup boasts torque spreading between the front and rear axles, plus upgraded suspension to accommodate the amount of power and torque no longer going to the front wheels only.

While no further details pertaining to the system were divulged, including a newly added setting to the drive mode selector, Chery did confirm a bigger fuel tank increased from the front-wheel-drive’s 57-litres to 61-litres for the AWD.

Spec and tech

On the specifications side, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max AWD carries over the dual 12.3-inch instrument cluster and infotainment system, dual-zone climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the 360-degree surround-view camera system and the 50-watt wireless smartphone charger.

Further included are type-C and type-A USB ports, heated, cooled and electric front seats, a panoramic sunroof and ambient lightning, with new additions being a fragrance dispenser with three aromas and two added speakers on the Sony sound system for a total of 10.

Besides the camera system, the Tiggo 8 Pro Max AWD’s list of added safety and driver assistance systems comprise Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Departure Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Traffic Jam Assist, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Evasive Steering Assist.

Same engine

As per its moniker and designation on the other side of the tailgate, the all-wheel-drive Max’s powerplant has been kept as is with outputs of 187kW/390Nm from the 2.0 T-GDI engine.

Despite drive going to all four wheels, the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission has been retained, albeit recalibrated to suite the added traction from the rear wheels.

Price

Joining the existing line-up of the regular 1.6 T-GDI powered Executive and the front-wheel-drive Max, the now flagship Tiggo 8 Pro model’s sticker price includes a five-year/150 000 km warranty, a seven-year/90 000 km service plan and the 10-year/1 000 000 km engine warranty.

• Tiggo 8 Pro 1.6 T-GDI Executive DCT – R609 900
• Tiggo 8 Pro Max 2.0 T-GDI Executive DCT – R669 900
• Tiggo 8 Pro Max 2.0 T-GDI Executive AWD DCT – R731 900

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