Chery has officially completed the roll-out of its Chery Super Hybrid (CSH) models in South Africa with the arrival of the Tiggo 8 CSH.

Not the flagship

The Citizen reports that joining the Tiggo 7 Pro Max and Tiggo 7 Pro, the Tiggo 8 CSH adopts the same plug-in hybrid configuration as the latter, but is restricted to a single, unbadged derivative which, surprisingly, isn’t the local line-up’s new flagship.

Positioned between the two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions of the Tiggo 8 Pro Max, the Tiggo 8 CSH doesn’t adopt the ‘Pro’ suffix and as such, will be marketed as the Tiggo 8 CSH as opposed to the Hybrid-e description used at its official preview launch in China two years ago.

Changes inside and out

Similar to the newly facelifted Tiggo 7, which takes leave of the ‘Pro’ and ‘Pro Max’ names, the Tiggo 8 CSH differs aesthetically from the combustion models by featuring a new grille with black surrounds, a restyled front bumper, standard Auto High Beam Assist LED headlights and new 19-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, the differences continue in the shape of the same centre console as sister brand Jaecoo’s J7, complete with a pair of wireless smartphone chargers, a rotary drive mode selector and two cupholders.

With the gear lever moving to the steering column, Chery has also redesigned the Tiggo 8 CSH’s dashboard by eschewing the dual 12.3-inch displays for a freestanding instrument cluster of the same size, plus a new 15.6-inch infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The latter’s inclusion has seen the central air vents move to the centre console, while the previous toggle switches and physical buttons on the steering wheel make way for touch-sensitive switchgear.

Space and tech

As with the rest of the Tiggo 8 range, the CSH keeps the seven-seat layout, with boot space ranging from 117-litres to 494-litres. Dropping the middle row results in space maxing out at 1 930-litres. On the specification front, the Tiggo 8 CSH, bar the items mentioned, comes equipped with the following as standard:

• three type-C USB ports
• a 12-speaker Sony sound system
• dual-zone climate control
• ambient lighting
• ventilated, heated, electric and massaging front seats
• imitation leather upholstery
• a panoramic sunroof
• an electric tailgate
• Head-Up Display

The extensive array of safety and driver assistance systems includes:

• a 540-degree camera system
• 10 airbags
• front and rear parking sensors
• Driver Monitoring System
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Hill Start Assist
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Traffic Jam Assist
• Lane Departure Warning
• Front Collision Warning
• Blind Spot Monitoring
• Door Opening Warning
• Automatic Emergency Braking

Plug-in hybrid punch

On the power front, the Tiggo 8 CSH carries over the same powerplant as the Jaecoo J7 SHS, namely the brand’s 1.5 T-GDI engine combined with an 18.3kWh battery pack powering a single electric motor. The result is a total system output of 255kW/525Nm, an electric-only range of 90km, and a combined overall distance of 1 200km. The claimed fuel consumption is 5.2L/100km. Sending the amount of twist to the front axle is a Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT). In addition, three driving modes are offered: Eco, Normal and Sport.

Warranty

Now available, the Tiggo 8 CSH’s sticker price includes:

• a seven-year/200 000km warranty
• a seven-year/90 000km service plan
• a 10-year/1 000 000km engine warranty transferred to the second owner only via the first owner having made the original purchase through the Cherished pre-owned dealer network
• a 10-year/unlimited km battery warranty

Price

• Tiggo 8 Pro 1.6 T-GDI Executive+ DCT – R529 900
• Tiggo 8 Pro Max 2.0 T-GDI Executive DCT – R669 900
• Tiggo 8 CSH – R729 900
• Tiggo 8 Pro Max 2.0 T-GDI Executive AWD DCT – R731 900