What's the difference?
Chery would likely prefer you forget its initial foray into the Australian market, but doing so would do a disservice to the brand.
We don’t need to go into the nitty gritty of what went wrong back then, but needless to say the first Chery models of around 15 years ago were not particularly good.
Since its return in 2022 Chery is unrecognisable from that first attempt at cracking this market. The Omoda 5, the first model of its relaunch, was flawed but light years ahead of the earlier models in terms of design, presentation and build quality.
It has since expanded with the larger Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro Max SUVs and then in late 2024 it added this, the Tiggo 4 Pro. This is Chery’s answer to the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Mazda CX-30, Toyota Yaris Cross, etc in what’s known as the ‘light SUV’ segment.
Chery had a very good 2024, more than doubling its sales, so there are clear signs the brand is enjoying far greater success with its second attempt in Australia.
But is the Tiggo 4 Pro worth buying, if you’re in the market for a compact SUV? Let’s answer that question as we go through all the details.
If you’re in the market for a seven-seat SUV these days, you really are spoiled for choice.
Of course, you always have your obvious options like the Nissan X-Trail, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Honda CR-V, but what if you’re a big family on a relatively small budget.
Well, Chinese player Chery has just introduced its Tiggo 8 Pro Max into the seven-seat mid-size SUV space. I’m guessing the name means if you’re a professional, maximum-sized family, then it’s designed to be the best option for you.
But does it have what it takes to challenge such established seven-seat rivals? We tested one at its Australian launch to find out.
Is the Tiggo 4 Pro the best light SUV on the market? No, it falls short in some key areas, but there’s also a lot to like about it.
The driving dynamics needs more tuning to put it on par with its class rivals. I believe the Chinese brand that invests in a local ride and handling program in the same way Hyundai and Kia have done in the past decade will have a big advantage with customers. The Tiggo 4 feels too vague and unresolved at times, especially in the wet, and that could be rectified with some minor tweaks.
The safety systems also need some major work to make them smoother and less intrusive so you don’t go searching for the button to switch them off - which defeats the purpose of having them in the first place.
But if you can look past (or accept) the driving and active safety issues, there are some big plus points for Chery’s latest model. It looks great inside and out, offers up plenty of value and is as practical as a compact SUV can be.
Chery has come a long way in a short space of time and with some more improvements it’s easy to see it continuing its sales growth with models like the Tiggo 4 Pro.
This mid-sized seven-seat SUV segment is dominated by just a handful of nameplates, and it’s easy to see how some of them might be under threat by something like the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max.
There are a few areas where it could use some fine-tuning, but these are mainly restricted to being pedantic about the drive experience. There are no dealbreakers here as there often can be for low-cost alternatives, and so long as you’re primarily putting kids in the back seats, this Tiggo is well equipped, comfortable, plush, and surprisingly refined.
With a robust ownership proposition as well, it’s hard to see why you wouldn’t consider one of these if you’re shopping in the seven-seat SUV space - and that's why this could be Chery's shot at the big leagues.