Chery Tiggo 8 PRO MAX vs Nissan X-TRAIL

What's the difference?

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.

Over four generations Nissan has fine-tuned the X-Trail into an impressively refined and practical option for an urban family; that practicality further extended by inclusion of two occasional seats in the third row of this N-Trek version. The value equation is also strong and safety is top-shelf.

That said, efficiency is far from class-leading and the ownership proposition is off the category pace. But this even-seater’s overall quality still shines through. 

If you’re in the midst of the mid-size SUV market vortex and want seven seats rather than five make sure this car’s on your investigation list.

The Tiggo 8 Pro Max just looks like a mid-size SUV. Perhaps if you calculated the average design cues of every mid-size SUV on the market, this would be what you end up with.

Of all the Chinese automakers currently in the market though, the Tiggo range of SUVs are the least controversial. There’s no weird theme to the design, there’s no bizarre light fittings or controversial angles. You could stick a badge on this car from any Korean or Japanese brand and you wouldn’t think twice about it.

It doesn’t say much for innovation, but I think it will very much work in this car's favour. It provides a much more globally appealing look when compared to the controversial design of BYD products, the crazy grilles and badging on GWM products, or the derivative style of the MG range.

For this reason it won’t turn heads at the school drop-off, but that’s perfect for families who want to run incognito and would normally buy a conservative mainstream SUV from Toyota or Mitsubishi.

Inside things get a bit more interesting. The Tiggo 8 has a contemporary design, complete with a high-riding bridge-style console, and the dual-screens are encased in a single housing that spans half the length of the dash.

It’s ambitious too, with generous amounts of soft-touch surfaces and synthetic leather finishes. Clearly, it’s inspired by others in the industry. The dual-screen layout is very Hyundai or Kia via Mercedes, while the Benz influence extends to the wood grain-look plastic inserts and even the little silver finishes covering the speakers up. Rather than a naff knock-off though, the Chery interior genuinely feels its own space.

The only areas that you can see through the facade to a car built-to-a price is in a handful of places. The steering wheel buttons, for instance, feel a bit cheap, and when it comes to those big screens, the resolution isn’t as high as you might expect, and the processing isn’t as fast as it could be, leading to a slightly laggy experience.

Still, the same can be said for many mainstream manufacturers, and at least Chery’s native software has been localised and is easy to navigate. Also, none of this stops the Chery from feeling properly plush on the inside. It was also seemingly pretty well put together, free of rattles, switchgear with too much play, or nasty hollow plastics.

First impressions are good.

Busy but interesting is a description you might apply to a mad rocket scientist or rock ‘n’ roll roadie. But it’s also apt when looking at the Nissan X-Trail’s exterior design.

Long, angular head and front fog lights sitting either side of a large grille and above multiple air intakes set the tone at the front with a similar mix of accentuated tail-lights and jagged shapes at the rear.

There’s enough distinctive character there to identify the X-Trail as a contemporary Nissan and I for one like the look of it, especially in our test example’s ‘Ceramic Grey’ finish.

For car-spotters, the N-Trek is distinguished by specific 18-inch (mainly black) alloys, a unique front and rear bumper treatment and a blacked-out grille as well as a black finish on the door handles, mirror covers and roof rails.

This third-generation X-Trail arrived less than two years ago and the interior remains classy and restrained, Nissan so far resisting the temptation to join media and instrument displays into the increasingly common single array.

The sweeping multi-level dash is fuss-free and the muted, mainly grey and black colour palette is calming yet bright enough to avoid crossing the line into sombre.  

Its layout is simple and ergonomically efficient with details like manual dials for audio and heating/ventilation control a plus.

And it’s the things you don’t regularly notice that are worth calling out. The electric handbrake is near silent on application; not always the case in recently released rivals. The rear windscreen wiper motor is also quiet; again, something you can’t take for granted these days. And the quality of the materials across the interior is a cut above those most often used by ‘challenger’ brands.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Lots of small ‘one per cent’ things that may seem minor on their own but add up to make a noticeable difference overall.

The interior is also thoughtfully designed, but it needs to compete with user-friendly cars like the Honda CR-V and Nissan X-Trail in this segment.

The front occupants are treated to a reasonably spacious cabin, which for the driver is quite adjustable, although the design of the dash means it sticks out into the front passenger’s knee area. Head and shoulder space is impressive, and everywhere you put your arms or knees there’s a soft-clad finish rather than hard plastic to greet you.

As already mentioned, the software isn’t half bad when it comes to ease-of-use, however the lack of tactile toggles or dials for the climate unit is a bit of a miss. It has its own dedicated set of touch controls below the screen itself, but they provide no tactile feedback, so are a little hard to use while on the move.

Storage is great, with large pockets and bottle-holders in the doors, a further two bottle holders in the centre console, a wireless phone charger, and a neat little set of drive mode buttons and a digital shift lever within easy reach.

The bridge-style console also offers a large pass-through area underneath for the storage of larger items, and there’s a deep centre armrest console box, too.

The second row is quite versatile, offering rail adjustment for the base, so you can maximise the room available to the third row if need be.

Second-row occupants (with the seats set to a decent position for myself at 182cm tall) have plenty of knee room and plenty of headroom, and the doors open nice and wide for the loading of objects or people.

Storage includes large pockets on the backs of the front seats, a bottle holder in each door, and a further two in the drop-down armrest. There is a set of adjustable air vents on the back of the centre console, with both a USB-A and USB-C port for power delivery.

The third row is a bit more challenging. I had to contort myself to get in with the second row seat either slid forward or folded flat. Once I was in there, I was surprised to find I fit, but only just.

My knees were hard up against the seat in front, while my head was touching the roof. Mercifully, I had enough room to slide my feet under the seat in front, otherwise it would’ve been too tight. It’s passable for adults then, but only in a pinch, and you wouldn’t want to be back there for long. No problem if you’re just putting kids back there though.

The third row gets air vents on either side with an independent fan speed controller on the mid-grade Elite and top-spec Ultimate, and there’s a useful storage tray, and small bottle holder on each side. You don’t get USB ports, but there’s a 12 volt outlet available just behind the rear seats in the boot.

On the topic of the boot, it is not as large as I was hoping, but then neither is the car itself.

The boot measures 479 litres with the second-row up, or just 117-litres with all seven seats deployed. It’s smaller than some mid-size rivals, but not enough for it to be a dealbreaker. We’ll get it back for a longer test to see what does and does not fit.

The floor is quite high to facilitate those fold-flat rear seats, and there’s a small under-floor storage tray where you can hide the retractable luggage cover on the Urban and Elite variants. Unfortunately the Ultimate gets a subwoofer here.

All variants get a space-saver spare wheel mounted outside underneath the car, so at least you don’t need to deal with a tyre repair kit.

At just under 4.7m long, a fraction over 1.8m wide and a bit more than 1.7m tall, the current Nissan X-Trail is a large mid-size SUV.

That allows for a generous amount of space up front with more than enough breathing room between the driver and co-pilot.

Storage is pretty handy, too, with a decent size lidded ‘butterfly door’ box between the seats (which doubles as a centre armrest), two cupholders in the centre console, a lower level tray underneath, door bins with space for large bottles and a decent glove box.

Move to the second row and at 183cm tall I have plenty of headroom and legroom, with the latter variable thanks to the seat’s ability to slide and open up more room for the two third-row occupants if required.

Again, there are bins in the doors with a cavity able to accommodate large-ish bottles, two cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest and map pockets on the front seat backs, while adjustable ventilation gets a big thumbs up.

Three full-size adults across the second-row seat is a recipe for discomfort but two grown-ups or a trio of up to mid-teenage kids will be fine and the rear doors deserve a big shout out. 

First, they open out to 90 degrees which makes getting in and out of there s-o-o much easier and second, pull-up sunshades are always a welcome addition.

The third row is a kids-only zone, but the flexibility those two spots offer is significant and Nissan’s provision of big outer armrests with storage and drink holders built in is a thoughtful touch.

Connectivity and power options run to USB-A and -C ports (for streaming and charging) plus a 12-volt socket and wireless device charging pad in the front. There’s an identical pair of (charge only) USBs in the centre row and another 12-volt outlet in the boot. 

Speaking of which, with all seats up the seven-seat X-Trail’s boot capacity shrinks to that of an oversize handbag (realistically, two or three soft bags), but with the 50/50 split third row folded down you’re provided with 465 litres of volume (to the roof) which is enough to easily swallow the three-piece CarsGuide suitcase set. And the 40/20/40 split second row’s sliding ability again allows you to play with the space available.

Worth noting a space-saver spare is provided (a much better option than a ‘roll of the dice’ repair/inflator kit) and maximum braked trailer towing capacity is a handy 2000kg (750kg unbraked).

At $50,390, before on-road costs, other similarly sized and specified three-row rivals to the X-Trail N-Trek include the recently released Tiggo 8 Pro Max Ultimate AWD ($47,990 drive-away) as well as the Mitsubishi Outlander and VW’s Tiguan Allspace.

The N-Trek’s $50K price tag neatly dissects the Outlander 7 seat AWD Aspire ($47,340) and Exceed ($52,640) grades and splits the Tiguan Allspace 132TSI Life ($47,990) and 162TSI Elegance ($57,090) models.

As well as the safety and performance tech covered later in this review, the X-Trail N-Trek’s standard equipment list features dual-zone climate-control, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen display, a 10.8-inch head-up display, built-in sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay (and wired Android Auto), keyless entry and start and six-speaker audio (with digital radio).

There’s also a ‘leather-accented’ steering wheel, a 10-way power adjustable driver seat (manual-adjust front passenger seat), heated front seats, synthetic leather trim,18-inch alloys, auto rain-sensing wipers, auto LED headlights (all other exterior lights are also LED), power-folding heated exterior mirrors, rear privacy glass and roof rails.

That’s a solid basket of fruit for the money in this part of the market.

There is only one engine option in the Tiggo 8 Pro Max range, a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol unit that produces 180kW/375Nm.

No matter which variant you choose, it’s also mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Urban and Elite variants are front-wheel drive, while the Ultimate scores a Borg-Warner-sourced all-wheel-drive system with additional off-road drive modes.

The outputs are more than competitive with a lot of rivals, but there’s no fuel-saving hybrid option in the line-up just yet. It’s something Chery wants to add in the future.

Especially for Australia, the folks at Chery also made sure to get the Tiggo 8 Pro Max certified to tow. It can do that at up to 1300kg braked, or 750kg unbraked.

The X-Trail N-Trek is powered by a 2.5-litre, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder petrol engine developing 135kW at 6000rpm and 244Nm at 3600rpm. Not a turbo in sight, which is increasingly rare as emissions standards for internal-combustion engine cars continue to tighten.

That said, the X-Trail’s hugely popular corporate sibling, the Mitsubishi Outlander (they share the same chassis platform) has the identical engine residing under its bonnet.

The all-alloy unit features direct-injection and electronically-controlled variable valve timing to produce outputs in the same ballpark as other category favourites like the Kia Sportage 1.6 turbo (132kW/265Nm) and Mazda CX-5 2.5 (140kW/252Nm). But the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid AWD steps ahead on power at 163kW.

Power is transferred to all four wheels via a CVT auto with a ‘Drive and Terrain Mode Selector’ offering ‘Auto’, ‘Eco’, ‘Sport’, ‘Snow’ and ‘Off-Road’ modes.

The AWD system is on-demand with steering angle, yaw rate and G-force sensors feeding into an electronically controlled coupling ahead of the rear differential able to adjust torque distribution between the front and rear axles from 100:0 to 50:50 on the fly.

The 2.0-litre turbo engine has an official/combined consumption rating of 8.1L/100km for the front-wheel drive variants, or 8.7L/100km for the all-wheel drive Ultimate.

On our drive route for the day which took place on curvy country roads and expressways, my Ultimate all-wheel-drive test example produced a figure of 9.5L/100km which seems reasonable.

Unfortunately the engine also requires mid-shelf 95RON unleaded fuel, so this will push your running costs up slightly.

The Tiggo 8 Pro Max has a 57-litre fuel tank, indicating an estimated maximum cruising range of 703km for FWD variants.

Nissan’s official combined cycle fuel-economy figure for the X-Trail N-Trek is 7.8L/100km, the 2.5-litre four emitting 183g/km of CO2 in the process.

That number’s in line with other non-hybrid competitors but some way off the Toyota RAV4’s 4.8L/100km.

Over a week covering mainly urban and suburban driving as well as some freeway running we recorded an average of 9.9L/100km, measured at the pump, while the on-board computer coughed up a more optimistic 9.1L/100km.

That’s starting to get up there for the class although the result’s balanced somewhat by the X-Trail’s ability to run happily on 91 RON ‘standard’ unleaded.

You’ll need 55 litres of it to fill the tank which translates to a theoretical range of around 700km and roughly 550km using our real-world number.

Cars from Chinese brands often fall short of expectations when it comes to the drive experience, but the Tiggo 8 Pro Max moves everything in the right direction, and importantly it doesn’t add any deal-breaking characteristics along the way.

Visibility is great out of the cabin, with large windows all-round. The wing mirrors are great, but the centre rear-vision mirror is a quirky piece with a wide viewing angle. In a way this is great for parents, because with one glance you can see both out the rear of the vehicle and the rear seats to keep an eye on kids, but it does mess with your depth perception a bit.

On multiple occasions I felt like the car behind was tailgating, only to peer in the side mirrors to find that it was actually quite far back. Odd!

The steering is very light, and a bit disconnected as a result. While this sounds like a negative, I actually think suburban buyers who often negotiate with shopping centre parking lots, apartment towers, and school drop-offs will love it. It makes a big SUV feel really easy to steer and position.

Sure, it feels a bit doughy out on the open road, meaning it's hardly a confident corner-carver, but that’s not really the point of this car.

The engine on the other hand has loads of poke. Power of 180kW sounds like a lot because it is (once upon a time not so long ago this was well into V6 territory) and actually for the front-wheel-drive versions it might be a little bit too much power. It will readily spin the front wheels with slightly too much throttle input, which brings us nicely to the dual-clutch automatic which is responsible for communicating that power to the ground.

Dual clutches rightly raise a bit of a red flag for some because they can be particularly jerky from a standstill and have some pretty questionable gear shifts once you’re rolling. For the most part though, the Tiggo 8’s dual-clutch unit is pretty good. The brand stressed that it had done significant software tuning to this transmission to try to iron out nasty characteristics, and while it's still occasionally caught off-guard, I’ve certainly driven worse. It will occasionally produce a bucking feeling rather than a full second of lag like some rivals, but its enthusiasm to deliver power to the ground quickly gives the front-drive versions that slightly skittish feel.

It is one of those rare occasions when it’s worth splashing for the all-wheel drive. I found the Ultimate to be much more sure-footed and confident on the road, able to handle the engine’s relatively mountainous torque with ease.

On the open road I was impressed by the Tiggo 8’s level of refinement. The amount of sound entering the cabin in both variants was low, with minimal tyre roar or wind noise. Thuds from the suspension and roar from the engine under load were also pleasingly distant, even at freeway speeds.

When it comes to the ride it’s built to a certain cadence. It’s soft and comfortable, matching the semi-luxurious cabin feel nicely, but it can be a bit springy and lose a bit of body control over undulations and corrugations. Again, it’s not exactly an athlete, but then for most people, it won’t have to be.

Importantly, it filters out sharper bumps like potholes, road imperfections, and speed bumps with relative ease. It’s even better in the 2WD versions thanks to larger tyres and smaller alloy wheels.

Mercifully, the active safety systems don’t intrude on the driving experience either. Chery has apparently learned some hard lessons after the feedback it received on the overbearing lane assist equipment on the smaller Omoda 5, and applied those learnings here in the Tiggo 8.

The lane systems are still there, but they only intervene when they really have to, while warning chimes from things like the traffic sign recognition, blind spot monitoring, and driver attention alert are, at worst, background. It’s a good thing too because of all the systems, the driver attention alert is the one that triggers most often as you look away from the road to adjust the touch-based climate systems.

Where does that leave us? Actually pretty impressed. The Tiggo 8 Pro Max might not have the balancing act between ride quality and performance quite as well tuned as some of its Japanese and Korean rivals, but this is a comfortable, quiet, and refined SUV that, importantly, feels very normal. There’s no deal-breaking safety bugs, or a terrible transmission or frustrating software that takes away from the experience. Chery is learning, and it’s learning fast.

The best way to describe driving the X-Trail N-Trek is stress-free. It’s quiet, comfortable and composed with enough oomph for the cut and thrust of urban driving as well as the occasional foray onto the highway.

Maximum pulling power arrives at 3600rpm, which is higher than the small-capacity turbo SUVs the X-Trail most often competes with. But the pay off is crisp throttle response and you’re never found wanting for performance.

Drive goes to all four wheels via a ’shift-by-wire’ continuously variable transmission (CVT). By design CVTs cause the engine to hunt up and down the rev range, searching for the optimal gearing compromise between power and efficiency. But the CVT ’droning’ syndrome that characteristic can generate isn’t a noticeable factor in the X-Trail.

The strut front, multi-link rear suspension delivers smooth ride comfort helped in no small part by the standard 235/60x18 Bridgestone Potenza Sport A/S tyre’s cushy 60-series sidewall profile.

That rubber plays a part in the car’s modest road noise with wind noise on the freeway also low for a relatively upright SUV. The X-Trail also steers nicely with well-weighted assistance and good road feel.

We didn’t head off-road for this family review but the N-Trek’s variable AWD capability gives it the ability to confidently deal with loose or slippery unsealed surfaces.

An 11.1m turning circle is nice and tight, which, in concert with a reversing camera, 360-degree camera view and front and rear proximity sensors makes parking a straight-forward exercise.

Brakes are discs all around (ventilated at the front) and the pedal is agreeably progressive.

In fact, that kind of refinement is a hallmark of the way this car operates. Recently arrived competitors can be noticeably abrupt when it comes to brake, throttle and steering inputs.

Not so here. As mentioned in the Design section, these one per cent positive qualities lift the X-Trail above the norm.

The current Nissan X-Trail received a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment from testing in 2022 and it’s on the pace relative to others in the category.

Active (crash avoidance) tech is comprehensive including AEB with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection (operational from 5.0-130km/h for car detection), rear cross-traffic alert and rear AEB, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and lane keeping, an ‘Around View’ 360-degree camera view, blind-spot monitoring, tyre pressure monitoring and driver fatigue detection.

If an impact is unavoidable, there are seven airbags onboard, including side curtains (importantly, covering all three rows) and a front centre bag to minimise head clash injuries in a side-on crash.

There are three top tether points and two ISOFIX anchors for child seats/baby capsules across the second row seat. There are no top tether points on the third row.

Chery offers its line-up with seven years and unlimited kilometres of warranty, seven-years of capped-price servicing, and seven years of roadside assist.

The roadside assist is topped up on a 12 monthly basis so long as you service with Chery. At the time of writing, Chery was yet to provide costings for its capped-price servicing program, but if it follows the same scheme as the Omoda 5 and Tiggo 7, it will be competitive.

Nissan covers the X-Trail with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is the norm in the mainstream market. That said, the likes of GWM, Kia and MG are at seven years, unlimited-km with Mitsubishi offering conditional 10-year, 200,000km cover. Roadside Assist is included for five years.

The main service interval is 12 months/10,000km which is behind the more common 12 months/15,000km period, although pre-paid maintenance is available offering an approximate 10 per cent saving over (still capped-price) pay-as-you-go.

Pre-payment also means you can fold the cost of maintenance into the financing of the car (if you’re going that way).

For the X-Trail AWD, pre-paid servicing comes in at $2092 for five services within five years ($418.40 per workshop visit) compared to $2324 for individual capped-price services ($464.80 per visit). 

There’s that 10 per cent saving but it’s still relatively pricey when you consider the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid costs $260 per service.