Chery Tiggo 8 PRO MAX vs Renault Arkana

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.

The Renault Arkana Esprit Alpine mild-hybrid combines some serious design flair with a reasonable amount of practicality for a smaller family, but it’s hard to ignore the lack of improvement in efficiency following the addition of the mild-hybrid system. That said, it still succeeds on some fronts. It just does it quietly.

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.

I’d describe the Arkana as muscular and sporty, with its strong body lines, twin exhausts and 19-inch alloys. The Satin Grey matt paintwork only enhances this grunty exterior styling.

From the outside, the biggest differences between this and its mid-spec sibling come down to the darker accents across the body and grille, along with the Alpine badging. And while that pronounced rear-end won’t be to everyone’s taste, it certainly gives the Arkana a defined personality on the road.

The Esprit Alpine shines inside the cabin, with synthetic leather and synthetic suede liberally used throughout, while contrasting blue stitching on the seats and blue seatbelts highlight Renault’s Formula 1 ‘Alpine’ racing roots.

There’s some real flair inside that this segment can sometimes lack, and I love how many physical controls there are, from the traditional gear shifter and rotary sunroof dial to the satisfyingly clicky buttons. It’s very ASMR-coded.

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.

The front is roomy enough that you don’t feel penned in, and the seats hug you nicely into place. The armrest sits a little too high for me, but I like that it slides forwards. The heated function is welcome, and the seats remain supportive on a longer trip.

Storage is best up front, with a couple of cupholders, plus decent space and drink bottle holders in each door bin. The glove box is quite deep, although I reckon you’ll pop a rib if you’re on the shorter side trying to access it from the driver’s seat!

In front of the gear-selector is where all of the charging options are and its easy to have them all in one place, with two USB-A ports, a 12-volt socket and a wireless charging pad, although it’s easy for your phone to slide off while you’re driving. For a flagship grade, it's a little disappointing we're not seeing any faster USB-C ports.

At 9.3 inches, the multimedia display isn’t the largest, but it looks more considered than the usual ‘tablet-stuck-on-the-dash’ styling we’re seeing lately. Overall, the touchscreen is responsive and the system is simple to use. The wireless Apple CarPlay also starts up quickly and maintains a reliable connection.

One small gripe is that the volume controls are tucked away on an easy-to-miss stalk that sits behind the steering wheel. I wish they were on the steering wheel itself... because you forget they’re there.

The back seat is a little awkward to access as an adult, with a relatively small door aperture that makes it easy to knock your head on the way in. There’s also not a stack of legroom behind my driving position, and I’m only 168cm. It should suit two kids reasonably well, although my nine-year old notes the armrest sits too high and the seats are quite firm.

Amenities are decent, with two USB-A ports, map pockets and multiple drink holders.

There are two ISOFIX child-seat mounts and three top-tether anchor points, but two seats will fill this space best. You’ll also need to be careful of knocking your head when buckling any tots in.

The boot is the standout, with up to 485L of capacity when all seats are in use and that can jump up to 1268L when the rear row is folded flat.

Its capacity is more than some mid-sized SUVs, and it's handy that you can adjust the floor to two positions. It’s been more than enough for all of my family’s errands this week.

This grade also gets a powered tailgate and a temporary spare tyre.

There are just two variants available for the Renault Arkana, and we’re testing the Esprit Alpine (pronounced AL-peen for any non-Formula 1 fans), which now sports a mild-hybrid powertrain and comes with a relatively modest $990 price increase. That takes this flagship grade to $45,990, before on-road costs.

Our test vehicle is finished in Satin Grey, a matt finish that adds another $1150 to the price tag, but it’s arguably money well spent as it does some serious heavy lifting in the style department.

It’s also priced about on par with its closest hybrid rivals, with the Hyundai Kona Premium starting at $45,950 and the Honda HR-V RS from $44,400, both before on-road costs. Their full-hybrid powertrains are important to consider, though, if you're after outright efficiency.

The Esprit Alpine has the following features:

• LED headlights
• AM/FM/digital radio
• Eight-speaker Bose sound system
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
• Four USB-A ports
• One AUX port
• One 12-volt socket
• Satellite navigation
• 9.3-inch touchscreen multimedia display
• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
• Powered tailgate
• Keyless start
• Dusk-sensing headlights
• Rain-sensing windscreen wipers
• Temporary space-saver tyre
• Electric front seats
• Heated front seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Sunroof
• Alpine Blue stitching on seats, gear shift and central armrest
• French ‘tricolore’ blue, white & red stitching on the steering wheel and door trims

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 Esprit Alpine is now a mild-hybrid, combining a 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with a 12-volt hybrid system to produce up to 116kW of power and 270Nm of torque. But that’s only 1.0kW and 8.0Nm more than the previous iteration, and it doesn’t improve overall fuel efficiency, so the benefits of the new system are limited on paper.

The idea behind the mild-hybrid system is to improve power delivery off the mark, but a firmer commitment to a proper hybrid powertrain would have done more to improve the Arkana’s efficiency and competitiveness in this increasingly electrified segment.

It’s front-wheel drive and uses a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which can seem a little unsure of itself at lower speeds but settles into its rhythm and feels more confident on the open road.

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.

Despite now being a mild-hybrid, its combined fuel consumption remains unchanged at 5.9L/100km. With its 50-litre fuel tank, that gives it a theoretical driving range of up to 847km, which is still a pretty great result for a family SUV.

My real-world result came in at 6.7L/100km after a mix of highway and urban driving, which is a respectable result and not too far off the official figure.

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 Arkana can access a decent amount of power once you’re up to speed, but it can feel underwhelming off the mark. It’s also surprisingly easy to lose a little traction when you need to accelerate quickly from a stop.

That said, once you’re up to speed on the open road, it’s more than capable of keeping up with traffic or overtaking when needed.

The suspension is on the firmer side, so you do feel some of the smaller bumps through the cabin, but otherwise I like the handling.

There’s not much body roll through corners and the steering feels responsive, making the Arkana reasonably enjoyable to drive.

The cabin is relatively quiet, although some road noise creeps in on the highway. There are three drive modes that are easy to cycle through, and Sport mode offers slightly sharper gear shifts at lower speeds, which helps give the powertrain a little more urgency.

Visibility is good from my driving position, with a fairly commanding view of the road through the front and sides.

The Arkana isn’t too difficult to park given it’s not a particularly large car, but the 360-degree camera system is underwhelming compared with some of its rivals. My husband reckoned he’d seen better graphics in 8-bit Tetris…

The Arkana’s previous maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating expired in 2025, and it hasn’t been tested since, so it’s currently unrated.

It has six airbags but does miss out on a front-centre airbag, emergency phone call capability, and front cross-traffic alert which we're starting to see become more common in this segment.

Safety equipment includes:

• Intelligent seatbelt reminder
• Two ISOFIX child seat mounts
• Three top-tether anchor points
• Mechanical child locks on rear doors
• Emergency warning lights activated under heavy braking
• Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian & cyclist detection
• Driver attention alert
• Forward collision warning
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane keeping aid
• Lane departure warning
• Traffic sign recognition
• Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
• 360-degree camera system
• Front, rear and side parking sensors
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Hill start assist

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.

The Arkana is offered with Renault’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is now considered a below-average term for the class, although you do get five years of complimentary roadside assistance.

Servicing intervals are well spaced at every 12 months or 30,000km, which is great if you do heavy kays each year.

Renault also has an assured pricing structure for its scheduled services, with the Arkana averaging around $477 per service across its first five workshop visits, although the fourth is notably more expensive at $859.

Renault currently has 52 locations listed across Australia, although that figure includes some service and parts-only locations, so the network isn’t quite as extensive as some of the mainstream brands.