Chery Tiggo 8 PHEV launched in Malaysia: 1.5T hybrid, 1,200 km total range, 90 km EV range, RM159,800

Chery Malaysia today launched plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions of the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 SUVs, both of which carry the CSH (Chery Super Hybrid) moniker. This story focuses on the bigger one with seven seats. Locally assembled (CKD) in Kulim, the Tiggo 8 PHEV is yours for RM159,800, OTR before insurance.

Comparatively, the concurrently-launched five-seat Tiggo 7 PHEV asks for RM129,800, while the Tiggo 8 Pro (also) cost RM159,800 at launch. Both the non-hybrid Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro will continue to be on sale without any price changes on paper, but expect significant discounts there.

Based on the first-gen facelift (see the new second gen here), the Tiggo 8 PHEV’s face differs slightly from our non-facelift Tiggo 8 Pro’s (with the Max update) – the headlamp internals have dashed eyebrows, the grille has a chrome and gloss black surround plus a different internal pattern, and the front bumper is different, now featuring 7-shaped side cut-outs. The Chery logo on the nose is illuminated and there are cornering lamps that follow steering angle.

Round the side, you’ll see flush door handles and new 10-spoke alloys (still 235/50R19), and the T8P’s big chromed side blade is nowhere to be found here; instead there’s a thin chrome strip along the bottom of the doors. The only differences at the back are the model badging and the diffuser element (T8P has quad tailpipes; this PHEV has twin parallelogram-shaped units). The functional roof rails carry over.

But the interior is completely unrecognisable from the T8P’s – only the steering wheel is familiar. Where the T8P has conjoined twin screens, the PHEV has two separate screens (10.25-inch gauge cluster and 15.6-inch centre touch-screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155-powered), and where the T8P has a horizontal dash, the PHEV’s is T-shaped, with a centre console that houses the centre air vents, 50W wireless charger, twin cupholders, drive mode dial (Eco/Normal/Sport) and EV/HEV switch.

Where’s the gear lever? It’s now the right-hand-side steering wheel stalk. New seat upholstery (synthetic leather, driver’s seat is six-way powered while the front passenger’s is four-way powered) and door cards too, and you’ll need to go into the screen to adjust the dual-zone air-con, as the T8P’s long horizontal row of climate controls is absent here. You’ll also find Comfort and Sport steering modes, an HD dashcam, double-glazed glass, 10 Sony speakers and 64-colour ambient lighting.

You also get all-LED auto lighting, sequential indicators, a cooled front armrest box, a front passenger seat ‘boss switch’, an auto-dim rear-view mirror, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a 540-degree camera and voice command. Curiously, there’s no powered tailgate (this, even the RM30k-cheaper Tiggo 7 PHEV has) nor a sunroof, both of which are on the Tiggo 8 Pro. On entry into the third row, one-touch fold and slide is still only on the right side of the vehicle, and the middle row’s 60:40 split remains uncorrected for RHD.

The CSH series-parallel hybrid powertrain is shared between the T7 and T8 PHEVs. A 143 PS/215 Nm 1.5 litre turbo Miller-cycle four-cylinder engine joins forces with a 204 PS/310 Nm electric motor that’s integrated within a stepless dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT150).

Altogether, output is 275 PS and 365 Nm of torque. Chery claims 44.5% thermal efficiency for the engine, 98% mechanical efficiency for the DHT, a combined range of up to 1,200 km (contributed by a 60-litre tank), an EV-only range of up to 90 km WLTP and a 500 mm wading depth. There’s also 3.3-kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) for you to run your external devices.

The company is keen to emphasise the IP68-certified battery’s durability – besides being dust- and water-resistant, and capable of withstanding up to 95 degrees Celsius, the 18.3 kWh LFP battery was recently submerged in a metre-deep tank of seawater for over 53 hours before being reinstalled in a Tiggo 8 PHEV (and it still worked) as part of a test in Jakarta.

Earlier in China, the Tiggo 9 PHEV vehicles endured a series of extreme safety tests, including spiral rollovers, a head-on vehicle collision, a seven-car stack test, 55 km/h side intrusion, a 4.9-metre vertical drop and 720 hours of salt spray exposure.

In terms of charging, the battery can swallow up to 40 kW DC (30-80% in 19 minutes) and up to 6.6 kW AC (30-80% in three hours), while three-pin charging would get you from 10-100% in 8.5 hours. If any of the above-mentioned numbers seem familiar to you, it’s because the CSH system is closely related to Jaecoo’s Super Hybrid System (SHS).

Safety? The Chery Tiggo 8 PHEV gets eight airbags and ADAS functions including AEB, ACC, every conceivable lane function including lane change assist, rear cross traffic braking and rear cross traffic alert, but it omits the multi-collision braking and driver monitoring system found on the Tiggo 7 PHEV, instead featuring driver fatigue monitoring system.

You can have your Tiggo 8 PHEV in Aurora Green, Khaki White or Carbon Black. Buy one and you’ll get a seven-year/150,000 km vehicle warranty, an eight-year/160,000 km battery power pack, power motor and hybrid control unit warranty, plus five years’ free labour service (six service intervals).

Moreover, if your battery’s state of health dips under 70% while still under warranty, you’ll get a one-to-one exchange, which could be the first of its kind for a PHEV in Malaysia.

Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.