Tiggo 8 is the Chery on cake

JON REAY DRIVES THE BARGAIN OF THE CENTURY

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Chery's Tiggo 8 is breaking new ground here in the UK as the Chinese manufacturer's low, low price means drivers get the maximum bang for their buck.

WHAT IS IT?

It's the larger of two SUVs from Chinese carmaker Chery: a new brand to the UK, of sorts. Two of its cars arrived here last year wearing different badges - Omoda and Jaecoo - but such was their success that Chery bosses decided to bring a whole other range of cars here too.

The Tiggo 8 shares most of its underpinnings and engines with the slightly smaller Tiggo 7, but gains an extra pair of seats in the boot. As a result, Chery reckons this is the cheapest seven-seat SUV you can buy in the UK. It also gets the title of the cheapest seven-seat plugin hybrid - partially because there aren't many of those anyway, but largely because of its rather tempting price tag.

WHAT'S NEW?

The Tiggo 8 has never been sold here before, so in a word, everything. Like the smaller Tiggo 7, it borrows quite a few parts from the Jaecoo 7 and Omoda 5 - most obviously the pair of engines. But despite the similarities to its smaller sibling, the Tiggo 8 does feel fresher - mainly on the inside, where you'll find posher materials and much newer tech.

UNDER THE BONNET?