I switched the panoramic sunroof of the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro open all the way back as soon as we rolled into Baguio City.
There is something nostalgic about cars and Baguio City. Nostalgic because nowadays the place is synonymous to traffic jams and overcrowded streets. And every sweet little thing that it once evoked was just a thing of the past.
Yet that particular afternoon, traffic was blissfully light and there was very light drizzle. Oh, the scent of pine trees and the bite of mountain air.
It felt like a scene from a movie. A gleaming, sleek SUV navigating effortlessly — open top — through the gray, lazy streets of the Summer Capital.
Only the driver wasn’t some dashing hero but a motoring writer testing out a vehicle that was way above his pay scale.
People craned their necks at the sight of the purple Tiggo 8, attracted by its gaping front grille, falcon-shaped headlights and sporty 18-inch aluminum alloy rims.
If only they could see what’s inside.
Greeting you is a fully digital instrument cluster and a touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard. It tells just about every detail you need. Especially tire pressure.
I kept ignoring it. Yet once we hit the North Luzon Expressway I was bothered by the wheel’s unsteady movement. It only made sense after I stopped for air. Something about it made me realize I need to do more test drives.
It also flags when a vehicle is too close to you via cameras mounted on different corners of the Tiggo 8 Pro. Helps with the parking as well as staying alert to motorcycles darting in and out of lanes.
These days they’re called ACC for Adaptive Cruise Control, BSD for Blind Spot Detection and LKA for Lane Keeping Assist. High-end cars have these acronyms to make things EFTMD (easier for the modern drivers).
The seats, soft tan leather with fine stitches, embrace you with their wrap-around thickened side wings.
Control panel is close enough to reach while on the road. It comes at you like a spaceship console and everything in it screams premium, luxury, class.
I found the ride comfortable even with the winding roads and occasional rough patches of the old Kennon, thanks to T1X comfort chassis.
Response was superb and smooth even past 110 kilometers per hour at the vast stretches of SCTEX and TPLEX. I drive slowly when I have the kids and the wife with me.
Yet the most remarkable is that the price starts at P1.698 million. Not peanuts, but certainly very much competitive compared to its counterparts in the SUV segment. Considering the top-notch amenities lavished on it.
Overall, driving a good-looking, top-performance car high up to an equally beautiful destination makes for a memorable experience for me and the family.
And unlike this high-end car, I get to keep those moments.
