GAC GS3 Emzoom (2024) Launch Review

16 Aug 2024

GAC (Guangzhou Automobile Group) has made a suitably flashy debut in the local new vehicle market with the GS3 Emzoom, which exudes much boutique crossover appeal. We drove the flagship of the range – the 1.5T R-Style – in Gauteng recently.

Just to dispel any doubt, the GAC GS3 Emzoom (2024) Launch Review Emzoom demonstrates that Chinese automakers are willing to fight each other just as bitterly for market share in South Africa (and elsewhere) as in their homeland.

2023 alone saw the local introduction of brands and sub-brands such as BYD, Maxus and Omoda. In 2024, they were joined by Jaecoo, LDV and, as of yesterday, the battle has been turned up a few more notches – with the arrival of GAC (which has no relation to the similar-sounding Chi-African badge, JAC).

GAC is the abbreviation for Guangzhou Automobile Group Motor Company. It is a state-owned company, the 5th-largest automaker in China and reportedly retailed no fewer than 2.5 million cars in 2023.

The Portugal-based Salvador Caetano holding company has obtained the rights to distribute GAC products in South Africa, of which the GS3 Emzoom is the first. Other Em-prefixed (not M) vehicles in GAC’s stable include the Emkoo family car/medium SUV (which will be launched in Mzansi shortly) and Empow sedan (a possibility for the local market?). The Aion Y electric crossover may arrive next year.

Segment-wise, the GS3 Emzoom targets the overcrowded automatic, front-driven, turbopetrol small crossover segment; with models that are 4.4-ish metres long and powered by 1.4- to 1.7-litre engines.

Head-turning looks? Check!

The newcomer has arresting styling, comes loaded with many crowd-pleasing features and will pique the interest of young, well-remunerated, highly image-conscious buyers; that description also applies to the Omoda C5, Jaecoo J7 and BAIC X55 Beijing, so, yeah, the GAC is not afraid of taking on its countrymen.

Pricing for the GS3 Emzoom begins at R469 900 and tops out at R549 900 (Aug 2024). All variants are powered by a 130 kW 1.5-litre 4-pot turbopetrol that develops 270 Nm between 1 400 and 4 500 rpm.

Visually, the range-topping 1.5T R-Style takes the concept of a crossover and ties it into a bowl of writhing serpentine noodles. “Hot hatch meets high rider” is probably the best way to describe it, with a mishmash of diamond-shaped patterns scattered throughout its styling palette, further characterised by a walrus-toothed snout and lavish lashings of orange to accentuate its flamboyant flagship styling.

The non-functional rear diffuser wraps around a pair of howitzer-proportioned exhaust tips, of which the right houses a (visible) valve that can open with the press of a steering-wheel-mounted button… to emit a mildly more boisterous tone. The boy racer-meets-bush styling is conceivably open to interpretation; yes, it’s brash – but not overly offensive. It does limit the R-Style’s customer age and profile, however.

GS3 Emzoom’s surprisingly spacious interior

The utilisation of space in the GAC GS3 Emzoom is quite smart, however. Both rows of seats extend rearwards beyond their adjacent roof pillars. That, along with the absence of a transmission tunnel, creates an entirely flat rear passenger floor that facilitates a truly cavernous passenger area.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, though. The price for being able to comfortably accommodate adults who like consuming extra (oh, let’s say) wontons is a limited luggage capacity. The load bay is said to accommodate 341 litres, which extends to 1 271 litres when the rear seatback is folded forward.

Up front – and similar to many of the GS3 Emzoom’s compatriots – there’s a dizzying mix of materials scattered around the fascia, although the more industrial ones have been implemented sparingly to solely carry out the heaviest buffering against scuffing.

As is de rigeur nowadays, the driver is faced by a pair of digital displays, with the centre one offering a range of adjustments (including opening all windows and the panoramic sunroof). It sits atop a row of physical buttons to control the more essential in-car functions.

Wireless Apple CarPlay is available, though Android users can only mirror their smartphone screens by installing a CarbitLink app or using an aftermarket box that allows wireless Android Auto, which GAC will install for R1 500. GAC says the latter connectivity should appear as an integrated feature by next year.

Sweet – and slightly sour – driving experience

The driving experience is a mainly sweet (and only minorly sour) affair. GAC claims a 0-100 kph sprint time of 8 sec, although an impromptu, smartphone-measured attempt to emulate this time only delivered a double-digit result. This is owed either to overzealous traction control (with no switchable traction or stability control) or too much clutch slip at pull-away, which robs the 1.5T R-Style of any instantaneous alacrity – or both. Plus, the kerb weight (of around 1 400 kg) makes a meal of its power-to-weight ratio.

Once the GAC gets going, though, metres are munched as it sets off chasing the horizon. It’s not firing-squad-facing fast, but the flat torque curve – once reached – keeps the GS3, um, effortlessly zooming (sorry, Mazda) at impeachable velocities. Just mind the hyperactive ABS when it’s time to brake hard.

And akin to the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro’s dual-clutcher, shifts from the 7-speed automatic transmission are seamless yet nowhere near Volkswagen’s DSG in terms of crispness or rapidity. So much so, that, truth be told, the uninformed would be none the wiser over the transmission’s inner workings.

Gearshift paddles would have added an extra layer of engagement (by enabling drivers to keep the engine in “its sweet spot” longer) and more in keeping with the 1.5T R-Style’s alleged sporty character. The electric steering setup is also quite sterile – the ‘wheel feels lifeless, no matter the steering angle.

But do you know what? That narrower performance window only broadens the GAC GS3 Emzoom’s appeal. Sure, while the abundance of power is pleasing, there isn’t a hint of athleticism in its suspension setup, which isn’t helped by the 18-inch alloy wheels being wrapped in higher-profile (225/55) tyres.

But that’s exactly why you won’t see the GS3 Emzoom in Fast & Furious film anytime soon. And that makes the GAC – as a beefy, better-rounded (even if admittedly flashy) offering – all the better for it.

The GS3 Emzoom also rides comfortably and quietly without fear of ruts and juts, with only wind and tyre rumble audible at highway speeds. And what about that bulk (1.4-tonne kerb weight) I mentioned? It’s put to great use in sealing in the solid feel so often and sorely absent in some Chinese brands’ models.

And, a mere glance at the GAC’s panel gaps (a tell-tale build quality benchmark) reveals a consistency that is easily comparable with those of the newcomer’s European counterparts. You read that correctly.

How much does the GAC GS3 Emzoom cost in SA?

All GAC GS3 Emzoom variants come with a 5-year/150 000 km warranty and a 5-year/60 000 km service plan, with service intervals every 15 000 km.

Summary

So is that a shì or a bú shì for the GAC GS3 Emzoom 1.5T R-Style? My head says the running shoe-cum-Timberland boot thing is a bit muddled, or that you’d be just as happy in the mid-range 1.5T Executive variant, which is arguably the pick of the range. But my heart says that I want this one – don’t you?