FIRST DRIVE | New GAC Emkoo is refined, though not without foibles

New Chinese car brands are being launched in South Africa at a dizzy rate, the latest being GAC (Guangzhou Automobile Group) which is the fifth-largest vehicle manufacturer in China.

The marque is imported by Salvador Caetano Auto, a 78-year-old international automotive group present in 44 countries, and the local company is headed by Leslie Ramsoomar, the former MD of Stellantis SA. GAC is sold through 20 dealerships countrywide and all models come with a five-year/150,000km warranty and five-year/60,000km service plan.

Local motorists were introduced to the brand last month with the launch of the GS3 Emzoom compact crossover SUV that has a length of 4,441mm and competes against vehicles such as the Toyota Corolla Cross. This week it was followed by the Emkoo, a larger 4,680mm crossover that has rivals like the Toyota Rav4, Volkswagen Tiguan, Kia Sportage and Chery Tiggo 7 Pro in its sights.

It is sold in two models and I drove the range-topping Emkoo 1.5T Executive Plus at the media launch earlier this week in Gauteng’s Cradle of Humankind area. As per the Chinese vehicle trend, the Emkoo provides an eye-catching proposition with futuristic styling, attractive pricing and high specification levels.

The Emkoo has a strikingly geometric design with a diagonal grille in a V shape flanked by matrix LED headlights, while lightsaber-inspired LED tail lights give the rear a distinctive presence. Flush door handles pop out when the car is unlocked.

At R659,000 the Emkoo 1.5T Executive Plus undercuts its German and Korean rivals by between R100,000-R150,000 and is chock-a-block with luxuries such as electrically adjustable front seats with heating and cooling, dynamic ambient lighting and head-up display.

Both variants, including the entry-level Emkoo 1.5T Executive selling for R599,000, come standard with leatherette seats, automatic air-conditioning with second row vents, rain sensing windscreen wipers, a 10.1” intotainment touch screen, panoramic sunroof, wireless smartphone charger, seven-inch digital instrument cluster (the Executive Plus has a 10-inch cluster), keyless start, USB ports, rear parking sensors and a surround view camera system. Safety is provided by six airbags, stability control and tyre pressure monitors.

The Emkoo’s roomy interior is one of the largest in the class and comfortably takes four to five adults. The 638l boot is similarly generous in size, though it houses a space-saver spare wheel.

The spacious cabin is pleasantly plush, with spongy surfaces, attractive metallic décor and a crystal gearshifter creating a high-class ambience. The climate control temperature is controlled by a large rotary dial, a theme continued in novel rotary-style interior door handles.

Apart from a handful of physical buttons on the dash and multifunction steering, most of the car’s functions are controlled via a high-definition touchscreen. It’s a generally user-friendly system that doesn’t cause as much distraction as some digital-heavy cars, as the Emkoo’s main functions — including the Economy, Comfort and Sport drive modes — are easily located in the infotainment screen.

The wireless Apple CarPlay feature was troublesome in the test car, which frequently lost connection with my driving partner’s iPhone. My Android phone fared no better and the CarbitLink app I had to download to wirelessly access Android Auto features didn’t work.

Apart from this blot on the Emkoo’s user-friendliness, I generally liked the car — including the fact that it saves the driver’s last-used settings when it is switched off, such as the over-exuberant lane-keeping assist which I disabled.

The lane-keeping is part of a raft of driver assistance features in the Emkoo including adaptive cruise control, road sign recognition and autonomous emergency braking. The Executive Plus model in addition has blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert with rear collision warning, a self-park function and hill-start hold control. 

The Emkoo is impressively refined, gliding with silent operation and a comfortable ride. It feels solidly built and the test car developed no rattles or body flex when driven on bumpy roads. The steering is light and the visibility good.

The 1.5l petrol turbo engine is eager, and with outputs of 130kW and 270Nm the car cruises with little effort. The seven-speed dual clutch auto transmission shifts smoothly but is a little slow to kick down. In a standing start the throttle feels oversensitive and sometimes leads to unintended wheelspin in the front-wheel drive car.

GAC claims a 6.4l/100km fuel economy and the test vehicle averaged around 8.5l on the mostly open-road drive.

From first impressions the GAC Emkoo seems poised to poach some market share with its attractive pricing, striking design and commendable refinement. As usual with new  brands, the durability and resale values are unknown factors.