Emzoom. Say it out loud and tell me it stirs anything. China’s GAC went with it anyway for its entry-level SUV, and then priced it so low that most legacy brands wouldn’t bother showing up to the fight.
That fight starts with a car already in its second generation. It first surfaced in China in early 2023 wearing a GS3 badge under GAC’s Trumpchi sub-brand, and it reached Australia last year as one of four models the Chinese automaker picked for the market. Where some of its stablemates lean on a clever electric powertrain, the Emzoom keeps things rather simple with a combustion setup under the hood.
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Glance at the spec sheet and the price, and the Emzoom reads like a smart pick for anyone shopping the budget end of the SUV market. Spend a week with one, though, and that impression flips. Shoppers might want to look elsewhere, because this GAC feels half-finished in the places that matter most to you.
QUICK FACTS
SWIPE
Photos Brad Anderson/Carscoops
If GAC wanted to build a vehicle that stands out from the competition, then it’s nailed the brief. There’s nothing on the road that looks quite like the Emzoom, sporting an edgy and sharp design that’s bound to appeal to younger buyers. It has an attractive price tag to match.
In Australia, the Emzoom starts at just AU$25,590 ($17,600), which puts it among the cheapest new cars in the country. Only the Chery Tiggo 4 at AU$23,990 ($16,500) and Hyundai’s Venue from AU$23,000 ($15,900) slip under it by any meaningful amount. One could argue that neither of those two options has quite the same emotional appeal as the Emzoom, given that they have far more conventional and restrained designs.
So, what do you get for your money? Slotted beneath the shapely hood is a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder delivering 125 kW (168 hp) and 270 Nm (219 lb-ft) of torque. Mated to this engine is a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, which sounds good on paper. However, as we discovered while driving the Emzoom, we’d take a conventional torque converter, or even a CVT, over this dual-clutch.
Tech-Focused And Plush
Photos Brad Anderson/Carscoops
As we have come to expect from newly launched cars from China, the interior of the Emzoom does not reflect its low price. Indeed, it feels far more premium than something like a Hyundai Venue.
Immediately catching the eye is a sporty, flat-bottomed steering wheel with silver accents and leather wrapping. While the Emzoom is cheap, GAC hasn’t fallen into the trap of thinking it can get away without fitting a proper digital instrument cluster.
This display measures 7 inches and is bordered with piano-black plastic, with separate digital readouts for things like temperature and fuel level. The graphics are big and bold, with sharp edges, suiting the overall vibe of the Emzoom. Perched on the dash is a large 14.6-inch infotainment screen.
Sporting wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, this screen has been subtly angled towards the driver, which is a nice touch. All the menus are easy to understand, and there are fixed toggles for things like fan speed and temperature on a tab at the base of the screen. One especially welcome feature is an excellent 360-degree camera, which often isn’t found in vehicles at this price point.
It’s also nice that drivers don’t have to rely solely on the touchscreen for A/C controls. Below the central air vents is a row of buttons to trigger key functions, as well as two knobs to adjust the temperature and fan speed. Using these controls, I almost never needed to use the screen to tweak the climate settings.
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The overall quality of the cabin feels good, with plenty of soft-touch materials throughout. Heck, GAC has even been able to add metal speaker grilles to the A-pillars, include a sunroof, ambient lighting, and a set of front seats offering a good amount of bolstering for the hips and waist. If someone told me the Emzoom cost AU$45,000 ($31,000), I’d believe them based purely on the interior alone.
However, as nice as the Emzoom’s cabin is, GAC’s latest product feels incomplete at low speeds but becomes passable at higher speeds.
Back To The Drawing Board?
Photos Brad Anderson/Carscoops
Let’s get the bad out of the way first, shall we? For starters, the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is absolutely horrible. It is, without question, the worst calibrated DCT I have ever experienced, and by a significant margin.
Lightly press the throttle to pull away from a traffic light, and the Emzoom will surge forward, as if you’ve just floored the accelerator, making it almost impossible to accelerate smoothly. This characteristic also makes parking infuriating.
If you try to feather the throttle while slowly reversing into a parking space, for example, the Emzoom accelerates abruptly, forcing you to stamp on the brakes to avoid hitting another car. The only way I was able to park was to tap the throttle for a split second, cover the brake, and, if needed, tap the throttle again and cover the brake as many times as needed to park.
When you’re up and running, the gear changes are also slow and clunky. Ultimately, it feels as though the engineering team tested the Emzoom a couple of times, decided it was okay, and released it, rather than ensuring it’s a pleasant car to drive around town. Switch it into Sport mode, and accelerating is even less refined.
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In addition, the Emzoom suffers from pretty bad rev hang. The steering also feels odd, as it’s too heavy through the first few degrees and then lightens up significantly as you increase the lock.
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of driving the Emzoom is its blind-spot system. Every time you turn on the indicator, the infotainment display will light up to show a live image from the wing-mirror-mounted camera. Worse still, there’s a two-inch-thick white border around the live mirror feed on the display, which is especially annoying while driving at night because it lights up the whole cabin. What’s more, the ‘feature’ cannot be disabled, even though other GAC models do offer the option to turn it off.
The Good
Photos Brad Anderson/Carscoops
Aside from these faults, the Emzoom is actually quite nice to drive. The turbocharged engine isn’t the most refined and can be quite noisy, but it gives the Emzoom decent punch, no doubt helped by the fact that the SUV is relatively light at 1,415 kg (3,119 lbs). Acceleration from 0-60 km/h (0-37 mph) is strong, and while it does begin to taper off after that, there’s enough grunt for most buyers.
I also found the ride to be a good compromise between soft and sporty. It feels solid enough for the Emzoom to be quite fun and engaging to toss through corners, while also smoothing out many of the road irregularities that Aussies have to live with.
Overall efficiency is also respectable, as we ended the week averaging 6.1 l/100 km (38.5 US mpg), slightly better than the official claim of 6.6 l/100 km (35.6 US mpg).
Verdict
Photos Brad Anderson/Carscoops
Perhaps the best thing about the Emzoom is the general value for money. Not only does it look interesting, but it is well-equipped, stands out from the competition, and its powertrain smooths out at 60 km/h (38 mph) and above.
GAC deserves commendation for developing an SUV like this, and I have no doubt it will appeal to loads of young buyers. Sadly, if they have any idea how modern cars should drive, they may be disappointed when they jump behind the wheel and encounter issues with the dual-clutch transmission.
As a starting point, the Emzoom is good. If GAC can make the engine and transmission feel more premium, rather than like they’ve been lifted from the early 2010s, then the Emzoom would tick the boxes for budget buyers.
