GAC GS3 Emzoom

The new GS3 Emzoom has a minimalist and tiered dashboard design, linked to a high-rising-bridge-style centre console (crystal gear electronic-shifter, armrest, upper/lower storages).

Soft-/hard-touched, it sees a dual-tone (Blue-Black) colour scheme with contrast trimmings (Silver - dash, centre console, steering wheel, door cards).

Filling-up the layout are the central/driver displays (infotainment, instrument cluster), air-conditioning vents (corners, centre) and ambient lighting system (multi-colour - Premium R).

Inclusively, the layout is ergonomically-non-cluttered with all the amenities purposefully-arranged (driver-centric, user-friendly).

Installed are 3.5-Inch digital-analogue (Standard) and 7.0-Inch fully-digital LCD (Exclusive, Premium R) instrument clusters.

Variant-specific, the interior sees fabric (Standard) and leatherette (Exclusive, Premium R) upholsteries in a dual-tone (Blue-Black) colour scheme.

The front gets manual-operated (Standard, Exclusive - driver-six-way, passenger-four-way) and electric-powered (Premium R - driver-six-way) seats. The rear sees a bench seat (60:40 split-flat-fold).

Included are armrests (front - centre console, rear - centre seat fold-out - Premium R), and a panoramic sunroof (electric - sunshade, tilt/slide - Premium R).

A five-seater compact crossover, the cabin offers generous space, providing the occupants (front, rear) with ample interior mobility.

Sufficient head-, shoulder- and leg-room.

Mounted is a three-spoke-flat-bottom steering wheel, wrapped in Urethane (Standard) and leatherette (Exclusive, Premium R). Single-tone (Black) with trims (Silver).

Features are multi-switches (Bluetooth, Media, vehicle settings), column adjustments (tilt, telescopic) and an Electric Power Steering (EPS) system.

Practical storage areas. E.g., side door/seat back pockets, glove box, and compartmentalised/caverned/upper/lower centre console spaces.

Provided are four cup holders (two-front - Standard, Exclusive, Premium R/two-rear - Premium R), and four bottle holders (side doors - front, rear). 

Multiple power outlets available. E.g., 12 V socket (front), USB-A ports (front - Standard, Exclusive, Premium R/rear - Exclusive, Premium R), USB-C ports (front - Premium R), and a wireless charger (front - Premium R).

Accessing its powered-tailgate (hands-free - remote/key fob, button - Premium R) opens up to 341-Litres (rear seats up) and 1,271-Litres (rear seats folded) of load capacities.

Weighing in at 1,370 KG (Standard, Exclusive) and 1,415 KG (Premium R), the new GS3 Emzoom stands at 4,410 MM (Standard, Exclusive) and 4,446 MM (Premium R) long, 1,850 MM wide, 1,600 MM tall, and with a wheelbase spanning 2,650 MM.

Angularly-chiselled and -athletic, exuding a sportily-modern outlook, it parades an exterior inspired by the Japanese Gundam figurines.

Aerodynamically-sculpted, the front-end sees sharply-formed bonnet/quarter panels, a frameless grille (‘Mecha Wing’, GAC emblem), and an angular bumper (vented - centre, corners).

Accentuations are angular body claddings/trimmings (Black - bumper, fenders, side sills, side mirror arms, vent/window surrounds, roof rails).

Variant-specific (Premium R) is the R-Style Sport Package (Orange highlights - angular lip kit, grille, roof rails, ‘R-Style’ emblem).

Highly-sculpted and -tapered, it continues the sporty and modern silhouette, emphasised by sharply-formed and pointed contours.

The rear-end sees a coupe-esque roofline, a roof-edge spoiler, sharply-formed quarter panels, a pointed tailgate (GAC emblem), and an angular bumper (corner cut-outs, two-slatted diffuser, corner-mounted twin exhausts).

Accentuations are angular body claddings/trimmings (Black - bumper, fenders, side sills, D-pillars, window surrounds, spoiler, roof rails).

Variant-specific (Premium R) is the R-Style Sport Package (Orange highlights - four-slatted diffuser, D-pillars, roof rails, ‘R-Style’ emblem), and the R-Style Sport Exhaust (mid-mounted twin exhausts).

Fiercely-framed, the ‘Laser Eye’ split (grille-merged, bumper-integrated) headlamps are angular-looking. Fitted are full LED units.

Features are LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL), height adjustments, headlamps alarm function, and turn signals.

Variant-specific (Premium R) are automatic On/Off (Premium R), Follow-Me-Home lights, and High-Beam Assist (HMA).

Jutted-out, the ‘Light Dart’ (triangle light graphics) tail lamps are housed angularly-slim and wrapped-around. Installed are full LED units.

Features are turn signals. Variant-specific (Premium R) are automatic On/Off (Premium R) and Follow-Me-Home lights.

Included is a high-mounted brake light (spoiler-integrated), and a set of vertically-slit fog lamps (Standard, Exclusive, Premium R).

The side mirrors (two-toned - Black-body-colour) are electronic-powered (auto-fold - Premium R, adjust), with heating (Premium R) and blind-spot indicators (Blind Spot Vision - BSV).

Fitted are ventilated (front) and solid (rear) disc brakes, accompanied by an Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold system.

Sportily-designed, fitted (Standard, Exclusive, Premium R) is a set of 18-Inch single-tone (Black) five-star-spoke alloy rims, wrapped in 225/55 R18 (front, rear) Sentury Qirin 990 tyres.

Variant-specific, the new GS3 Emzoom features the following suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Variant Standard features Cruise Control System (CCS).

Variants Exclusive and Premium R add on Integrated Cruise Assist (ICA), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Traffic Jam Assist (TJA), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Intelligent Speed Limit Control (ISLC), and Traffic Sign Recognition System (TSR).

Variant Premium R adds Hill-Descent Control (HDC), High Beam Assist (HMA), and Fusion Automatic Parking Assist (FAPA).

Standard systems (Standard, Exclusive, Premium R) are Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Hill-Hold Control (HHC), Blind Spot Vision (BSV), and parking cameras (Standard - reverse/Exclusive, Premium R - 360-degree).

Passive safety includes two airbags (driver-passenger - Standard), four airbags (driver-passenger, front-side - Exclusive, Premium R), six airbags (driver-passenger, front-side, side-curtain - Premium R), seatbelts (anchors, reminders, pre-tensioners), ISOFIX (anchors), parking sensors (front - Premium R/rear - Standard, Exclusive, Premium R), parking cameras (Standard - reverse/Exclusive, Premium R - 360-degree), door ajar warning, emergency brake signals, Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), and anti-theft (security alarm/engine immobiliser).

Selectable (Standard, Exclusive, Premium R) are three drive modes (ECONOMY, COMFORT, SPORT).

Installed is a frameless 10.25-Inch multi-functional touchscreen unit, supporting Apple CarPlay (wireless), Android phone mirroring, navigation, USB and Bluetooth.

Entertainment is piped through variant-specific setups. Two-speaker (Standard), four-speaker (Exclusive), and six-speaker (Premium R) setups.

The new GS3 Emzoom harbours (Standard, Exclusive, Premium R) GAC’s 1.5-Litre inline four-cylinder 16-valve direct-injected turbocharged petrol engine, producing 175 HP (130 KW) at 5,500 RPM and 270 NM at 1,400 to 4,500 RPM.

Mated to the mill is a seven-speed WDCT (Wet Dual Clutch Transmission) automatic transmission (electronic gear shifter).

Power is transmitted to the front wheels. Front-Wheel Drive (FWD) system.

Acceleration from 0 to 100 KM is done in 8.0 seconds. Top speed maxes out at 190 KM/H.

Fuel tank capacity is at 47-Litres, and fuel consumption reads at 5.9 L/100 KM/H (NEDC). 

The new GS3 Emzoom comes with these conveniences.

E.g., Passive Entry Passive Start (PEPS - keyless entry/electric flush door handles, engine Start/Stop button), Remote Engine Start (key fob - Premium R), automatic headlamps (On/Off, high beam - Premium R), rain sensing wipers (front - Premium R), heated windshield (rear), steering wheel (multi-function, column adjustments, EPS), wireless charger (Premium R), panoramic sunroof (electric - sunshade, tilt/slide - Premium R), powered-tailgate (hands-free - remote/key fob - Premium R), Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold, single-zone automatic air-conditioning (rear air-vents - Exclusive, Premium R), PM 1.0 air-filter (Standard, Exclusive, Premium R), electronic-powered seat (driver - Premium R), interior lighting (ambient, map, cabin, boot - Premium R), parking cameras (Standard - reverse/Exclusive, Premium R - 360-degree), parking sensors (front - Premium R/rear - Standard, Exclusive, Premium R), Blind Spot Vision (BSV) indicators, and power windows (one-touch up/down).

Variant-specific, installed are manual-operated (no rear air-vents - Standard) and single-zone automatic (with rear air-vents - Exclusive, Premium R) air-conditioning setups. 

Included is a PM 1.0 air-filtration system (Standard, Exclusive, Premium R).

Underpinned is GAC’s Global Platform Modular Architecture (GPMA), featuring a setup of MacPherson strut (front), and torsion beam (rear) suspensions.

Comfortably spacious and safe, it is suitable for a daily driver. The ride quality is firm, agile and well-balanced, with a smooth engine power and transmission delivery.

Good sound insulation, accounting for all the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) aspects of the build. The cabin experience is refined and peaceful.

The new GAC GS3 Emzoom is a great compact SUV. First, it offers a strikingly-edgy exterior appeal, and a comfortably-lively interior space.

Second, its shell envelopes a modern cockpit, featuring advanced connectivity, safety systems and creature comfort features.

Overall, its build quality is satisfactory inside and out, and the new GS3 Emzoom is surely a crossover for the Malaysians to consider.