I am liking GAC’s aggression in the Philippines. They keep launching cars one after another and all of them are formidable in their respective segments in terms of features and pricing. However, they can’t turn a blind eye to the steady influx of hybrid cars in the market. These electrified cars are obviously selling otherwise, they won’t keep arriving like tourists in Boracay. So it was a matter of time for this relative newcomer to enter the fray as well.
The GAC Emkoo Hybrid is a very stylish offering in the green car segment. It’s priced at PHP 1,698,000 or PHP 200,000 more than the former top of the line model with a combustion engine. Is it worth it? I went on a daytrip from Makati to Tagaytay, together with 3 other adults, to see if the Emkoo is all flair or can really deliver on its promises.
At first glance, the Emkoo seems like it has the same size as the smaller GS3 Emzoom. Mostly because of the sloping angle of the rear glass. Once you get into the cabin, you’ll realize how much space you really have. I’m a wide guy, so I’m used to touching elbows with another adult on the other side of the rear seat. In the Emkoo, I’m surprised by how wide it is that another adult of average Filipino size can fit comfortably between us.
The Emkoo did not disappoint on the road. It’s quiet inside the cabin despite having a panoramic sunroof up top. I also appreciate GAC’s choice of a solid cover for the glass unlike others that have a thin curtain-like cover for the panoramic sunroof. This is complemented by great riding comfort that the imperfect roads of our journey didn’t bother me in my sleep. I woke up in Anya Resort, Tagaytay without any soreness in my body.
As I began taking pictures of the car, the more it dawned on me how unique it looks. The front face doesn’t have a bumper as the grille and bumper are integrated into one. Its series of diagonal slats perfectly go with the fang-like DRL on both ends. It also smartly hides the headlights under that LED strip giving it a sleeker look.
The sides introduce angular character lines that lead your eyes to the shapes of the rear. They connect to the sharp taillights, the rear spoiler, and faux muffler tips. There’s nothing that breaks these lines because the door handles are flush to the body when the car is locked. The wheels also have an interesting design in that its spokes seem like a blooming flower only with a two-tone alloy finish.
If the front is aggressive, and the sides are angular, the rear is definitely sporty. The shape and taillight design give it a Swedish meets Japanese look that GAC can proudly claim as their own. The rear spoiler up top is segmented and hides the third brake light nicely. The tailgate has just enough contours, with most cuts and lines focused on the rear bumper making it a nice accent at the back.
Inside, the Emkoo has unique implementations in certain aspects. It has a rotary door knob instead of the usual pull-tab. The shifter has a jewel-like embellishment but is intuitive to use, and the aircon has vents that look like canisters because of their cylindrical shape. Despite these traits, the Emkoo is still very intuitive to use and doesn’t have much of a learning curve.
Driving it is an about-face from its design. Its aggressive design and sporty rear made me assume this would drive like the GS3 Emzoom but it didn’t. Instead, what we have here is a mild mannered crossover that has the power, but reacts like a typical combustion engine. There’s a slight lag when you floor the throttle and acceleration isn’t as immediate. But that’s to be expected since we have a 2.0-naturally aspirated engine and the Emkoo had 4 adults in tow, 5 if we’re being honest about my weight.
That’s not exactly a bad thing though since the point of a hybrid is to bridge the gap between a car with an ICE and an electric vehicle. So by having ICE traits in this electrified powertrain, the Emkoo gives you the benefits of better fuel efficiency while acting like your typical car so as to not ‘shock’ you.
Speaking of fuel efficiency, our short 100km drive returned an outstanding figure of 37 km/l. Granted, there wasn’t much traffic from Makati going to SLEX on that day and we took CALAX going into Anya Resort so there’s much more space. But we weren’t really light on the throttle too as the drivers who took turns were running at 90-100 kph on the highways. Also, 37 is a figure way above even GAC’s in-house testing here in the Philippines (they rated this at 22 km/l). A longer time with the car, and going through more traffic, will definitely bring that down but for now the Emkoo hybrid is certainly promising.
The GAC Emkoo Hybrid is priced at PHP 1,698,000 and definitely a promising contender in the growing hybrid segment. It’s not as throttle happy as the other for sure, but it keeps its promise where it matters. It’s more fuel efficient than a car with only a combustion engine under the hood. That, combined with its dashing good looks will certainly appeal to the younger ones considering a green car for their daily drive.
