GAC has had a few months to settle in after landing in Australia in late 2025, which has given us enough time to mull over cars like the Emzoom.
This small SUV is one of three new models that GAC brought to Australia at its launch, the other two being the Aion V mid-size electric SUV and the M8 plug-in hybrid people mover, which have since been joined by the Aion UT electric hatch. And to us it seemed the most universally approachable.
Competing in a popular, densely populated market segment is one thing, but costing less than even many economy hatchbacks is enough to raise eyebrows. The Emzoom is by no means the cheapest Chinese SUV on sale locally – that distinction goes to the MG ZS – but it’s available in a single, well-equipped variant that immediately looks good on paper.
Of course, there will always be question marks over new auto brands, and GAC is one of the newest in Australia. It doesn’t have the advantage of being able to leverage established sibling brands already in the market, either.
But that’s not to say GAC lacks experience, because it has a long and storied history, and its parent company is among the largest automakers in China. It’s also operated joint ventures with Honda and Toyota since 1999 and 2004, respectively.
In fact, GAC says those partnerships taught it how to build cars, which is not a bad thing. That said, it’s comparatively late to Australia, which means it has a lot of catching up to do if it wants to compete with the likes of MG, Chery, GWM, and BYD.
On test here is the 2026 GAC Emzoom Luxury, and we want to know if this budget-friendly small SUV offers more than just a low price.
How much does the GAC Emzoom cost?
Sold in just one ‘Luxury’ variant, the GAC Emzoom is priced at $25,590 before on-road costs.
| Model | Price before on-road costs |
|---|---|
| 2026 GAC Emzoom Luxury | $25,590 |
In terms of rivals, the most comparable MG ZS spec-wise is the Essence Turbo, priced at $28,990 drive-away. There’s also the stripped-back Vibe Turbo for $25,990 drive-away, or you could drop the turbo entirely and go for the bog-standard Vibe for $22,990 drive-away instead.
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The GWM Haval Jolion, meanwhile, starts at $26,990 drive-away, while the Chery Tiggo 4 starts at $23,990 drive-away.
Non-Chinese alternatives os similar size include the Hyundai Kona priced from $33,700 before on-roads, and the Toyota Corolla Cross (from $37,440 before on-roads).
To see how the GAC Emzoom stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool
What is the GAC Emzoom like on the inside?
The Emzoom’s cabin is far nicer than you’d expect for its sub-$26,000 price tag.
Granted, it can’t hold a candle to the more luxury-oriented Chinese brands like Zeekr or Denza, but its tidy layout and generous use of premium-feeling materials punch well above its price bracket. It certainly impressed us when we first sat behind the wheel.
The most eye-catching element is arguably the 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which is colossal even by luxury-car standards. It’s not large without substance either, as its graphics are sharp, there’s plenty to keep you entertained, and it supports wireless smartphone mirroring as standard – unlike the MG ZS.
There are downsides, though. One is that it prompted me to enable wireless Apple CarPlay every time I hopped in – and then proceeded to connect regardless of whether I pressed ‘Enable’ or ‘Cancel’ – rather than connecting automatically as other cars do. A more serious aspect is that it isn’t very user-friendly.
It isn’t at all uncommon for Chinese manufacturers to lock a car’s basic cabin functions into the infotainment system, but it consistently makes the user experience considerably more obnoxious than it ought to be. GAC and its Emzoom are no different, with its primarily digital climate system being the worst part.
Though there’s a small array of physical buttons below – including two non-round dials that look permanently wonky – it’s mostly controlled via the always-on ribbon at the bottom of the screen. This makes basic adjustments like air direction tedious, made worse by the inclusion of a full-screen smartphone display.
The wonky dials are sensible for fan speed and temperature, but they come at the expense of a physical volume controller. That’s bad news for passenger-seat DJs everywhere.
Of course, we also have gripes about every function and vehicle setting being locked behind countless menus and submenus, but our final major complaint concerns the boot. The Emzoom has a power tailgate as standard, and there’s a touch-button on the centre screen to open it from inside the cabin. Fair enough, right?
Well, the issue is that there’s no physical boot button – unlike practically every other car with a power tailgate – which means it’s impossible to open the boot from inside the cabin unless the car is on. That’s a disappointing, avoidable oversight.
Moving across to the 7.0-inch instrument display reveals a refreshingly basic setup. While its dated-looking graphics aren’t to my liking, it’s far easier to wrap your head around this screen than the colossal unit immediately to its left.
There are just two layouts to choose from, toggled using the ‘VIEW’ button on the steering wheel. One gives you a basic speedo readout, and the other offers an array of simple, informative menus. In there is a handy tyre pressure monitor that bizarrely includes a tyre temperature readout, in case you’re hitting the track. Or drag racing.
Otherwise, the cabin is fairly well-appointed. The steering wheel is nicely sized and wrapped in sporty perforated leather, and it’s packed with its fair share of physical buttons that are labelled well enough. The piano-black plastic needs to go in the bin, though.
The seats, meanwhile, are comfortable enough without being outstanding. Only the driver’s seat offers power adjustment, and a decent range of it at that. A healthy range of steering wheel adjustment also make it easy to get comfortable.
More evidence of those odd spec decisions is found here, however. Only the driver’s seat is fitted with ventilation, and there’s no seat heating at all. That is a bewildering way to do things; Australia can be hot for sure, but why does the front passenger have to deal with a sweaty behind? And are we forgetting that Australia can get bloody cold, too?
On that note, we also found the air-conditioning fan too strong and loud, even at its lowest setting. It had no issue cooling things down – granted, it wasn’t that warm during our loan – but we’d like to be able to dial in a gentle, inaudible waft just to keep air moving in the cabin.
Storage is at least decent in the front row of the Emzoom. There are the usual storage boxes in the middle and in front of the passenger, along with a large tray underneath the hard plastic centre console that conceals both USB-A and -C ports.
Up top are a pair of cupholders and the Emzoom’s modest gear selector, which features GAC’s ‘crystal’ design – it’s really just clear plastic. There’s also a small storage cubby ahead with a wireless phone charger that, to GAC’s credit, features a small air vent to help keep your device cool while charging.
Given the Emzoom is among the larger models in Australia’s small SUV segment, rear legroom isn’t too bad. At 173cm tall, I could comfortably fit behind my own driving position, and headroom isn’t noticeably impacted by the panoramic sunroof above. Yes, GAC has fitted a sunroof over a handful of other more useful things, like heated seats.
The base and back of the bench seat are flat, but they’ll be just fine for people of all ages. Being a front-wheel drive platform, there’s also no pesky driveline hump in the middle, which makes the centre rear seat just a tad more workable.
Amenities back here are limited to a fold-down centre armrest with cupholders, map pockets on the front seatbacks (with multiple compartments on the driver’s side), and a single USB-A port on the back of the centre console.
There’s also one rear-facing air vent and the requisite child-seat anchor points, which is about on par with what you get across the rest of the segment.
Boot space, however, is smaller in the Emzoom than it is in most of its direct rivals. The MG ZS, for instance, has a quoted minimum boot capacity of 443 litres, while the front-wheel drive Corolla Cross offers 425L, both of which are up from the Emzoom’s 341L.
The cargo space looks fairly cramped in the metal, too. The floor seems quite small, while vertical space is quickly eroded by the aggressively sculpted body and sloping rear window. There are no extra bells or whistles back here, either, but that’s understandable at this price.
As mentioned, there is a power tailgate that offers hands-free operation when you’re carrying a load of shopping. That’s about the most helpful item relating to the tailgate, given the lack of a release button inside.
Under the boot floor is a space-saver spare wheel, which is always better to have than a repair kit.
| Dimensions | GAC Emzoom Luxury |
|---|---|
| Length | 4410mm |
| Width | 1850mm |
| Height | 1600mm |
| Wheelbase | 2650mm |
| Cargo capacity | 341L (rear seats up) 1271L (rear seats folded) |
To see how the GAC Emzoom stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool
What’s under the bonnet?
Powering the Emzoom is a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 125kW of power and 250Nm of torque. Drive is sent to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
| Specifications | GAC Emzoom Luxury |
|---|---|
| Engine | 1.5L 4cyl turbo-petrol |
| Power | 125kW |
| Torque | 250Nm |
| Transmission | 7-speed dual-clutch auto |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Kerb weight | 1415kg |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 6.6L/100km |
| Fuel economy (as tested) | 6.2L/100km |
| Fuel tank capacity | 47L |
| Fuel requirement | 91-octane regular unleaded |
| CO2 emissions | 156g/km |
| Emissions standard | Euro 5 |
Our time with the car was longer than CarExpert‘s usual press vehicle loans (two weeks instead of one), and so the Emzoom was subjected to a broad range of driving conditions on freeways, in regional towns, in the suburbs, and through the city.
The result was a better-than-claimed fuel consumption figure, though 6.2L/100km won’t threaten a hybrid Toyota Corolla Cross.
To see how the GAC Emzoom stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool
How does the GAC Emzoom drive?
The headline act of the Emzoom is its price, which blows most of its direct rivals out of the water, but there’s plenty else to like here.
That isn’t to say it’s perfect, but it’s far less dull than something like a non-hybrid MG ZS. The most obvious reason is its turbocharged engine, which delivers far more performance than is reasonably expected from an SUV at this end of the market.
The interesting thing about it is that it feels like an old-school turbo, in that it’s incredibly peaky. Performance is quite docile at low engine speeds, but once you push the throttle down and rev it a bit harder, it opens up and shoots off in a way that you may not expect.
The Emzoom feels quicker than its modest 125kW output suggests. Once you’re accustomed to that, you’ll be able to use it to your advantage when it comes to accelerating on freeway on-ramps or making quick overtakes.
In fact, the zippy acceleration under revs makes the Emzoom feel far more at home at freeway cruising speeds than it does in low-speed urban crawling, which is weird, given many of its competitors are largely the opposite. There’s something else at play, though, and it really does hold this SUV back.
The transmission is frankly horrible. The best way I can describe the behaviour of its seven-speed dual-clutch unit is like being in a car with someone learning to drive a manual for the first time, such is its roughness and general lack of finesse.
It comes with all the worst stereotypes of dual-clutch autos, multiplied three times over. The engine revs itself disconcertingly high to get moving from a standstill, clunks through the first few gears, and nudges forward when you’re trying to make a smooth, gradual ‘limousine’ stop.
On multiple occasions, the car held either first or second gear for far too long, causing the revs to hang at about 3200rpm before eventually remembering it still had more gears up its sleeve. It then slammed itself into the next gear, dumped the clutch, and carried on its merry way.
It’s a shame the transmission isn’t better calibrated, and that there’s no way to manually take control of it, but at least it isn’t outright dangerous. ‘Sport’ mode does help whip things into shape by shifting more logically, but you shouldn’t have to switch out of ‘Normal’ mode to get a better everyday driving experience.
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On that note, switching between drive modes is tedious. There’s no physical button (shocking, we know), so you instead have to press the little car icon at the bottom of the infotainment screen, which brings up all driving-related settings including drive modes.
There, you can switch between the three modes (Eco, Normal, Sport), but you still have to manually select settings like sports steering to get the full effect. It all just takes far longer than necessary and, more importantly, draws your attention away from the road. At least the instrument cluster changes colour.
All this is made more disappointing by the fact the rest of the Emzoom is fairly solid. The steering is nicely weighted and gives you a good idea of what the front-end is doing, regardless of whether you’re carrying speed around a bend or twirling through a tight car park.
That’s backed up by decent handling, as the Emzoom can tackle bends in a way that, once again, exceeds its price point. It’s well ahead of a ZS, or even a Jolion, in that regard, and we assume GAC’s tie-ups with Toyota and Honda have had some influence here. But it would be even better if you swapped out its cheap tyres.
The ride quality could still do with some fine-tuning. It’s acceptable, but sharp surface edges like potholes and expansion joints tend to jolt the cabin a little more than we’d like. However, the Emzoom keeps things reasonably composed on bumpy rural roads.
I found the brakes to have reasonable feel, despite the sentiment of one of my colleagues in an earlier review. They weren’t outstanding, but by no means did they feel wooden or spongy. Overall, the car behaves consistently, for better and worse.
And that’s really indicative of our time with the Emzoom. As I spent more time behind the wheel, I found myself getting used to some of the quirks that I’ve mentioned so far. While they never truly went away – the transmission certainly never got any better – you learn how to predict what the car will do and adapt your driving accordingly.
And though that points to a steepish learning curve, it’s still more than can be said for some of its rivals, which often seem to wear on you over time.
However, we can’t go without mentioning the Emzoom’s safety gear, which needs work. The worst offender is the adaptive cruise/lane-centring system, which… doesn’t work.
It really struggles to maintain its set speed and stay in its lane, relinquishing control at the slightest hint of driver input. It is actually not worth using, which isn’t a problem if you don’t like to use cruise control anyway.
Further, GAC has chosen to omit blind-spot monitoring but has fitted a Hyundai/Kia-esque blind-spot view display. Instead of warning you when someone is alongside, a side-angle camera will appear on the central screen when you indicate, encouraging you to look away from the lane you’re trying to merge into.
What’s worse is that this view has an enormous white bezel around it, which has the lovely side-effect of acting as a stun grenade when driving at night. It’s nothing a small software update couldn’t fix, and at least there are no other intrusive driver aids to get under your skin.
To see how the GAC Emzoom stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool
What do you get?
There’s only one Emzoom variant available in Australia.
2026 GAC Emzoom Luxury equipment highlights:
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Space-saver spare wheel
- Automatic LED headlights
- LED tail-lights
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Power-folding side mirrors
- Electric hidden door handles
- “Rear green glass”
- Panoramic sunroof
- Power tailgate
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- PVC leather upholstery
- Ventilated driver’s seat
- 6-way power-adjustable driver’s seat
- 4-way manually adjustable front passenger seat
- Power-folding rear seats
- 7.0-inch LCD instrument display
- 14.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Wireless phone charger
- Front USB-A and -C ports
- Rear USB-A port
- 6-speaker DTS sound system
- Dual-zone climate control
- Rear air vents
- Interior ambient lighting
To see how the GAC Emzoom stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool
Is the GAC Emzoom safe?
The GAC Emzoom has yet to be crash-tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP and is therefore unrated.
But while rating systems vary greatly between ANCAP and its partner organisations, ASEAN NCAP did award the Emzoom a full five stars in June 2024 – though that isn’t necessarily a five-star rating by Australian standards.
Standard safety equipment highlights:
- 6 airbags, incl:
- Dual front
- Dual front-side
- Side curtain
- Adaptive cruise control
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Blind-spot view monitor
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Lane departure warning
- Lane-keep assist
- Park assist
- Surround-view camera
- Tyre pressure monitoring
To see how the GAC Emzoom stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool
How much does the GAC Emzoom cost to run?
GAC Australia backs the Emzoom with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.
| Servicing and Warranty | GAC Emzoom |
|---|---|
| Warranty | 7 years, unlimited kilometres |
| Roadside assistance | 12 months, then service-activated up to 5 years |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000km |
| Capped-price servicing | N/A |
| Average annual service cost (5 years) | $498.4 |
| Total service cost (5 years) | $2492 |
GAC outlines service pricing for what is effectively the Emzoom’s lifetime, all the way up to 300,000km/240 months, or 20 services. It doesn’t state that it is a capped-price scheme, however. Instead, pricing is labelled as a ‘recommended total’.
For comparison’s sake, the first five services (right before the $1169 sixth service) are detailed below:
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| 12 months or 15,000km | $293 |
| 24 months or 30,000km | $434 |
| 36 months or 45,000km | $654 |
| 48 months or 60,000km | $677 |
| 60 months or 75,000km | $434 |
As for rivals, the MG ZS Turbo costs $2029 to service over five years, while the GWM Haval Jolion costs $1880.
Maintenance for the Hyundai Kona costs $2226 over five years, while the same for the Toyota Corolla Cross is significantly cheaper at $1375. So the Emzoom is the priciest of them all.
To see how the GAC Emzoom stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool
CarExpert’s Take on the GAC Emzoom
The Emzoom impressed us, and while it’s far from perfect, it’s far easier to forgive when it costs as little as it does.
In fact, I asked a couple of passengers to guess how much it cost, and most said $40,000 or more. Sure, they’d never heard of GAC and therefore had no way to make an informed estimate, but that speaks volumes about how a cheap car can impress if its interior looks and feels nice.
And so it’s good that GAC has managed to get the Emzoom’s presentation and pricing nearly bang-on. Aussie buyers often shop on price alone, so that immediately works in this small SUV’s favour.
That said, it’s impossible to ignore the car’s flaws. You might be able to get used to the way the interior operates – plenty of people are buying similarly button-averse BYDs and Cherys, after all – but the jerky transmission is almost certain to catch people off-guard once they hit the road.
The gearbox is the worst thing about this car, and you’re forced to deal with it every time you drive it. The cruise control can be avoided and hardly any of the specification issues have the same adverse effects as the transmission does.
Truthfully, most of our complaints about things like the lack of seat heating and blind-spot monitoring are nitpicks, brought up to highlight the absurdity that the Emzoom has plenty of features we consider far more frivolous, like a sunroof and tyre temperature monitoring.
Other things like the blind-spot camera are well-meaning but clumsily executed, yet they don’t undermine the feeling that this is a package that could almost justify a higher price point. The Emzoom was hardly a car that we dreaded driving over our extended loan, and it compares well against its similarly priced Chinese rivals.
We’d take an Emzoom over a sluggish non-hybrid ZS or the alternatives from GWM and Chery any day of the week. Heck, if it was fitted with a more sensible torque-converter auto, we’d even have one instead of some of the more expensive options.
The caveat here is that it’s too early to tell how the GAC ownership experience will pan out. But at face value the Emzoom is certainly a small SUV worth looking at.
GAC seems to be onto something in the cheap car space, and who knows? Maybe, after some Australian tuning and more time to pin down exactly what Aussie motorists want, it could turn the Emzoom into a weapon of a small SUV.
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