With the Japanese and Korean car manufacturers largely exiting the affordable, sub-$30,000 part of the small SUV segment in Australia, the resulting vacuum has been filled by the Chinese brands — and increasingly names like the GWM Haval Jolion, MG ZS and the Chery Tiggo 4 have found plenty of SUV buyers seeking strong value.
Each of those three Chinese models has captured about 12 percent small SUV market share — with nearly 40 percent control between them. And with transaction prices for those cars generally sitting below the $30K mark, it represents tens of thousands of sales not flowing into Mazda, Toyota, Kia, Hyundai and other, older, brands.
No surprise that other China-based marques have noticed. Now, the Guangzhou-assembled GAC Emzoom — renamed from the Trumpchi GS3 for export to Australia — hopes to carve out some of the cheap-and-cheerful crossover pie occupied by MG, GWM and Chery.
Arriving on Aussie soil this week in a single, generally well-equipped grade priced at $25,590 plus on-road costs, the angularly-styled Emzoom is already a three-year old product in its home market — and it doesn’t feel brand new, either to drive or to sit in.
That’s no different to key rivals that are, for now, a little more expensive than the Emzoom. While GAC has told Chasing Cars that it does not intend to be a bargain Chinese brand forever, the littlest GAC model launches with a $500 cashback offer and zero dealer delivery that makes it, for now, cheaper than any Jolion or turbocharged MG ZS.
Measuring 4410mm in length (on a long-ish 2650mm wheelbase), 1850mm wide and 1600mm high, the Emzoom is similar in size to its closest Chinese rivals as well as well-known small SUVs like the Mazda CX-30 (that car is more than $8000 dearer in base form).
Specification for the Emzoom runs long. Outside, automatic ‘laser eye split’ LED headlights frame the ‘mecha wing’ grille; you then step past 18-inch alloy wheels to ‘laser dart’ rear lamps that evoke faint impressions of late-model Peugeot or Opel styling. Not a bad thing.
Inside, a 14.6-inch touchscreen lacks native navigation but runs wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and is joined by a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster and six-speaker stereo. Seating upholstery is PVC, but the driver benefits from six-way power adjustment and seat ventilation — but the manual passenger pew is uncooled and only four-way.
Unusually at this price, an opening sunroof with power sunshade is standard — as is 50-watt wireless device charging, a leather steering wheel, rear air vent, three USB ports, automated parking, a power tailgate, and neat blind spot cameras.
While GAC isn’t ready to publish capped price servicing arrangements just yet, the brand has landed in Australia with warranty coverage that differs based on fuel source. Its combustion-powered cars — like the Emzoom — have a seven year/unlimited-kilometre plan (EVs benefit from eight years).
How does the GAC Emzoom drive?
Often, the cheapest versions of small SUVs sold in Australia are burdened by a small and buzzy naturally aspirated petrol engine gasping for power.
Thankfully, that’s not the case with the Emzoom, which lands with a standard-fit turbocharged motor that is totally acceptable for this class.
Measuring 1.5 litres in displacement, the ‘4A15J2’ four-cylinder turbo petrol produces 125kW of power at 5500rpm and a relatively muscular 270Nm of torque across a vast plain from 1450-4500rpm, making this front-driver quite confident for highway and country road use.
This is a relatively old-tech engine, rated for the Euro V emissions standard that came into force in Europe in September 2009 and was outlawed for new cars in Australia on 1 December 2025 … days after GAC launched the Emzoom on Australian roads.
As a result, the motor is perhaps not as efficient as it might have been. We saw a respectable 5.9L/100km on the highway but a thirsty 8.5L/100km in town. From its 47-litre fuel tank (which can take 91RON), that makes for real-world range of 552-796km.
Still, the engine feels flexible and relaxed for this class owing to that nice slab of torque. If only the motor could access the power a little more easily: instead, the 1.5-litre labours through an unrefined example of a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
If GAC’s goal was to replicate the feel of Volkswagen’s first DSG iterations (from 20 years ago), then it succeeded: the Emzoom hesitates and then clunks into first gear on moderate throttle and hiccups into second and third far too often.
While rival dual-clutch units from DCT-lovers Volkswagen (and others) have gotten much slicker over the years, the GAC unit feels like it is missing polish and a proper software tune.
Engaging sport mode manages to cure quite a bit of the clunkiness but the engine then holds gears much longer, drinking more fuel in the process — so it’s give and take.
More impressive is the reasonably capable ride and handling of the Emzoom. Despite its mechanically simple torsion beam rear suspension (and MacPherson strut-type front suspension), it handles corners and bumps quite well, especially at speed.
The relatively low-profile 18-inch wheels (in ‘Landsail Sentury Qin 990’ tyres measuring 255/55 R18 at all four corners) can jar slightly through bumps at urban speed but compliance on country roads was impressive, with the ride settling above 60km/h.
The electric power steering offers quick-enough responses and there’s even a bit of fun to be had in piloting the Emzoom on a good bit of road. It’s nimble enough and, at 1415kg (tare mass), quite light.
Many drivers will like the fact that this slightly older-gen product misses out on both audible speed monitoring and driver attention warnings, though the lack of true lane-centring makes it more fatiguing on the highway than some rivals.
Still, adaptive cruise control, basic lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring (with cameras), tyre pressure monitoring, and a 360-degree parking camera are standard. ANCAP has not yet rated the Emzoom’s safety credentials.
How is the GAC Emzoom’s interior?
Like many affordable Chinese cars, the Emzoom has an interior that is feature-packed compared to traditional rivals while leaving something to be desired in terms of fit and finish.
Whereas (considerably more expensive) entry-level small SUVs from Japanese or Korean brands would typically trim the interior in cloth — which is a very temperate material but more difficult to clean — the Emzoom trims its seats in PVC (or vinyl).
This will wipe clean with a wet cloth but suffers from poor temperature control. Seat ventilation is one-way manufacturers try to abate this effect — and so does GAC, but only the driver’s seat of the Emzoom has the cooling function with the passenger left to get quite warm indeed in summer.
This is a specification oddity (along with less unusual omissions such as integrated satellite navigation) that otherwise gives way to a long list of creature comforts and a generally functional cabin.
The native infotainment system (with very large 14.6-inch screen) is very basic in terms of features and menu structures, but most owners will probably be content to hook up wireless Apple CarPlay or wireless Android Auto and forget about it.
A small-ish digital instrument cluster is flanked by more elementary LCD graphics for the tacho and speedo but there are simple trip computer functions, and everything works reasonably intuitively.
Still, after a couple of hours’ driving, we longed for superior front seats, with both flat pews lacking seat tilt adjustment (and any kind of height adjustment for the front passenger), while there is also no in/out lumbar.
Thanks to the Emzoom’s generous wheelbase, rear seat space is better than expected, with generous amounts of room for teens or adults.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen it, but the GAC’s inclusion of a single air vent is perhaps a touch mean: while we’re grateful there is a rear air outlet (some more expensive rivals miss this!) airflow can only be directed at one back-seat rider at a time.
Still, the fitment of a rear armrest — plus unexpected niceties like one-touch up/down function for all four windows, and lighting for the sunvisor vanity mirrors — show a degree of generosity.
Boot space is adequate rather than significant, with 341 litres on offer in five-seat mode (above a space saver spare wheel and tyre). The rear seats fold down to provide 1271 litres of cargo space in two seat mode.
Standard inclusion of a power tailgate is certainly an unexpected convenience at this price.
The final verdict
The GAC Emzoom is an acceptable small SUV. Compared to its closest rivals — the MG ZS, Chery Tiggo 4 and Haval Jolion — the Emzoom is fairly priced and particularly generous in some areas of its equipment list.
We appreciate the fitment of a decently powerful engine and there are some bright spots to the way the Emzoom drives but there are also some key drawbacks.
Refinement is noticeably lacking in how the Emzoom shifts gears and this is something that will grate if you spend most of your time in the city.
The urban ride quality isn’t fantastic, but the GAC is remarkably settled and poised to drive on country roads, meaning it might be a better buy for those in regional areas than our cities.
As is the case with really all of the affordable SUV models on the market, the saying “you get what you pay for” is a truism.
Something like a Toyota Corolla Cross (from $37,440 + ORCs), Skoda Karoq (from $40,990 driveaway) or Subaru Crosstrek (from $36,490 + ORCs) are all more resolved to drive, more comfortable, and more refined — but you pay for the privilege!
If you’re prepared to go full-electric, the best-value option in the class right now may well be the BYD Atto 2 (from $31,990 + ORCs).
However, if you want a brand-new car with a long warranty, you’re willing to consider a new brand and your budget has a hard cap of $28,000 on-road, the Emzoom is worth a test drive.
