2023 GAC Empow GE 1.5T DCT

The (practical) boy racer's toy

Picture me this: What if a group of boy racers take part in a focus group discussion about making a modern-day four-door sports sedan? I reckon the end result would look a lot like the GAC Empow GE.

It's not every day you see a vehicle come out of the showroom wearing matte green paint with yellow accents and yellow brake calipers. And when you do, it usually wears a high-performance badge from a brand based somewhere in Germany. That's why when we got a first glimpse of the Empow back at the 2022 Manila International Auto Show, we knew this was going to be a very interesting vehicle.

Of course, we had to wait for a while as GAC changed hands from one distributor to another. And when it was formally launched in the country earlier this year, we had to wait a bit more for the GE. But now that we finally got our hands on it, I found out this is not another Civic RS or a Corolla GR-S. It's done in a different flavor.

The most obvious reason is, of course, the looks. The GB variant we reviewed earlier looked classy with the gray and the 17-inch wheels, but this GE variant brought out the other side of the Empow's character with its matte paint, faux carbon fiber trims, and the bigger two-tone 18-inch alloys. Take it from my experience, expect a lot of curious looks from pedestrians and motorists once you pass.

At the back, the faux rear tailpipe finishers have been exchanged for fully-functioning quad exhaust tips and more pronounced diffusers. And even though there's a hotter Empow R in other markets, I'd prefer the Empow GE's look as I find the Empow R's rear end a bit too busy.

Space-wise, there's plenty to fit five passengers with room to spare. It has generous legroom and elbow room considering the vehicle is 4.7 meters long and 1.85 meters wide, while cargo space is also great as you can fold down the second-row seats 60:40 style to get a flat area. In terms of length that's around 68 inches, the minimum length was around 39 inches, the minimum width is around 38 inches and the maximum cargo height is about 21 inches.

The execution of the interior is refreshing, and it's well put together with consistent gaps, plus the top-notch fit and finish. The off-white, piano black, and yellow accents are something we don't normally see in a mass-production car but GAC pulled it off. Along with it are the yellow seatbelts which are a nice touch, but I reckon around a few years' time, you're going to have to add interior detailing to your car care schedule to keep the belts clean.

There's a continuous black panel for the instrument and infotainment display, much like what premium brands BMW and Mercedes-Benz are doing. On this part, you have the usual things like Bluetooth, USB, and Apple CarPlay, though as expected with many Chinese brands, the Empow GE's multimedia system does not support Android Auto. Image and display quality is smartphone-spec which is great, but GAC could have added a premium sound system like what Honda did with the Civic RS.

Well perhaps, GAC wanted its customers to hear what's lurking underneath the hood. Much like the GB, the top-spec Empow GE's 1.5-liter turbo unit produces 170 PS and 270 Nm of torque, and it's paired to a 7-speed wet DCT. But what's different here is it has steering-mounted paddle shifters and that badass variable exhaust that gives the Empow GE a throaty roar.

In fact, for the majority of my drive, I kept the variable exhaust in “Loud” mode because it just sounds really good. And when you step on the throttle in Sport+ mode, it will show you it has plenty of get up and go. What's better is that with the Empow GE, you won't need to buy different gauges for the engine's vital stats because you already have them displayed on the infotainment screen.

In terms of fuel economy, I managed to do around 9 km/l at an average of 16 km/h in the city, while highway numbers got me up to around 15.4 km/l. But since the GAC Empow GE has the looks of a boy racer, I focused more on exploring the sedan's sporty side.

There's plenty of grunt even after reaching expressway speed limits, and the transmission is willing to wait until you flick the paddle shifters to go on a bigger cog. However, I found that the transmission does not have an auto blip for smoother downshifting; or quite simply, it hasn't learned how to do heel and toe. For a car that's supposed to be on the sporty side of things, that's something I was looking for in the Empow GE.

It could also be tuned better when you're not always in Sport+ mode, as I've noticed there's a bit of a delay in both the throttle and transmission response in stop-and-go traffic. There's a workaround for it if you alter your pedal modulation, but let's admit it, not everyone would be willing to do that.

While it's impressive on a straight line, it's the Empow GE's comfort-oriented suspension that rather makes corner carving less fun. To be completely honest, I was looking for a bit more sharpness in the steering response and a little less body roll, plus a little more firmness in the ride. I would argue that if I had the mid-spec Empow GB, I would not have any concerns at all with its good road manners. It would be right on point. But with the Empow GE screaming for sportiness inside and out, I was expecting GAC would also alter the suspension settings to match its sporty nature.

I believe there's room for improvement in terms of driving manners and mechanical refinement for the Empow GE, but the rest of the car has already left me impressed. I'm quite sure with the way the development pace is going for Chinese brands like GAC, they would be able to iron out those areas to make better products fairly quickly.

At PHP 1.348 million, the GAC Empow GE is closing in on Corolla Altis and Civic territory in terms of pricing. On a range that's not exactly a price-sensitive one, people would go for something they can trust, and something they know would give a great ownership experience. Its two main rivals have good market acceptance, even though the landscape has evolved to being a crossover-dominated one. The challenge now for GAC is to prove the quality of the car is up there with established brands, but more importantly, show that their after-sales service is just as good.