The all-new GAC GS4 could be the brand’s ace in the crossover wars

The crossover battle is getting heated each month as more participants enter the fray especially in the P1-million mark. Well, things are about to get more intense as GAC launched the all-new GS4 sporting a new look and updated safety package. GAC Philippines invited me to try one out for a day and here are my thoughts on their newest crossover. 

First off, the looks. I like how the all-new GS4 is bolder than the outgoing model but still kept its subdued styling. They removed the body color part on the front bumper and connected the upper grille to the faux silver skid plate via black panel. It made for a sportier look without being too obnoxious. 

The rear looks a lot better with the chrome trim connecting the taillights and the revised look of the bumper that now unified the reflectors, skid plate, and faux exhausts into the black cladding. At the side, the only difference is the character line above the rear wheels that now starts from below the character line, making the wheels look more muscular. But as for the wheels, it’s disappointingly bland in design, compared to what’s in the brochure. 

As for amenities, it’s an all-LED affair with the headlights, DRLs, dynamic taillights, and third brake light. There are also rear foglights and power adjustable side mirrors. 

In terms of size, the all-new GS4 measures 4,545mm in length, 1,856mm in width, 1668mm

in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,680mm. This puts it above the Geely Coolray, MG ZS, and Volkswagen T-Cross but on par with the MG RX5. 

Inside, you’ll be greeted by a two-tone leather interior in black and beige or an all-black interior, also leather. They feel great to the touch and don’t smell cheap that’s normally associated with budget leatherette upholstery. GAC said these are eco-friendly, water-based PVC leather which seems to be the best alternative given how good it is on the long drive.

There is light padding on the contact points like on the door panel armrest and center console cover and you’ll probably be mesmerized by how the touchscreen is integrated well into the dashboard. It’s an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and 6-speakers that sounds really good despite being non-branded. There’s also an automatic climate control, second row air vents, panoramic sunroof, USB ports,and multi-functional steering wheel with audio and cruise controls. 

Under the hood is a 1.5L turbocharged gas engine that makes 166 horsepower and 270 Nm of torque, paired to a 6-speed automatic. It also has eco, normal, and sport driving modes for different flavors during your daily drive. I wasn’t able to try out the sport mode but what I can say is even in normal mode, the GS4 is spritely and has a good response on the throttle inputs.

For safety, it has front and side airbags, ABS with EBD, traction control, brake assist, hill-start hold control, hill descent control, electronic parking brake with autohold, ISOFIX, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Rear Sensors, and Rear Camera. Bosch’s latest ESP 9.3 is inside the all-new GS4 ensuring stability at high speeds and corrects oversteering at sudden cornering and lane changes. There’s also a 14-in-1 active safety system that provides uphill and downhill assistance. 

GAC made us try out the safety features in extreme applications – hard braking while on a turn, and hard braking with one side of the car on a slippery surface. On the turn, the GS4 was able to maintain its place inside the curve while the ABS worked hard on stopping the wheels without skidding. The traction control was smart in the second scenario as it immediately recognized that one side of the car has no traction so it moved all power to the right side where there is concrete. It also guided the tires during acceleration in the same condition where even if I floored the throttle, it just crawled and didn’t really go fast until all four tires were in the concrete. 

The all-new GAC GS4 comes in only one flavor – the 270T GB that has a sticker price of P1,098,000, which is P70,000 less than the outgoing model. It comes with a 5-year warranty or 150,000km, whichever comes first. 

It may not be the most bold-looking crossover, nor the fastest one to drive, but it definitely has an advantage thanks to the space it has, the premium feeling cabin, connectivity thanks to Apple CarPlay (sorry again to Android users), and Manila-proof features like the rear camera, electronic parking brake with auto hold, and Tire Pressure Monitoring. My only gripe with it are those wheels but good thing they can be replaced easily. 

The price of the all-new GS4 also puts it alongside the Geely Coolray Premium, Volkswagen T-Cross S, the Ford EcoSport 1.5 Titanium, and base MG RX5. Among those, only the RX5 is at par in terms of size, the rest are smaller than the GS4. Looks like the P1-million mark for crossovers will be a lot more interesting.