GAC Philippines recently invited us on a quick media drive with the 2023 GAC Emkoo. We took the brand’s latest compact 5-seater SUV on a road trip from P to P (Pasay to Pampanga) within one day. It was a great opportunity for us to test out the vehicle to see if it was really Emcool enough for us as a long distance road trip car.

360 Cam: Parking made easy

Before the road trip started, we had a quick activity with the Emkoo to test its 360-degree camera feature, wherein we had to park the vehicle in three different ways.

The first was parallel parking, which is already a daunting task, but it was made easy with the cameras and the 3D rendering of the vehicle on screen.

The second was reverse parking, which was relatively easy; GAC put a slight twist to it, tightening the space we had to use to park. Finally, we had to park the SUV facing the front, which was a bit difficult as it had a large hood, but the task was simplified thanks to the front camera.

Hassle-free driving: Emkoo takes the wheel

After the parking “test,” we set off for Clark for a bit of relaxing highway driving, where we got to test the power of the Emkoo and its host of advanced driver-aids.

We got to test out its adaptive cruise control, which made highway driving for us a breeze, along with its lane keep assist system. The lane keep assist helped keep the car centered without much input from the driver.

As for power, we weren’t lacking any of it. The Emkoo has a 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 177 horsepower and 270 Nm of torque. It also has a 7-speed wet dual-clutch transmission, giving us smooth driving and quick shifts on the highway. However, the gearbox was a bit twitchy in slower driving situations, which is understandable given its design limitations.

As I was assigned the top-spec model, we had access to a panoramic sunroof, which unfortunately doesn't open, but it did give us a lot of natural light inside the cabin. Aside from this, we were also treated to ventilated seats, which was an essential feature to have given the vehicle had no tint and it was a relatively hot day. 

A full meal with a great mile muncher

We did stop for lunch at 25 Seeds in Pampanga,  but then we set off right after 1 PM for our trip back to Manila. On the way back, the Emkoo gave us a smooth and pliant ride with not much to complain about besides the lack of Android Auto. The air conditioning was cold, and the sound deadening was spot on, with only a bit of tire noise entering the cabin.

Overall, the Emkoo is a great mile muncher priced at Php 1,298,000 to Php 1,498,000, if you are looking for a car to do a long road trip with. The many safety features make driving easy, and its ventilated seats ensure you don’t get fatigued on a long drive. Its multiple driving modes also give it a more dynamic drive if you want more responsiveness in sport mode or if you just want to relax in comfort or economy mode.