THE GSE Emzoom R- Style is a head-turner, stru!
I took it for a spin, and what impressed yours truly and the public was the obvious: sporty design, bold body styling, that includes a twin exit exhaust with valve control, and automatic headlight, and goldish painting.
Ah, what about the electronically adjustable driver’s seat as well as a panoramic sunroof, wireless charging, and an automatic tailgate, worth buying.
Boasted with 1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, it made sense to hit the road to North West, to test it frugality on the longer journey, it failed to disappoint.
Its fuel consumption is rated 6.2 L/100 km.
Part of the GAC Motor, also known as GAC, into South Africa, like the new-age Chinese automakers that have come before, GAC and its novel product offering locally promise impressive value for money in what is a now bustling and even overcrowded segment.
Talk of ‘bells and whistles’ when looking through the specifications list of each other grade above it, the specced Comfort model is further bolstered with electronic door handles, hill-start hold control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Carbitlink for Android displayed through a 10.25-inch infotainment screen and a 3.5-inch instrument cluster.
But don’t the only snag: the cup holder is nowhere to be found, so you’ll have to manoeuvre just like I did, using my thighs in most cases!
A tyre-pressure monitoring system is also included, and the middle-of-the-road Executive model replaces the instrument cluster from the Comfort model with one double the size and a raft of other safety features like adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, traffic sign recognition system and lane departure warning.
B’cos I had attended a funeral, the mourners took their ‘morals’ out of the window and instead took time for snapshots, to such an extent the reverend had to keep reminding them, why are they at the graveyard.
The R-Style comes fitted with a bespoke exterior and valve-controlled exhaust via a steering-mounted button.
The miller-cycle turbocharged four-pot delivered pleasant performance, with turbolag courtesy of peak torque from as little as 1 500 r/min. The claimed sub 9 second 0-100 km/h sprint time was super considering the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission is inhibiting when getting an initial launch.
The claimed fuel consumption figure, is rated at 6.2 L/100 km on the box-fresh models with less than 1 000 km on the clock delivered around 7.9 L/100 km, this is despite very little use of the Eco drive from Comfort mode.
“Head-turner, itjooo” agreed my young neighbourhood boys, who are now accustomed to washing every car brand I drop by in with, thanks to Emzoom R- Style 130 kW power and 270 N.m torque.
This compact crossover segment is a lucrative for automakers to win market share, particularly newcomers wanting to get as many models on the road for increased brand awareness, with Easter Holy-days around the corner.
The decision to debut the GS3 Emzoom comes as a response to this, particularly considering its projected penetration this year is 18.9%, up from 8.1% in 2014.
The models in SA, will be sold through a 20-strong dealership network across, with plans for expansion up to 40 within 2 years.
All GS3 Emzooms come with a 5-year/150 000 km warranty and 60 000 km service plan in the same time frame.
- Retailing prices:
- Emzoom Comfort – R469 900
- Emzoom Executive – R499 900
- Emzoom R-Style– R549 900
Verdict
Performance 1-10 (6)
Fuel 1-10 (5)
Top image SLM (Head-turner Emzoom R- Style, iphethe istayela).
