GAC GA8

Cars of this price are evolving to have cutting edge design and features in their cabins. However, this being the previous generation model of the GAC GA8, the car misses out on a lot of features and technologies being offered in the latest generation model.

The cabin, however, doesn’t look bland and under-equipped, for it still manages to look rich and premium thanks to a good and balanced use of beige, faux wood and piano black inserts. The four-spoke steering wheel with a number of controls mounted on all of its spokes looks rich, however, the boring instrument console behind it actually doesn’t match its appeal.

What surely matches its visual appeal is the large trapezoidal free-standing touchscreen infotainment system in the middle, which is placed just above the dual trapezoidal AC vents. The lower portion of the center console gets another trapezoidal panel for the controls of the air conditioner. A fine layer of faux wood runs between the dashboard divides into two layers, with the upper one having a black finish and lower one having a beige color.

The GAC GA8 has got a stance and length which will surely make it look poised and elegant both in motion as well as standstill. However, the overall styling isn’t too top-notch and trendy which makes it look a bit outdated when compared to its direct European competitors.

The GAC GA8 has a simple-looking front end consisting of a slanted trapezoidal grille with tapered upper edges and five horizontal chrome slats positioned one over the other. The sweptback headlamps with curved kinks at their upper corners house dual LED projectors and a sleek daytime running LED below them. The front bumper also gets a prominent chrome garnish, which ends up engulfing sleek LED fog lamps at the outer corners. 

Thanks to a long wheelbase, the GAC GA8 manages to carry a posh appeal when looked sideways. The slightly sloping roofline, a rising kink behind the rear window panel and the sharp character line flowing above the door handles surely add a lot of visual drama to the side profile of the GAC GA8.

At the back, the GAC GA8 looks a bit understated with a very simple design for the boot lid. The large trapezoidal tail lamps with an inner moving kink in the middle look large and make the rear look quite wide too. There is a subtle use of chrome around the exhaust ports as well as in the middle of the boot lid. 

The GAC GA8 is blessed with a cushioned ride experience, the credits to which goes to the very well executed suspension setup of independent double-wishbone at the front and independent multi-link at the rear. The rear seats can accommodate only two passengers due to a high running tunnel and house of controls between them, which surely double up the luxurious experience of the cabin.

The sole engine and gearbox combination employed for the mammoth GAC GA8 is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine married to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The engine is capable of producing a maximum power output of 197 PS, while the peak torque output of 300 Nm.

The GAC GA8 is armed with a host of safety features, which again justify its premium positioning with sufficiency. The car gets front, side and curtain airbags, parking radar, 360-degree around-view monitor, ABS with EBD and brake assist, front and rear parking sensors, tire pressure monitoring system, traction control, electronic stability program, active braking, hill start assist and blind-spot assist.

While this Philippine-spec GAC GA8 might not be the latest iteration model available in China and misses out on the contemporary and trendy appeal, it still manages to give that luxury car appeal, with the sheer size, features and comfortable ride experience it offers.