BOY AND THE BIG TOY: Strikingly good-looking, EmZoom stands its ground among GAC’s ‘EM siblings’
‘The first time I laid my eyes on GAC’s EmZoom GS3 R-Style, it transported me back to the time I first felt strongly about a car.’
THERE’S no looking back for GAC with EmZoom up front.
Photographs by Marc Anthony Reyes for the Daily Tribune
Back in the early 90s when I was still a struggling sportswriter saving every peso to buy my first car, I have always fancied the flashy Toyota RAV4.
I wasn’t able to afford it, though.
So, I just contented myself admiring it from afar. The two-door first generation was an instant hit. It was a compact crossover before that term was even invented. It was striking. The color choice was something that is never seen in automobiles of those days.
It had a lifted rump adorned with spare wheel cover that makes it look like a toy with wheels. Truly ahead of its time.
Years went by and not a single car that hit the local market could duplicate how the RAV4 made me feel.
Until now.
COLOR it ‘Salt Lake Blue.’
SOLID front for this cross SUV.
The first time I laid my eyes on GAC’s EmZoom GS3 R-Style, it transported me back to the time I first felt strongly about a car.
There parked in front of me: Glistening in “Salt Lake Blue” color, adorned with lines, curves and dimensions that make it look like, yes, a toy with wheels.
It was supposed to be the “cute little sibling” of GAC’s “EM” series. But just like the youngest of the brood, it has that oomph (or rizz as what they call it nowadays) to outshine bigger siblings EmKoo and EmPow.
It has 19-inch wheel with Michelin Power Sport 4 tires that complement the perky exterior look. The façade is similar to the EmKoo with large G emblem and futuristic grilles highlighted by orange trimming that was out of the left field but in a good way.
The front LED lights are stretched far to the sides creating a menacing look similar to an onrushing shark moments before it strikes.
Winglets which are seen on just about every new car these days are present. They are above the fender flares that are also present on the backside.
And speaking of the backside, it has two massive tailpipes in the middle of yet another set of orange highlights. Spoilers and narrow backlights topped that bulky rump.
The performance is serious business, though. The EmZoom runs on 1.5L Turbo Petrol with 174 horsepower at 5,500 rpm. Torque produces 270 Newton-meter at 1,500 rpm to 4,500 rpm.
It’s a front-wheel-drive with seven-speed wet dual clutch system.
