2022 GAC GS8 320T GL 4x4 - The Best Choice At Its Price

By the time I’m writing this, I’ve tested about three GAC models available locally. The first was the GA4 compact sedan, then the GN8 luxury minivan, and the all-new GS4 compact crossover. I loved all of those. Now, I got a chance to take the GAC GS8 midsize crossover out on a New Year road trip to Baguio City to bring my family on a quick vacation. This meant tackling city roads, long highways, and of course, uphill curvy mountain roads.

For the unfamiliar, the GAC GS8 is a midsize SUV, but unlike popular choices like the Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Montero Sport, etc., the GS8 is not a body-on-frame SUV, but a crossover. It’s something like a Ford Explorer or Honda Pilot, but for a lot less. Also do note that GAC manufactures Toyota vehicles in China so that already says a lot about the brand’s long-term durability.

So, is the GAC GS8 a good alternative to its more popular competitor, the Ford Explorer and even the larger Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, and even perhaps the common pick-up based SUVs in the market? Let’s find out.

Exterior

Looking at the exterior, the GAC GS8 is instantly an eye-catcher. From the moment I picked it up at the GAC flagship showroom in Pasig City, to Manila City, and to Angeles City in Pampanga on the same day, I noticed how people walking along the streets stared at it everytime I passed by them. I even overheard a couple of passers-by talking about the car, asking each other what is this “G” brand or if it was a Lexus of some sort. How can you ignore the very bold front fascia made up of a pair of striking and huge quad-projector full LED headlights with cornering lights and the large, very elegant front grille. The bumper also looks really nice and was updated with a sportier design for 2021.

The side profile of the GS8 has a rather boxier shape. It does sit rather low for an SUV with just 200 mm of ground clearance but that’s pretty much the same as the Ford Explorer’s. It rides on very nice looking 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Continental tires which do a lot to shake-up the side a bit. Also you’ll notice the Trumpchi badge on the rear door which is the brand’s name in China. It would surely be better to replace them, but GAC sure is saving a lot by keeping them on.

At the back, the GS8 features yet again a very premium design. The full LED taillights may look a bit simple when switched off but once on, they look very unique thanks to its somewhat 3D effect. I’ve never seen anything like it in other models we’ve tested so far. Other than that, the rest of the rear looks very clean and the GS8 also features real dual exhaust finishers on the lower bumper. They’re just finishers but at least they’re not fake.

Overall, the GAC GS8 is definitely a looker. It gives a perfect balance of simple shapes and lines with a mix of eye-catching style and executive SUV looks. In fact, it won’t look out of place in any luxury SUV convoy as evidenced by our own, consisting of a Lexus LX470 and Mercedes-Benz G350d as seen in the photo below.

Interior

Getting inside, the GAC GS8 continues to shine with its very sleek and premium interior design. While the design is simple, it exudes a lot of class especially with the dark faux wood panel on the dashboard. Materials are also top-notch with soft-touch plastics everywhere in the cabin. We did expect some padded leather accents but you can’t have it all. Hard-touch plastics can also be found around the cabin but they are all of good quality. Build quality is also very good with most of the cabin feeling very solid with just some minor creaks in some areas. Also, there is a huge gap between the dashboard and door panel. You’d think that this is a build quality issue but it is actually more of a design issue. At least we know that it’s there on purpose and not a flaw with the vehicle’s construction as it also appears in all other units.

Moving on, the seats are all wrapped in a nice black leather material with perforated inserts for the heating and ventilation functions which I found really helpful during our roadtrip to Baguio. The leather-wrapped steering wheel tilts and telescopes and even has a heated rim as well. Also very helpful during the trip as temperatures dropped to 12°C at some point. I must add that the seats were very comfortable and while the ones in front look a bit flat, they’re actually very supportive and come with lots of adjustment.

Practicality

Thanks to its unibody construction, the GS8 is a winner when it comes to space. Front, rear, and even 3rd row passengers won’t feel cramped at all here with loads of legroom all throughout the cabin. The feeling of space is further improved by the presence of a panoramic sunroof which not only brightens up the cabin, but also gives the impression of more space in this already very spacious cabin. There are also loads of cubbies and storage spaces dotted around the cabin. I particularly really like the very deep center console storage which also includes four cupholders (two of them are adjustable) and lot’s of space to hide things such as a large bottle of disinfecting alcohol or drinking water, your wallet, and maybe even a woman’s handbag.

Cargo storage is not the best but it works for a vehicle like this. It’s obvious, like with many other Chinese cars, that passenger space is the priority here. With 4 passengers in the vehicle (including me as the driver), we were able to fit three small pieces of luggage, a similarly sized but a bit larger duffel bag, and a couple of bags with random stuff into the cargo area which I don’t have the exact capacity numbers. That’s with the 3rd row of seats folded flat. If you use the 3rd row, space is obviously much more limited to maybe one or two pieces of small luggage. When I was alone, I was also able to easily transport my mountain bike with all the seats folded, which of course shouldn’t be a problem in any crossover.

Technology and Safety

Technology is pretty good inside the GAC GS8. It’s surely better than something like the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado. First, the instrument cluster. It’s your typical analog gauges but with a 7-inch display in the middle. Personally this kind is what I prefer over fully-digital displays in addition to how well integrated the analog gauges are with the screen. This is very similar to what you’d see in a Nissan product. The infotainment system on the other hand is controlled through a 10.1-inch touchscreen which is definitely not small. It comes standard with Apple CarPlay but like most Chinese cars, no Android Auto. The system itself is very easy to use for the most part, very HD, and is very responsive to the touch but its design, being slightly recessed into the dashboard does make it a bit difficult to press areas on the edges of the screen. Nevertheless, the system itself is still really good.

The GS8 is also equipped with not one, not two, not four, but six cameras on the exterior. The images from these cameras are projected on the infotainment screen. Of course, four of six are for the 360° around-view monitor which is very helpful when parking and maneuvering tight spaces. The other two, one on each side mirror, is for the blindspot view system. It works the same as Honda’s LaneWatch camera system and shows you your blindspot when you change lanes. Unlike Honda’s system which only shows your passenger-side blindspot, you can see both left and right blindspots. Admittedly, camera resolution is not excellent but they’re still very helpful and useful, and at least are still very usable at nighttime, even in low-light areas. Other standard features include tri-zone automatic climate control, heated and ventilated front seats, Qi wireless charging pad, and selectable drive and steering modes.

In terms of safety, the GAC GS8 is fully-equipped with dual front airbags, side and side curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution, electronic stability program, hydraulic brake assist, hill start assist, hill descent control, crash automatic unlocking, tire pressure monitoring system, and ISOFIX anchors. Interestingly, the spec-sheet says that it is equipped with a lane departure warning system which never activated and I couldn’t find a switch or button to put it on, even in the infotainment system.

Engine

Under the hood of the GAC GS8 is a 2.0-liter Inline-4 cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. It produces a very healthy 199 horsepower and 320 Nm of torque, paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission with power sent to all four wheels in this variant. Now some may think that those numbers sound small in favor of turbodiesel SUVs but we assure you not. This is one good engine, continue reading to find out why.

Driving and Comfort

At first you’d think that a 2.0L engine is too small for this kind of SUV, it’s not. The moment I started driving this upon picking it up at the showroom, I instantly felt how good the engine and transmission pairing was for inside the city. A light tap on the accelerator gives you all the power you need to move this heavy vehicle, too much sometimes. There is a slight hint of turbo lag but it isn’t bothersome. The traditional 6-speed automatic transmission, while not the smoothest, is still better than almost, if not all dual-clutch transmissions from other Chinese cars. Driving the car in Normal mode fixes any issues when it comes to engine response.

Once out on the highway, the GS8 proves to be a great cruiser. The engine does not struggle to put this vehicle to speed and you’ll easily find yourself going the speed limit even before the acceleration lane ends. It’s also a very quiet place with very minimal road noise. Wind noise did creep into the cabin at higher speeds but it’s probably due to the car’s less aerodynamic shape and large side mirrors. The quiet cabin was very well paired to the SUV’s ride quality which was excellent. The suspension absorbs imperfections really well. Larger ones are felt very badly but there’s really nothing we can do with those. All combined, these experiences with the GS8 elevates its premium feel even further, making it feel a lot more expensive than it actually is.

In terms of handling, the GS8 does pretty well in and out of the city. Steering feel is light but not devoid of feel which is perfect for city driving. Once you do get to higher speeds, it may feel too light but that can be easily solved by switching the steering mode into Sport which provided a good balance of light and heavy especially on the zigzag roads going up to Baguio City. The drive up however did show the GS8’s weaknesses such as the lack of power when fully loaded going uphill, as well as body roll which wasn’t too bad but you could feel it. Also when wanting to shift manually via the paddle shifters or buttons on the shifter, you would need to switch to manual mode through a button in the center console which was quite a hassle as you have to cycle between three other modes first. All these though, except the last, are not deal breakers to me.

Fuel economy is not the best trait of the GS8 but it does do pretty well for what it is. Driving in light city traffic returned a healthy 9 km/l. Pure highway driving on the other hand gave me up to 13 km/l which is okay. On average though, during the car’s more than 1 week stay with me and with over 1,000 km added to its odometer, it averaged 9 km/l which is already pretty good as well. That involved lot’s of city and expressway or highway driving, and drives around Baguio City’s uphill and downhill zigzag roads.

Conclusion

The 2021 GAC GS8 2.0 4×4 GL is priced at Php 2,288,000 which if you ask me, is a very good deal. For almost a million less than a Ford Explorer, you get similar features and practicality. For a little less or similar price, you get better features, space, and comfort compared to popular SUV choices. Planning to get that Fortuner, Montero Sport or Terra but don’t need the flood wading and off-road capabilities? Do yourself a favor, skip those, and consider the GAC GS8 because despite not being perfect, it surely is a great choice, not only to stand-out in a sea of SUVs, but also to get excellent comfort and good performance which are the main reasons we go for SUVs anyway. Plus let’s not forget, you’ll definitely be turning heads with the GS8’s VIP looks.

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