This Chinaman makes bekieve it’s a Lexus. Very well too.
GAC. Heard of it before? New to South Africa, this new Emkoo is yet another stone in China’s sling of automotive onslaught into the local car market. People inevitably ask, Is that the new Lexus? Coincidence? Don’t think so. Turn that GAC G badge upside down, and it’s basically a Lexus L. See? There’s no doubt that our Emkoo is parading as a Lexus. A Temu Lexus, but still.
It’s not a knockoff either. In fact, the Emkoo looks completely different from the Lexus if you park them side by side. But the GAC triggers enough Lexus emotion in your brain to convince you it is one. The art of deception. Something the Chinese seem to have perfected since all the hullabaloo around those clone cars a few years ago. This way they are achieving the same. Just differently. And subliminally. And most successfully too.
No. It’s not a Lexus. It’s the GAC Emkoo
A 152 kW 243 Nm 9.1 second 0-100 km/h 7.1l100 km AWD Lexus NX 250 EX, which most people seem to think the Temu version is, starts at R990K. But you have to step up to the R1.22-million UX 350 h SE to even start competing with this Chinese car on Spec. Never mine performance. This 130 kW 270 Nm 8.2 second Auto Tested 0-100 km/h 6.4 l/100 km AWD GAC comes in, with the kitchen sink and a bit more, at R660K. But wait! GAC has just slashed sixty grand off that. it now costs R599K. Frightening. In fact.
Look, it’s not a Lexus. It lacks a little too much refinement here and there, and it is after all a cheapo Temu bra versus the real deal Tokyo brassiere from Harrods. But you get everything, and a fair bit more that the Lexus offers, for the price of a second, very handy brand new Chinese car for the wife or the kid going to varsity for the difference in price. It’s not that the Chinese car lacks in performance, either. It’s quicker and more economical than the car it pretends to be, at a third off, too.
Anyway, enough of the comparisons. What about this Temu? Er, sorry, Emkoo? Well, we told you what your brain thinks it is, but the GAC is striking. Its titanium-tungsten alloy trimmed flat 12-bar V-grill and sleek 2,650 lumen matrix DRL LED headlights with auto on-off and high beam assist set the tone for an angular and quite impressive look. To some. Others, especially more conservative types, hate the look. But what car doesn’t suffer that these days?
All the bells and whistles. And the kitchen sink
X-shape 128 LED taillights and a mecha-style spoiler continue the edgy stance at the back. Smart, and just as edgy face-polished black wheels bring it all together. Step aboard, and it’s quite different in what they call a soothing and cosy cabin environment. A blend of traditional elegance and modern sophistication that’s as striking as it is comfy.
The Emkoo has three monitors. A 10.1-inch touch screen for the Bluetooth infotainment, 10” LCD instrumentation, and among the best heads-up displays we’ve seen. The other two multifunction steering wheel and voice-controlled screens and the onboard trip computer suffer from those old Chinese bugbears of fonts that are too small to easily read and more often with difficult-to-understand Mandarin translations. Both easy fixes that just need a little foreign market representation to those engineering sweatshops.
The other issue of not enough tangible buttons will be more difficult to solve. But this car does have some rather interesting physical controls and knobs inside. For the rest, this keyless access cabin has an energy crystal gear switch and dynamic ambient lighting with faux leather-clad heated and cooled power front seats with driver memory under a generous panoramic sunroof.
Emkoo fails to forget the safety
There’s climate control air conditioning, power windows all around, and power-folding heated wing mirrors. Find USB ports and cup and bottle holders front and rear, and of course a versatile 638-litre capacity boot behind a power tailgate.
Safety-specced, Emkoo comes with traction control, ABS braking, six airbags, and Isofix child seat mountings. Add Level 2 advanced driver assistance with active adaptive cruise control, lane change and keeping assist, and blind spot warning. Add a 360-degree surround view. Camera with park distance control, rain sensor wipers, and tyre pressure sensors. And a terribly annoying oversensitive driver attentions warning one simply cannot turn off.
Slipping under the bonnet, that 130 kilowatts, those 270 Newton-meters, 8.2 seconds to a hundred and 6.4 litres per 100 km come courtesy of a 1.5-litre TGDI MegaWave engine paired to a 7-speed double clutch box driving all four wheels compete with descent and downhill brake control. It’s all bolted into a submarine hull-grade hot-formed steel safety cage-type shell, along with McPherson strut front and multi-link rear hydraulic independent suspension. With Eco, Comfort, and Sport driving modes.
Don’t Laugh. You may yet acquire an Emkoo.
So, you see, the GAC Emkoo actually lacks for nothing. It’s got more in there than you’d ever dream of from a million-buck traditional badge car from a first-world maker. It rides brilliantly, holds the road, and handles well enough. And it will teach the car; it is pretending to be a lesson at both the traffic lights and the fuel pump. And between half and two-thirds of the price!
So don’t laugh too loud about this Temu Lexus. It’s probably already making too much sense to you anyway. – Michele Lupini
ROAD TESTED: GAC Emkoo Executive-Plus 1.5l TGDI
Engine: 130 kW 270 Nm 1.5-litre turbo petrol I4
Drive: 4-speed double clutch automatic AWD
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 3.74 sec
0-100 km/h: 8.27 sec
0-120 km/h: 11.57 sec
0-160 km/h: 21.62 sec
400m: 16.3 sec @ 142 km/h
80-120 km/h: 5.87 sec
120-160 km/h 10.05 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 190 km/h
Fuel Average: 6.4l/100 km
CO2: 147g/km
Range: 850 km
Warranty/Service: 5Y 150K/ 5Y 100K km
LIST PRICE: R599K
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