FULL REVIEW: 2023 GAC Empow GB DCT -- A true Honda Civic rival!

Disclaimer: GAC Motor Philippines kindly lent me an Empow GB for one week with a full tank of gas and loaded RFID cards. AutoFun Philippines paid for a car wash.

The GAC Empow launched onto the scene on January 2023, marketed as a sports sedan.

It has everything going for it  – it has the looks, features and even the power to boot. It also comes with the latest technology, making the vehicle easier to drive and safe.

These features put the Empow in the direct firing line of the Honda Civic, another sporty sedan with a well-established reputation in the Philippine market.

Does the GAC Empow have what it takes to be a genuine rival to the Civic or is it just another forgettable wannabe?

Sleek and sporty exterior

The GAC Empow has the looks to match up against the Honda Civic.

It has an aggressive front end with its sleek LED headlights, a massive grille to take in air and an angular bumper. The side profile of the GAC sports sedan is also similar to the Civic with its long aerodynamic shape.

However, the GB variant on review has smaller wheels than its Honda counterpart, which takes a bit away from its more dynamic and aggressive styling.

We understand it's a mid-range model, so we give it a pass as it only has 17-inch wheels compared to the 18-inch set in the top-spec GE model. The GB would technically go up against the Honda Civic V.

At the back, the GAC Empow has more European styling. We say this because the vehicle's rear looks similar to what you would find on a Mercedes-Benz.

The car's overall design execution is excellent and adds to its sporty appeal. 

Minimalist interior

The sporty theme continues in the interior of the GAC Empow, as the sedan has a minimalist dashboard.

There are no fancy layers here, just a sloping dash accented by horizontal lines hiding the air vents. 

For the most part, the dashboard is dominated by two large screens: your information display and your infotainment system. You get a few manual controls for the air conditioning, which are excellent as you don’t need to use the touchscreen to adjust the temperature or the fan speed.

The GAC Empow also has a floating console with a faux-carbon fiber finish. It's a breath of fresh air for those sick of shiny or piano-black plastics, but it isn’t for everyone.

One thing to note is that the volume and drive mode controls are found on the center console, which does take some time to get used to. 

Storage space underneath the floating console is decent, but can be limiting as the USB ports are found in the same area. 

Speaking of the USB ports, we wish GAC would increase their amperage as we found that the port would only slow the discharging process and not charge the phone.

Our workaround was to use the port found in the back with the rear air vents.

Technology

The GAC Empow has a 7-inch instrument panel that acts as your gauge cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment system. 

Like other Chinese vehicles, the GAC does not have Android Auto as standard  – it only has Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth connectivity.

Credit where credit is due, it does have software for other kinds of connectivity that, unfortunately, we couldn’t utilize. When we plug an iPhone into the infotainment system, it works well as operation is quick, easy and smooth. 

We also liked the drive modes of the Empow as when you put it into Sport+, it would change the screen of the infotainment system and display it into gauges that would display coolant temperature, boost and oil temperature, just to name a few.

The feature brings home that GAC wants you to think the Empow is a sports sedan.

Safety

Regarding safety, the GAC Empow is at par with industry standards.

The sedan has dual front airbags, side airbags, side curtain airbags, ABS with EBD, a tire pressure monitoring system and a reverse camera.

We noticed that the brakes of the Empow were sensitive when it came to the emergency stop signal feature. We weren’t nearly fully depressed on the brake pedal before this feature kicked in. 

The sedan's brakes are decent, but to better fit its designation as a Sporty sedan, we wished the GAC gave it better pads for better stopping power.

Other than that, the Empow was a joy to drive, especially with its adaptive cruise control, which worked very well in the city and on the highway, together with the lane-keep assist.

We even enjoyed that the lane-keep assist would keep the sedan centered in a lane, which not most cars equipped with this feature can do. 

Power

Under the hood, the GAC Empow packs a turbocharged 1.5-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline engine that produces 176 PS and 270 Nm of torque.

This engine is only available with a 7-speed, wet-dual-clutch transmission (DCT).

Compared to the Honda Civic, which has 178 PS and 240 Nm of torque, the Empow is slightly down on power, but it makes up for it in torque as it has 30 Nm more than the Civic. 

The DCT works well on the road as it delivers smooth shifts. The Empow even has launch control, which can rocket you from 0 to 100 km/h in about 7.6 seconds. 

However, one downside of the DCT is when it comes to traffic. Sometimes the transmission doesn’t lock and you must rev the engine out more before it bites.

Even if you are gentle with the throttle, it takes time for the transmission to understand what you want it to do, at least in traffic conditions. 

In addition, the GB variant does not come with paddle shifts or manual mode. It takes some of the “sportiness” away from the Empow, but the GE model has this feature available.

But we hope GAC will put paddles in the GB model to put the icing on the cake.

Excellent fuel economy for a turbo 1.5

As for fuel economy, we got 7.6 to 10 km/l in the city and 16.5 to 18.2 km/l on the highway.

These are significant numbers as the Empow drives steadily along at low RPMs, even when cruising at around 100km/h. Compared to its Honda Civic rival, which you need to baby to get those numbers, the GAC Empow does it effortlessly. 

Its great fuel efficiency figures could also be attributed to its excellent cooling system. Instead of using a standard intercooler that uses air, the Empow has liquid cooling that helps give it consistent performance.

Verdict

When we say that the GAC Empow is a true Honda Civic rival, we mean it.

The GB variant, which we had on review, costs around ₱1,305,000, This is even cheaper than the base-model Honda Civic S, which was phased out. 

GAC is severely undercutting Honda with the Empow as it offers you the same features for far less than what you usually pay for with the Civic.

The GB already comes with adaptive cruise, lane keep assist and other features that would only be found in the more expensive mid-range or top-spec versions of the Honda sedan. 

It's a steal at this point, as even the ride quality of the Empow and the materials used are similar to that of the Civic. 

We understand, though, that the Empow will never be the Civic – the Honda sedan has a different level of refinement in its build quality and ergonomics. But we can’t deny that it's a great alternative to something like the Civic RS.

It not only delivers a sporty drive thanks to its various drive modes, suspension and transmission, but it also has consistent power and excellent fuel economy that serve as icing on the cake.

If you are willing to live with its few quirks, then it's a good purchase. 

Would you get a GAC Empow over a Honda Civic?

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