GAC GS3

GAC has given the GS3 an all-black leather upholstery theme, along with a rounded rectangular theme for several panels and bits, like instrument console housing, centre console, AC vents on the dashboard corners and switches for climate control. The three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel of the GS3 looks simple, and so does the instrument console with a 3.5-inch LCD MID in the middle.

The rounded rectangular centre console of the dashboard of the GAC GS3 gets an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which is flanked with vertical AC vents within that housing. The lower centre console gets three rounded rectangular clusters of buttons, which goes well with the overall theme of the cabin. The panel surrounding the transmission lever is finished in a gloss black theme for a touch of premiumness.

The cabin of the GAC GS3 is decently equipped with features like a single-pane sunroof, 6-way adjustable driver’s seat, push start-stop button, manual AC and rear AC vents. While the cabin impresses with the sense of space it offers, we would have loved to see more modern features on offer.

There’s nothing groundbreaking about the exterior design of the GAC GS3. However, this premium compact SUV manages to have a contemporary appeal with a sense of proportionality while having a good road presence. There are a few elements which give it an SUV-like appeal, like a heightened stance and body cladding all around.

At the front, the GAC GS3 has an aggressive-looking fascia comprising a large trapezoidal grille. Termed ‘flying dynamic wing 3.0’, this fascia has horizontal chrome slats with a tri-arrow pattern for the grille inserts. The arrow-head-shaped headlamp clusters placed adjacent to the upper edges of the grille come integrated with LED projector headlamps and daytime running LEDs. The front bumper also gets attractive triangular housings for the fog lamps and has heavy-looking chrome inserts which flow towards the air dam in the middle.

The side profile of the GAC GS3 looks neat and nicely designed, with nice flowing contours over the bonnet and door panels. The tough-looking body cladding all around the SUV’s body and roof rails at the top give the GS3 a nice SUV-ish stance. Adding more appeal to the design of the GS3 are the 17-inch machined alloy wheels, door-mounted rear view mirrors and chrome finish for the window waistline, which flows upwards while moving towards the C-pillar.

At the back, the profile of the GS3 looks simple but nice-looking with wing-like combination tail lamps having LED inserts within them. While the design of the boot lid looks a bit plain, the bumper with the large license plate housing and reflectors on the corners gives it the element of muscularity.

The GAC GS3 gets a conventional suspension setup of MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear. The GS3 doesn’t get any kind of modern drive modes but feels nice and comfortable to drive with the light steering and soft setup for the suspension.

The GAC GS3 is solely available with the option of a 1.5-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine as standard. This engine is offered with a 6-speed automatic transmission as the only gearbox choice and produces a maximum power output of 114 PS and a peak torque output of 150 Nm. The engine feels refined and offers a linear power delivery good for driving in urban conditions.

The GAC GS3 gets a few must-have safety features for an SUV of this class, such as six airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, cruise control, ESP, hill hold assist, hill descent control, blind spot detection system, reverse parking sensors and rear camera.

The GAC GS3 might not be a game changer in design, features or performance, but it comes across as a decent offering in terms of driving appeal and ride quality.