2021 GAC GN6 Review

In the Philippines, there has been a rise in popularity when it comes to SUVs and MPVs on the road. While the former is priced higher than the latter, it doesn’t mean that an MPV won’t be able to do most of what an SUV can do. An MPV can easily seat seven occupants, has a decent amount of ground clearance, a good pliant ride, and can be adapted to make room for people or for cargo depending on what you need to carry. The GAC GN6 is the brand’s newest entry into the MPV segment in the Philippines. It slots right into the highly competitive segment with a host of features that many will enjoy and even comes with captain’s chairs giving it an edge over its competition. With a unique proposition to the prospective buyer, we find out how the MPV really handles in the real world with our review. 

Starting with the exterior, the GAC GN6 comes with a typical van-like design. It has a short nose at the front and a boxy rear. At the front the vehicle sports a massive grille that almost stretches to either side, it also has sleek projector halogen headlights, LED daytime running lights, and LED fog lights as well. While an all-LED affair would have been nice for the MPV. The projectors do a great job at giving you visibility on the road. The projectors can be height adjusted, and throw as well as the cut-off is on point. Moving to the grille, while it is massive only a portion of it is actually used to funnel clean fresh air into the engine bay. Make no mistake, the functional parts of the grille design are still considerably large.

On to the side of the GN6 and it comes with a nice clean design, there isn’t much in the way of aggressive cuts or creases, just clean and smooth lines. The MPV does get repeaters on the side mirrors, and 16-inch alloy wheels but aside from that it’s pretty much a standard design with a blacked-out rear quarter panel. 

At the rear, the GAC MPV sports a boxy design reminiscent of other minivans. It’s a square look but works well with the vehicle. Also found at the rear are the GN6’s LED tail lights which activate till about 1/4th of the way across the vehicle on either side. While it would have been nice for it to stretch the whole width of the vehicle, the design works and works well. At the bottom, the MPV also comes with rear fog lights, a great addition as it gives the GN6 better visibility to other drivers especially in the rain. Aside from that, the MPV has a thin reflector that stretches the entire width of the tailgate which is still a nice touch. 

On the inside, the GAC GN6 comes with a modern and spacious cabin. The dashboard for one is something that we found to be impressive thanks to its great layout and its overall fit and finish. There are hard plastics in certain areas but its also mixed in with soft-touch materials. Despite this, the interior still gives off a German automobile feel as the MPV even sports well-crafted analog gauges and a very easy-to-read digital trip computer. The European feel continues onto the vehicle’s large infotainment system, its climate control switches for the air conditioning system, and even onto the gear lever which looks great. 

Aside from the front, the second-row of the GAC GN6 is definitely the place to be thanks to the captain’s chairs. The leather is nice and soft to the touch, the bolstering is on point as it gently hugs you in place, and there is plentiful legroom without sacrificing space for the third-row passengers. While there aren’t many toys found in this row aside from air controls found in the middle, it’s still a comfortable place to be as space is abundant. Nevertheless, this is the strong point for the MPV as you will have to go up a few price points in order to be able to get captain’s chairs.

Moving to the third row and it’s a similar story as the seats, while these are not captain’s chairs, the seats are still very much comfortable to sit in. GAC designed the third-row in such a way that the occupants lead back slightly in a comfortable position allowing them to maximize the available legroom at the back. The tilt of the seats is subtle and isn’t straining even on long trips. While the second row has air controls, the third row gains access to a USB charging point. It is important to note that the person sitting in the second row behind the driver’s seat will also gain access to this charging point as well. 

As far as space is concerned, the GAC GN6 manages it well as the third-row can be folded flat. We aren’t kidding when we say it can be folded flat as the automaker has put a nice feature in which the seats can be stowed away into the floor of the vehicle. With the third-row up the MPV has 324L of space, with the seats stowed away the space increases to 1,100-liters with the only limiting factor being the captain’s chairs in the second row. 

With comfort and space being clear priorities for the design of the GAC GN6, it is indeed a comfortable place to be. The suspension takes on the bumps and road imperfections well, with only the occasional pothole making its presence known inside the cabin. Despite this, the MPV still has a very smooth and pliant ride.

NVH is also great in the vehicle as it does well to keep this nice and quiet. However, at higher speeds above 80 km/h tire noise can be heard throughout the cabin, but it’s not a jarring experience overall. One thing we noticed is that there is a low persistent humming noise that will come from the air conditioning system over time especially while in traffic. As soon as the road clears up and you’re up and moving the noise disappears. The GAC GN6 definitely delivers a comfortable riding and driving experience that makes the MPV well suited to the city and for long highway trips.

When it comes to technology the GAC GN6 comes equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that has Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth capabilities. One thing we noticed, however, is that when connecting a new device to the head unit, there is a certain process that needs to be done first. You will first need to tell the head unit to connect to your device before they pair and not the other way around. Despite this, once it gets paired up reconnecting your device to the infotainment is a breeze as it will do it automatically from this point onwards. 

While Android Auto isn’t available for the infotainment system, CarLife the built-in application for it works well but has a learning curve that you will need to get used to. Nevertheless, it doesn’t take anything away from the functionality of the head unit. There is also a bit of a delay when it comes to playing audio, especially when you are using Youtube as your main source of music. 

In terms of safety, the GAC GN6 is on par with the rest of the segment when it comes to its features. It is equipped with dual front and side airbags, electronic stability control, and an engine immobilizer as well. The MPV also comes with ABS with EBD as standard as well. Overall pretty normal features that are still greatly appreciated especially when you are bringing family members along on a long ride.

When driving the GAC GN6 you will automatically feel the size of the vehicle. This is partly due to its great greenhouse that offers you great visibility all around and gives you the sense that you are driving a big car along with a sense of security due to its size. Aside from this the MPV also comes with a good amount of driver aids such as a drive mode selector. This lets you choose from normal, sport, winter, and eco. While these modes do change how the car responds and handles your inputs, selecting the one you need can be a bit of a task as you will need to cycle through each one to get to the one you want. That said, it’s still a great feature to have.

As far as power delivery is concerned, the GAC GN6 delivers well in this regard. Its 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine pushes out 170 hp and 265 Nm of torque and its 6-speed transmission when left in Drive shifts through the gears seamlessly. It’s only when you enter manual mode does it show a bit of a delay when it comes to getting into the gear you want. 

When driving alone the engine is peppy and will get the MPV up to speed fairly quickly. However, when fully loaded, it tends to bog down a little bit as the engine starts to struggle with the weight. Despite this power, delivery is still smooth and is very linear. 

Handling-wise the GN6 gives out an overall comfortable and pliant ride while on the highway in the city. On twisting roads, the MPV is also pretty responsive as the front of the vehicle does well to respond to your inputs but it’s the rear that takes a little bit of a while to catch up to the front. Granted this might be due to the overall length of the vehicle, regardless it’s still a comfortable drive. 

In the city and in light traffic the GAC GN6 was able to deliver about 8.3 km/L, pretty great numbers especially coming from a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine. On the highway, the MPV was able to push out 14.5 km/L. While these figures are on par for a vehicle of its size, a lot of people might expect a little bit more considering it is after all an MPV but remind you it is powered by a gasoline motor and not a diesel engine.

The GAC GN6 presents itself as an MPV option for those who want a vehicle that has a lot of space and comfort in mind. It comes well equipped with and even sports captain’s chairs which gives it an edge over its competitors. It is also powered by a turbocharged gasoline engine that gives the vehicle a smooth and pliant ride. Even when the turbo kicks in power is sent to the front wheels in a linear fashion so as to not jolt the passengers. 

That being said, this brings us to the pricing of the GN6 as its lone variant can be had for P1,480,000. With its price point, it brings the MPV within striking distance from its other competitors such as the Maxus G50 and Toyota Innova, both of which come with their own unique features and merits to the table. This puts the GAC MPV in a unique position where it can be the balanced option between the two. While other models do pack more features and more power, the GN6 sets itself apart as a comfort-focused vehicle that surely prospective MPV buyers will surely appreciate. 

Even with its tough competition, if you do find yourself wanting to get a GAC GN6 you will find a very capable MPV. It’s an ideal vehicle to get if you want an MPV to bring your family on road trips or as a vehicle to be driven in thanks to its captain’s chairs. Whether you are already sold or still on the fence, the GAC GN6 is definitely an MPV worthy of your consideration and it should be part of your vehicle shortlist.