Geely Emgrand Comfort—First Impressions

We were recently given the opportunity by Geely Philippines to test drive the new Geely Emgrand to Tagaytay highlands. There we would put the car through its paces with a few mountain roads and a quick trip along the highway. That being said, that gave us more than enough seat time with the vehicle to give you a quick impression of it and to tell you what we felt when we first handled the subcompact sedan in its Comfort trim.

The Geely Emgrand Comfort, just like its Premium variant comes with much of the same looks. You get a massive grille at the front that is flanked by sleek headlights, clean body lines throughout, and a nice set of LED taillights at the rear. Where the two variants differ is when it comes to the sunroof and the rear light bar. These features are not present in the comfort variant. Nevertheless, it doesn’t take away too much from the styling of the car and presents a more toned-down option for those who don’t want all the flashy bits of the Premium model.

All in all, it still delivers you a premium without the expensive price tag even if the Comfort model is technically the middle variant. You won’t really miss the light bar and the sunroof, despite those being two great features to have.

Unlike the Geely Emgrand Premium model that comes with a blue and white color scheme, the Comfort variant comes with an all-black and dark gray setup. While the blue and white mixed in with the leather is a breath of fresh air, the Comfort goes back to basics with its cleaner interior. While the leather and power seats will be missed, the black fabric with an almost denim-like feel does a great job of maintaining an up-market feel to the vehicle. We can confidently say that if you don’t want all the tech inside the premium model, then this is the one for you as it still gives you the premium look and feels but at a substantially more affordable price.

Geely Philippines did a great job at equipping the Comfort model as it comes with much of the same technology found in the much higher variant. You still get access to its large 8-inch infotainment system and you get still get access to a four-speaker sound system. Something to note though is that all of the speakers are found at the front of the vehicle instead of being evenly spread out. It's not a deal-breaker, but it's just something to remember just in case you were wondering about the sound system.

Aside from this, the Emgrand Comfort still gets a reverse camera along with reverse sensors which are great considering that it is technically the entry-level model until the S variant comes along. The digital instrument cluster is also not available in this variant of the sedan, however, the analog gauges still deliver the information you need to know about the vehicle well. With its tech specifications, we would pen this variant for those who want something a little more simplified without an overwhelming amount of technology. 

In terms of its safety, the Comfort Emgrand doesn’t get as many airbags compared to the top-of-the-line model. It only gets front airbags which aren’t a deal-breaker for us as it comes with ABS, traction control, a tire pressure monitoring system, and speed sensing door locks all as standard. 

When it comes to driving the Emgrand it's a similar experience across all currently available variants. Don’t expect this sedan to be sporty as it only pushes out 102 hp and 142 Nm of torque. It also comes with a fuel economy tuned CVT which doesn’t respond well to you asking it for a more spirited drive.

While the chassis of the Emgrand is comfortable and gives you a pliant ride, those looking for a more sporty drive may not initially like how it handles. After all, this sedan was tuned to be a daily driver and not a sports car so we will give it a pass. If you drive it normally and feed the throttle the Geely sedan will reward you with great fuel economy. During our entire run up and down Tagaytay, we were able to manage 12.6 km/L which is great considering the sky-high gas prices of today. 

All in all, the Emgrand rewards those with a gentle foot and can easily make its way into your top 5 list if you are looking for an affordable yet premium-feeling daily driver. It isn’t bad on the wallet either as this subcompact sedan is competitively priced at P798,000 won’t be a gas guzzler.