Crossover comparo: New Geely Coolray vs. GAC Emzoom

Geely Philippines, now under the leadership of Geely Automobile International Corporation (GAIC), recently announced the arrival of the latest iteration of the Coolray crossover.

The said nameplate has been one of the brand’s best-sellers in the country and for many, has become the model they identify the carmaker with. On that note, the Chinese marque is excited to offer the updated version of the crossover and Zigwheels Philippines was able to check it out in China before it gets launched here in the country. 

However, its advent is not met without challenge. Rising segment staple GAC Emzoom looks to give the new Geely Coolray a warm welcome. On that note, we pit these two vehicles against each other to find out which among them will come out on top.

Join us and find out which of the two best suits your budget, style, and motoring needs in this crossover encounter.

Exterior

The new Geely Coolray boasts an updated front fascia with the majority of its grille now wearing a latticework with a mesh design. Above its indented cheeks are light clusters that look sleek and stylish. It gets a sporty chin that rounds up the features found on the crossover’s fore.

Its side profile is highlighted by thin black strips on the wheel arches as well as similar plastic claddings on the doors. It also gets chrome appliques on the window and silver-hued roof rails.

The wheels of the new Geely Coolray have also been redesigned with a pattern that echoes the vehicle’s geometric-looking grille.

At the back, the updated nameplate packs a familiar-looking roof-mounted spoiler, a large rear glass, a pair of taillamps (now connected by a horizontal light strip), and indentations that mimic the crossover’s front end.

Its hind side also sports a large diffuser complemented with quad exhaust pipes.

Likewise, the GAC Emzoom offers an edgy look with plenty of aggressive angles and sharp corners. Its grille, for example, is fitted with plenty of vertical slats that are arranged in a way that they create a perpendicular pattern.

To each of its sides are striking LED headlamps.

It also has indented cheeks — where additional lights are positioned — and a sporty chin, which appears to be fitted with a front spoiler.

The side section of the GAC Emzoom flaunts more geometric designs, which surprisingly goes well with its wheel arches, side sill garnishes, angular side mirrors, and flush door handles.

Also busy is its tail end with a sporty-looking roof-mounted spoiler, angular rear lights, a beefy diffuser, and dual exhaust pipes.

The new Geely Coolray and GAC Emzoom are neck and neck when it comes to this round. Both crossovers pack aggressive-looking appointments that make them ideal choices for car buyers who are in the market for sporty vehicles that could reflect their active lifestyles and outgoing personalities.

Interior

The new Geely Coolray welcomes occupants with leather-wrapped seats. The driver is presented with a leather steering wheel with a flat bottom and multi-functional controls alongside an integrated display, which consists of a 10.25-inch liquid crystal display instrument panel and a 12.3-inch high-definition touchscreen infotainment system.

Its door trims bear the same geometric patterns on the grille and wheels. The seats appear to be well bolstered and it retains the large sunroof, which can add the element of one-ness with nature during drives into the countryside.

Almost similar to the new Geely Coolray, the GAC Emzoom offers would-be owners seats swathed with leather upholstery. It also gets a flat-bottom steering wheel wrapped with leather and with various controls.

Past it is a seven-inch instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple Carplay.

Notably, it has a wireless phone charger, six speakers, and an automatic air conditioning system.

Due to larger and somewhat more modern screens, we give the new Geely Coolray this round.

Engine

Under the hood, the new Geely Coolray packs a new 1.5-liter gasoline engine mated to a seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission. According to Geely Philippines, the said setup can dish out some 174 horsepower and 290 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque.

Similarly, the GAC Emzoom uses a 1.5-liter mill also accompanied by a seven-speed wet dual-clutch transmission. Numbers from GAC Philippines say that it also makes 174 horses but has less torque at 270 Nm.

On that note, this round goes to the new Geely Coolray.

Safety

When it comes to safety, Geely Philippines revealed that the new Coolray packs features such as an intelligent automatic parking assist, which is comprised of the adaptive parking brake and 12 sensors. It also comes with an L2 intelligent driving blind spot detection system, a 540-degree panoramic system, an intelligent four-way digital video recorder, and a tire pressure monitoring system.

Further, it gets six durable airbags and is built on the company’s new generation modular architecture chassis, which improves stability — thereby enhancing safety.

Not to be outdone, the GAC Emzoom is equipped with advanced driver assist systems like adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, intelligent speed limit control, and lane keep assist to name a few.

With virtually identical safety technologies, we will call this round a tie.

Verdict

With two rounds won, we name the new Geely Coolray the winner of this bout. It has better screens — which is an important aspect for today’s generation of car buyers — and a powertrain system that produces more torque.

The latter gives the car that “oomph” when accelerating, which adds a sporty feeling when sitting behind the wheel.

Also read:

Staying cool: Geely Coolray Sport

Geely PH updates Coolray, price starts at P1.199-M

Radical cut: GAC GS3 Emzoom R-Style