Chinese brand GAC hopes to steal some attention from the Mercedes-Benz V-Class with its new M8 Master. One wonders if BMW had something to say about that choice of name.
The upmarket multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) made its local debut at the Festival of Motoring earlier this year. Now it has officially gone on sale, carrying a price tag of R1,499,900, which includes a five-year/150,000km warranty and an eight-year/150,000km warranty on its hybrid battery components.
Yes, it is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV); laying claim to being the first MPV of this type in the country.
It is a striking vehicle, incorporating cues like a “Lion Fang” LED signature, a Lexus-like grille design and swanky chrome-faced alloys.
Conveniences for passengers include dual power sliding doors, an electric tailgate, three-zone climate control and soundproof laminated glass.
According to the brand, the air-conditioning system operates on a “windless” principle for greater calm in the cabin, while the second-row seats offer a 10-point air pump massage function, plus heating, ventilation and electric adjustment.
Safety features include a 360-degree all-round airbag matrix, with rear windscreen airbags and lengthy curtain airbags – a total of seven airbags is standard. The driver benefits from adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic braking. The vehicle offers semi-autonomous driving assistance.
The cockpit incorporates a 10.1-inch central infotainment screen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Sound is delivered through an eight-speaker Yamaha audio system and ADiGO virtual arena acoustics, promising an immersive “concert-hall” ambience.
Now about that PHEV powertrain. The internal combustion engine is a 2.0l turbocharged-petrol unit and in tandem with the electric systems, a 274kW output is quoted.
GAC claims a range in excess of 1,000km, with a pure-electric driving range of 106km. Interestingly, the fuel economy quote of 8.8l/100km matches the figure of the claimed sprint time: 0–100km/h in 8.8 seconds.
Visually bold, seemingly outfitted with all the expected amenities from a luxury people-mover and armed with a clever hybrid powertrain, the GAC M8 Master appears compelling on paper. We look forward to testing it soon.
