When it comes to domestic 7-seat SUVs, one of the representative models that cannot but be said is GAC Trumpchi GS8, especially the second-generation GS8 models currently on sale, which not only have an atmospheric appearance design, but also provide a wealth of choices, 5-seat + 7-seater, fuel + hybrid, two-wheel drive + four-wheel drive are available, and the price of the whole system is 159,800-246,800 yuan. As soon as the second-generation GS8 was launched at the end of 2021, the GAC Trumpchi GS8 quickly attracted everyone's attention, bringing a lot of pressure to the Highlander, which is also a benchmark for 7-seat SUVs. Since it has been on the market for more than two years, GS8 has undergone a facelift and upgrade, and the newly added 5-seat version of the model has lowered the entry threshold to 159,800, so today we will take a look, how is the strength of GS8? How should I choose?
Quick overview of the pros and cons
Merit:
1. The appearance is atmospheric, providing two exterior styles to choose from, with a body length of 5 meters and a square shape that also ensures sufficient interior space, it is a real 7-seater SUV.
2. Excellent power system, the fuel version provides 2.0T+8AT power combination, the hybrid version uses a 2.0T engine with Toyota THS hybrid system, and the fuel consumption of the hybrid four-wheel drive model is only 6.33L/100km under WLTC working conditions.
3. Rich configuration, the whole system is equipped with panoramic image, transparent chassis, L2 level driving assistance system, on-board AutoNavi map, electric tailgate, openable panoramic sunroof, 14.6-inch central control screen.
4. In addition to GS8, Trumpchi New Energy also proposed a plug-in hybrid model ES9 to enrich consumer choices.
Insufficient:
1. The seat configuration is low, and the current top second row is only an optional seat heating, and there is no richer seat ventilation massage and other configurations. There is also no child safety seat interface in the third row, and the GS8 is currently not available in a six-seater version.
2. In the fully loaded 7-seat state, the trunk storage space is not as good as the price of the 7-seat MPV, which is the common pain point of the current 7-seat SUV.
In terms of appearance, the Trumpchi GS8 has a square body shape and offers two different exterior styles, namely the "Zhanwei Wing" design provided by default for the fuel version model, and the "Dragon Scale Wing" design provided by default for the hybrid model, the former uses more black plastic material and matches the regular door handle, which looks more wild, and the latter uses more chrome elements and matches the hidden handle, which is more refined.
In terms of body size, the GS8 adopts the exterior style of Zhanwei Wing, with a body length of 4980mm, and adopts the appearance style of Dragon Scale Wing, with a body length of 5015mm, a width and height of 1950mm and 1780mm, and a wheelbase of 2920mm. At present, except for the entry-level model, which has a 5-seat layout, the rest of the versions have a 2+3+2 7-seat layout.
If you want to choose the 6-seat layout version, you can consider the plug-in hybrid model of the Trumpchi New Energy ES9 Voyager.
The interior design is relatively simple, the interior of the car adopts a 14.6-inch central control screen, and the whole system is equipped with panoramic image, transparent chassis, L2 driving assistance system, on-board AutoNavi map, electric tailgate, openable panoramic sunroof, 14.6-inch central control screen and other configurations. The high-spec model also offers AR-HUD head-up display, wireless charging for mobile phones, ventilation and heating of the front seats, optional massage, and independent air conditioning in the rear.
In terms of space performance, the second row of the GS8 is equipped with front and rear position adjustment and backrest angle adjustment as standard, and the editor with a height of 170cm adjusts the standard driving sitting position in the first row, and sits in the second and third rows respectively, and in the case of one and a half punches left in the second row, the third row still has one punch of legroom, and the space performance can meet the needs of the whole family of 7 people. However, at present, the third row of GS8 does not provide a child safety seat interface, if it is a two-child family traveling, it will cause two child safety seats to block the passage in and out of the third row, in this case, MPV may be a better choice.
In addition, in terms of trunk space, Trumpchi GS8 fully loaded, the trunk space is just enough, but compared with the 7-seat MPV model, there must be a big difference, fortunately, the high-end premium version of the model provides the third row of seats with the backrest of the electric folding, easy to operate, and in the 5-seat state, GS8 The trunk space is still quite spacious.
In terms of power system, the GS8 fuel version provides a 2.0T+8AT power combination with a maximum output of 252 horsepower, while the hybrid version also uses a 2.0T hybrid engine with a maximum output of 190 horsepower, of which the hybrid front-wheel drive model provides a single motor, and the hybrid four-wheel drive model provides a dual motor, with a total electric motor power of 182 horsepower and 236 horsepower respectively.
In terms of configuration versions, the Trumpchi GS8 currently offers three configuration gradients, namely the Luxury Edition (only available in the 5-seater version with fuel), the Luxury Zhilian Edition (only available with the 7-seater version with fuel) and the Premium Edition (only available in the 7-seater hybrid version). Among them, the luxury Zhilian version and the premium version of the model provide two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models at the same time, the price difference is 19,000 and 17,000 yuan respectively, if there is no four-wheel drive just for most consumers, two-wheel drive models will be a more practical choice. In terms of model selection, the current entry-level two-wheel drive luxury version of the 5-seater model and the hybrid version of the two models have a good cost performance, and the two luxury Zhilian versions have a low sense of existence, if there is a 7-seat just need, it is recommended to give priority to the hybrid version of the model.