It looks like GAC is serious when it comes to entering the sports sedan market. The standard Empow already packs a decent punch thanks to its 1.5-liter turbo. But there’s a new, more powerful model that has just been launched at Auto Shanghai 2023.
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GAC calls it the Empow R 2.0T, and it looks like a legit contender in the sports sedan category. At the front, the Shadow Leopard gets a unique front bumper that splits the grille, along with a pair of larger corner air intakes and a deeper front chin. Also, that red R on the grille reminds us of a certain Japanese hot hatch.
Being a sportier model, the Empow R gets chunkier side skirts, large wheels, and gloss black trim all over its body. But a clue to its performance aspirations are the larger brakes and the lower stance. To top it all off, it has four fat exhaust pipes and aero add-ons such as the rear wing and diffusers. GAC insists these aren’t for show thanks to what’s under the hood.
But before we jump to that, let’s talk about the Empow R’s interior. For the most part, it’s the standard version, but it has a pair of chunky bucket seats at the front. It also has suede trim on the dashboard, and the entire instrument cluster display gets a design unique to this special performance model.
Now, for the engine. Instead of a 1.5-liter turbo, this model packs a boosted 2.0-liter under the hood. The larger engine gives this Empow 265hp and 400Nm of torque. That’s nearly 100hp more than the 1.5-liter turbo, and has a 130Nm advantage over the one we tested a few months ago. As for the transmission, it uses a sport-tuned eight-speed automatic, and yes, there are paddle shifters.
There are no official performance claims yes, but if the standard Empow can do the 0 to 100kph sprint in the high seven-second range, then there’s a good chance the Empow R can do the same task in the low six-second mark.
