Geely Emgrand 2027 review: EM-i - International first drive

Sedans aren’t dead, as it turns out, with newcomer brands breathing life into the ailing segment in recent years.

The issue for brands like MG, BYD and now Geely, as always, is the venerable Toyota Camry which absolutely dominates the sales charts.

Read More About Geely Emgrand

• 2027 Geely Emgrand confirmed: New Chinese rival to the Toyota Camry and BYD Seal 6 shapes up as new hybrid hero in Australia
• Geely’s plans laid bare to take on everything from the 2026 Toyota Prado and BYD Shark 6 to the Tesla Cybercab and Toyota Camry
• The electric cars leading surging sales in 2026, including BYD Sealion 7, Tesla Model Y and Zeekr 7X

First up, let's see where the Emgrand sits, and how it might be priced to succeed.

At 4806mm long, this offering from Geely is bigger than a traditional small sedan like a Kia K4 or Hyundai i30 sedan, but a little smaller than a Camry. It’s a good format, and with a long wheelbase and seemingly ample interior and boot space, it certainly has the right ingredients.

Geely’s people tell us the Emgrand is set to start life in Australia initially as a plug-in hybrid using the brand’s EM-i system, which combines a 1.5-litre engine and hybrid transaxle with a pretty sizeable battery pack under the floor.

The version of this car sold in China (from Geely’s hybrid and electric Galaxy arm which also sells the EX5 and Starray SUVs) is priced at the equivalent of $A24,600, reaching up to the low-$30k mark at the more premium end of the spectrum.

It's doubtful we’ll see the entry-level car make it to Australia though, so a starting price of around $30k wouldn’t be surprising.

For reference, the Kia K4 hybrid is $32,090, the Hyundai i30 sedan hybrid is $33,250, the soon-to-launch BYD Seal 6 starts from $34,990, and the Toyota Camry is priced a little higher, at $39,990, all before on-road costs.

As the Emgrand will be a plug-in hybrid first, its closest rival will be the BYD, and this is where things start to get a little technical for the Geely, because it will need to be specified and priced just right to thread the needle between its plugless and plug-in rivals.

In my opinion, though, launching with the plug-in isn’t quite the right move, and the Emgrand would be better served using Geely’s new plugless hybrid i-HEV setup instead.

This system claims to use as low as 2.2L/100km in the Emgrand (to lenient Chinese measuring standards) and can drive more than 80 per cent of the time in fully electric mode, despite not needing to plug in.

Geely’s Australian boss, Alex Gu, told CarsGuide the system was very much on the radar, despite our tough new emissions laws making it difficult for plugless hybrids in the future.

What makes more sense for the primary audience of this car though?

A ride-share driver would much rather have the convenience of the plugless system doing hundreds of kilometres a day, compared to the inconvenience of needing to plug in.

At least the EM-i system this car is set to launch with is claimed to consume as low as 2.9L/100km even when the battery is at the reserve level, so perhaps it won’t matter.

The styling is pretty sharp. If you think it looks a little reminiscent of a Volvo S60 with its tall, sharp belt line, distinctive grille, and tidy European proportions, that's because Geely owns Volvo and has no doubt called on its design expertise.

Inside things are remarkably restrained compared to some rivals, with an elegant dash layout and nice material choices.

It includes a combination of a 14.6-inch multimedia touchscreen with the brand’s Flyme software, and 10.25-inch digital dash cluster, both of which are present in the EX5.

A big bonus compared to the EX5 though, is the presence of a control dial and a few shortcut toggles on the centre console, which help to reduce the dependence on the touchscreen for everything.

For what it’s worth, Geely’s software looks a bit better than some of its rivals, but is still clumsy to use with odd menus and poorly used screen real estate.

Despite wielding a decent battery size, the Emgrand had plenty of room for my 182cm frame in both the front and rear seats, even with the front seat set to my comfortable driving position.

Unlike plug-in sedans I’ve driven in the past, the Emgrand’s GEA platform places the battery under the cabin floor rather than the boot, so it maintains a generous 609 litre boot space. Great for the airport run, no?

Powering the Emgrand is a 1.5-litre non-turbo four-cylinder engine (82kW136Nm) mated to a hybrid transaxle with an electric motor producing 120kW/210Nm and driving the front wheels. 

It is backed by either an 8.5kWh or a 17kWh battery pack which provides either 60km or 125km of pure electric driving range, according to the more lenient CLTC measuring standard.

It’s hard to see the 8.5kWh version having much of a run in Australia, but 17kWh is much more appropriate. Charging speed is 35kW on DC for the larger battery, allowing a 30-80 per cent top up in 20 minutes. All versions of the Emgrand are capable of vehicle-to-load at 3kW.

How does it drive? In our limited test which involved an agility exercise and a 0-100km/h sprint with a moose test, the Emgrand proved remarkably sharp. Its tidy, lower-riding chassis and surprisingly responsive steering is no doubt helped along by a long wheelbase and firmer suspension to make for a fun jaunt compared to an SUV.

It’s also quite rapid in a straight line thanks to the primarily electric drive, and like the better batch of plug-ins, the Emgrand seems to maintain enough reserve charge not to take the wind out of the motor’s sails when it’s needed most.

Time will tell, however, how the final product fares on more challenging Australian roads, especially when it comes to active safety calibration, which can ruin an otherwise great car.