Tan Chong has always been associated with Nissan, even though they also have other brands like Renault under their umbrella. In recent years, with the entry of multiple Chinese brands into the Malaysian market, Tan Chong has not been sitting idle. Instead, they took the initiative to introduce the GAC brand to Malaysia. In the local market, GAC offers two different lineups: one consisting of internal combustion vehicles, such as the GAC GS3, and the other being the AION sub-brand, which focuses on electric vehicles. As for the AION brand, they are currently offering two models. In this review, however, I’ll be focusing on the earlier-launched GAC AION Y Plus and exploring how it stands out from other EVs in the market.
As a quick introduction, the GAC AION Y Plus is designed as a 5-seater MPV. With this configuration, it reminds me of the Hyundai Matrix—a small MPV that was quite popular here in Malaysia back in the day. Coming back to the AION Y Plus, the styling of the vehicle looks rather funky. To be fair, this design doesn’t really tickle my fancy, but I believe GAC designed it this way to maximize interior space. At the front, it has a look that doesn’t feel out of place for an MPV. And with no engine under the hood, GAC can actually shorten the front of the vehicle, making it easier to maneuver in tight spaces. There’s no fake grille on the vehicle, which gives it a more distinctive look. But then again, EVs don’t really need grilles anyway. 
To give it some stylistic character, GAC has put more effort into designing the headlights. That alone makes the front look quite distinctive, as the design resembles angel wings. Personally, the look doesn’t appeal to me, but I believe there are people out there who would appreciate its design. The headlights take up a significant portion of the front and extend all the way into the bumper. In a minor fender bender, I think the headlights might absorb the impact instead of the bumper. 
Moving to the side, the AION Y Plus uses grey plastic cladding to give the MPV a bit of styling flair. This adds some character to the otherwise flat side of the vehicle. At the rear, the AION Y Plus features a design that wouldn’t look out of place in Grand Theft Auto. It has a futuristic yet somewhat generic appearance. The futuristic feel comes from the slim taillight bar that runs across the rear of the vehicle. However, aside from that, the rear also looks rather flat and basic. It’s definitely not the most inspiring view when seen from behind. Lastly, the AION Y Plus comes with a set of 18-inch rims. While 18 inches isn’t small by any standard, the large body of the vehicle makes the rims appear undersized. These rims are wrapped in 215/50 R18 tires, which are relatively narrow for 18-inch wheels. 
Inside the AION Y Plus, it features a bright and cheerful interior. Chinese brands often resort to color play to add some character to their interiors, as many Chinese cars tend to have similar designs—two large displays, and that’s about it. The AION Y Plus, however, offers a gray and pink color scheme that complements the exterior. Personally, the gray is fine with me, but I’m not really a fan of the pink highlights. On the bright side, the pink is subtle, so it blends in rather well with the interior. The dashboard is quite simple and straightforward, featuring two displays: a 10.25-inch instrument cluster and a 14.6-inch infotainment screen. It eliminates physical buttons from the dashboard, and even the headlight switch has been moved to the infotainment screen—which I find super inconvenient.
Looking at the instrument cluster, it’s huge, but there’s a lot of wasted space. GAC could have provided more useful information to make better use of the available area. Don’t get me wrong—I do like the simplicity, but GAC somehow made it too simple for my liking. Next to the instrument cluster, the large infotainment screen looks simple yet complicated. GAC engineers decided to cram everything into the infotainment system, making it a bit troublesome to change settings. On the plus side, the screen is sharp and high-definition. It does come with Apple CarPlay, but Android Auto is nowhere to be found. You do get a 360-degree camera system to assist with parking. As for the sound system, it’s decent, but there’s nothing to rave about. 
Sitting in the driver’s seat, you get a commanding view of the vehicle. You can see quite far while sitting in it, and that’s what people who buy SUVs love. As for the seating position, I think it’s okay, but the only downside is the inability to adjust the reach of the steering wheel. If GAC were to add that, it would make the driving position even better. For the second row, GAC has maximized the cabin space for rear passengers. They get tons of legroom and headroom—space that can easily rival cars like the Camry or Accord. The rear seats are pretty standard, and rear passengers do get center AC vents to keep them cool. 
Behind the rear seat, the AION Y Plus comes with a decently sized boot. While it only measures 150L, it gives the impression of being quite spacious, thanks to the large tailgate, which opens wide enough to store items. For daily use, the boot is very practical. If you need to store more items, the rear seats can be folded down to create additional space. Unfortunately, the AION Y Plus does not come with a frunk, meaning there is no front storage space. 
The AION Y Plus is powered by a single electric motor located at the front of the vehicle, making it a front-wheel-drive car. This motor is powered by a 63.2kWh battery, which offers a range of 430km based on the WLTP rating. It produces 150 kW of power and a maximum torque of 225 Nm. This allows the AION Y Plus to do the century sprint in 8.5 seconds, though GAC has not stated its top speed.
For the size of the AION Y Plus, the single electric motor is actually quite adequate. The acceleration is on the more linear side, making it easy to get the vehicle off the line without any wheel spin. Keeping up with traffic is a breeze. However, during my review period, I noticed that the energy consumption was unusually high for a single-motor EV. I managed an average of 19.8 kWh/100km. In real life, the battery only had 22% remaining after 260 km of driving—significantly lower than the claimed range of 430 km.
Moving on to the ride, the suspension tuning actually feels like that of a continental vehicle—but only up to 110 km/h. Below that, the ride feels plush yet solid, thanks to a stiff chassis paired with soft suspension. But once you go past 110 km/h, the car begins to feel overly soft. The vehicle doesn’t feel stable at higher speeds, and in corners, the soft suspension really shows its weakness. The body roll is quite noticeable due to the tall center of gravity and soft setup.
As for the steering, it’s surprisingly well-tuned. The initial turn-in feels really positive, but beyond a certain angle, that responsiveness fades. I wouldn’t say it’s the most exciting car to drive, but it does its job well. The only upgrade it needs is a better set of tires.
Brakes-wise, I think the AION Y Plus has some of the best braking performance among Chinese brands. It provides solid stopping power, and I like the natural-feeling bite point at low speeds. However, at higher speeds, the brakes do struggle a bit—which is common among Chinese vehicles. That said, I don’t think it will be a problem, as this car is clearly designed for city use.
As with most modern vehicles, the AION Y Plus is equipped with all the latest ADAS features. However, to my surprise, the blind-spot monitoring system is missing—which is pretty basic by today’s standards. Also, expect the Lane Keeping Assist to activate every time you start the car, which can get a bit annoying. The AION Y Plus comes standard with Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go (ACC S&G), Intelligent Cruise Assist (ICA), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Traffic Jam Assist (TJA), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), and Lane Keeping Assist (LKA). 
With a price tag of RM135,800, the AION Y Plus is quite a modest EV for city dwellers. If you don’t like owning the same car as everyone else, this one might appeal to you, as I haven’t seen many of them on the road. It’ll also appeal to those who don’t want an SUV, since it leans more toward MPV territory. If you want to give your passengers plenty of space, the AION Y Plus delivers on that really well.
However, for me, the AION Y Plus doesn’t really tickle my fancy. But I believe there’s someone out there who will find this vehicle suits them perfectly.
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