All-new 2021 Geely Emgrand: How does it stack up against the Civic and Corolla Altis?

Late last month, Geely launched the all-new 2021 Geely Emgrand. The new Emgrand is positioned slightly above the entry-level Geely Yuanjing (Vision) sedan in Geely’s extensive line-up.

In China, the 2021 Geely Emgrand is priced from CNY 69,900 (~RM 45k) for the base five-speed manual variant, topping out at CNY 88,900 (~RM 58k) for the top-spec variant.

While these prices put the 2021 Geely Emgrand in the same bracket as the B-segment Toyota Vios, the former’s dimensions are actually closer to C-segment rivals like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. Yes, vehicle segmentation is different in China.

As such, for the purpose of this comparison, we will pit the all-new Emgrand against similarly-sized rivals. 

Also Read: Prices equal to RM 45k, all-new 2021 Geely Emgrand launched in China

Dimensions – Emgrand aims at C-segment rivals

First things first – we need to establish the all-new Geely Emgrand’s dimensions against its rivals.

The all-new Emgrand is 4,638 mm long, 1,820 mm wide, and 1,460 mm tall. Its wheelbase is 2,650 mm.

Here’s a comparison table between the Emgrand, Toyota Corolla, and Honda Civic.

What about against segment rivals you ask? Here's a comparison table pitting the Emgrand against segment rivals like the Toyota Vios and Honda City.

As you can tell from these comparison tables, the Emgrand is comfortably longer and wider than its similarly-priced rivals.

Also Read: Budget sedan with premium features, this is the all-new 2021 Geely Emgrand

Exterior – Budget aspirations, but looks the part

Starting with the exterior, the Emgrand certainly looks the part. It brings with it an air of understated elegance, compared to the Civic and Corolla’s sharp looks.

Towards the sides, the Geely Emgrand features the traditional three-box sedan looks, followed closely by the Corolla. The Civic, despite being a regular sedan, features a more fastback-like roofline.

Moving to the rear of these sedans, the Civic is definitely the most eye-catching here, thanks to its signature LED tail lights. The Corolla and Emgrand, on the other hand, offer a more conservative approach.

Wheel sizes for the Emgrand and Corolla range from 15- to 17-inches, while the Civic offers 16- and 17-inch wheels.

Interior – Clean simple lines

Stepping into the cabin, the Geely Emgrand greets the driver with a large 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch floating-style infotainment display – the latter running on Geely’s GKUI software.

The flipside of the Emgrand’s simplistic cabin is the lack of physical air-conditioning knobs – something both the Civic and Corolla offer.

While all three models compared here feature a digital instrument cluster in their upper rung variants, the Geely Emgrand offers the largest one in this trio, coming in at 12.3 inches. The Corolla offers the second largest digital cluster, measuring 12.1 inches. The Civic’s digital cluster is “just” 7 inches.

Safety – No ADAS for the Emgrand

The all-new Geely Emgrand’s lower segment roots are shown here, as its safety equipment can’t hold a candle against the Civic and Corolla.

Whereas upper variants of the Civic and Corolla offer adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW), forward collision warning (FCW) and autonomous emergency braking (AEB), the Emgrand does not offer any of those features.

At least the Emgrand offers six airbags on the range-topping variant, as well as stability and traction control. There is also a surround view camera fitted to the top-spec Emgrand.

Powertrain – Won’t be out-running a Civic any time soon

Apart from its lacklustre safety equipment, the all-new Geely Emgrand’s budget roots are reflected in the car’s powertrain department.

All variants of the Emgrand receive a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine good for 109 PS and 147 Nm – hardly groundbreaking figures, but enough for the 1.2 tonne sedan.

The Chinese-market Honda Civic gets the choice of two turbocharged powertrains. The first is a 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit similar to Thailand’s Honda City, churning out 125 PS and 173 Nm. This engine is mated exclusively to a CVT-type automatic transmission.

Apart from that engine, the Chinese Civic also gets a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit, good for 177 PS and 220 Nm. In addition to a CVT-type automatic, this engine can also be had with a six-speed manual.

As for the Chinese market Toyota Corolla, it gets three powertrain options, including a 1.2-litre turbo (116 PS, 185 Nm), a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre (121 PS, 148 Nm), and a petrol-electric 1.8-litre hybrid (122 PS combined system output).

Prices – No competition, the Emgrand is cheap

There’s no denying this – the all-new Geely Emgrand is really cheap. It is priced from CNY 69,900 (~RM 45k) for the base five-speed manual variant, topping out at CNY 88,900 (~RM 58k) for the top-spec CVT model.

The Toyota Corolla is priced between CNY 109,800 (~RM 70k) to CNY 159,800 (~RM103k). As for the Honda Civic, it is priced between CNY 119,900 (~RM 77k) to CNY 169,900 (~RM 109k). 

The Geely Emgrand comfortably undercuts these C-segment models, though not without its compromises, as explained below.

Conclusion – Priced like a B-segment sedan, but with C-segment-like wheelbase

At the end of the day, the all-new Geely Emgrand, for all intents and purposes, remains as a budget sedan. 

While it does get a well-designed interior and exterior, the budget roots are reflected in its powertrain (no turbo or hybrid options), safety (lacks ADAS kit), and cabin (steering column lacks reach adjustment, only height-adjustable).

For those shopping for a similarly-priced model, it's hard to argue against the value proposition offered by the all-new Emgrand, seeing that it offers a lot of car for not a lot of money.

However, when comparing the Emgrand against C-segment rivals, its shortcomings become apparent, but these are easily forgiven considering how much cheaper the Emgrand is. 

What about Malaysia?

At the moment, Proton has no immediate plans for a new Proton sedan. 

Also Read: Old vs New: Here are the changes in the new 2022 Proton Persona facelift (MC2)

Instead, Proton will be allocating resources on SUVs. The next launch from Proton is widely believed to be the Proton X90 – a Geely Haoyue-based seven-seater SUV. The model was spotted on Malaysian roads a few months ago.

Also Read: Trademarking of Proton X90 and Proton X80 has started, sign of things to come?