The GAC Aion Y Plus ticks all the big boxes for an e-MPV, BUT just misses the mark on a few finer details.  

Now this is going to be a rather different review of the GAC Aion Y Plus, as it is not going to follow the usual written format of paragraphs. Instead, it’ll be more of a point form analysis of this fully-electric 5-seat MPV.

Such is not because this writer is lazy to format anything into proper paragraphs, but more so because as he was jotting down notes for this review, he noticed that every point he made about this e-MPV (either good or bad) was always able to be followed up with a ‘but…’

So to properly convey this sentiment of many contradictions across with this e-MPV, please bear with this slightly different review of the GAC Aion Y Plus (Premium spec tested here).

Exterior

• The Aion Y Plus’s general rounded silhouette may be likened by some to an egg. BUT this blobby e-MPV nevertheless has some nice exterior design details, like its rather funky angular wheel arches, the swept up rear window line and full-width LED light bar for instance.

• GAC might tout that their headlight signature is supposed to be modelled after Angel Wings. BUT just so you can’t unsee it forever more as well, doesn’t it also look like a chicken wing?

• The 18-inch alloys on this Premium spec of GAC Aion Y Plus tested here features a rather elaborate-looking design. BUT it unfortunately also comes from the factory wrapped in some no-name brand tyre of Chinese origin, which doesn’t do it any favours in the handling and NVH department at all…

Interior

• There is annoyingly no reach adjustment for the Aion Y Plus’ steering wheel, making the driving position incredibly awkward (and not entirely comfortable for this writer at least). BUT the saving grace is that the seats are decently plush and cushy.

• Rear space in the Aion Y Plus is positively palatial, with legroom being especially generous. BUT a protrusion from the centre console into the driver’s footwell means there’s actually no space for the driver’s leg when resting on the dead pedal (adding more to this writer’s discomfort from the awkward driving position due to the lack of reach adjustment on the steering wheel).

• There are large swathes of hard plastic within the cabin of this e-MPV (most obviously on all the door tops and vast dash top). BUT overall material quality on the major interior touch points is nevertheless decent, and the cabin feels quite well screwed together.

• The Aion Y Plus’ doors are surprisingly heavy and shut with a solid thud. BUT somehow those same solid-feeling doors don’t actually do much in insulating outside noise, to the point where one wonders if the windows are fully closed when motorcycles whizz past in traffic. 

• As with most modern Chinese cars, there is a complete absence of any physical controls on the dashboard for adjusting climate and volume in the Aion Y Plus, with even the wing mirror controls relegated to a menu buried in the central screen. BUT at least the rather large 14.6-inch landscape central display is decently high-res to the eye, and quite responsive to the touch.

• The Aion Y Plus lacks Android Auto integration. BUT somehow has (wired) Apple CarPlay compatibility.

• The Aion Y Plus’ centre console has quite a nice minimalist design and is finished in this rather nice hexagonal pattern. BUT it’s pretty much form over function. The cupholders for instance are quite shallow and a tad small for large drinks, not even a new smart tag can fit in the little closable cubby, as mentioned right above, the wireless charging pad doesn’t fit larger square-edged phones, and lord only knows what the slim slot is for…

• The rounded corners of its wireless charging pad means it doesn’t actually fit this writer’s square-edged Samsung S23 Ultra. BUT it somehow still fast charges the phone when awkwardly placed on it, despite the air gap.

• Sound quality from the standard six-speaker Bongiovi setup in the Aion Y Plus are unfortunately subpar to say the least, with it lacking any form of bass and basically sounding tinny. BUT to throw it a bone here, at least the sound does feel like it is transmitted to ear level, and not sunken on the floor.

• The Aion Y Plus features a full length openable panoramic sunroof with shade. BUT it doesn’t have height adjustable seatbelts or even overhead grab handles on the front.

• This Premium spec of Aion Y Plus tested here has seat ventilation. BUT the keyword there is seat, as it’s only available for the driver’s seat.
• The Aion Y Plus has perhaps one of the coldest air conditioning systems found fitted in a Chinese car sold locally. BUT it is unfortunately no match to effectively cool the cabin down on a hot day, due to the vast (and in the case of this test car, untinted) glass area that just cooks the cabin. Also, even on its lowest speed setting, the blower is notably audible.

• The Aion Y Plus comes with white LEDs for its interior dome lights. BUT yellow halogen for the vanity mirror light.
• The Aion Y Plus has a spare tyre, BUT it does not feature a tonneau cover.

On The Road

• A dashboard that seems just to go on forever in front of the driver and a steeply sloped bonnet means it is quite hard to accurately judge the frontal distance when behind the wheel of the Aion Y Plus. BUT thankfully, a relatively high definition surround view camera, which could be keyed to activate on the asterisks short cut button on the steering wheel, does help alleviate manoeuvrability issues in tighter spaces. Incidentally too, the Aion Y Plus’ driver’s display gives you a real time distance readout (in metres) on how far ahead the car in front actually is.

• The Aion Y Plus’ thick-rimmed steering wheel is actually quite nice to grip. BUT the overall steering feel of this e-MPV is a bit light and vague, though it is really not otherwise unexpected for a sensible people mover.

• Overall brake feel on the Aion Y Plus is a bit soft and spongy. BUT credit where credit is due, its regenerative braking system, even in the High setting, is amazingly progressive and not nauseating in the slightest.

• The massive windows on the Aion Y Plus affords a vast greenhouse for good sight-lines out of the vehicle. BUT despite its relatively long list of driver aids, what this e-MPV is missing is a blind spot monitoring system.

• The Aion Y Plus comes with lane departure warning and assist (which requires turning off every time as it resets to turn on after putting it in park). BUT there is no auto steer functionality with its adaptive cruise control.

• 80 kW DC and 6.6 kW AC charging is admittedly low powered (especially relative to its competition). BUT its 63.2 kWh battery can actually easily do over 450 km on a full charge if driven sensibly (which is incidentally more than the official WLTP figure of 430 km).

• The Aion Y Plus does feel slightly wallowy and loose in corners when pushed even just a little bit (not helped by the grip-less tyres). BUT it does has a relatively composed damping setup for a comfortable ride if driven sensibly.

• The AION Y Plus may be an egg-shaped sensible people mover. BUT the instant torque of afforded by its electric motor means that this e-MPV has more get-up-and-go than one might expect. Certainly more than what could be hoped for in an equivalent petrol-powered people mover anyway.

The Conclusion

Now for those who have gone through the tedium of all the points above (or just skipped all the way to the conclusion here), the overall verdict for the Aion Y Plus is that it ticks all big boxes alright, BUT just misses the mark on a few of the finer details.

Its plus points are for it to have a lot of space inside, be decently well built, has decent range and decent performance (for the type of car it is anyway). BUT it is let down by a polarising exterior aesthetic, as well as a few NVH and tech quibbles, with the biggest of which (for this writer at least) being the lack of Android Auto integration.

And just to get this off the writer’s chest right at the end here, the real honest overall impression one gets from living with the Aion Y Plus is that it does feel like a car that was designed to be a taxi. BUT that’s because it is really, as this e-MPV is the vehicle of choice for Didi drivers (China’s Grab equivalent) in its home market.

Then again though, for the vast majority of people out there, an appliance for shuttling people around in reasonable comfort is all they really need in life. So the GAC Aion Y Plus is actually something that Automacha would recommend to those who just want an stress-free family runabout, especially when the price of it falls to an attractive enough ballpark.

BUT — and this is perhaps the biggest one of all with the GAC Aion Y Plus — for those who already want an all-electric people mover, it would be remissed not to highlight the existence of the BYD M6. A car which for all intents and purposes is priced the same as the aforementioned Aion, but comes with the big added benefit of featuring an additional two seats within for even more practicality…

Odds & Ends

• The Aion Y Plus has a smart ventilation feature for its ventilated driver’s seat which ‘gear settings according to real-time temperature’. 

• The activation keyword for the Aion Y Plus’ voice assistance feature is ‘Hello baby’, which is cringeworthy to say the least. 

• The top speed of the Aion Y Plus is limited to 130 km/h when in Eco or I-pedal drive modes. 

• There are quite a few shortcuts that can be mapped to the asterisks key on the steering wheel of the Aion Y Plus. These include:
  • one click mute
  • one touch panoramic image
  • one click home
  • one touch to company
  • one click search for nearby charging piles
  • one touch press for rear row sleep mode

GAC Aion Y Plus Premium Technical Specifications

Motor: Single Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (FWD)
Range: 430 km (WLTP)
Charging Speed: 80 kWh DC, 6.6 kW AC
Max Power: 204 PS
Max Torque: 225 Nm
0-100 km/h: 8.5 seconds
Price: RM 135,800