The $32,990 Chinese electric car that reminded our reviewer of the Hyundai Excel — and that’s actually a compliment

Deja vu kicked in, with a vengeance, this past week.

It was triggered by the GAC Aion UT, a little-known Chinese electric car from another of the seemingly endless new Chinese brands.

The teeny time machine transported me back to the early 1990s, and the Hyundai Excel with the $13,990 price-tag.

Why? Because it’s nothing special, even as battery-electric transport goes, but there is still plenty to like beyond a starting price that hovers around $30,000 depending on the latest showroom deal.

The GAC has a similar honesty and ‘get the job done’ appeal as that cute little Excel. Everything is effective, if basic, from the 430 kilometre claimed range to the back-seat space and a touch-screen that still annoyingly is needed to adjust the rear-view mirrors.

Nobody is going to buy an Aion to win a stoplight drag race, or to go the furthest on a charge, or to impress their friends.

But for the ‘first-and-last’ shoppers, freshly stamped L-platers and short-run retirees, it can make considerable sense.

It drops into a slot against the BYD Dolphin, GWM Ora and MG’s MG4, where price is likely to be the most important point on the shopping list.

Until the end of this month that means GAC is selling the Aion UT base car with a cash-back deal of up to $2000 and a free 22kiloWatt wall charger.

It’s the sort of wheel-and-deal job that worked so well for, you guessed it, the early Excel.

The Aion is the starter car in a four-model GAC Group lineup from the state-owned – no doubt about it – Chinese brand. The names are nothing special, but the range also includes the electric Aion V SUV, plug-in hybrid M8 people mover and the combustion-engined Emzoom family SUV.

There are two versions of the Aion UT – Premium and Luxury – and the only real differences are in the equipment. Both models have over-the-air services including remote locking and pre-setting the cabin temperature.

Cleverly, just as both model names point to something premium, the GAC package the back-up includes an eight-year warranty, a separate eight-year coverage for the battery, five years of no-cost roadside assistance – think of flat tyres – and 2GB of free in-car data for the youngsters.

Talking tyres brings us to the entirely lacklustre Chinese rubber on the car, and the rest of the driving experience. Which is fine as far as it goes.

The Aion is brisk enough, stops well, and is quiet and comfy. For something in the cheap-and-cheerful range it even rides comfortably and turns well in corners.
It even includes, according to GAC, an electronic setting to minimise car sickness. If that seems super-silly, a surprising number of people suffer this way because of the rapid acceleration of electric cars, without the usual soundtrack and because they typically tip less in corners with all their weight concentrated low-down in the batteries.

The cheapie touch screen is big and easy to use, there are lots of cubbyholes in the cabin for storage, and the design work – on the body and inside – is nice but hardly memorable.

And here we go with the shortcomings and compromises.

Apart from the annoying driver-assistance package, with intrusive bings-and-bongs, everything in the cabin is cheap. The steering wheel feels nice with fake leather, but all the plastic is cut-price stuff with a hard surface.

It’s also the first car I’ve driven in a very long time which has torque steer. That’s when the steering tugs on acceleration as the front-wheels battle to equalise grip and provide the best speed.

The GAC manages to even go one better, with reverse torque steer. When you lift off the accelerator in the Aion, the steering can tug again as the regenerative braking cuts in.

Interesting is one word to describe the sensation . . .

But will most people notice? And will they care?

What will it be worth in a couple of years? Probably not a lot, but that was the same for the Excel and look how it did.

The real questions are about price and efficiency, and the screen for youngsters, and the Aion puts big ticks in those boxes.

GAC Aion UT

Price: from $32,990 drive-away
Position: 4-seater electric hatchback
Engine: single electric motor, 150kW/210Nm.
Gearbox: single-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Range: 430 kilometres
Safety: 5-star NCAP
The tick: worth a shot