GAC GS8: which version to buy
The GAC GS8 is a five-door SUV sold in two generations, and every catalogued powertrain is named 2.0 AT. The choice is not “which engine badge,” but which 2.0 AT you actually get: first-generation FWD, first-generation AWD, or second-generation FWD. All three make 252 hp (185 kW) from a 1991 cm³ Gasoline turbo four. What changes is torque, gearbox, drive, mass, and measured mixed fuel use.
The GAC GS8 is a five-door SUV sold in two generations, and every catalogued powertrain is named 2.0 AT. The choice is not “which engine badge,” but which 2.0 AT you actually get: first-generation FWD, first-generation AWD, or second-generation FWD. All three make 252 hp (185 kW) from a 1991 cm³ Gasoline turbo four. What changes is torque, gearbox, drive, mass, and measured mixed fuel use.
Which GS8 specs split the three 2.0 AT versions
Same name, three cars:
| Generation | Version | hp | kW | Nm | cm³ | Fuel | Cylinders / layout | Boost | Gearbox | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 generation (2016-01-01–2021-05-31) | 2.0 AT | 252 | 185 | 390 | 1991 | Gasoline | 4, Inline | Turbo | Automatic, 6 | FWD |
| 1 generation (2016-01-01–2021-05-31) | 2.0 AT | 252 | 185 | 390 | 1991 | Gasoline | 4, Inline | Turbo | Automatic, 6 | AWD |
| 2 generation (from 2021-06-01) | 2.0 AT | 252 | 185 | 400 | 1991 | Gasoline | 4, Inline | Turbo | Automatic, 8 | FWD |
Peak power is identical on every row. Specific output is 252 ÷ 1.991 ≈ 126.6 hp per litre for all three. The first-generation pair is separated by drive, not by horsepower: both 2.0 AT units are 252 hp. The second-generation 2.0 AT keeps 252 hp and adds 10 Nm (400 versus 390) plus two extra Automatic ratios (8 versus 6).
Engine layout is the same catalogue string on every version: Front, transverse; Direct injection (direct); 4 valves per cylinder; Turbo. Fuel grade is 95 throughout. Peak-power rpm is 5250 on both first-generation 2.0 AT cars and not measured on the second-generation 2.0 AT. Torque band is 1750–4000 rpm on both first-generation versions and not measured on the second.
GAC GS8 engine: what the extra 10 Nm and two gears buy
If you are choosing by engine rather than by body year, the arithmetic is small and the gearbox change is the larger hardware step.
- First-generation 2.0 AT (FWD or AWD): 390 Nm, Automatic 6.
- Second-generation 2.0 AT: 400 Nm (+10 Nm, about 2.6% more), Automatic 8.
Power does not rise with the second generation: 252 hp and 185 kW stay put. Displacement stays 1991 cm³. So a buyer who wants more peak horsepower will not find it in a later GS8 in this dataset. A buyer who wants more peak twist and more Automatic ratios will find both only on the second-generation 2.0 AT.
What this article cannot claim: 0–100 km/h, top speed, and mixed consumption for the second-generation 2.0 AT are not measured. You cannot score the 8-speed against the 6-speed with a sprint time or an mpg figure from these numbers.
GAC GS8 fuel consumption: FWD vs AWD on the same 2.0 AT
Only the first generation has mixed consumption in the data.
- First-generation 2.0 AT FWD: 7.9 (mixed).
- First-generation 2.0 AT AWD: 8.7 (mixed).
- Difference: +0.8 on the mixed figure for AWD, about 10% more than FWD.
- Second-generation 2.0 AT: mixed consumption not measured. City and highway figures are not measured on every version.
Tank volume is 66 on both first-generation 2.0 AT cars and not measured on the second-generation 2.0 AT. CO₂ and eco class are not measured on all three.
AWD is the thirsty option in the only generation where consumption was recorded. FWD is the measured-economy option. The later 8-speed 2.0 AT cannot be ranked on fuel use from this catalogue.
GAC GS8 weight: kg per horsepower on the two first-generation 2.0 AT cars
Kerb mass is measured only in the first generation.
- First-generation 2.0 AT FWD: 1815 kg kerb.
- First-generation 2.0 AT AWD: 1975 kg kerb.
- AWD penalty: 160 kg (+8.8%).
- kg per hp, FWD: 1815 ÷ 252 ≈ 7.20 kg/hp.
- kg per hp, AWD: 1975 ÷ 252 ≈ 7.84 kg/hp.
- Second-generation 2.0 AT: kerb not measured, gross not measured.
- Gross mass is not measured on the first generation as well.
Ground clearance is 200 on both first-generation 2.0 AT versions and not measured on the second. Wheel size is not measured on all three. Body type does not change the choice: every generation is SUV 5-doors.
If you care about mass per horsepower, the lightest measured GS8 is first-generation 2.0 AT FWD. AWD buys four-wheel drive at 160 kg and 0.8 mixed consumption, with the same 252 hp, same 390 Nm, same 6-speed Automatic, same 200 clearance, same 66 tank.
GAC GS8 generations: what actually changed in June 2021
1 generation (2016-01-01 to 2021-05-31) — SUV 5-doors, two versions, both named 2.0 AT. You pick FWD or AWD. Engine: 252 hp / 185 kW at 5250 rpm, 390 Nm at 1750–4000, 1991 cm³, Gasoline, 4 Inline, Turbo, Automatic 6. Independent, spring suspension front and rear; Ventilated disc front, Disc rear.
2 generation (from 2021-06-01, stop not measured) — SUV 5-doors, one version: 2.0 AT, FWD only in this dataset. Engine still 252 hp / 185 kW (rpm not measured), torque 400 Nm (band not measured), Automatic 8. Drive is FWD; AWD is not in the second-generation list. Suspension and brake labels match the first generation: Independent, spring / Independent, spring; Ventilated disc / Disc.
What the second generation does not add in these numbers: more horsepower, a second drive type, a measured tank, measured mass, measured clearance, measured 0–100, measured top speed, or measured consumption. What it does add: +10 Nm and 8 Automatic gears instead of 6, FWD only.
Searches for hybrid, HEV dimensions, 320T, 2025/2026 size, oil capacity, oil volume, engine manufacturer, engine number location, and engine mount are outside this dataset. Those items are not measured here; they are not used as facts.
0–100, top speed, mpg: what is not measured
- 0–100 km/h: not measured on first-generation 2.0 AT FWD, first-generation 2.0 AT AWD, and second-generation 2.0 AT.
- Top speed: not measured on all three.
- Mixed consumption: 7.9 (gen-1 FWD), 8.7 (gen-1 AWD), not measured (gen-2 FWD).
- City and highway consumption: not measured on all three.
You cannot pick a GS8 from this catalogue by sprint or by top speed. You can pick by mixed use only inside generation 1.
Which GAC GS8 version to choose
Choose first-generation 2.0 AT FWD if the numbers that matter to you are the lowest measured mass and the lowest measured mixed use. It is 1815 kg, 7.9 mixed, 252 hp, 390 Nm, Automatic 6, FWD, 66 tank, 200 clearance. It is the lightest kg/hp figure in the set (≈ 7.20).
Choose first-generation 2.0 AT AWD if you want AWD and accept the measured cost: 160 kg more than the FWD 2.0 AT, 0.8 more mixed consumption, same 252 hp, same 390 Nm, same 6-speed Automatic, same 200 clearance, same 66 tank. Horsepower does not rise with AWD; mass and mixed use do.
Choose second-generation 2.0 AT if you want the later SUV 5-doors with 400 Nm and an 8-speed Automatic, still 252 hp, still FWD. Do not choose it for more power (power is unchanged), for AWD (AWD is not listed in generation 2), or for a proven economy or weight advantage (kerb, tank, clearance, mixed use, 0–100, and top speed are not measured).
There is no fourth version in the data. All three cars share the same version name 2.0 AT, the same 1991 cm³ Gasoline turbo Inline 4, and the same 252 hp. The real split is FWD versus AWD in 2016–2021, then FWD-only with +10 Nm and two extra gears from 2021-06-01.