WATCH: GWM Tank 300 impresses with its off-road prowess

There was a lot of interest shown in the GWM Tank 300 leading up to the SUV’s official media event. And The Citizen Motoring wasn’t too sure if this sentiment was sarcasm or appreciation to be honest.

People say some horrible things on social media and then put a smiley face at the end of it. And you are left wondering what they really meant.

I mean we went to the launch drive in a Toyota Land Cruiser 76 and announced that the recovery vehicle had arrived (insert smiley face). This comment went down like a Chinese balloon floating over America. Ironically, off-road in Land Cruiser territory, is where I felt this Tank 300 did its best work and deserved the most praise.

Built on a ladder frame chassis, running on a modern multi-link rear suspension and a durable double-wishbone front suspension, the Tank 300 has a 224 mm ground clearance, with an approach angle of 33 degrees and a departure angle of 34 degrees. It features a ramp-over angle over of 23.1 degrees and a wading depth of 700 mm. A very decent off-road platform on paper. But those that know me, know I prefer my 4×4 to do a bit more of the hard work than I must when it comes to driving up the side of a mountain for no good reason.

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Three derivatives

There are two Tank 300 models, the 2.0-litre turbo Super Luxury and 2.0-litre turbo Ultra Luxury models coming in a few months’ time. These offer an All-Terrain Driving System with Multi-Terrain Select.

The GWM Tank 300 in 2.0-litre turbo Hybrid Electric (HEV) Super Luxury guise I drove on the launch, the first model of the trio to arrive in the country, offers an all-time four-wheel drive system with intelligent electronic management and low range.

This system gives you full control of the vehicle’s responses with a turn of a dial. Driving modes include Normal, Economic, Sport, Stone, Snow (for any slippery conditions), Sand and Low-Range 4×4 driving (4L). It also offers an electronically controlled rear differential lock and a specialised Crawl Cruise Control system for slow-and-steady traction over rocky type terrain. Yip, it was that easy, turn a dial, select low range, and go up the side of that mountain for no good reason without any fuss or drama.

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Getting out onto the open road gave us the chance to sample the 255 kW of power (180 kW petrol engine and 78 kW electric motor) and 648 Nm of torque (380 Nm petrol engine and 268 Nm electric motor). The power runs through an easy-shifting nine-speed auto box exclusive to the HEV model.

Strong but thirsty

Pulling power is strong as is to be expected. But perhaps a long open road drive to our overnight stop was not the best way to advertise the expected fuel consumption benefits of having a self-charging battery on board. We never saw the fuel consumption number dip below 11 litres per 100 km/h despite the claim being 8.4-litres per 100 km.

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Maybe running around the city where you can use battery only power for long periods, the consumption will decrease. But at some point the engine will have to charge the battery up as this is not a plug-in hybrid. And then the Chinese car Achilles’ heel problem of high fuel consumption will keep raising its head.

What was a bit of an unexpected blessing was that because the Tank 300 HEV is not the top-of-the-range Ultra Luxury spec. This means it doesn’t feature the intrusive and aggressive lanes keep assist aids. This made the drive so much more peaceful.

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Clever brake system

What did take time to get used to was the brake pedal feel and the fairly aggressive slowing down when you came off the throttle. This is due to the iBooster Intelligent Braking System which allows for energy regeneration during braking. Quirks, I guess you would get used to if you owned one and drove it every day.

The other two models will offer 162 kW of power and 380 Nm of torque mated to eight-speed auto box. It has a claimed fuel consumption figure of 9.5-litres per 100 km.

The GWM Tank 300 also offers safety, practicality, and a host of onboard luxury and tech. This ranges from high definition LCD screens, to wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ambient lighting and leather upholster. Plus type A, type C, 12V, and 220V charging ports, electrically adjustable seats and dual zone climate control with rear high and low mounted air vents. It also has privacy glass, automatic low and high beams and much more.

Tank 300 pricing

Tank 300 2.0T 8AT 4×4 Super Luxury – R725 950
Tank 300 2.0T 8AT 4×4 Ultra Luxury – R775 950
Tank 300 2.0T 9HAT 4×4 Super Luxury – R851 950

*Pricing includes seven-year/200 000km warranty and five-year/75 000km service plan. HEV has an additional warranty covering high-voltage system and vehicle battery for eight years/150 000km.