Been driving the GWM P-Series bakkie this week, pick-ups, or bakkies as we call them are nothing new to this behemoth of a company in China. They are leaders in manufacturing pick-ups, and in a market where I in 2  of those are made by GWM, then you know that they have some idea of how to make them. Since the introduction of the P-SERIES, the market share in China has increased markedly.

In the recent Shanghai Auto show, the P-Series was launched, and thus the P-Series has arrived on SA shores. But will this be a flash in a pan? Bakkie business is not as huge Globally, as it is in SA, so will the technology keep on evolving, as it has to?

 Well in China, GWM has held a market share of between 24% and 31% since 2010, but since the P series launch late in 2019, that figure jumped to 42% and then again to 54% in 2020 more than double its closest rival.

In November alone over 10000 P Series bakkies were sold in China. In SA over 50 000 GWM bakkies have been sold since 2007 with a market share of around 2% annually. So, is the journey worth it? The answer is a resounding yes, according to sources at GWM.

The P Series is described in South Africa by one simple word of more. More? Yes, more. More space, more design appeal, more intelligent technologies, more luxury, comfort and convenience, more quality, more durability, more reliability and more safety.   This is according to GWM. What do we think?

Well for starters, the P-SERIES is a big bakkie, with lots of space in the front, rear and in the actual load space. It certainly exudes a quality finish, with very quiet road drive, lots of soft feel interior materials, comfortable seats. Durability, that is one that we will have to defer to the future, as it needs to earn it’s spurs here in this country. The same with reliability, which that crown is firmly on the Toyota Hilux.

The P-SERIES comes in commercial, which is a single cab, and Passenger comes in double cab. There are also both manual and automatic transmissions available in all version except the single cabs, which only utilize manual transmission versions. We drove the double cab auto version, and the gearbox was smooth changing.

Available in six colour variants there is a P Series to match your lifestyle as well as your taste.  We drove the red colour, which garnered many enviable glances on the road.

The attention to detail with everything that is the P-series is top drawer, the headlights resembling that of panther eyes, ready to pounce. The taillights matching this elegance and the grill matching the belt of a championship fighter, so the P-SERIES exudes a look of confidence.

 The interior is quite upmarket, with loads of soft-touch materials. It has leather seats as well as leather door panels, and as said previously, it has good space in all area’s.

It has an attractive dash and media screen, and is packed with tech. This smart bakkie features an Intelligent driving assist system made up of a Full-speed Auto Cruise Control, self-adaptive cruise control & smart cruise control support, AEB- Automatic Emergency Brake, Lane-keeping assistance, TSR or traffic sign recognition. Even the cockpit and controls of this bakkie are more.

 More user friendly and more technology through using a 7 inch LCD virtual instrument cluster, intelligent voice control, remote start up, a 9 inch multimedia screen, Android and Apple Car play as well as wireless phone charging and that’s just some of the features within the cabin.

The entire range of P series bakkies as high levels of safety, more safety than any previous GWM pick up. Airbags feature on all models and vary from 2 airbags on base models up to 7 airbags in the top specification. Vehicle stability and traction control is standard across the range as well as hill hold assist.  

Park distance control is standard on all models and as you go up in the range you go from reverse camera to a full 360 view in the higher spec. Electrically adjustable seats are not the only thing that gives charge to the interior, the whole vehicle is equipped with 3USB as well as a  220V power supply and 12V power supply. On the launch I felt that the turning circle was onerous, but real time on the road, my fears were allayed and it turned on a tight area very well.

The P-SERIES has a High strength Ladder frame which together create Improved torsional & Bending stiffness. Convenience and value-added items are also in abundance in the form of a damped rear tailgate, an exclusive rear step which integrates into the tailgate, a standard plastic bedliner, and a standard roll bar on certain models.

4X4 derivatives of the P Series are capable off roaders featuring 232 mm of ground clearance as well as an entry angle and exit angle of 27 degrees and 25 degrees respectively. Borg Warner takes care of the TOD Intelligent all-wheel-drive system featuring 2H, Auto and 4L modes and various Off-road modes.

The P- Series will only be available in 2.0 Turbo Diesel in South africa, the powerplant delivers 120KW and 400 Nm of torque making for smooth driving and power when you need it. I found the power to be quite sufficient, even in the thinner Highveld air, and passing was not a problem, even for a bakkie the size of this one.

We drove the 8-speed auto, but it is available in  6 speed manual transmission versions as well.

Summing up my drive in this bakkie, I would say that the GWM P-SERIES, is going to be a serious contender in the future, and with clever and comprehensive marketing, should start selling these bakkies very well. I sincerely enjoyed my week long drive in this superlative bakkie, and any misgivings I might have had about it, have been put to rest.

The version we tested costs R544 900.00 and that comes fully specced, so pricing is good.