So, the GWM TANK 300 has arrived on SA shores, and it seems that it has landed with a splash. We spent two days last week testing the Tank over varied terrain, including tar, dirt and downright over vertical obstacles, and it came through with flying colours.

GWM have decided that GWM will be the main brand umbrella, and under that will be sub-brands like HAVAL, TANK, ORA & WEY. Already well established as an off-road lifestyle  brand in China and Australia, the Tank takes on the SUV mad market in SA. And the GWM management are confident that the TANK has what it takes to capture the hearts and wallets on the SA public.

Styling.

So let’s look at the exterior styling of the TANK. It looks like an eclectic bit of styling from Land Cruiser, JEEP, and others, so definitive focus. However, that’s not say that it is not attractive.  GWM spend billions on R & D so they know what they are doing.

The grille is unique with the new T logo on front, it has a U in there as well, and the meaning is to connect buyers with the outdoors. Some of the stand-out design features include the round LED headlamps that are dissected by bright LED daytime running lights.

It has a large clam-shell bonnet with round headlamps, and a off-road front bumper with integrated LED fog lamps exposes the Michelin HEV SUV tyres and aids technical off-road driving.

At the back, there are squared LED tail lamps, a door-mounted spare wheel – also fitted with a full-sized alloy wheel – and a square rear bumper with integrated tow bar mounting bracket and 12Volt power plug. The rear luggage door is hydraulically assisted, and a spare wheel cover is standard.

Engine.

So the model we drove is an HEV, a hybrid model that has an electric engine, which in this case pushes out 78kw, and a 2.0L petrol engine that pushes out 188kw, that is a combined power output of 255kw, which is phenomenal. Mated to a 9-speed hydraulic auto gearbox. The drive is superlative, plenty of power, and the gearchanges are seamless.

Built on a very strong ladder frame chassis,  this chassis and bodyshell use mostly 1500 Mpa steel for greater rigidity and crash-test performance.  

Mounted to the ladder frame is a modern multi-link rear suspension and a durable double-wishbone front suspension for greater on-road comfort that does not impede the off-road capabilities. So the drive on-road was smooth and quiet. Floating on air almost. Fuel consumption is a claimed 8.3 L/100km, but we were averaging much more, aroun 11l, so an urban combined test is needed to get a better idea.  

Off-Road.

We drove to the acclaimed De Wildt layout and put the Tank through it’s paces. Articulation, and most other obstacles were accomplished with ease. And the scary Gert se Klip, an almost vertical rock face, was trundled over by my female drive partner.( She is very experienced though)

All of this was made possible by a unique all-time four-wheel drive system with intelligent electronic management and low range. This system is unique to the Hybrid Electric Version of the GWM TANK 300, the first model to arrive in South Africa.

This system gives the driver full control of the vehicle responses in all terrains, with a choice between the following driving modes: Normal, Economic, Sport, Stone, Snow (for any slippery conditions), Sand and Low-Range 4×4 driving (4L).

All GWM TANK 300 models have an electronically controlled rear differential lock for technical off-road driving as standard. The vehicle is also offered with two sturdy sections of underbody protection.

The GWM TANK 300 offers 224 mm of ground clearance and has an approach angle of 33 degrees. The departure angle is an equally impressive 34 degrees, while the ramp-over angle is 23.1 degrees. Another unique feature available on all GWM TANK 300 models is Tank Turn.

The system locks the inside back wheel and drives all available power to the other wheels to allow the GWM TANK 300 to turn around with virtually no forward or backward movement. 

This is an especially appealing feature in technical off-road driving. A unique additional feature is Chassis View, which uses artificial intelligence to make a composite of the camera views to completely eliminate the body from the video feed. This gives the driver a near complete view of the terrain under the vehicle, as well as around it, to allow for more confident off-road driving.

So to sum it up, we felt very comfortable off-road as well.

The TANK will be coming with two other petrol versions, no diesel unfortunately, and listed below are their specs. ( We did not drive these)

Power: 162 kW @ 5 500 r/min

Torque: 380 Nm @ 1 800 r/min to 3 600 r/min

Transmission: 8-speed Automatic gearbox

Fuel consumption: 9.5 litre / 100 km

Interior.

The interior is very well appointed, and offers massive space and comfort within. It has a large dual 12.3 inch high def LCD screen

The co-joined screens form one large screen that offers a fully customisable instrument cluster and a large infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The screen also displays the images from the various external cameras and offers full control over the vehicle’s comfort and off-road systems.

The dual screen system displays off-road ready information such as altitude, air pressure, compass, body roll angle, steering wheel and wheel angle and tyre pressure.

• Ambient lighting

The Super Luxury models feature a choice of 7 ambient colours, while the Ultra Luxury version has no less than 64 ambient colours to choose from.

• Leather upholstery

Quilted leather abound in the cabin, including in the door panels and, using micro-fibre leather, on the steering wheel.

• Multi-function, multi-adjustable controls

All models feature a steering wheel that is adjustable in all directions, has controls for the infotainment, phone and cruise-control systems, feature paddle shifters for the automatic transmission. 

• Charging ports

Type A and C in the front row and Type A in the rear. A 12V charging port in the luggage compartment and to the roof rails. 

The HEV model in Super Luxury specification have a 220 V power output in the luggage compartment and wireless charging between the front seats.

And add to this long list of features – Bluetooth, dual zone climate control with rear high and low mounted air vents, a high-performance sound, electric windows all round, privacy glass, a soundproof windshield and side windows for the front occupants, automatic low and high beams, automatic windscreen wipers and many, many more luxuries.  So in essence, if you think it’s the outside that is great, the interior brings it’s game as well.

Features include:

• Grab handles on the A and B-pillar
• Stainless steel door sills
• Roof-mounted grab handles (excluding the driver)
• Rope hooks
• A dashboard-mounted handle for the front passenger
• 60/40 split rear bench and 100% folded seats
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Keyless entry
• Keyless start
  
  

Safety and security

GWM’s unwavering focus on safety and security is clearly evident in the list of standard safety features on all versions of the GWM TANK 300.

The list includes (but is in no means exhaustive):

• Vehicle stability control (ESC and ESP and ETC)
• Hydraulic brake assist (HBA) with Anti-Lock Brakes and four disc brakes
• Anti-slip regulation and traction control (AST and TCS)
• Roll Movement Intervention (RMI)
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
• Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
• Front Collision Warning (FCW)
• Lane Keep Assistance (LKA)
• Traffic Jam Assistance (TJA)
• Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
• Driver Fatigue Monitoring
• Emergency Braking Signal
• Second Collision Mitigation

And many more features, including several passive safety features that are normally not expected in this category. 

These include:

• Seven airbags
• ISOFIX child seat anchors
• Pre-crash seatbelt system
• Three-point seatbelts for all occupants, and
• An emergency escape latch in the luggage compartment.

Price, warranty and service plan

All models are sold with a 7-year / 200 000 km new vehicle warranty and unlimited roadside assistance for the same period. A 5-year / 75 000 km service plan is included across the range, and service intervals are 12 months or every 15 000 km whichever comes first.

The HEV model has an additional warranty that covers the complete high-voltage system and vehicle battery for a full 8-years / 150 000 km. 

The GWM TANK 300 range will comprise the following models:

• Tank 300 2.0T 8AT 4×4 Super Luxury           R725 950 (Available Late Q1)
• Tank 300 2.0T 8AT 4×4 Ultra Luxury             R775 950 (Available Late Q1)
• Tank 300 2.0T 9HAT 4×4 Super Luxury        R851 950
•  

In summation, THE Tank 300 has set a bar and it is now in car buyers hands as to how this model will sell. Based on our experience, and with SA buyers loving SUV’s, we predict that it will do very well.