since 1976
since 1976
By Lee Pang Seng
THE name Tank would normally conjure visions of a huge vehicle with gun barrel running on chain link tracks rather than wheels, the type you see in old war movies. GWM’s choice for Tank as one of its five model range surely had to do with that rough and tumble visual.
What better way could the buyer be convinced of the vehicle’s solid character in performance and looks than to carry a name that would impress on that note. That convinced us when we first saw the Tank 300 SUV (sport utility vehicle) in China last year as we likened its rugged profile to the Jeep.
And a drive back then firmly established its performance character, especially in taking to off-road trails and the multi-discipline test stretch that highlighted its four-wheel drive capabilities. However, the Tank 300 is only the entry level model as there is also the Tank 500, a much bigger model with added premium features and a higher level of comfort.
The Tank 500 was introduced here recently and GWM Malaysia wasted no time in letting the media experience its level of premium motoring comfort. After all, the Tank 500 is described as an all-terrain luxury hybrid SUV that is targeted at the towkay surveying his property, be it housing estate, construction site or plantations, in absolute comfort.
This luxury factor has to be qualified in the sense that the Tank 500 is geared more for strong and reliable performance off road. This is clearly outlined in its ladder frame chassis, a tough structure that would bear up to abuse and hard driving impacts on off-road terrain.
This ladder frame platform is commonly featured in pick-ups as such vehicles are also meant to perform up to expectations under off-road conditions. Over the years, suspension tuning made the ride comfort a lot more appreciable, especially when these pick-ups have leaf spring suspension at the rear, which is more practical for carrying loads.
The difference with the Tank 500 is that it doesn’t feature a leaf spring rear but have coil springs all round. The engineers designed a way for the coil springs to be used at the rear for the ladder frame chassis, to make ride more comfortable for rear passengers (of whom the towkay would likely be one).
Options in the Malaysian market for such a dedicated SUV are few although it hasn’t stop some from promoting their respective variants, which are more tarmac friendly, along such lines. Examples include the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest, VW Touareg, to name some, with prices ranging from under RM200,000 to more than RM450,000.
Perhaps, the only one that could be viewed as a ‘direct rival’ is the Toyota Land Cruiser, which like the Toyota Vellfire and Alphard, is mostly available here as a recon model. With a price of about RM450,000, the Land Cruiser is anything but cheap and the vehicle and engine warranty, if any, wouldn’t match those for new cars.
On second look, the Tank 500 appears to be styled somewhat along the body profile of the Land Cruiser. There is the familiar boxy profile with similar body dimensions, except that the Tank 500 is said to be longer in overall length (5078mm) due to its spare wheel being mounted on the fifth door. They share a similar wheelbase of 2850mm.
It is the price factor that the Tank 500 holds the clear advantage. Being ‘made’ in Thailand and introduced here at a low five-per cent import tax as an Asean product, the Tank 500 is attractively priced at RM328,800 on the road without insurance. Adding more value are the six years unlimited mileage vehicle warranty and lifetime warranty for the powertrain.
There are quite a few engine variants that the Tank 500 is available with but for the Malaysian market, GWM Malaysia has gone with the 2.0-litre (1998cc) four-cylinder petrol hybrid model (HEV) with variable geometry turbocharger (VGT). Its combined engine/electric motor output gives it a decent punch against the 3.5-litre V6 Twin Turbo of the Land Cruiser; 254kW (346PS) and 648Nm against 300kW (409PS) and 650Nm (Land Cruiser 2023 model). The transmission is a nine-speed hybrid automatic (the Land Cruiser has a 10-speed automatic with manual shift mode).
And while it might not mean much to the towkay, the difference in road tax between them is vastly different – under RM440 for the Tank 500 and a tad over RM2350 for the Land Cruiser. It’s the government’s way of encouraging the use of vehicles with smaller displacement engines.
Penang Drive
For a vehicle of its premium perception, the Tank 500 comes with some pampering for the driver and everyone on board. The nappa leather upholstery beckons with its upmarket appeal and the front seats come standard with ventilation and massage functions. We tried the latter during our Penang drive, to and fro, and that kept us nicely refreshed.
Lounging in the rear was good too with more than ample legroom and reclining seatrests. Yes, we felt more of the road – undulations, bumps and ripples - with the stiff ladder frame chassis but the comfort factor, experienced especially from the rear seats, is much better than the leaf spring set-up of the pick-ups. We could even catch a nap during our turn as rear-seat passenger.
Adding to the comfort factor are the retractable window screens that cut down the glare of the afternoon sun. The Tank 500 comes with a panoramic sunroof but on the same token of driving under the blazing sun, we left it unopened. The air vents located above the door windows also did the job of cooling the interior down quickly.
We certainly enjoyed this when getting into a ‘hot’ car after lunch break as the door vents worked with those from the centre console to cool the interior efficiently. We could also control the blower speed and select the temperature, and if it got too cold, we simply shut the vents. We could imagine the towkay using all these features to make his forays to his property a very comfortable one.
From the driver’s perspective, electronic seat and steering wheel adjustments made settling in easy and convenient. The 12.3-inch digital instrument panel provided graphics that were easy on the eyes and the HUD (head-up display) was fully enjoyed too, being one of our favourite items in a vehicle.
Interestingly, the engine speed is provided in digital format on the right side of the instrument panel and the digital speed readout on the left. The centre area is focused on a display of the vehicle position on the road.
To the centre of the dashboard is the large 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen offering access to a host of functions on board. We had some problems trying to pair our Android handphone to gain GPS guidance. After several attempts, we only succeeded in connecting to the vehicle system for music downloads.
We found the gearshift knob a bit unusual in design. It has a release button on the side and clear engagement guide on top. By the way, the Tank 500 comes with 11 drive modes for the ‘intelligent’ full-time four-wheel drive system. Only four are for tarmac driving and the seven off-road modes indicate Tank’s performance focus for this premium SUV. The higher drive mode options allow the towkay to drive over a greater variety of terrain during his property survey.
On initial acceleration, we noted a distinct lag before the Tank 500 gained good pace although it was moving off on electric power (the electric motor was rated at 75kW/102PS and 2268Nm torque, which was decent). We supposed the SUV’s kerb weight of above 2500kg had something to do with that. But once it got going, there was nothing to prevent the Tank 500 from burning up the road.
During the secondary road section on the drive to Penang, we found the get-up-and-go oomph to be sufficient for some quick overtaking when opportunity availed. We adapted to the slight pause to perform the passing manoeuvre confidently. Given that scenario, it would be prudent to maintain legal speeds on the highway, what with the smart AES system getting off the ground in the not-too-distant future.
We also like its winding road manners, with hardly any body roll for a vehicle of its height. And the suspension continued to soak up the road ruts and bumps to provide decent ride for all on board. There was an initial feeling of wallow and wander on the highway. We found out that the 265/50 R20 Continental CrossContact tyres were set to the recommended Eco pressures of 280kPa all round instead of the recommended Comfort settings of 240kPa.
GWM Malaysia subsequently suggested that we lower the pressure for the front tyres to the Comfort level. The rear tyre pressures were left at status quo, apparently to handle the heavier load in passenger and luggage. Nevertheless, that reduced the wallow and wander considerably and made the drive more comfortable.
The Tank 500 is designed as a seven-seater SUV but with the third row seatrests up, the luggage space was inadequate; we were assigned three to a vehicle. Even so, there wasn’t enough space for our light luggage. We found it more practical to lower the third row seatrests and gain room for our travel paraphernalia.
A neat feature is the retractable side step; this is electrically operated and it slides out when the doors are opened. It is electrically retracted when the doors are closed for a smooth body profile. The main thing was that it did not feel like a flimsy item but was solid in structure and lived up to its intended function.
As expected, the Tank 500 comes with a full range of advanced safety and driver assistance systems (ADAS). We found the Wisdom Dodge System to be an unusual one. What the system does is that when it detects a motorcycle or a lorry that is coming too close to the side of the vehicle, it issues a warning and steer the vehicle gently away from a possible collision.
In off-road capability, the Tank 500 has a wading depth of 800mm (the Land Cruiser is said to have 700mm) and like the Toyota, has a water depth detection to avoid going too deep and into trouble. There is also the tank turn feature that locks the inside wheel to allow a tighter turn on rough roads.
All these details add up to what GWM Malaysia sees as a great-value premium SUV. For sure, the Tank 500 is very attractively priced for its targeted market, especially when it ticks all the right boxes in comfort, performance and image.
