since 1976
since 1976
By Lee Pang Seng
IT’S NOT often that you hear of luxury SUVs (sport utility vehicles) from China apart from the BEVs (battery electric vehicles). Well, GWM (Great Wall Motor) is going to change that when it introduces the Tank 300 in Malaysia shortly.
Tank is one of the five brands under GWM and represents luxury off-roaders. The other brands are Wey (premium SUVs), ORA (electric cars), Haval (SUVs) and Poer for pick-ups. When Tank was introduced in 2020, GWM did it under the Wey premium SUV brand but decided to place it under its own standing a year later. The move was logical as the Tank portrays more of a rugged outlook that reminds us of the Jeep and Suzuki Jimny. As such, it would be better recognised under its own branding than being grouped with the more contemporary looking and premium Wey SUV model range.
The Tank 300, the entry level model, is sold in 30 countries and is said to be an off-road champion already in China in the ladder frame SUV category. In sales, GWM says Tank commands 55 per cent of the market in China.
In the SUV market here, the Tank 300’s vehicle dimensions clearly place it in the mid-range sector. It runs on a 2750mm wheelbase and its body measures 4760mm in overall length, 1930mm in width and 1927mm in height.
The rugged identity is carried in its square cut profile with a bold nose featuring the prominent T-brand logo in chrome against the black thick ribbed grille and unusual headlamps with a middle outflowing strip. Underlining that is a protruding bumper in black that looks sturdy and macho to fit in with the character desired.
At the rear, this rugged outlook is continued with the spare wheel mounted on the tailgate door. This design feature is progressively discontinued in modern SUVs, with the spare tyre placed under the rear luggage floor or a tyre repair kit is provided.
All this ruggedness is not carried into the interior though. Being an ‘intelligent’ luxurious off-roader, it has to live up to its image branding by having premium appointments. There are electric seat adjustments for the front, obviously with more options for the driver, and quality material for door panels, dashboard and seats. That the Tank 300 is well built and equipped was clearly felt.
Having a long wheelbase means good interior room and during our drive experience, we found no lack of that as a front or rear seat passenger, especially for the legroom. A taller stature also means better headroom. The drive outing was arranged specially for the Malaysian media in a structured offroad course at one of GWM’s centres in Baoding, about 200km south of Beijing.
This is where GWM has its headquarters, research and development centres, factories and proving grounds spread over a 5000-acre area that is leased from the Chinese government. GWM might be a relatively new player in the automotive field, having started in 1984 to produce trucks, but it has certainly displayed no lack of pace in vehicle development with its impressive array of vehicles at the recent Auto China 2024 exhibition.
Named after the Great Wall of China, GWM is said to be the biggest producer of SUVs and pick-ups. Currently, it is ranked as the eighth largest automobile manufacturer in China and in 2021, sold more than 1.2 million vehicles.
The Tank 300 ladder frame chassis is similar to the one used in the Poer pick-up range (another China best seller) and the suspension design sees a double wishbone front and multi-link rear. Our drive experience over the obstacle course was to gauge the Tank 300’s offroad ability, given its 224mm ground clearance as well as the 33-degree approach and 34-degree departure angles. The tyres fitted to the Tank 300 for this event were 265/65 R17 Kumho RoadVenture rubbers.
Powering the Tank 300 is a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that delivers 162kW (220PS) and 380Nm of torque. The transmission is an eight-speed ZF automatic with part-time four-wheel drive system (2H, 4H and 4L). It is said to come with a tank turn function that locks the rear inside wheel, when activated, to move in tight spots offroad.
The course took in staggered half-metre mounds, staircase decline, slope ascent, uneven road course and staircase ascent. As the staircase section was new to us, we were keen to see if the Tank’s good approach and departure angles would pass the test. That it did was a no brainer or we wouldn’t be asked to take this course otherwise.
We were disappointed in not being able to drive the Tank 300 up the 50-degree steep incline (which we were driven up as a passenger earlier) but to use the milder 30-degree incline next to it. As we had done the steep incline with other vehicle brands from Japan, Germany and the UK, it would be nice to do the same with a brand from China too. Apparently, the GWM folks were not too confident of the Malaysian media tackling the steeper incline.
Subsequently, we drove to a sandy riverside course where we could revel driving the Tank 300 on loose surfaces at controlled speeds. Doing that in 4H (high) made easy work of the sandy section. The comfort level, experienced as a passenger, over such terrain was also good to measure up to its luxury status.
GWM Malaysia is planning to introduce the Tank 300 here in the coming months and as an imported SUV, its price is expected to be above RM200,000. The Tank 300 is definitely a good alternative to those looking for a comfortable premium SUV with offroad capability.
Haval H6 Hybrid
GWM also arranged a brief drive excursion at a riverside campground that it built to showcase the lifestyle aspects of its SUV range. This has a purpose-built river crossing to check out another aspect of the SUV capability, in this case with the Haval H6 that was previewed in Malaysia a year ago. The Haval is hailed as the best-selling SUV for 12 consecutive years with more than nine million vehicles sold.
The four Haval H6 SUVs provided for this section were all right-hand drives that were more familiar for Malaysian journos. Against the Tank 300, it has a slightly shorter wheelbase of 2738mm although the interior looks just as spacious. It certainly won’t lose out to the SUV rivals in Malaysia.
For engine power, it has a smaller 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol unit that puts out 110kW (150PS) and 230Nm of torque. Being a hybrid system, the electric motor beefs up output with its power rating of 130kW (177PS) and 300Nm. The combined output is given as 179kW (243PS) and 530Nm.
How that goes to the wheel is via a front-wheel drive series-parallel hybrid system. This features GWM’s two-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission, which is somewhat similar to a Dual Clutch Transmission. In typical hybrid format, the Haval H6 Hybrid moves under electric power at initial speeds and engine output coming in as speed builds up.
The 1.5-litre hybrid engine showed no lack of pace when we checked out its initial acceleration performance. It also cleared the shallow water crossing with ease; the tyres fitted to the Haval H6 Hybrids were 225/55 R19 Hankook Ventus S1 evo rubbers. It is independently sprung all round with MacPherson struts in front and multi-links at the rear.
Although Haval is not seen in the same light as the Wey premium SUVs, its interior appointments are by no means inferior. We felt a sense of build quality in the seats and fittings as well as ‘intelligence’ in dashboard equipment on entering the vehicle. It has ambient lighting and sunroof, and for the driver, a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment unit to the dash centre.
If it is competitively priced here, the Haval H6 Hybrid should give the rivals a good run for the money. We would just have to wait till its launch in the coming months to see how it would fare in our very competitive market.
