GWM has introduced a diesel engine to its Tank 300 line-up, which has thus far only been available in petrol and hybrid guises.
The powertrain is the same one featured in the new P300 bakkie, and aims to improve the SUV’s towing capacity as well as its notoriously poor fuel economy.
As with its petrol-powered siblings, the new Tank 300 2.4T will be available in Super Luxury and Ultra Luxury specifications, with prices pegged at R699,900 and R739,900, respectively.
This also makes the diesel Tank the new entry point into the range, as the previous base model asked no less than R725,950.
What you get
The new 2.4-litre, turbocharged diesel mill generates a good 135kW and 480Nm, which is channeled to all four tyres via a nine-speed automatic gearbox.
For comparison, the 2.0-litre petrol Tank produces 162kW and 380Nm, while the hybrid does 255kW and 648Nm, meaning the diesel is down on power compared to its siblings but strikes a good middle ground with torque.
While the consumption of the diesel mill has yet to be revealed, GWM promised it would be better than the petrol’s claimed 9.5l/100km.
Meanwhile, towing capacity for the diesel is upped to 3,000kg, versus 2,500kg for the petrol and hybrid.
As a true off-roader, the Tank 300 2.4T is also equipped with a low-range transfer case across all variants, as well as the Tank Turn system, Crawl Control, and the transparent chassis-view camera.
GWM hasn’t revealed the cabin features and luxuries of the diesel-driven Tank just yet, though if the petrol entries are anything to go buy, prospective buyers can expect a raft of amenities.
Standard kit on the petrol Tank 300 encompasses rain-sensing wipers, automatic LED headlights, a sunroof, leather upholstery, a leather steering wheel with paddle shifters, keyless entry and start, electric front seats, dual-zone climate control, 7-colour ambient lighting, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
This is on top of adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist with lane centring, smart speed assist, hill-assist control, hill-descent control, a traffic sign reader, traffic-jam assist, junction assist, driver fatigue monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, and a 360-degree camera.
The Tank 300 diesel is slated to reach showroom floors in the coming weeks, and will be covered by the brand’s new 7-year/200,000km warranty and 7-year/75,000km service plan.
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