New GWM Tank 300 launched in South Africa – Pricing and specifications

The new GWM Tank 300 is officially going on sale in South Africa this week after well over a year of anticipation.

Available in three specifications spanning one hybrid and two petrol options, the off-roader is now available from a starting price of R725,950.

The arrival of the 300 marks the official debut of the fourth brand under the Great Wall Motors (GWM) umbrella, which includes the GWM bakkies, Haval luxury SUVs, Ora electric cars, and now, Tank off-road SUVs.

Later this year, the Tank range is anticipated to be bolstered by the larger and more luxurious 500 model.

Standard features

The new Tank 300 comes in Super Luxury and Ultra Luxury specification grades, neither of which are poorly endowed.

All three versions of the SUV are delivered with LED lights with automatic high and low-beam adjustment, automatic wipers, a sunroof, keyless entry and start, synthetic leather upholstery, a microfibre leather steering wheel, paddle shifters, electric front seats, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, 7-colour ambient lighting, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a 12.3-inch central display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The included safety and assistance systems take the form of hill-assist control, hill-descent control, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist with lane centring, smart speed assist, a traffic sign reader, traffic-jam assist, junction assist, front and rear parking sensors, 360-degree cameras, and driver fatigue monitoring,

Regardless of the trim, the petrol-only versions are also fitted with exclusive features that are unavailable on the hybrid, including emergency lane-keeping, smart dodge, intelligent corner control, rear-collision warning, blind-spot detection with a parallel-assist system, and cross-traffic alert with braking.

The pricier Ultra Luxury specification then brings a heated steering wheel, 64-colour ambient lighting, and Nappa leather seats with heating, ventilation, massaging, and lumbar support functions.

Built to travel testing terrains, the Tank line-up gets front and rear tow hooks, protective chassis guards, and a number of innovative off-road-focused abilities including Crawl Control, Tank Turn, and Chassis View.

Crawl Control functions like off-road cruise control at speeds of 4-12km/h; Tank Turn locks the inside wheels to reduce the turning circle on gravel; and Chassis View uses the wide-angle front camera to display what’s going on under the vehicle’s nose on the central infotainment screen.

In the boot, the SUV can swallow up to 400 litres of cargo which expands to 1,635 litres with the rear seats folded down, and the roof rack supports a load of 50kg.

Ground clearance for the rugged Tank measures 224mm which drops to 200mm when fully loaded; and it rides on 17 to 18-inch aluminium alloy wheels, depending on the chosen model.

Powertrains

The Tank 300 family is available with two powertrain options comprising a 2.0-litre, turbo-petrol engine and a hybridised version of the same unit.

The petrol-only models feature an eight-speed automatic gearbox and electronic four-wheel-drive (4WD) system with a central locking function that offers Standard, Standard 2H, Standard 4H, Snow 4H, Expert 4L, Irregular, Mountain, Mud, and Rock settings.

Meanwhile, the hybrid comes with a nine-speed transmission and torque-on-demand 4WD system which supplies Standard, Economic, Sport, Snow, Mud, Sand, and 4L modes.

In addition, a rear-axle differential lock is equipped to all variants of the GWM with a front-axle lock being included as standard on the Ultra Luxury trim only.

Output for the petrol-only versions is listed at 167kW and 387Nm with a claimed average fuel consumption of 9.5l/100km; while the hybrid elevates these power figures to 255kW and 648Nm and brings down fuel usage to 8.4l/100km.

A towbar is optional, but with one fitted, the Tank can haul loads of up to 2,500kg behind it.

Price

The South African pricing and model line-up for the GWM Tank 300 are as follows:

GWM Tank 300 2.0T 8AT 4×4 Super Luxury – R725,950
GWM Tank 300 2.0T 8AT 4×4 Ultra Luxury – R775,950
GWM Tank 300 HEV 2.0T 9HAT 4×4 Super Luxury – R851,950

Each vehicle is accompanied by a 7-year/200,000km warranty, a 5-year/75,000km service plan, and 7-years/150,000km roadside assistance; with an additional 8-year/150,000km battery warranty included with the hybrid.