GWM Tank 300 Ultra review

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GWM Tank 300 Ultra review

GWM has muscled into the four-wheel-drive sector with the Tank 300, which is pitched as a rugged off-roader for the great outdoors.

It has a boxy, retro vibe, with massive ****** wheel arches, a full-size spare strapped to the back, and pulsating ambient lighting in the cabin that changes from white, to green, yellow, red and blue as you drive.

I’ve got the flagship 2.0-litre petrol Ultra grade here, which is $50,990 drive-away, and cheaper than many rivals.

The Tank 300 launched in 2020 under the Wey brand, which is part of GWM (Great Wall Motor Company) and arrived in Australia in 2023.

It looks like a cross between a four-door Suzuki Jimny and a Jeep Wrangler

Camera IconIt’s boxy with a retro vibe and a spare tyre strapped to the back. Credit: Olga de Moeller

VFACTS sales data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries has it in the large SUV segment under $80,000, where it’s sitting on a 3.3 per cent market share nationally with 2421 sales in the first seven months of 2024 against top performers the Ford Everest (18.5per cent/13,438 sales) and the Isuzu MU-X (15.9per cent/11,535 sales).

The Jeep Wrangler, which is also in this segment, has a 0.6 per cent market share with 454 sales over the same *******.

GWM posted a record sales result in Australia in June, with a company spokesperson saying there was good supply across most model lines nationally.

“New models like Tank and Cannon Alpha are being well received, and the brand’s hybrid model mix is extremely strong,” he said.

There are four Tank 300 variants, including two hybrids with turbo-petrol engines.

GWM Tank 300 drive-away pricing

+ Lux: $46,990

+ Ultra: $50,990

+ Lux Hybrid: $55,990

+ Ultra Hybrid: $60,990

Premium paint is an additional $595

The look

My car is Dusk Orange (plus $595), but it looks more Halloween.

“You’re such a hoon,” a colleague says, shaking his head, after watching me park the Tank 300 at work.

“Just a girl from Morley…”

Hoon, maybe. Morley, no way — I grew up on the other side of the river, but have an image to maintain, so pretend it’s mine.

Shh… don’t tell him.

I’m loving the plush cabin with its circular illuminated air vents, which look very Mercedes-Benz.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconThe dashboard of the GWM Tank 300. Credit: Olga de Moeller/The cabin is plush with circular illuminated air vents.

The dashboard is busy, but symmetrical, and includes an analogue clock set into a dial with buttons for various adjustments, plus a full-width screen with crystal-clear display combining the 12.3-inch full-colour instrument cluster with the 12.3-inch infotainment system.

Language choices for set-up include Arabic, Russian and Ukrainian.

Seats (heated and cooled at the front) are faux Nappa leather, with massage for the driver. The steering wheel is heated, and there’s loads of tech, plus a nine-speaker Infinity sound, wireless phone charging, and wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which I can’t get to work.

The only way I can connect my iPhone is via Bluetooth.

Ah, the ambient lighting… this runs through the whole car and can be adjusted to suit your preference, so either a static display in, say, green, purple, yellow or blue — there are 64 colours to choose from — or a dynamic display that cycles through your chosen colour spectrum.

I love it.

Oh, all variants have a sunroof and mine came with a manual shade you can pull back.

Cargo space is not stated on the *********** specs, but is widely referenced at 400 litres with all seats in use, expanding to 1635L with the second row down, which folds totally flat.

“What’s this here?” a neighbour wonders, leaving his mates and beers behind on the porch to come across the road for a look.

He’s puzzled by the double-layer boot floor and what’s underneath.

Lift up the carpeted panel and there’s a subwoofer in the cavity, plus a set of collapsible metal legs that expand for a picnic table that uses the floor panel as a top.

The lowdown

The Tank 300 has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with 162kW of power and 380Nm of torque running through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

It uses a part-time four-wheel-drive system — which means it operates primarily as a 2WD — with electronically locking front and rear differentials, low range with a selection of terrain modes, crawl control and hill descent.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconIt has a part-time four-wheel-drive system with terrain mode and low range. Credit: GWM Haval Australia and New Zealand

****** vehicle mass is 2552kg, and kerb weight is 2155kg, so payload works out to be 397kg. Remember, this includes occupants, luggage and camping gear.

Braked towing capacity is 2500kg, fuel tank capacity is 75 litres, and it takes 91 RON petrol.

Safety and driver assistance

All Tank 300 variants have a five-star ANCAP safety rating for build dates from September 2022 onwards, scoring 88 per cent for ******-occupant protection, 89 per cent for child-occupant protection, 81 per cent for vulnerable road-user protection, and 85 per cent for safety assistance.

Dual frontal, side head-protecting (curtain) and front-row side airbags are standard, as is a centre airbag to prevent front occupants being thrown together in a side-impact ******. Note, there is no driver or passenger knee airbag.

There’s a full suite of driver-assistance features across the range, with all variants including, among other things, autonomous emergency braking (car-to-car, vulnerable road user and junction assist), a lane-support system with lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning and emergency lane-keeping (more on this later), traffic-sign recognition, adaptive cruise control and 360-degree camera, plus front and rear parking sensors.

The drive

It’s easy to park and fun to drive, with punchy acceleration and a composed ride, but the “intelligent” stop & go is harsh and laggy, so I keep it turned off.

Camera resolution is great and lets you focus in on multiple angles in a tight spot.

You can customise the ride in “expert mode” that has settings for all sorts of things and comes up with a quirky “please don’t panic” prompt reassuring you that if you find the car doesn’t match your driving style, you can click reset to cancel everything.

Seriously, there doesn’t appear to be anything you could possibly do here that would take you by surprise.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconThe Ultra spec comes with a heated steering wheel. Credit: GWM Haval Australia and New Zealand

I find GWM steering to be typically light — and the Tank 300 is no exception. There is the option of a “sport” steering setting (in addition to comfort and light) in the driving set-up and this does help to firm things up.

There are a few ********, however, that I can’t resolve:

+ Fiddly indicator. Merging and changing lanes is tricky because I can’t seem to tap and hold the stalk for a few clicks, then release, without the indicator staying on. So, I pull the stalk back and end up inadvertently indicating in the opposite direction. Maybe there’s a sweet spot, but I can’t find it. Hard left and right turns are no problem — the indicator stops when I straighten the steering wheel — but it doesn’t when veering left or right, say on to a slip road.

+ Intrusive emergency lane-keep assist. Sure, I can adjust all sorts of lane features and warnings in driving settings — and even keep them turned off — but the ELK seems to default to on every time I start the engine. It flashes and pings for no apparent reason when I’m minding my business on a straight road.

+ Wind noise. OK, the wing mirrors are big and this would have a lot to do with it, but it’s not something I would expect to hear at 60km/h on a suburban road. It increases the faster I go. At 100km/h-110km/h, it feels like a window is ajar. I check — it’s not.

Quoted fuel use is 9.5 litres/100km. I do 350km over a week of varied driving, mostly in 2WD on sealed roads, and average 12.1L/100km.

Warranty and servicing

The petrol Tank 300 comes with GWM’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, seven years roadside assistance and seven years capped-price servicing, costing $3650 as follows: 12 months/10,000km, $300; 24 months/ 25,000km, $300; 36 months/ 40,000km, $550; 48 months/ 55,000km, $550; 60 months/ 70,000km, $300; 72 months/85,000, $1000 and 84 months/100,000km, $650.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconShowcasing bold exterior design backed with world-class 4WD technology, a luxurious interior and advanced technology, the GWM Tank 300 is poised to become a strong option for those looking to explore *********** roads, tracks and beyond. Credit: GWM Haval Australia and New Zealanddata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconThe rugged GWM Tank 300. Credit: GWM Haval Australia and New Zealanddata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconThe GWM Tank 300 is easy to park and fun to drive. Credit: GWM Haval Australia and New Zealanddata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconThe GWM Tank 300. Credit: Olga de Moellerdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconThe GWM Tank 300. Credit: Olga de Moellerdata:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconThe GWM Tank 300. Credit: Olga de Moeller

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