HEAVY ARTILLERY

THE GWM TANK 300 IS OFF-ROAD-READY AND COMES WITH AN ENTICING PRICE TAG

- TRISTAN TANCREDI

THE petrol-powered GWM Tank 300 has landed in Australia in both Lux and Ultra model grades, joining the previously released hybrid petrol-electric models. Starting at $46,990 in Lux guise, the petrol Tank 300 Lux undercuts the equivalent hybrid Lux by a whopping $9000, while at $50,990 the petrol Ultra undercuts its hybrid counterpart by $10,000.

The Tank 300 boasts high equipment levels typically unseen in vehicles at this price point. The boxy off-road wagon from Chinese marque Great Wall Motors rides on a version of the GWM Ute’s ladder-frame chassis and features a suite of advanced driving systems, five-star safety rating and thoroughly modern interior.

So what’s the catch? To find out, we took the new turbo-petrol Tank 300 Ultra for a spin.

PACKED TO THE RAFTERS 

EVEN in the lower-grade Tank 300 Lux buyers get a whole lot of standard kit including 17-inch alloy wheels; LED lighting; a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; faux leather seats; a sunroof; nine-speaker sound system; ambient interior lighting; a suite of driver assistance technologies; a rear diff lock; roof rails; a tyre-pressure monitoring system; front and rear parking sensors; a 360-degree camera; and crawl control and tank turn functions.