2024 GWM Tank 300 Review

It’s fair to say that GWM - Great Wall Motor - is on a roll

The GWM Cannon, GWM Ora and Haval H6 Hybrid (specifically) are all cars we liked on the channel, providing decent driving dynamics and high specs all at a reasonable price.

The GWM Tank 300 - their latest SUV with all the 4x4 kit - levels things up, and we’re here for it.

It’s not without its quirks - including the questionable lane centering - but it is one of the best cars we have driven this year, which we know is a huge call.

So let’s talk about why in today’s review!

How much does the GWM Tank 300 cost?

The Tank 300 offers very competitive pricing:

• Lux Petrol - $46,990 AUD driveaway
• Ultra Petrol - $50,990 AUD driveaway
• Lux Hybrid - $55,990 AUD driveaway
• Ultra Hybrid - $60,990 AUD driveaway

Our Ultra Petrol spec comes with the only optional extra, which is the Dusk Orange paint. It’s definitely eye catching, but we love that here.

Today we are testing the Ultra spec which comes with the ‘base’ 2.0L petrol engine. But frankly, it’s far from a bad drivetrain. We’ll come back to that in the drivetrain section.

In terms of what you get, here are the key specs of the Tank 300:

2024 GWM Tank 300 Lux Petrol Features:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• 12.3-inch infotainment system
• Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Nine-speaker audio system
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• LED headlights and tail-lights
• Leather-accented upholstery
• Six-way power-adjustable driver's seat
• Four-way power-adjustable passenger seat
• Front and rear USB-A ports
• Glass sunroof
• Side steps
• Roof rails
• Tyre pressure monitoring system
• Front and rear parking sensors
• 360-degree camera system
• Rear differential lock
• All-terrain mode selection
• Turning assist
• Transparent chassis function
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Lane-keep assist
• Lane departure warning
• Lane centring
• Adaptive cruise control
• Traffic sign recognition
• Rear cross-traffic alert.

2024 GWM Tank 300 Ultra Petrol Features (in addition to Lux Petrol):

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Infinity audio system
• Nappa leather-accented upholstery
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat with lumbar adjustment and massage
• 64-colour ambient lighting
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
• Wireless phone charger
• 220-volt power outlet
• Front differential lock.

What is the Tank 300 design like?

This feels like an influencers car, you can actually afford.

The Tank 300 has a real presence on the road, but also off-road.

I don’t think I’ve had so many people snap their necks looking at a car than with the Tank 300 - and it’s not like people haven’t gotten their hands on it yet.

The front has bright LEDs with a very retro-futuristic design, and a bumper that sticks out in a throwback to offroaders of old.

Of course it’s plastic, likely to ensure you don’t actually hurt someone vs metal bumpers of old.

Coming to the side is where you notice this is a huge box on wheels.

Curiously, the upgraded 18” wheels - often thought to be the perfect size for off-roaders - are wrapped in highway terrain tires.

It’s easy enough to change them, but you would think they would be at least all-terrain tires from the factory.

The rear is my favourite angle though, with a full size spare wheel mounted on the back and a side-hinged door.

It looks awesome, and makes loading vertical items easier - but admittedly in carparks it's a bit of a nuisance.

Seriously though, this is one good looking SUV.

What’s the interior and connectivity like of the GWM Tank 300?

In my opinion, the biggest issue with GWM products of old has been their interior ergonomics.

The tech has also been fully loaded but often unpolished, which made its useability poor.

Almost all of these issues have been fixed with the Tank 300… (almost).

Ergonomically, the Tank 300 is fantastic. The steering wheel is tilting and telescoping, but more importantly, the seats are 8-way power adjustable with lumbar support in the Ultra trim we have on test.

I couldn’t believe that the Lux also adds Nappa leather seats - often reserved for the most expensive German luxury models - and massage function.

It’s not the best massage, but the fact you get it at this price point is wild.

Not to mention, both seats have heating and ventilation, although operating the cooled seats has to be done through the infotainment display which can be cumbersome versus a dedicated button.

The dual 12.3” displays are some of the snappiest in the industry, with the left hand display - the infotainment screen - being extremely responsive to the touch and featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

You still have some bugs now and then rearing their ugly head when using the infotainment, and some small quality of life things, but most of these we experienced in other GWM models has been ironed out.

The other display, being your digital instrument cluster, shows plenty of information and is customisable enough.

Most striking though is the overall design, with some homework copying from Mercedes-Benz products - particularly with the 64-colour ambient lighting and turbine style aircon vents.

Between that and the ‘ruggedised’ grab handles with exposed screws, to the diamond quilted leather on the doors, it instantly impressed even the biggest skeptic we showed the car too over our week of testing.

Speaking of aircon, finally GWM have put some physical buttons for most of the AC controls which we have been calling for, since our original Haval H6 GT Review.

Not to mention, you want 4x4 controls - you get 4x4 controls.

It can almost be overwhelming, considering the sheer number of buttons and switches.

We’ll cover these more in the offroad section.

Arguably most importantly though is the upgraded audio system, from brand ‘Infinity’ that impressed me most.

These are not the best speakers I’ve heard, but they are a massive step-up from anything else I’ve heard from GWM.

Charging devices is possible through the USB-A port, USB-C port and Wireless Charger in the Lux trim.

You’ve also got another ‘hidden’ USB-A port smartly placed in the rear view mirror for dashcams and a 12 volt socket for everything else.

Finally the sunroof - which is admittedly quite small - is a nice addition for brightening up the interior.

What about the Back seats of the GWM Tank 300?

Again, the rear seats are impressive.

The Nappa leather of the Lux trim extends to the back, with more air-vents, 2 more USB-A ports and a storage area underneath those.

At 5’11” I can fit behind my driving position with no worries at all, with plenty of legroom, headroom and toe-room.

Unfortunately though, the rear seats are not ‘stadium style’ as you will find in competitors like the Mahindra Skorpio-N, so the angle of your legs is not the best (but admittedly, that’s a minor complaint).

How much can fit in the boot of the GWM Tank 300?

The boot space of the Tank 300 is okay, but not fantastic.

At 400L it is still very useable, and the large aperture of the boot means that loading things into the boot is easy.

Unfortunately, dropping the rear seats is a tad annoying because you need to lift the rear seats base and then drop the seats. 

It’s a minor thing, but annoying nonetheless.

The Ultra trim also come with a household socket in the rear which is a nice plus.

The other thing to note is payload. At just 446kg of maximum payload, make sure you don’t overload the car - though most families and some gear will be fine to clear that.

If you get the Tank Hybrid though, it drops further due to the weight of the hybrid technology. That drops payload down to 394kg.

What’s under the bonnet of the GWM Tank 300?

Although the Hybrid was meant to land in March in Australia, this has been delayed for reasons currently unknown to CarSauce.

The 2.0L petrol engine is paired with a hybrid powertrain and on paper is quite powerful at 258kW of power and 615Nm of torque. 

We’ll reserve judgment on that drivetrain though until we drive it in our comprehensive review circuit. 

Today, we tested the ‘base engine’ - which is still plenty powerful at 162kW of power and 380Nm of torque.

The choice of a petrol engine though is curious considering Aussie’s preference for diesels in off-road focused SUVs.

In fact, we timed the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.84 seconds which is spritely for a ladder-frame chassis offroader.

How does the GWM Tank 300 drive?

First things first. This thing is surprisingly torquey.

Off-the line, the 8-speed ZF sourced transmission is decently calibrated to handle the torque with smooth shifts as the 2.0L engine powers into the rev range.

It’s not break-neck fast, but the speed always caught me off-guard considering how used to driving diesel off-roaders we are.

Although I generally prefer a petrol over a diesel unit, the fuel economy does take a hit… also the fact the Tank 300 is a box on wheels.

Over our week of testing, we experienced an average fuel economy of 11.2L/100km over a combination of urban and highway driving.

Add some all-terrain tyres on the Tank 300, and you can expect to fill up more frequently.

Back to the on-road mannerisms though, and you can’t help but to be impressed by the ride quality. 

Despite sharing a platform with the GWM Cannon XSR - the offroad focused Cannon Ute - the Tank 300 nets coil suspension at the rear over the leaf springs in the Cannon.

This translates to much better ride quality and it never really becomes unsettled by bumps or anomalies on the road.

It’s certainly a firm ride, but in a more ‘I feel confident’ way than ‘get me outta here!’

More quirks do show their head when you are trying to access on-road drive modes. You have an ‘expert mode’, which brings up a detailed warning on the screen.

Once you accept the warning, you can access sport, normal or eco mode. You can also change the steering weight from there too, between light, comfort and sport.

My guess for the warning is that you can also turn off traction from that menu. Still, that isn’t a very intuitive way to change drive modes.

In sport mode, you definitely feel the throttle calibration, transmission calibration and steering weight change - with the final product being a more lively experience.

Still, like all 4x4 SUVs, taking corners can feel a little hairy as the 2.3 tonne Tank 300 body rolls. It’s middle of the pack when it comes to handling.

But the result of the whole driving experience is leaving with a feeling of surprise. The Tank 300 gives you a ‘king of the road’ feel, with a surprising amount of performance on tap.

And pottering around town, as most Tank 300s will likely do, it does a fantastic job of soaking up bumps and providing a decent ride.

How does the GWM Tank 300 perform off-road?

The GWM Tank 300 comes with a plethora of off-road features, especially at its price point. Here are the highlights:

• 2WD, 4WD High, 4WD Low
• Front Locking Differential (Lux / Ultra Lux Only)
• Rear Locking Differential
• Off-road Turn Assist (Tank Turn)
• Crawl Control
• Off-Road Drive Modes
• Hill Descent Control
• Transparent Chassis Function
• Metal underbody protection

The Tank 300 has a 33 degree approach angle, a 34 degree departure angle and 224mm mm of ground clearance. In addition, the Tank 300 has a 700mm wading depth.

Is the GWM Tank 300 safe?

Yes, the GWM Tank 300 is safe.

It received a 5-star ANCAP safety rating in 2022.

It scored 88 per cent for adult occupant protection, 89 per cent for child occupant protection, 81 per cent for vulnerable road users, and 85 per cent for safety assists.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• 7 airbags (including front-centre airbag)
• Adaptive cruise control
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Lane departure warning
• Lane keep assist
• Rear cross-traffic assist
• Surround-view camera incl. ‘Transparent Chassis Function’
• Traffic sign recognition

Tank 300 Hybrid adds:

• 6 parking sensors (up from 4)
• Front cross-traffic assist

It is worth noting that in our tests, we experienced poor calibration of our test units' lane-centering to the point where the car was lightly swerving in the lane when we took our hands off the steering wheel.

Although you should never take your hands off the steering wheel in normal circumstances, we wanted to see if the Tank 300 would stop itself - and eventually, the system realised something was wrong and would disconnect.

You can turn this system off through the infotainment display.

This could be a defective unit or it could be a broader issue, we’ll update this review when we know more.

How much can the GWM Tank 300 tow?

The Tank 300 has a 2.5 tonne braked towing capacity, and an unbraked towing capacity of 750kg.

This is lower than some rivals - like the Isuzu D-Max and Ford Everest - which have 3.5 tonne towing capacities.

How much does the GWM Tank 300 cost to service?

The GWM Tank 300 has a 7-year unlimited kilometer warranty.

Servicing intervals are every 12 months or 10,000km for the first visit, and subsequent visits are every 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first).

Capped price servicing plans costs as follows:

• Year 1: $300 AUD
• Year 2: $300 AUD
• Year 3: $550 AUD
• Year 4: $550 AUD
• Year 5: $300 AUD

Therefore total servicing costs over 5 years is $2,000 AUD.

CarSauce's take on the GWM Tank 300?

The GWM Tank 300 is one of the most surprising vehicles of the year.

It’s not perfect, with some ongoing infotainment gremlins and an issue with our test unit’s lane-keeping system.

However, that wouldn’t put me off purchasing one if I were in the market for a cheap new offroader.

The engine and road performance, interior space and off-road equipment make this one of the best value cars sold on the Australian market - period.

For most people, it ticks all of the boxes - and then adds things that many couldn’t dream to afford, like Nappa leather, massage seats, a wicked interior and more.

It’s a genuinely great 4x4 SUV, and bar some software gremlins, is an easy recommendation from us.