Great Wall Motors (GWM) has fully unveiled the latest vehicle in its rugged sub-brand known as ‘Tank’ with the new Tank 500 large SUV, and it appears to be a shoo-in for the Australian market.
Serving as a large luxury off-roader that will sit above the Tank 300 and under the larger Tank 700 in GWM’s range, the Tank 500 is armed with a luxury interior, a body-on-frame chassis and a mild-hybrid 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 engine producing 260kW of power and 500Nm of torque.
Available in both five- and seven-seat configurations, the Tank 500 would likely compete as a cut-price alternative to the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado in Australia, with the Chinese four-wheel-drive priced from Yuan 335,000 (AUD$70,500) in its home market.
The GWM Tank will mean serious business when it launches
The Tank 300 and 500 are currently under consideration for Australia though it’s unclear when the pair would make their entrance to our market.
Road presence and off-road potential
Measuring 5070mm long, 1934mm wide and 1905mm tall, riding a 2850mm wheelbase, the Tank 500’s overall dimensions position it roughly between the Prado and 300 Series Land Cruiser, though it shares a wheelbase length with the latter.
While the official specification could differ for the Australian market, GWM has built up the Tank 500’s off-road capability with locking differentials at the front, centre and rear of the drivetrain.
Ground clearance is said to be 224mm at a minimum, beating out the 219mm listed height of the Prado GX but not the LC300 GX which sits at 235mm.
The turbo-petrol V6 is paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission and a full-time four-wheel-drive system. GWM claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of 7.3 seconds and a combined fuel consumption figure of 10.8L/100km, according to Chinese standards.
A hybrid version – known as the Tank 500 HEV – was shown in Thailand in December last year, featuring a 180kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine and an electric motor, though official fuel consumption figures have not been revealed.
Inside the Tank 500
To compete as a luxury off-roader, the Tank 500 arrives with in-demand tech such as an oversized touchscreen measuring 14.6-inches in size, paired with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
GWM has also included a rather quaint analogue clock in the centre stack, a wood-like inlay in front of the driver and a shift lever made out of crystal.
Other luxury features include wireless phone charging, a heated steering wheel, 360-degree camera and the ability to receive over-the-air updates.
Safety features include blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control and a built-in dashcam, however these inclusions may change when or if the Tank 500 comes to Australia.
