2023 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid video review: Quick drive

The 2023 GWM Tank 300 comes to us from Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motors, one of the fastest-growing car brands in Australia.

The body styling is said to be inspired by old-school Jeep Cherokees, the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, and there’s even a hint of the Suzuki Jimny’s box-shaped looks.

The distributor invited Drive and other local media to sample this and other new models on a preview drive day inside a closed-course test facility. A complete road test is due in a few months. 

The GWM Tank 300 joins the Haval range of SUVs, the Great Wall Motors or GWM Ute line-up, and the upcoming range of Ora electric vehicles.

The Tank 300 looks big in these images. In fact it is smaller than a Ford Everest but bigger than a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

It is based on the same heavy-duty frame as the GWM Cannon Ute but has a five-seat wagon body.

Under the bonnet is a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine paired to a nine-speed automatic transmission and a hybrid system.

But, as reported previously, not all hybrid systems are created equally.

While Toyota hybrid tech cuts fuel consumption in half, and Subaru and Mazda hybrid systems deliver negligible if any fuel savings, in our experience Great Wall Motors hybrid tech trims about 25 per cent off fuel use.

So, despite the hybrid badge, the GWM Tank 300 isn’t expected to be a fuel-miser. In fact, the fuel-rating label is expected to show it’s a touch thirsty – in excess of 10L/100km in laboratory test conditions.

While this is not a complete road test, we were given a glimpse into what to expect ahead of showroom arrivals in the coming months.

Initially there are two models: the GWM Tank 300 Lux Hybrid from $55,990 drive-away and the GWM Tank 300 Ultra Hybrid from $60,990 drive-away. Metallic paint adds $595.

Although the vehicle went on sale in December 2022, the first deliveries are not due in showrooms until March or April 2023.

A cheaper, non-hybrid version of the GWM Tank 300 – powered by a turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine – is due to arrive in Australia mid-2023.

Standard equipment on the GWM Tank 300 Lux Hybrid includes:

The 2023 GWM Tank 300 Ultra Hybrid adds (over Lux Hybrid):

The GWM Tank 300 is smaller than a Ford Everest but bigger than a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

The standard sunroof impedes headroom in the middle of the roof but there are recesses above front-seat occupants and back-seat occupants for extra clearance.

Storage space in the centre console, glovebox and door pockets is fair for the class, and there is sufficient back-seat space for heads, shoulders, knees and toes – though it's better suited to two occupants on the back bench rather than three.

The sides of the cargo hold are boxed in so there are no extra cervices to squeeze bulky items.

The cargo volume of 400 litres is modest by class standards (smaller than Toyota RAV4 and Ford Everest).

The back seat has two ISOFIX child restraint anchor points. All three seating positions have top-tether latches so an old-school child seat can be secured via a seatbelt in the centre of the back row.

There are two 12.3-inch digital widescreen displays across the dash – one for the driving instruments and one for infotainment.

There is wired Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto. The top-line model adds wireless smartphone charging.

We did not have enough time with the car on this occasion to assess the quality of the connection, audio streaming, or phone-call clarity.

The GWM Tank 300 earned a five-star safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) based on just-superseded 2022 test criteria.

It achieved scores of 88 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 89 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 81 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection (pedestrians and cyclists), and 85 per cent for Safety Assist technology.

It is worth noting, despite the impressive score for driver assistance, ANCAP does not currently assess the sensitivity of the lane-keeping technology – and is yet to penalise cars for false positives or aggressive reactions.

ANCAP is due to assess driver assistance tech in more detail in the coming years, and adjust future scores accordingly.

Standard safety technology includes seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking, radar cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, blind-zone warning, rear cross-traffic alert, speed-sign recognition, tyre pressure monitors, front and rear parking sensors, and a 360-degree camera system.

On this occasion we did not get any time on sealed roads or on real roads to check the sensitivity of the lane-keeping system, but our most recent experience with a Great Wall Motors (GWM) Haval SUV showed the technology had ample room for improvement after slamming on the brakes due to false positives and suddenly swerving the steering for no reason.

Service intervals and the cost for routine maintenance were yet to be disclosed as this article was prepared. This information is due to become available closer to the showroom arrival of the GWM Tank 300 Hybrid.

Insurance companies were also yet to list this vehicle as this article was prepared, so we have not included an insurance estimate in this review.

In a word, no. Although we did not have enough time behind the wheel to gather average fuel-consumption data, early estimates peg the fuel consumption average at about 10.3L/100km, which is particularly thirsty for a hybrid.

The GWM Tank 300 Hybrid's 2.3-tonne weight could have a bit to do with its thirst for fuel. It is as heavy as a Ford Everest, despite being smaller.

Furthermore, as previously reported, not all hybrid systems are created equally.

While Toyota hybrid systems cut fuel consumption in half, and Subaru and Mazda hybrid systems deliver negligible – if any – fuel savings, in our experience Great Wall Motors hybrid technology trims only about 25 per cent off the fuel use of an equivalent petrol vehicle.

After a brief glitch that affected both early-production right-hand-drive examples of the GWM Tank 300 Hybrid on hand to test, we were able to spend about 10 to 15 minutes behind the wheel on dirt access roads.

Drive was invited with other local media to attend a preview event held by Great Wall Motors to sample some of its future models.

The closed-course Australian Automotive Research Center on the outskirts of Melbourne is a facility used by Toyota and Ford – and trucking and technology companies – to test safety and stability systems and off-road articulation.

Located 125km south-west of Melbourne, the 1000-hectare site near Anglesea has a vast network of sealed and unsealed roads.

We've previously sampled the GWM Tank 300 before in turbo-petrol left-hand-drive guise. This is our first taste of a right-hand-drive model with petrol-electric power.

Under the bonnet is a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired to a hybrid system and a nine-speed automatic with all-wheel-drive.

This is by no means an exhaustive road test, however the exercise did provide some insight.

First impressions? Perceived build quality and general presentation are good, plus it's well-equipped. We can see this car having plenty of showroom appeal.

The boxy tough-truck looks are likely to appeal to a lot of four-wheel-drive buyers. 

The engine has plenty of performance credentials (though we didn't get a chance to run acceleration or fuel-consumption numbers). 

Although it has heavy-duty looks, GWM has equipped the Tank 300 with grippier highway-terrain tyres rather than off-road rubber. 

We reckon that's a smart idea because most of these vehicles are going to be driven in the city and suburbs where on-road grip is important, especially in wet weather. 

Let's face it, if you want to go off-road, you can always equip it later with some really gnarly tyres. Plus different buyers will want different types of off-road grip. It's best to let off-road enthusiasts make that choice.

The air-conditioning works well, the seats are comfortable, and the large window area and wide-view side mirrors enable good visibility around the car.

NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) is pretty good for a four-wheel-drive. The suspension felt comfortable, even on dirt roads, and the steering was light and easy.

Downsides? Two of these cars briefly failed to proceed until technicians were able to get the mystery gremlins sorted. So there remains a question mark over reliability – and, as an emerging brand in a mature car market, resale value is unknown.

It's too early to say if the Tank 300 should make buyers' hit lists. We want to reiterate this is a brief preview drive rather than a deep-dive road test.

We were behind the wheel for 10 maybe 15 minutes inside a closed-course test complex. 

However, we're keen to get the GWM Tank 300 Hybrid into the Drive garage for a full road test.