The closest the Chinese have ever been to competing against the segment benchmark, the diesel Tank 300 ticks almost all the right boxes.
Image: Peet Mocke
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The rise of the Chinese offerings in South Africa over the last decade has seen the various brands go from strength to strength, consistently bringing improved and updated products to our market. Great Wall Motors has undoubtedly led the charge and is still going strong, almost 18 years since its arrival here. From an initial product offering consisting primarily of commercial vehicles, aside from the H5 SUV, the introduction of luxury subsidiary Haval saw GWM at the forefront of offering the sort of trim and specification normally associated with premium European marques but at two-thirds and sometimes half the price.
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GWM’s next salvo came in the form of the P-Series double-cab three years ago, which had the segment’s best leisure double-cabs in its crosshairs. With a recent update to a larger and more powerful turbodiesel engine, the P-Series edges even closer to the best in the segment. Which brings us to the retro-inspired Tank 300. Although its presence, tech-heavy cabin and refinement made it one of the darlings of our 2024 SUV shootout, the hybrid model’s thirst for unleaded fuel and tardy towing at freeway speeds left us pondering the potential of a diesel model. Thankfully, we need ponder no more.
Image: Peet Mocke
Besides the new engine, the Tank 300 featured here is the top-tier Ultra Luxury version. It differs from the Super Luxury model by way of an electrically activated front diff lock (to add to the standard rear item), 64-colour ambient lighting (there’s seven in the Super Luxury), an uprated nine-speaker audio system by Infinity, a heated steering wheel and wireless smartphone charging. The front seats are also finished in Nappa leather upholstery and feature heating, ventilation and massaging functions. The driver’s seat also includes eight-way electrical adjustment.
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This generous specification contributes to a cabin that’s just a notch above the rest for overall comfort, with a variety of surfaces and finishes like quilted leather, brushed metal and switchgear that feels satisfyingly solid. The boot accommodated an ample 360 litres worth of our foam ISO measuring blocks, expanding to 912 litres with the seats folded. Perhaps an area where the Tank falls short is that many of its rivals feature a third row of seats to accommodate two more passengers – a feature that often appeals to families with young kids.
The only visual cue separating this model from its sibling is 18-inch multi-spoke wheels, and underneath, there’s an additional plate of underbody protection for a total tally of three. On the active safety front, this model’s specification includes emergency lane keep, door open warning, rear collision warning, blind spot detection, cross traffic alert and cross traffic brake. The engine, carried over from the newest P300, is GWM’s 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel unit, internally codenamed GW42D4. With more torque offered lower down the rev range and more peak power at the same 3 600 r/min than the 2.0-litre presently servicing the P-Series range, this was without a doubt the engine to put in the brand’s adventure SUV.
Image: Peet Mocke
It’s an impressively refined unit, and the inclusion of double-glazed glass all around and an insulated engine bay means little in the way of diesel clatter permeates the cabin. The ride is as comfortable as you could expect from a vehicle with a ladder-frame chassis, with a well-damped multi-link rear setup and reasonable heft from its electric power steering assistance. We’re happy to report that our previous concerns about the Tank’s fuel consumption (that of the range-topping Hybrid model) have been put to rest with the inclusion of the new turbodiesel. We recorded a best average fuel consumption figure of 9.65 L/100 km and it returned 9.8 L/100 km consistently. This is markedly better than the 12.7 L/100 km the hybrid often registered during our Tankwa excursion.
Naturally, it’s not the sprinter that the turbopetrol hybrid model we tested last year was. The 0-100 km/h sprint was dispatched in 11.32 seconds (versus the 8.80 of the hybrid) and our overtaking manoeuvre from 80-120 km/h took 9.47 seconds. Even so, its performance still exceeds that of most of its peers in terms of outright acceleration.
Despite coming away generally pleased with the Tank’s newfound fuel efficiency and all-round driveability, our test team did pick up on one chink in the powertrain’s armour. Smooth round-town is hampered by throttle pedal calibration that exhibits a noticeable delay from pull-away, during parking manoeuvres and at intersections. As throttle calibration is something that’s caught our ire from the majority of Chinese brands, usually for being too overzealous, this seems like a massive over-correction. Particularly because in our P300 test in the April ’25 issue we didn’t notice this issue as much.
Much like the team’s consensus around the fire during our post-drive discussions on the HEV Tank during the July ’24 SUV Shootout, the new turbodiesel Tank impressed all of us with an impressive combination of attractive design inside and out (the craning of necks and stares from other motorists and passers-by attest to this) as well as on -road manners and off-road capability.
The improvement in range by way of a punchy turbodiesel engine has only further cemented its appeal in a segment where vehicles must double as both vacation-capable and solid daily drivers. Unfortunately, the delayed throttle was the biggest let-down despite a strong showing in all other measurable areas. Given how impressive the rest of the package is, the unresponsive throttle calibration is a bit of a disappointment, but if you can get past this small hurdle, the turbodiesel Tank may well be the smart (and budget-friendly) choice in this hotly contested segment.
Find the full feature in the June 2025 issue of CAR Magazine.
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