Spreading Christmas Cheer with GWM

In celebration of a successful year, GWM SA embarked on a two-day charity drive around Johannesburg, visiting and gifting several non-profit organisations. AutoTrader was fortunate to be invited to join in on spreading some festive cheer and bringing smiles to the less fortunate children of our country. And as part of the occasion we also got to drive the updated M4 and Steed 5 SE.

The charities visited were chosen by the media and celebrities taking part on the day and the donations given were as per the charities’ wish list requests ranging from food, clothing, shoes, and toys to everyday essentials.

GWM will also be celebrating 10 years in the country next year, although I must admit I had even forgot this brand existed here. I have also never driven any of these cars previously and in all honesty, I would never really want to again. But I don’t feel so bad in saying that because I am not alone, many consumers don’t take note of this brand, partly because they don’t have a strong presence in the country and partly because it’s Chinese.

Our trip began from Rivonia to Krugersdorp to visit the Cradle of Hope, a safe haven for abused, recovering/sober mothers and destitute women and children. It was a slow drive, and I mean slooww. Foot flat at 64 km/h we weren’t going anywhere and since I didn’t have sufficient power to overtake, we slow-roasted, I mean baked, I mean we cruised to Krugersdorp, and without an a/c I might add.

Our car could’ve possibly had an a/c function but my passenger, Kim Jayde Robinson – fashion model and blogger, wasn’t able to find it and as designated driver I had to focus on getting this car to move and keeping it straight instead of fiddling around the console. My passengers must’ve thought I’m so unsociable but I had to tone everyone and everything out (selective auditory attention) when driving the M4, that’s just more than necessary mental strain to give while driving.

The controls are so flimsy and the dash looks too busy. For some reason its centre console setup reminds me of Transformers, I see a face when I look at it. The main radio on/off button felt liked it was about to fall out if we had to wind it for volume, which even took us a while to realise where to find volume, so used the steering control for volume instead. It was hilarious.

 “The M4 is powered by a 1,5-litre VVT-i engine that delivers 71,3 kW at 6 000 rpm and 138 Nm of torque to the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.” I’m surprised it supposedly puts out 71 kW because I have driven cars with less power that still had a bit more oomph than this thing.

After having arrived, we offloaded our Chinese bakkie and then proceeded to a meet and greet with staff, parents and children. Candice Abrahams, aka Mrs World 2016, also joined us at Cradle of Hope. We spent some time on the playground with the children and then handed out new sneakers and food amongst other perishables and non-perishables.
We then made our return back to Rivonia to reload and head off to our next stop, CHOC (Childhood Cancer Foundation). Having packed my own little girly goody-pack to hand out, we were a little disappointed to find out there were no kids at the facility when we arrived. We were also accompanied by some Auto Central divas that were in a super-rush, so the M4 had to return the diva’s to their office, while we headed off in the Steed 5 for lunch. Clearly also having a bit of a get-go problem and a lack of power when needed.

Our day ended at the Princess Alice adoption home where we were joined by Jonathan Boynton Lee (Top Billing presenter) and his family, who also shares some history with the home, but that’s not our story to tell.

Now, not to completely discredit these vehicles, they do have an attractive stance and nice styling inside out. Quality and space in the cabin is relatively decent while providing good comfort. In terms of practicality, the storage spaces were horrid, my Samsung Galaxy just managed to fit sideways into the door of the M4, and I can just imagine the struggle someone with big hands would have putting in or getting something out of that holder.

In my personal car, and also when travelling as a passenger, I like to leave my cellphone, sunglasses and sometimes my wallet in the door. There is definitely no chance of that fitting in the M4 doors. The Steed had a slightly broader door space but still only slim items would be able to fit in, like a box of cigarettes and some papers, and I only know these fit because that’s what I found there.

As for the infotainment systems, the Steed had a nice touch-screen infotainment system with an average-sounding sound system, offers decent space and comfort while also being practical enough for a workhorse.

Regardless of faith, background or career path, it was two days that everyone came together and put their hands into doing something to help the most vulnerable people in this country this Christmas.