GWM Tank 500 & P500 3.0 launch first drive

If there's one thing that you have to give the Chinese manufacturer credit for, it's that they genuinely listen to what consumers say. It may take a year or two, but if your commentary on the vehicle is valid, they will actually head back to the drawing board and modify their offerings accordingly.

South African consumers (along with our right-hand drive counterparts in Australia) made it known that a larger, possibly 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine would be ideal for the GWM P500 and Tank 500, believing that it would make these models far more attractive in the spaces that they were intending on playing. Initially, the P500 was offered with a choice of a 2.0-litre turbodiesel hybrid and a 2.4-litre turbodiesel without hybrid assistance. The Tank 500, their flagship 7-seater SUV was fitted with the same hybrid powertrain.

This HEV powertrain was no slouch, producing 255 kW and a stout 648 Nm torque, while the 2.4 turbodiesel unit in the P500 offered a sensible 135 kW and 480 Nm. But you wanted something a little different. You wanted more.

GWM has given you more, but has also given you less at the same time, which makes the introduction of their new 3.0-litre turbodiesel powertrain an interesting proposition.

Related: The GWM Tank 500 Hybrid First Drive Review

The new 3.0 turbodiesel

To genuinely take on the likes of Toyota's 2.8GD-6 and Ford's 3.0 V6, GWM have developed a 3.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine. This unit produces 170 kW and 620 Nm of torque, sending its power to either the rear wheels or all four wheels through a dedicated 9-speed automatic gearbox.

By now, you would have noticed that this output is lower than that of the hybrid variant. While many may think that this new 3.0 would be the new flagship, GWM is still considering the HEV to be the flagship offering, for now, with the 3.0 acting as a replacement for the 2.4-litre turbodiesel in the P500.

GWM claims that this new engine should be able to return fuel consumption figures of 7.3 l/100km for the P500 and 7.1 for the Tank 500. We were comfortably able to achieve low 8s with both variants on our brief test in the new vehicles. This will, undoubtedly, improve as some mileage is added to them.

This is a boon for the Tank 500, especially, which, despite its hybrid drivetrain, was struggling to return the sort of fuel consumption figures that one typically associates with hybrid assistance.

If you're concerned about towing, fear not, as the new 3.0T is rated to tow up to 3.5 tonnes.

This new 3.0 derivative is replacing the 2.4-litre option in the P500, with the 2.0T HEV option available on request, should you wish.

Related: GWM P500 HEV First Drive Review

Driving Impressions

GWM P500 D-Cab 3.0TD 9AT 4x4 Ultra Luxury

Eager to sample this new engine, I first jumped on board the P500. My initial impression was one of surprise. This engine is exceptionally smooth and quiet. Noise intrusion is minimal, and there's very little of the diesel clatter one would typically expect from a large displacement 4-cylinder engine.

The throttle response is surprisingly good for a 9-speed automatic gearbox. Usually, gearboxes with numerous gears like this will change up fairly quickly, leaving you out of the torque band of the engine. They take a moment to shift down and give you the required RPM to make headway. In the P500, the 3.0T develops as much as 385 Nm at only 1,000 RPM, so one never truly notices what gear you're actually in.

The rear suspension of the P500 is still exceptionally firm, struggling to absorb the undulations that would affect the primary ride. This, unfortunately, makes the P500 feel dated as GWM has erred on the side of functionality in this regard, but tried to bundle that functionality in a premium-feeling package. The rear hops and skates over corrugations and definitely requires some load in the bin to iron out these reverberations.

Tank 500 3.0TD 9AT 4x4 Ultra Luxury

The Tank 500 initially suffered at the hands of higher-than-expected fuel consumption, and was less-than-perfect when it came to the throttle and gearbox calibration when it was fitted with the hybrid drivetrain. While GWM stated that the hybrid system was geared towards economy, it seemed to provide neither the quoted consumption nor the total power output. The addition of the 3.0T rectifies both of these concerns.

Over gravel, the Tank 500 was very confidence-inspiring. The ladder frame construction is perhaps not as comfortable as other unibody SUVs of the same girth, but over the rougher stuff, it comes into its own, soaking up the undulations and ironing them out admirably. Again, the fuel consumption was impressive. Holding a steady 120 km/h on the highway with a few spurts to test the acceleration, I was able to register 8.3 l/100km on the onboard computer.

The one area that was a little underwhelming in both the Tank 500 and the P500 was actually the engine. Anyone who has driven a large displacement turbodiesel engine will be familiar with the customary torque swell under acceleration. It will pick up the nose of the vehicle and feel pretty impressive, even if it is short-lived as the redline approaches relatively quickly. There was no such sensation in the GWMs. The acceleration is smooth and far more linear than I was expecting. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the number suggests that there should be a little more progress made when stopping on the loud pedal.

Features and Safety

The 500 series retains all the luxurious, premium appointments that their predecessors offered, including a large 14.6-inch infotainment screen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. A 12.3-inch screen does duty for the driver display and is augmented by a heads-up display on the top-of-the-range models. These also get electric adjustment for the seats, leather upholstery and massage, heating, and ventilation features.

Both the P500 and Tank 500 are equipped with 7 airbags and a level 2 ADAS system with the obligatory adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking, lane keep asissts et al. The safety suite also includes a 360-degree surround view camera.

Pricing

The pricing is probably the biggest surprise. Even after two years on the market, GWM is managing to keep pricing exceptionally competitive across these segments. Both the Tank 500 and the P500 are sold with a 7-year/200,000 km warranty, a 7-year/75,000 km service plan, and a 7-year/unlimited km Roadside Assistance plan.

GWM P500

GWM Tank 500