After a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen for about a third of the price? Say hello to Tank 700.
This is probably unfair to the tank considering it has its own unique style, characteristics and off-road capabilities. However, there is no denying that this tank will be well received by many buyers in Australia.
The exact price for the Tank 700 has yet to be announced, but if you convert the Chinese price for the absolute base model (not the Launch Edition shown here) into AUD, you get the equivalent of around $91,000.
Adding in some costs for shipping and taxes, it’s very likely that the price will be just above or just over $100,000 – which would make it the most expensive GWM product ever offered for sale in Australia.
Is it even coming? All signs are very positive and it just depends on whether GWM Australia can make a strong business case and show that there is enough demand for a vehicle like the Tank 700.
Funnily enough, this isn’t even the absolute top of the range Tank range – that would be the upcoming Tank 800, which looks very much like it was inspired by the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. For now, however, we’re focusing on the Tank 700.
Last month we had the opportunity to take a very quick ride on the top-of-the-line Hi4-T in China, as the Tank 700 is big for our market, and our first impressions were of genuine surprise and delight.
For those who are not aware of the global positioning of the GWM brands, the Chinese OEM has its GWM Ute, which is called Poer in China but is called Cannon locally. Then there’s Ora (who has cute names like Funky Cat or Ballet Cat in China) and Tank.
There is also the premium brand Wei, which is on the more luxurious side and is becoming a competitor to Genesis and Lexus in the future. However, there is still some time until the debut in Australia.
Currently the Tank brand is at the top of the food chain for GWM locally and the 700 will be the star of the Australian range. It’s still unclear whether the Tank 800 is planned for a future launch Down Under.
The Tank 700’s boxy shape is hard to capture in photos, but it’s a pretty tough-looking SUV, measuring 5,090mm long and 2,061mm wide 1952mm high.
Depending on the gradient and suspension setting, you can achieve a ground clearance of 249mm to 282mm with a approach and departure angle of 32 degrees. GWM states that the Tank 700 will have a wading depth of 900-970mm. depending on the variant.
For comparison, the Tank 700’s wading depth is up to 70mm better than the Land Rover Defender (900mm), 200-270mm more than the standard G-Wagen and even 50-120mm more than the electric G -Dare. Not bad.
The two variants currently available in China are both powered by the same plug-in hybrid system, combining a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder gasoline engine with a 37.1 kWh lithium-ion battery.
It provides system outputs from 385kW And 800 Nm, which runs through a 9-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels. The engine itself produces 265 kW and 560 Nm, while the electric motor produces 120 kW and 400 Nm.
GWM doesn’t provide any information on the Tank 700’s performance or weight, but for comparison the AMG G 63 offers 430kW and 850Nm; And while it’s not always fair to directly compare the overall performance of a plug-in hybrid with a pure combustion engine, that’s unlikely to be the case with the Tank 700 slow.
That was certainly our experience behind the wheel. The Tank 700 is a real beast and gets moving with significant pulling power – far more than we expected. Surprisingly, it also stops and turns with more grace and control than we expected, and even the drive around the test track at GWM’s designated research and development center went well.
Maybe our expectations were low, or maybe the Tank 700 is an outstanding performance; We certainly need more time driving on the local roads, but we were still impressed.
According to the spec sheet, the Tank 700 PHEV has a combined fuel consumption of just 2.97L/100km with a full battery, but if you drive with a flat battery you can expect this figure to be around 10.9L/100km.
GWM says the Tank 700 can travel around 100km in electric mode (90km for the top larger-wheeled version), meaning most Australians will drive the Tank 700 every day as a zero-emission vehicle and charge it at home overnight could while it is stationary You benefit from an internal combustion engine and a fuel tank for longer journeys and weekend trips.
The interior is also quite impressive and feels like a product that could easily compete with much more expensive European brands.
The fit and finish, the quality of the materials and displays – including a 12.3-inch digital cluster matched to the 16.2-inch infotainment system – really elevate the interior ambience. There is even a 7.0-inch display for the rear passengers.
The feature list is extensive, here are some highlights from the base class:
- Leather seats
- 256-color ambient interior lighting
- Massage seats
- Heated, ventilated seats
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 16.2 inch infotainment screen
- Head-Up Display
- 7.0-inch rear control display (2nd row)
- Front USB x2 (Type A + Type C)
- Rear USB x2 (Type A + Type C)
- Harman Kardon audio with 16 speakers
- Active noise cancellation
- Over-the-air (OTA) system updates.
- 4-zone speech recognition
- Vehicle hotspot (WLAN)
- face recognition
- 360 degree cameras
- Driver monitoring system
- Suede headlining with electric vent
- Electric sunroof
- Multifunction leather steering wheel
- Electric 4-way steering wheel adjustment
- Wireless phone chargers x2
Features available on higher trim levels include laser headlights, GWM’s self-driving highway system, and 22-inch alloy wheels with 275/50 R22 tires.
Overall, there’s a lot to digest here; But our time in the GWM Tank 700 and our high-speed program show us that this Chinese off-roader certainly has a lot of potential.
If GWM gets the price positioning right; Thanks to the brand’s balanced combination of design, performance, off-road capability and the brand’s long seven-year/unlimited kilometer warranty, GWM should definitely be able to entice buyers to take a closer look at the Tank 700.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments!