Value. It’s a concept that’s getting more and more rare in this day and age. Somewhere along the way, 4x4s went from being the agricultural second vehicle you could throw a few bucks at and tour Australia in, to ultra-commodified luxo-barges with price tags to suit. 

Enter the Chinese contingent. Over the last decade the high-value, low-dollar, medium-quality Chinese 4x4s have taken this country by storm, and they’re only just getting started. Sure, they’re not quite as refined as a Lexus or as ballsy as a V6 Ranger, but they’re bringing huge amounts of bang-for-buck to the Australian public. 

Take the GWM Tank 300 turbo-diesel for example. For $53,490, some twenty gorillas cheaper than the cheapest JL Wrangler (probably the most similar vehicle in terms of size and functionality) this thing offers diesel economy, legit off-road prowess and plenty of scope for modification while wrapping you in comfort and technology. 

We recently got our hands on one of the first diesel models in the country and put it through its paces on our 4X4OTY test, where, it has to be said, it more than held its own. Can that magic combo of diesel power, twin lockers, modern comfort and capability offset the fact that it’s not an established brand in this country? Let’s find out. 

JUMP AHEAD

Turbo-diesel powertrain

The 2.4-litre turbo-deezy, borrowed from the GWM Cannon, could best be described as ‘adequate’.

Words like grunty, or torquey or even fast don’t really belong in a story about this engine, which is unfortunate as the overall vehicle really does have a lot to crow about. But the engine just doesn’t inspire much in the way of acceleration-induced grins. Sure, there’s now a 3000kg tow rating, up from the 2500-odd kgs the petrol can lug behind it, and the nine-speed auto does its job, if somewhat uninspiringly, but the reality is the engine is a bit of a miss. 

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It’s rattly, it’s asthmatic and really doesn’t give you a lot of confidence in terms of prospective longevity either. On the plus side, it’s economical and has enough to do the job, both on- and off-road (sorta), but falls short in terms of outright power and torque delivery to the point where it was the only vehicle in our 4X4OTY test to not make it up a particularly steep and scrabbly hill climb. It wasn’t a lack of grip or articulation that let it down, it simply lacked the wheel speed to get it up the obstacle.

To be honest, it’s frustrating in this day and age of 160kW+ diesels from factory coming out and returning decent economy with barrels of torque available, for a manufacturer to see the 135kW and 480Nm from the Tank as acceptable. Come on guys, to be competitive you need to pump those numbers up by a good 20 per cent as a minimum. You’re making the Toyota four-cylinder diesels look fast, which at the very least should be raising a few red flags in the design meetings.

Still, the Tank is easy enough to punt around the suburbs, through the dirt and up the highway, just don’t expect the old pulse to be set racing while you’re doing so. 

On-road performance

For a RWD, short(ish) wheelbase and relatively high centre of gravity, the Tank handles way better than it should.

It can be pushed past its limits without a heap of effort, but you should expect that from this type of vehicle. It’s really very easy to keep within those limits and make the bitumen commute a pleasurable one. 

We won’t re-hash the engine shortcomings, but one thing we should chat about is the overly intrusive driver aids that are more frustrating than finding out the hottest person in your year had a crush on you back in high school. In a word, they’re garbage.

Lane assist as a concept should never have been green lit in any vehicle ever in the first place, but the Tank’s steering-wheel grabber is even more overbearing than normal. If it were human, it would be a close-talker who reckons brushing its teeth is only for special occasions. As it is there are moments where you’d swear you can feel its breath on your neck. It sucks. 

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Then there are all of the other autonomous braking and dings and bells and red-light flashes that can also die in a fire. I’d sincerely like to meet the driver these things are invented for, so I can forcibly remove their license and maybe break their kneecaps to ensure they’re never behind the wheel again. If you cannot keep your vehicle in its lane, or realise that you’re a wee bit close to the car in front of you during peak hour, maybe it’s time to hang up the stirrups, cowboy. 

Oh, and the facial recognition that detects when you’re yawning and annoyingly and insistently suggests you take a break, or the polite lady who suggests you slow down when you’re driving spiritedly to the conditions? Yeah, they can also hop straight in the bin.

The thing is, though, these things aren’t solely a Tank thing. Almost all modern vehicles have them to some degree or another. Other than that, the Tank is actually a nice on-road experience that offers better than decent value, so you have to give it the credit it deserves. Sure, the rear-view mirror vibrates at speed to the point you can’t tell what’s behind you, and the speakers aren’t great, but the 8.5-in touchscreen, digital dash and power everything (except, oddly, the steering wheel adjustment) make for a modern and relatively stress-free driving experience.

Off-road performance

With a nice mid-wheelbase, twin lockers and decent approach and departure angles, the Tank really does shine off-road.

Low range gearing is fantastic, especially paired with that nine-speed auto, and it was really only that one hill climb that troubled the Tank during our testing, which was a power issue, and can’t really be laid at the feet of its off-road credentials. 

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For the money, there aren’t too many other stock 4x4s that’ll come close. It’s a great throwback experience to the middy LandCruisers and Jeeps of yesterdecade that were off-roaders first and foremost, with everything else a secondary consideration. There’s a lot to love about that. 

In reality, there are very few mods needed to make the Tank an absolute track-eating weapon. Even just a set of aggressive rubber would make this thing very close to unstoppable. Of course, there are portal hub kits available for them, and the diffs and CVs are strong enough to handle 35-inch tyres… just thinking out loud here. 

Verdict

The driver aids deserve a Darwin Award, but we’ve already banged on enough about them.

Most can be turned off in the settings on the touchscreen, but geez it’d be nice if they stayed off and didn’t have to be re-done every time you turn the engine on. 

Storage is couple-friendly, but a family may need a roof rack or a larger vehicle for long distance touring. This isn’t really designed for extended family getaways though, it’s more of a ‘drop the kids off at school and maybe head away for a quick weekender (with or without the kids) a few times a year’ affair, as opposed to ‘let’s hit the road full time and start an Instagram page’ situation.

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With that said, the electric front seats are supportive and good for long distance comfort, and the mod cons are plentiful, so there’s no reason you couldn’t tour comfortably in a Tank. Plus, there’s a lot of scope for additional accessories to make it an ideal multi-purpose 4×4. For us we’d start with the usual power-ups to get things moving like they should, then turn our attention to some barwork and winch, then the suspension and tyres. It’s practically begging for all of them, and that’s really the beauty of a vehicle like the Tank. 

It’s an entry level blank canvas that could quickly be turned into something as wild as you could want, and on a budget. And there’s a hell of a lot of value in that. 

MORE 2024 GWM Tank 300 Ultra Hybrid review