It Must be Love.
Introduction:
31 years ago, GWM produced their first car and today is China’s biggest
producer of SUVs with global GWM sales of over ten million vehicles to date and
a 70% SUV market share in China alone. After driving the strikingly vivid Orange
GWM Tank 300 HEV, this past week, I can see why the company dominates this
market in China and is fast becoming a serious contender locally with so much
on offer, both with impressive technology and excellent 4x4 capability. With
over 70 holding subsidiaries, GWM has more than 80,000 employees worldwide and are
in over sixty countries covering over four hundred overseas networks, including
sunny South Africa. After 17 years of selling the GWM brand locally, GWM acquired
Havaal Motors South Africa about seven years ago, and is now home to over one
hundred dealerships, offering both the GWM and Havaal vehicles on their
showroom floors. GWM have been testing batteries for over 10 years, so forming
a partnership with BMW in 2018 to produce the EV version of the Mini brand made
sense and added IP to GWM’s Global R and D layout. GWM is a big player in the
automotive market, also owning the WEY and ORA vehicle brands.
Engine/ Economy/
Drive/ Comfort: The HEV’s super quiet hybrid powertrain engine is built
to impress. The electric motor has a 37.11 kWh battery, propelling peak figures
up to 255 kW and 648 Nm, from the standard other 2.0 litre turbo petrol derivative
with figures of 167 kw and 387 Nm, respectively. The 9 speed HAV transmission seamlessly
receives the power from the automatic 4x4 BorgWarner (used by BMW) drive
technology where their GenV technology reduces vehicle complexity and
simplifies integration into the powertrain. When starting the vehicle, the
electric motor kicks in and you reverse as if on a golf cart – at a low speed
one could get 80 to 100 kms on the battery, but remember that this is not a
plug in, so charging comes from self-charging through regenerative braking. GWM
claim a fuel economy of 8.4 litres per 100 kms, but I achieved a far greater figure,
considering my testing of acceleration, drive comfort, braking and handling. I
found the HEV to drive beautifully and was super comfortable on and off the
road. A heads up if you are wanting immediate responsive power, activate sport
mode and you will think that you are taking off from King Shaka!
Features: The
list is endless, but here are a few: 220V and 12V Power Supply in Trunk, ESC/ESP,
HBA, iBooster intelligent braking system, All Terrain Driving - Standard,
Economic, Sport, Snow, Mud, Sand, 4L, Android Auto/ Apple car play, BT, Crawl
Control Operation(CCO), Tank Turn, Chassis View, Off-Road Heat Management Mode Anti-Slip
Regulation/Traction Control System (ASR/TCS), Roll Movement Intervention (RMI),
HAC, HDC, Dynamic Direction Stabilisation Assistance, ACC, Automatic Emergency
Braking (AEB), Front Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW),
Lane Keeping Assistant (LKA), Lane Central Keeping (LCK), Traffic Sign Reader
(TSR), Smart Speed Assist System (SAS), Traffic Jam Assist System (TJA), 360
degree camera, Multi-Functional Steering Wheel, 31 cm LCD Instrument Cluster, Green
privacy glass, Adjustable Instrument Brightness, Luggage Cover, Front Row Dual
USB (Type C - Charging Only; Type A) Back Row Dual USB (Type A - Charging Only)
Interior/
Exterior/ Boot: The Tank 300 is extremely comfortable inside and a lot of
thought has gone into the dashboard, functionality, ergonomics and solid premium
feel of the materials used, right through to the stitching on the synthetic
leather seats for the Super luxury HEV (The Ultra Luxury normal petrol engine
derivative offers Nappa leather) The Orange colour exterior paint on this
beauty is a proper showstopper and the talk of the town, here in Westville, KZN
which is where I lay my hat each day. I love the styling which compares to a
few other vehicles we know - almost like a very good-looking combination of an
FJ, Jimny, Wrangler and INEOS in the front. The 400 Liters of boot space is
more than enough to journey into the great outdoors or fit all the kids’ bags
for school and sport, for those plentiful Soccer Mom lift clubs in the day,
which convert into Book aka Wine clubs in the evenings!
Price/ Warranty/
Service Plan: R851950, 7 Years / 200 000 km Vehicle Warranty, 8 Years /
150 000 km Battery Warranty, 7 Years / Unlimited km Roadside Assistance, 5
Years / 75 000 km Service Plan, with Service Intervals of 12 Months or 15 000
km
In Summary: What an amazing car and 4x4 and a very worthy
competitor and alternative to the traditional thinkers in this space.
Unfortunately, I was not able to do it proud on a 4x4 course, but from all
accounts of other reviews, the Tank 300 stands out as a proper 4x4, but with
excellent comfort too. I had to name it, “It Must be Love,” after the song from
Madness, with some of the lyrics saying it, like I felt it……” As soon as I
wake up every night, every day, I know that its you I need, to take the blues
away, it must be love, love, love…...”
*This article is
written in my opinion only. For detailed information on the specs, please
contact Havaal Motors SA*
