Big on comfort, easy on the pocket

You're seeing more and more GWMs on South African roads these days, and the new P300 seems to be finding its way into local hearts.

- Words and photos Cyril Klopper

Chinese manufacturer GWM's P300 is an updated version of the P-Series, first launched in South Africa at the end of 2020.

(The bakkie was originally named Poer, but for obvious reasons it was rebranded on our shores.)

The P300 is the smaller sibling of the P500, but “small” is hardly the word for it - it’s 10 cm longer than a Toyota Hilux and tips the scales 20 kg heavier than the hefty new Ford Ranger.

We took the P300 into the Green Kalahari in the Northern Cape to see what it could do on the gravel roads and mountain passes along the Orange River.

Exterior and interior

The GWM P300 bears a strong resemblance to the existing P-Series, but the newcomer now sports a more aggressive front end that gives it an almost menacing look. The bumper and grille are larger and more angular, with none of the softer curves of its predecessor in sight. It now looks far more like a bakkie than a car - and we have no issue with that.

Still, there are friendlier touches, like the tailgate that folds down gently on gas struts rather than crashing open with a bang like most bakkies. As with the previous model, the tailgate also has a builtin step ladder to make climbing into the load bin easier.