Diesel power gives the Tank 300 the edge it so richly deserves

GWM would have expected much better sales of its Tank brand's first local model, the 300, in its first year in South Africa. But the Chinese car-maker has seemingly solved the puzzle with the introduction of a diesel powertrain, writes The Citizen's Charl Bosch.

- 

The first two GWM Tank 300 model derivatives were blighted by poor fuel consumption. The 2l turbocharged petrol model received the bulk of the criticism, while the self-charging hybrid has been received coolly for its anything but new energy consumption of more than 13l/100km.

While praised for its 255kW of power and 648Nm of torque, the hybrid's attempt to balance power with efficiency while moving nearly 2,3t simply doesn't suit a vehicle designed from the onset as a hardcore off-roader.

Therefore, the solution was simple, and the Tank 300 officially debuted a turbo-diesel engine, in a move GWM chairperson Wei Jianjun described as 'an issue that could no longer be avoided'.

Using the GW4D24 2,4l Wei Jianjun-litre oil-burner that debuted in the facelift P-Series bakkie (now called P300 locally), the Tank 300 was well received in South Africa.

INCREASED TORQUE

The oil-burner becomes the entry-level power unit in the Tank 300 lineup, despite its greater displacement than the admittedly more powerful petrol and hybrid derivatives. In a move that could be seen as making the petrol and hybrid almost redundant, the arrival of the diesel for the week-long test left no second guessing as to which model would soon become the most sought-after.

Our tester was the Ultra Luxury which, at R739 990, undercuts the comparative petrol by R39 960 and the hybrid by R189 960.

Styled to resemble the Soviet-era UAZ 469 military 'jeep', with a few elements from the Ford Bronco present down the side and the rear, the Tank 300 looks purposeful and rugged in a manner its more upmarket sibling, the plusher Tank 500, simply cannot match.

Perched on 18-inch alloy wheels, versus the 17 inches fitted to the Super Luxury, the Ultra Luxury strikes an imposing figure, with the only giveaway of its difference from the petrol being a chrome 2.4T badge above the 4x4 decal on the tailgate.