GWM P5OO breaks tradition

>a It's more powerful than the 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel Ranger.

- Charl Bosch

he proverbial "a lot to prove," adage has been a constant to the GWM P500 since its local arrival. Besides being the brand's new flagship bakkie above the P-Series, it's also one of the biggest with an overall length of 5 445mm, which makes it 95mm longer than a comparative Ford Ranger Wildtrak. As with sister brand Tank's 500, the P500 breaks from Chinese vehicle tradition by asking an almost seven-figure price tag to become the second priciest vehicle in South Africa made in the People's Republic. At R999 990 for the top-spec Ultra Luxury tested here, the P500 finds itself in a quandary as GWM has opted for a hybrid powerplant instead of a big displacement petrol or at best, a suitably torque turbodiesel engine with six-cylinders or twin-turbocharging. The Ultra Luxury is a hybrid-only model that pairs the 18ok W/380Nm 2.o-litre turbo-petrol from the Tank 500 and 300 with an electric motor and battery pack developing 78k W/268Nm. In total, the configuration develops 255k W/648Nm. Its more powerful than the 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel Ford Ranger, and even 65Nm torquier than the Raptor's 3.o-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol mill, but down by 37k W from the latter. The downside involves a portly z 575kg kerb mass. The P500's styling is distinctly American truck macho but not as brash. The combination ofthe oversized grille and P-Series logo, angular LED headlights and profile makes for an imposing entrant. A first for South Africa, the multi-function tailgate opens in two stages, the default being a split barn-door-type design requiring pressing of a rubber button located within the P-Series logo. Pressing it harder or giving the gate a desc