HIGH AND MIGHTY

If you’re looking for big, you just found it – not to mention decent value for money. Sean O’Grady takes Great Wall’s new off-road behemoth, the GWM Poer300 Ultra, for a spin

- Sean O’Grady

They say you can see the Great Wall of China from space, and I think the same goes for Great Wall Motor’s pickup, just about. It’s roughly the same length as a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and a little taller than a Range Rover. Of its total 5.4 metre length (nearly six yards), some 1.5 metres are accounted for by the boxy load area (as wide as it is long), and it’s a perfectly competitive product, at least in most respects. The payload is 1,050kg and it'll tow 3.5 tonnes, and carry five adults. It's a substantial proposition, in every way.

Having had the pleasure of taking the GWM Poer300 (pronounced "power", I guess that's a copyright thing) off-road on some seriously challenging terrain, I can vouch for its capabilities there, and it's as impressive as much more costly, better-known machinery. The badge on the back says 4x4, but in normal road conditions it defaults to two-wheel (rear) drive, only switching to all four at higher speeds.