When it comes to off-roaders, Australia has more choice than most. We have the Nissan Patrol, the Jeep Wrangler, and both kinds of Toyota Land Cruiser, just for starters. The China-developed GWM Tank 300 is still seen as an oddball outsider, perhaps undeserving of a mention against such hallowed names. And yet, as I found out—China’s mud brawler is more than happy to go rugged against any of the the big guns.
The Tank 300 first showed up in China in 2020 under the Wey brand. Great Wall Motors then brought it down under in late 2022, and the plucky off-roader has expanded to many global markets since. At times, it’s criticized as a knock-off for certain design elements and a slight resemblance to the Ford Bronco, or seen as a cheap alternative to more established nameplates from other brands.
Yet, to truly understand the Tank 300, it needs to be evaluated on its own merits. Not for what people think it is, but for what it’s actually capable of. In the week I spent behind the wheel, I learned that’s actually rather a lot.
Built Body
The designers didn’t mess around when they set out the parameters for the Tank 300’s design. This was not going to be some cheap soft-roader with cushy suspension for the school run and a weedy front-biased all-wheel-drive system. Nope, the Tank 300 was built with an eye to tackling the rough stuff as a priority. It got a proper body-on-frame design with a longitudinal engine driving a proper four-wheel-drive system. The ethos? Mud first, motorway second. Simple as that.
GWM first hit the Australian market with the 2.0-liter gasoline hybrid, offering 241 hp from the engine and 105 horsepower from the electric motor. A petrol-only version came later, offering 217 hp and 280 pound-feet of torque. It was a longer wait for diesel fans, however, with the compression-ignition model only landing in 2025. It boasts a 2.4-liter turbodiesel engine good for 181 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic and a dual-range transfer case.
It was the long-awaited diesel that I was lucky enough to drive Down Under. It’s a popular fuel for off-roaders in this land, particularly amongst the agricultural set. GWM’s Australian executives took great pride in pushing the Chinese automaker to pursue diesel power, which was not initially on the cards for the model.
The hope is that that the diesel powertrain will attract a broader customer base towards the GWM off-roader. Indeed, it seems only fitting, given the Tank’s positioning as a rugged vehicle for backwoods duties.
On The Road
The important thing about the Tank 300 is how it feels, and GWM gets it pretty much right from first impressions. It’s got the ride height and the sideboards, which instantly make it feel like it’s built for the the country. Chunkier tires would go further, but you’re already getting the right idea just from the look of this thing. Climb inside, and you’ve got a nice high seating position with a great view out of the boxy greenhouse. By your hand, a smattering of controls for all the off-road gubbins you might need on the trail. The Tank’s purpose is clear from the outset.
Start the engine, and that feeling continues. It’s not exactly the most refined engine, but few four-cylinder diesels are. It’s adequate on the road, delivering enough grunt to shove the 5000-pound around at an appreciable clip. GWM claims you’ll get up to 7.8 L/100 km (30 mpg) combined, which is pretty decent fuel economy, albeit a ways away from the 9.0 L/100 km (26 mpg) I achieved. Meanwhile, off-road, it’s got that really pleasant low-down torque to muscle along as needed.
So far, so good—the diesel does the job, right? Well… there’s just one thing. It’s lacking in responsiveness. Perhaps its the automatic start stop, perhaps its the calibration of the accelerator… but multiple times, this thing felt flat-footed. At one point, I was trying to merge on to a highway and it took a full second for the drivetrain to respond after I leaned into the pedal. I nearly missed a traffic light! It’s only an occasional problem during slow-speed driving, but it’s a frustrating one when it does happen.
As for the interior, it’s quite a nice place to be. The idea of the “cheap Chinese car” continues to maintain a hold on Australian consumers, though it becomes less relevant as time goes on. Step into the Tank 300, and “cheap” isn’t the first thing that springs to mind.
[Ed Note: That interior look really familiar.
[Ed note: That’s the current Jeep Wrangler cabin above. Quite similar! -DT]
It’s by no means a luxury vehicle, but the switchgear and touch surfaces all feel pleasant enough for the price bracket. You also get niceties like heated and ventilated seats in the higher trims, a heated steering wheel, and an excellent high-resolution 360-degree parking camera. The only thing it’s really missing is the quirky massage seats of the GWM Ora GT. Regarding the infotainment, GWM hasn’t quite mastered the software world yet. Its UI is a little clunky compared to some of the latest efforts from legacy automakers, but everything is functional and fit for purpose. Plus, you get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you’re spending very little time in the GWM software anyway.
There are a few irritants, though. Mostly the indicators, which GWM can never quite get right. It’s very easy to flick them on by accident, and very frustrating to try and cancel them. In the first few days, I ended up flicking back and forth multiple times until I could shut them off. The alarm is also ready to go off at the drop of a hat. I often sit in my car with the engine off when I’m out and about… and that’s a recipe for trouble here. Multiple times, the Tank’s alarm started screaming its head off, even though I had the keys literally in my hand in the driver’s seat. The only surefire fix I found was leaving the car “on” but with the engine off. Frustrating, but workable.
Ultimately, the day-to-day on road experience is perfectly fine for this category of vehicle. It handles well enough, soaks up most of the bumps, and the ride height is great for getting over the endless speedbumps of inner city areas. It’s not as smooth or comfortable as your average commuter car, but that’s the tradeoff you make when you go for a chunky off-roader. If anything, it’s refreshing that GWM didn’t try and hedge between building a lush SUV and a go-anywhere four-wheel-drive. That’s more the goal of the larger Tank 500; the 300 is more focused in its goals.
On The Beat-Up Paths
What you’re really wondering, though, is how the Tank 300 handles the rough and tumble. In a word, it’s great—but that shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s got all the basic ingredients of a solid off-roader—a torquey engine, a dual-range transfer case, and a chassis with the legs to get over the chunky stuff.
The critical numbers are good—the Tank 300 has approach, departure, and breakover angles of 33, 34, and 23.1 degrees. That trounces the Land Cruiser 300 Series (31, 25, 22), and even bests the older, more rugged 80 Series (33, 23, 23). It’s not quite up there with the Jeep Wrangler (44, 37, 27.8), but it’s plenty good enough to handle a lot of off-road trails out there. You’re also blessed with 8.8 inches of ground clearance and a wading depth of 27.6 inches.
Overall, it feels steady and competent on the trail. The engine and driveline provides good drive and traction, and the earlier-mentioned throttle response issues never reared their head during my dirt play sessions. The available front and rear diff locks are great to have, too, particularly if you regularly find yourself tackling slipperier stuff.
A nice inclusion is the “Conqueror perspective” mode, which is a cute title for the off-road camera system. It’s useful for getting a view of roughly what the front tires are doing while you’re sitting in the driver’s seat. It beats having to get out of the vehicle to inspect an obstacle, particularly when you’re on a steep slope or muddy area.
Of course, as a press car, I couldn’t put the Tank 300 through any real strenuous challenges, lest I bin it in a river and get yelled at by the GWM people. But that’s okay—you needn’t take my word for the Tank 300’s prowess. Just take a look at it tackling the fearsome Beer O’Clock Hill in Australia below, as David Tracy discussed last year. Fair note, this is a petrol-engined model, but it goes to show the basic competence of the Tank 300 design.
A Great Value, But Not Much Of A Reputation
The GWM Tank 300 is not a flawless vehicle. The diesel engine is not particularly nice around town, and I doubt you’d ever hit the company’s claimed fuel economy in regular driving. It also has those terrible GWM indicators that are supremely difficult to cancel until you really get the hang of things. Meanwhile, if you care about brand cachet, it has none. GWM has been in Australia for a while, but it’s yet to build up much of a positive reputation.
But the Tank 300 does a lot well—and I’ve avoided mentioning the best part until now. Yes, it’s a capable off-roader, and yes, it’s got a solid interior and lots of creature comforts. But what really makes this a potential segment champion is the price. This thing starts at just $46,990 AUD (~$29,900 USD) for the cheapest petrol model; you only need tack on another $1000 if you want the diesel. Meanwhile, if you want the nicer Ultra trim with front and rear lockers? It starts at just $51,990 AUD ($33,100 USD).
It’s worth putting those numbers up against the other off-roaders on sale in the Australian market. These days, a 70-series Toyota Land Cruiser will set you back a monstrous $80,000 AUD (~$50,900 USD) for the basic WorkMate trim. You can’t even get near a full-fat 300 Series for less than $105,000 AUD ($66,837 USD). Even the humble Jeep Wrangler comes at a pretty penny these days—kicking off at $75,950 AUD ($48,345 USD) Down Under.
Australians have suffered these high prices for a long time. There simply isn’t a lot of competition in the pure off-roader segment, and it shows. Toyota knows what you want, and they’re happy to squeeze you for the privilege of driving home in a capital-LC Land Cruiser. Meanwhile, Nissan’s pricing isn’t far behind, and Jeep is happy pricing the Wrangler like an exclusive lifestyle vehicle. You could consider the Suzuki Jimny, but it’s remarkably hard to actually lay your hands on one.
If you want a cheap and capable off-roader for a budget price, it’s hard to look past the GWM offering. There just isn’t much else out there in the same price range. The Tank 300 offers everything you want—body on frame construction, proper four-wheel-drive, low range, and front and rear lockers—all for well under $60,000 AUD.
It’s for this reason alone that I’d probably consider buying the Tank over most of the competition. You could buy two for the price of a single 300 Series Land Cruiser, and you’d probably take delivery a lot quicker, too. You could trash one up and down your farm for a whole year, sink it in a bog, and then start driving the second one after that—and you’d still come out ahead of most 300 Series buyers. It’s also a lot more interesting to look at. I’m not just talking about the general design, either—GWM offers more interesting colors than the current Toyota lookbook, which pretty much ends at silver and white.
There’s one thing that holds me back on the Tank, though, and it’s a difficult one. A new vehicle is always a big investment, and you want something stout and reliable for your money. That goes double for off-roaders—you’re relying on them to get you to far-flung nowheres and all the way back to civilization. The problem that GWM has is a lack of reputation. These vehicles just haven’t been around long enough to rack up hundreds of thousands of miles and impress us all with their longevity.
They could be pretty solid, but we just don’t know yet. It’s sometimes hard to read through the lines when it comes to bluster online. A lot of people will talk a lot of crap about Chinese cars, but how much of it is rooted in reality? It’s hard to say, but a question mark still hangs over these vehicles for a lot of consumers. Time is the only thing that can change that. Given the pricing, GWM’s likely got a pretty good shot at winning people over.
Ultimately, though, the Tank 300 tells me GWM is doing something right. It’s figured out how to build a capable four-wheel-drive and sell it at a very tasty price. It’s not a bad looker, to boot. Now that it’s available as a diesel, too, it should continue to win fans in Australia and across the world. We’re still near the beginning of the Tank story, and I’ll be very interested to see where it goes from here.
Image credits: Lewin Day
No disrespect to the writer, but if you seriously would rather buy this over an LC, you have a screw loose. Chinese make bling only. Their business model is to sell the max numbers and repeat the process ASAP. Look at this shiny button and that big screen, wow it can vacuum the floor and make coffee too! All that nonsense will fail very quick. There’s no QC at all, don’t be fooled.
I drove the LC300, and it bored the pants off me—at three times the price, no less.
This (and the V8 Nissan Patrol) are far more interesting to drive, I stand by it.