GWM Tank 300 2024 review: Hybrid Ultra

Much like the petrol-powered Tank 300 that’s been on sale for a while now, the Hybrid is available in two model grades - Lux from $55,990 drive-away and Ultra at $60,990 drive-away. That’s a $9000 and $10,000 premium respectively over the petrol grades. For this review, I tested the Hybrid Ultra.

As with GWM’s other products in the market, the pricing is competitive. There are not too many SUVs with a ladder-frame chassis in this price bracket that have this level of kit.

The obvious ute-based rivals include the Ford Everest which is priced from $53,990 to a lofty $79,490, the Isuzu MU-X from $48,900 to $65,990, and the ageing Mitsubishi Pajero Sport from $44,940 to $62,440 - all before on-road costs.

The GWM is also packed with standard gear like an eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat. (Image: Tim Nicholson)

The closest rival to the Tank 300 in terms of execution is the Jeep Wrangler, but ever since Jeep decided it was a premium brand, Wrangler prices have skyrocketed and it now starts at $83,950 BOC.

Of course, none of these rivals have a hybrid option.

There are hybrid versions of the Land Rover Defender and there’s now a plug-in hybrid Jeep Grand Cherokee, but these models list for about $120,000. That’s double what you would pay for a GWM Tank 300 Hybrid. 

Features a 12.3-inch colour touchscreen. (Image: Tim Nicholson)

The GWM is also packed with standard gear like an eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat with a massage function, heated and ventilated front seats, synthetic Nappa leather seats, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch colour touchscreen with DAB digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a nine-speaker Infinity sound system, keyless entry and start, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, privacy glass and a long list of standard safety gear - but more on that later.

So purely from a value perspective, this Tank is hard to beat.

So those dimensions ensure that the Tank 300 is spacious enough without venturing into Ford Everest territory. But there is space aplenty.

Up front, the go-anywhere vibe is amplified by the grab handles on the passenger-side A-pillar and roof. 

The seats have excellent levels of side and under-thigh support and bolstering, and the driver’s side is more than comfortable, and looks great as well.

I like the chunky steering wheel but don’t like that one of the spokes hides the cruise control stalk. I wish manufacturers would just put cruise controls on the steering wheel - it is so much easier to access and you don’t have to manoeuvre yourself while driving to check you’ve selected the correct button on the stalk. 

There’s a big central storage compartment with a concealed sliding tray, a biggish glovebox and room for tall bottles in the doors. Up front you also get a wireless charger, a pair of cupholders, a sunglasses holder, USB-A and C ports and more.

The weird gamer-esque gear shifter is unique and will appeal to some but seems like overkill to me. 

Despite the chunky pillars, visibility out the front and rear is good, but there are a couple of blind spots created by the B- and C-pillars.

The digital instrument cluster is clear but could have larger icons, and GWM’s multimedia setup has improved significantly in just a few years. It’s a fairly simple setup with appealing graphics. It has a voice activation setup, ‘Hey GWM’, which was patchy.

The Tank has side steps as standard, and while they will likely help smaller kids getting in and out, they are a bit annoying when exiting the car.

On that, the door aperture is not super big, so taller folks might need to duck when getting into the car.

In the second row you’ll find even more grab handles, as well as map pockets, lower air vents, two USB-C ports, a central armrest with two cupholders and ISOFIX points on the rear outboard seats.

You’ll also find a solid amount of head and foot room, as well as ample headroom. Three kids would fit across the rear pew with no problems, but three adults would be a bit squishier. 

The full-size spare wheel is housed on the tailgate, but that doesn’t mean you get extra luggage space as a result, as some of the hybrid mechanicals live under the boot floor. (Image: Tim Nicholson)

The five-seat Tank 300 has 60/40 split-fold seats and to fold the rear seats flat, you must raise the rear seat bases first.

As mentioned, the full-size spare wheel is housed on the tailgate, but that doesn’t mean you get extra luggage space as a result, as some of the hybrid mechanicals live under the boot floor. The total capacity for the hybrid and non hybrid models is 400 litres.

There’s a 12-volt and a household plug outlet in the boot but no cargo blind. 

The carpeted boot means it wouldn’t be as easy to hose out as say a Wrangler. 

Powering the GWM Tank 300 Hybrid is 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine paired with an electric motor and lithium-ion battery, all making for a combined output of 255kW of power and 648Nm of torque.

Compared with the regular petrol 300, the hybrid is 106kW more powerful and has 268Nm more torque. It’s also more than the 184kW/600Nm outputs of the meaty V6 turbo-diesel Everest. Not bad!

Powering the GWM Tank 300 Hybrid is 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine paired with an electric motor and lithium-ion battery, all making for a combined output of 255kW of power and 648Nm of torque. (Image: Tim Nicholson)

It has four-wheel drive and the powertrain drives those wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission. 

The Tank has ground clearance of 224mm, and the approach and departure angles are 33 and 34 degrees respectively. Towing capacity is 2500kg for the petrol and hybrid grades.

It may be a hybrid, but this Tank 300 is still somewhat thirsty. The official combined cycle fuel use figure is 8.4 litres per 100 kilometres, which is better than the 9.5L claim of the petrol model.

After my brief but spirited drive, I recorded a figure of 12.6L/100km. That’s higher than the official claim of the non-hybrid, petrol-powered Jeep Wrangler (10.1L).

The 300 has a 75-litre tank and uses 91 RON petrol. It has a theoretical range of around 900km.

The GWM Tank 300 was tested by crash safety watchdog ANCAP in 2022 and was awarded a maximum five-star rating.

It has a long list of standard safety features, including a centre front airbag to help avoid injuries between the driver and front passenger in a side crash, tyre pressure monitor, hill-start assist and hill-descent control.

Driver aids include auto emergency braking (AEB), a forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist and emergency lane keeping, lane centring, door opening warning, adaptive cruise control and rear cross-traffic alert.

Some gear that is standard on the hybrid grades but not in the petrol include rear row occupant monitor, highway assist, and a front cross-traffic alert, while the Ultra Hybrid gains reverse assist and auto parking assist as well as six parking sensors front and rear instead of four in other grades.

On the road, the lane keeping aid is a little too sensitive. It vibrates when you're still a bit of a distance from the line marking. The lane keeping is a little jittery and bounces the car from line to line.

The driver attention alert is also very sensitive. It kept warning me to stay awake or have a break and it was overkill. 

You can alter the sensitivity of most of these driver aids, which is good. The systems are a step up from the GWM Haval H6 I drove earlier this year.