GWM overhauls Tank 500, again, in China with more tech

Great Wall Motors (GWM) has given the Tank 500 a second round of updates in its home market following an initial refresh in July last year.

Same outside, new inside

Visually unchanged from its first update, apart from a new colour option called Danxia Red, the biggest revisions have been inside where the infotainment display now measures 15.6-inches instead of 14.6, and the speaker count upped to 22.

New inside is the 15.6-inch display on the passenger’s side. Picture: Tank China

Building on the July updates is a new 15.6-inch display on the passenger side, tables for the second row integrated into the front seatbacks, and an ottoman-style folding leg rest for the front passenger’s chair.

Upgraded is the LiDAR system introduced in July, while the inclusion of GWM’s latest software further sees the availability of a Night Vision camera and Accelerator Pedal Mismatch Prevention.

Same up front

V6

On the power front, no changes have been made where the Chinese-market model, sold simply as Tank 500 as part of Tank being a standalone brand, starts off with the 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 petrol engine.

Paired with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, the unit sends 260kW/500Nm to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic gearbox.

Hi4-T

Moving up to the Hi4-T brings a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol producing 180kW/380Nm on its own, but mated with a 37.1-kWh battery pack powering a single electric motor worth 130kW/495Nm.

The same configuration that debuted last month in the P300 Hi4-T bakkie, the setup produces a combined 310kW/750Nm, which GWM claims translates to a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 6.9 seconds and a WLTP electric-only range of 110 km.

Supporting DC charging up to 103 kW will require a waiting time of 16 minutes from 30-80%.

Hi4-Z

Reported last year as having been under consideration for South Africa, of which nothing has so far materialised, the flagship Tank 500 makes use of the Hi4-Z powertrain that retains the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol, but adds a 59-kWh battery to the equation.

At the same time, the front electric motor now makes 215kW/400Nm and the newly added rear, 240kW/415Nm.

As with the front, the Tank 500’s side profile and rear-end styling haven’t been changed. Picture: Tank China

The combined output is 635kW/1 195Nm, which GWM says will accelerate it from 0-100 km/h in 4.3 seconds.

With the bigger battery comes a waiting time of 15 minutes from 30-80% using a DC charger up to 163 kW. The claimed all-electric range, again WLTP-based, is 201 km.

Not South Africa approved

Now available priced from 335 000 to 375 000 yuan, which equates to between R838 359 and R938 462 when directly converted and without taxes, the latest updates haven’t yet been approved for South Africa.

As a reminder, the current range underwent a mechanical overhaul in September, which saw the self-charging HEV powertrain being dropped for the new 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine outputting 170kW/620Nm.

Locally, the Tank 500 range comprises three trim levels, Super Luxury, Ultra Luxury and Overland, all priced below R1-million compared to the HEV that had a sticker of R1 228 950.