GWM Tank 300 Hybrid 2024 Review

There’s a scarcity of petrol-electric models in the popular 4x4 off-road SUV segment, which immediately presents the 2024 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid as an attractive proposition against regular petrol and diesel models that dominate the category.

GWM Australia has also won favour with its vehicles’ competitive pricing, opening the regular non-hybrid Tank 300 range at $46,990 drive-away, for example, however the HEV has arrived carrying a $9000 premium.

It starts from $55,990 drive-away for the Lux, rising to $60,990 drive-away for the Ultra we’re testing in this launch review.

The Tank 300 HEV’s main competitors are the same as those faced by the non-hybrid Tank 300, which is also available in Lux and Ultra guise.

They include the Jeep Wrangler (from $81,450), Land Rover Defender 90 (from $88,870) and Toyota LandCruiser 76 Series wagon (from $75,600), all of which are a lot more expensive.

But against diesel-powered ute-based SUVs such as the Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X, which start from less than $60,000 in 4x4 guise, the Tank 300 Hybrid doesn’t look quite so rosy, while the Mahindra Scorpio also remains excellent value at $44,990 drive-away.

There are differences in equipment levels between the HEV and the non-electrified Tank 300 models to balance the hefty price premium, such as front cross traffic alert with auto braking, highway assist, digital radio, memory for the wing mirrors and driver's seat, plus wireless Apple CarPlay, a rear row children monitor, an auto parking system, reverse assist and six front and rear parking sensors.

so the price premium really starts to gnaw away at your prefrontal cortex.

Aftersales coverage includes a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and five years’ capped-price servicing and five years’ roadside assistance. The battery has an eight-year/unlimited warranty as well.

We had an early test drive of the Tank 300 Hybrid way back in January, but it’s taken until now for production to get underway in earnest for the Australian market.

So, what do you get for the 20 per cent price premium the 2024 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid commands over regular petrol models? The hybrid gubbins and that’s about it.

Apart from large HEV badges on the exterior, the alloy wheels are the same, as is the grille and bodywork. There’s no blue-hued curlicues around the headlight clusters to denote its hybrid petrol-electric configuration.

Fancy seat trim, special carpet mats, perhaps a dedicated EV mode? Nope, nothing, nada.

If you ask me, it’s an opportunity missed.

That said, you do still get plenty of fruit on the Ultra, starting with synthetic ‘Nappa’ leather-accented front seats with cooling and heating and power adjustment – not to mention a lumbar-based massage function for the driver. These are very good openers that deliver a pleasing blend of comfort and support.

Other headline features include a pair of large digital screens, nine-speaker Infinity sound system, power-operated sunroof, tinted windows, automatic climate control, a wireless phone charger and keyless entry/push-button engine start.

Powered, folding and heated exterior mirrors, a tyre pressure monitoring system and colour adjustable internal ambient LED lights are nice touches, too.

Exterior features include the same 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights/tail-lights and wheel-arch extensions as non-hybrid models. Ditto for the black roof rails and full-size spare wheel mounted to the side-hinged rear tailgate.

Off-road gear includes a front bash plate, side steps, high and low gear ratios, locking diffs for the front and rear axles and plenty more besides.

Buyers can choose from five exterior colours including Dusk Orange, Pearl White, Crystal Black, Lunar Red and Fossil Grey, and (surprise, surprise!) there’s no unique hybrid colour option. All colours except Fossil Grey cost an extra $595.

In terms of accessories, there’s only a dozen or so listed on the official GWM Australia website, comprising basics like a tow bar, front nudge bar, bonnet protectors and plush floor mats.

While there’s no sign of lift kits or all-terrain tyres just yet, GWM is looking to bring the mud-slinging Tank 300 Topfire to Australia and there’s a dizzying array of off-road add-ons available in China already.

According to ANCAP, the 2024 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid is five-star safe. That means it ticks all the boxes stipulated by the independent safety authority, based on 2022 testing protocols.

Still, some of the self-driving functions need work. A lot of work.

Adaptive cruise control is part of the package and it works smoothly but compared to most systems it’s a bit dozy and certainly isn’t as vigilant or prompt with changes in speed and traffic as some rivals.

The lane keep assist system is worse. It feels as though it’s still in beta-testing mode and is reactive (rather than proactive), bouncing between lane markings rather than staying centred. When it does correct the steering it’s quite aggressive too, but at least the chronic pinballing issue we experience in the Tank 300 petrol model appears to have been resolved.

The fitment of seven airbags covering front and rear seat occupants and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) that works between 5km/h and 150km/h and can detect other vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists day and night is reassuring.

A 360-degree surround-view monitor, along with front and rear parking sensors, makes parking a bit easier and there’s an auto parking function as well.

Traffic sign recognition is always welcome as are strong, capable LED headlights on both low and high beam.

The 2024 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid’s tech levels are pretty good, starting with a pair of 12.3-inch digital screens – a central touch-screen and a configurable driver’s instrument display.

Both have a high resolution and appealing graphics, and touch-screen response is generally pretty swift.

The menu layout for the central touch-screen is average, as some features are only accessible through obtuse menu pathing.

The digital instrument cluster looks great and has high-tech optics at first glance, but after a time it’s average customisation, small fonts and non-conformist layout left me wanting more. The lack of a head-up display doesn’t help either.

USB-A and faster-charging USB-C ports are provided, the wireless phone charger is huge and physical climate controls are appreciated.

Where the 2024 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid stands apart from its cheaper petrol-only identical twin is in the powertrain department. And fair dinkum, the HEV has been slugging down protein shakes, peptides and getting into TRT, brandishing a lot more muscle as a result.

Drop the hammer when the drive mode is set to ‘Sport’ and the Tank 300 Hybrid tears away from standstill with significantly more aggression than its non-hybrid sibling, thanks to a combined 255kW of power and 648Nm of torque.

It even outpaced the odd hot hatch during the traffic light tango… mostly because they weren’t expecting a 2.3-tonne brick on wheels to launch so swiftly.

The electric motor (78kW/268Nm) fills in the low-speed propulsion void endemic to combustion engines and by the time the turbo-petrol engine (180kW/380Nm) is hitting its straps the speedo is in triple-digit territory.

Despite having a different 2.0-litre four-cylinder donk to the non-hybrid model (hybrid: 1998cc, 11:1 compression ratio; petrol-only: 1967cc, 9.6:1 compression ratio), it’s just as smooth and refined and is composed at slower speeds, navigating suburban environments.

There’s no EV button like in a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid to allow silent EV-only driving (when conditions allow), but the Tank 300 Hybrid can drive using only it’s e-motor up to around 40km/h when accelerating very slowly.

With no external charging capability, the small 1.8kWh lithium-ion battery is replenished via the petrol engine and through regenerative braking.

Power is sent to all four wheels via a nine-speed torque-converter automatic transmission, as opposed to the petrol model’s eight-speed unit. Its BorgWarner four-wheel drive system also allows driving in 4x4 auto mode at all times, while low-range gearing is also provided for off-road driving.

All models get a locking rear diff while Ultra versions get a front locker as well.

The 2024 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid is not as efficient in the real world as claimed… and GWM’s claim of 8.4L/100km isn’t particularly boast-worthy to begin with.

At the end of our testing period, we were averaging 11.2L/100km according to the trip computer, and while that’s better than the regular Tank 300 (12.9L/100km as tested), it’s certainly nothing to crow about.

This is largely because the 1.8kWh NMC/ternary lithium battery isn’t big enough to sustain prolonged EV driving – maybe a kilometre on a downhill slope with barely any throttle. Ultimately, the SUV’s heavy kerb mass of 2305kg means it’ll never be a fuel-sipping eco hero.

When we first picked up the car the trip computer insisted we could eke out 850km from its 75-litre fuel tank, but that was clearly wishful thinking rather than peer-reviewed scientific data.

Claimed CO2 emissions of 239g/km is pretty dirty (and more than the regular Tank’s 220g/km!) and at freeway speeds the electric motor switches off so you’re essentially just lugging around 160kg of cobalt and manganese.

As mentioned, the extra brawn the 2024 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid (255kW/648Nm) delivers over the regular Tank 300 (162kW/380Nm) gives it a lot more hustle and that this makes the Chinese adventure machine a rather scintillating urban sleeper.

The improved powertrain response is most welcome and the hybrid SUV is a relaxed open-road cruiser, with far less tyre and wind noise than a Jeep Wrangler.

But it’s not great when tracking through corners. Granted, the Tank isn’t designed solely for on-road driver enjoyment – it’s tall, heavy and has a broader remit – but the Land Rover Defender is proof that you can have your mud cake and eat it too.

The Tank 300 HEV does its best on-road work around town and in the suburbs, especially at lower speeds when it’ll stay in EV mode.

Ride comfort is more than acceptable, the off-road suspension tune ensuring good compliance over rougher roads. There’s nothing ground-breaking here but it’s easy to live with and certainly won’t drink as heavily as a previous-generation V8-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee stuck in peak-hour traffic.

The answer to this question will have to be explored later as we weren’t able to conduct a proper test with the 2024 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid for this launch review.

However, given the HEV shares the same 224mm of ground clearance, as well as approach and departure angles, as the regular Tank 300 – which has proven itself to be capable and tenacious off-road – it should be pretty handy.

Although the hybrid adds another 160kg of mass, it should a solid performer off-road – at least in theory – and particularly with an extra 268Nm of torque to get it up and over challenging climbs and out of nasty gullies.

While the 2024 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid is far from a spring chicken, first hitting Chinese dealerships in late 2020, the interior is likeable.

In stark contrast to the rough-and-tumble exterior design, the cabin looks and feel more like a Mercedes-Benz. In fact, the big circular air vents, faux leather dashboard coverings, twin digital screens and patterned leather door inserts have a strong whiff of G-Wagon.

Material quality throughout the cabin is fairly good except for cheap plastics around the central dashboard area and a grey rectangle featuring ‘chic’ patterning that’s about as inappropriate as feeding a zoo lion vegan burgers.

The hybrid Tank is a heavy-set individual and as such there’s loads of interior width, and together with satisfactory headroom and legroom the cabin can fit four big humans easily – five at a pinch.

You get a barn-style manually-operated tailgate that reveals a modest amount of boot space and certainly enough for a fair bit of adventure gear – and a mountain bike once the rear seats are folded flat.

There’s a 12-volt socket and a three-pin 220V power point in the boot, which come in handy.

If the petrol-only Tank 300 didn’t exist, the 2024 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid would be a fetching proposition – and with a bit more fine tuning would be more of a contender in the 4x4 off-road SUV arena.

As it stands, the non-hybrid Tank 300 represents significantly better value, generates less CO2 and is arguably a more sensible choice because of those reasons.

Sure, it doesn’t have the rocket-propelled straight-line performance the torque-laden e-motor brings to bear in the Tank 300 HEV but beyond that and a handful of extra features there’s few other benefits.

If you’ve got around $60K to burn on a Chinese challenger, it might be worth waiting for the Tank 400 or even the Tank 500.

2024 GWM Tank 300 Hybrid Ultra at a glance:
Price: $60,990 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol-electric
Output: 180kW/380Nm (electric motor: 78kW/268Nm)
Combined output: 255kW/648Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 239g/km (ADR Combined)