GWM Tank 300 Ultra Diesel v GWM Tank 300 Ultra Hybrid 2025 Comparison

Proving just how much the turbo-diesel engine is needed, GWM says that since its inception, 70 per cent of current Tank 300 sales are for the one fuelled by petroleum distillate. And considering the Tank 300 is just about jostling for the podium within the Chinese brand’s sales, this is an important move.

However, it isn’t just a case of flinging the new engine into the boldly styled Tank 300 – although, we’ll get to the other changes in a jiffy. For starters, there’s less choice within the range with the variant count reduced to four.

It now comprises the $46,990 (all quoted prices are drive-away) entry-level Lux diesel, with the Ultra grade being offered with the four-cylinder turbo-petrol ($48,990), turbo diesel ($50,990) and petrol-electric hybrid ($59,990).

For this comparison we’re lining up the fresh GWM Tank 300 Ultra diesel against the Ultra HEV to see which affords the best balance of value, fuel efficiency, on-road ability and off-road chops. And given the electrified Tank 300 is dealing with a $9k burden to start with, it’s got a lot to overcome.

We must also mention that due to planning difficulties, the HEV is a pre-update model built in 2023. However, the powertrain is unchanged, and it also provides an interesting benchmark for the 2025 changes.

Both are covered by GWM’s commendable seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with an included seven years of roadside assistance to sweeten the deal. In terms of servicing, the Tank 300 requires attention every 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first).

No surprise, it’s the HEV that’s slightly more expensive across those seven years or 105,000km, racking up a $4445 bill as opposed to $4245 with the diesel. However, unlike traditional hybrids, it won’t claw back that deficit at the bowser, so it’s worth taking that into consideration.

Visually, the 2025 GWM Tank 300 remains unchanged from the outside – well, apart from a 2.4T badge on the tailgate. Oddly, there’s no nomenclature to advertise the fact it’s now diesel.

Yet, it doesn’t really need added aesthetic cues to draw attention as the Tank 300 is no shrinking violet. Pundits allude to the fact it could model the aesthetics of a Ford Bronco or Jeep Wrangler, but we can’t unsee an Eastern Block connection. Did someone say “honey, I blew up the Lada Niva”?

The diesel variant also ushers in a host of overall changes including more than 20 engineering enhancements to improve “durability, performance and driveability”. This means all Tank 300s gain beefed-up front brakes and calipers, strengthened front knuckles (connecting the steering and suspension), upgraded wheel bearings and a reinforced prop shaft.

This is great news for those who want to both go off-road and use their SUV to haul loads. The braked towing capacity has increased to 3000kg with a payload of 600kg. Not quite dual-cab ute levels, but decent for this type of vehicle.

Given both powertrains tested here are the Ultra model grade, the features are universal. They run identical 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Primacy highway terrain tyres and gain LED headlights with daytime running lights, keyless entry and start, black body cladding, side steps and a sunroof.

Inside, the Tank 300 Ultra is upgraded to premium Nappa leather upholstery, eight-way electrically adjustable, heated and ventilated front seats with massage function for the driver, dual-zone climate control, auto-diming rear-view mirror and 64-colour ambient lighting.

There are five colours to choose from, but only Fossil Grey is a no-cost option. The four remaining hues are Dusk Orange, Crystal Black, Lunar Red and Pearl White, incurring an additional $595 charge.

Accessories are available, too, with key items being a nudge bar ($1096 fitted), tow bar assembly with wiring harness ($1033.99) and an LED lightbar ($899 fitted).

Considering the drive-away price, you’re getting a lot for your money.

The 2025 GWM Tank 300 gained a five-star safety rating from ANCAP in 2024 for the petrol, hybrid and diesel variants. It also comes with seven airbags, ISOFIX points and top-tether anchorages in the back.

In Ultra guise it comes loaded with tech, highlighted by autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian detection, active cruise control, lane departure warning and assist, blind sport monitoring, front and rear cross traffic alert, driver attention monitoring, traffic sign detection, parking sensors and a 360-degree ‘see-through’ camera.

Being able to compare the old safety systems directly with the updated calibrations is revealing – especially given the HEV’s pre-update status. It’s quite shocking how poorly judged the previous active lane keeping is in the HEV as it will disconcertingly and abruptly take the wheel out of your hands in correction if you dare venture near a white line.

On top of that, the driver attention monitoring thinks you’re constantly distracted and looking away from the road, while it demands your hands remain in constant contact with the steering wheel. Essentially, bings and bongs are the least of your worries.

With that in mind, it makes jumping in the recalibrated diesel even more refreshing. Hats off to GWM in acknowledging the issues and working on them. Okay, not everything is perfect, and ironically, the lane keeping is sometimes now too lax. However, the fact you don’t immediately need to delve into the infotainment to switch everything off is telling. Well done.

Being the top-spec Ultra, there isn’t much left out of the tech package. For the price, the 2025 GWM Tank 300 is packed with bang for your bucks.

Dominating the dash are two 12.3-inch screens that mimic one large panel. Ahead of the driver is a digital instrument cluster, which presents nicely, although it doesn’t harness much in the way of configurability and some of the fonts are quite small. The constant sight of objects moving around you with the safety display can be distracting, too.

The central touchscreen houses the infotainment system. The resolution and graphics are decent, but it could be slightly faster and more intuitive with less menu-diving to find key controls. However, having most of the climate controls as physical buttons is a massive win.

Other than that, the Tank 300 Ultra packs wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charging pad, native sat-nav, Bluetooth, DAB+ digital radio, voice recognition, USB ports and nine-speaker audio.

However, we did experience some glitches on test with multiple phones freezing while using navigation apps in the HEV, while the wireless smartphone mirroring didn’t work at all in the diesel.

This is the meat and potatoes section of the 2025 GWM Tank 300 sibling rivalry.

Finding its way into the Tank 300 is the same 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine used in the Cannon utes. As you’ll soon read, it’s on-paper figures aren’t a match for the HEV, with the diesel churning out 135kW and a rather healthy 480Nm.

That torque figure is produced between 1500 and 2500rpm, meaning it delivers strong pulling power low down and in the bulk of its rev range. With 2280kg to lug about it isn’t quick, but it’s certainly enough grunt for the use case. And the acoustics aren’t too agricultural or commercial sounding.

Yet, despite packing almost 500Nm, the diesel is lacklustre in comparison to the HEV. Despite weighing 50kg more, it’s combined outputs of 255kW and 648Nm make it feel like a warm hatch compared to the diesel – at least in a straight line.

The internal combustion side of the equation is handled by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with 180kW and 380Nm, which isn’t to be sneezed at on its own. Yet, it’s combined with an e-motor harnessing 78kW and 268Nm to further bolster the powertrain.

You can drive at slow speeds on EV power alone, but there’s no dedicated electric mode and the boosted four-pot kicks back in at about 40km/h. The transition between power sources is relatively imperceptible, but with a full head of steam, it’s significantly faster than the Tank 300 diesel.

Both are hooked up to a GWM-built nine-speed torque-converter automatic and a BorgWarner four-wheel drive system. An issue plaguing both Tank 300s is a doughy throttle calibration. It’s worse when combined with the 2.4-litre turbo-diesel unit given there’s initial turbo lag, too. You must adjust your driving to account for the initial delay, especially at slow speeds in city traffic.

But it isn’t. The efficiency points go to the 2025 GWM Tank 300 Ultra Diesel.

So, the hybrid is distinctly faster while also being more refined. And, given the EV driving capability, it should be more frugal…

Officially, the manufacturer claims that the turbo-diesel engine returns an average of 7.8L/100km on a combined cycle as opposed to 8.4L/100km for the HEV. This makes a change given that hybrids are, generally, more efficient.

Using traditional methods, the oiler doesn’t rewrite the rulebook. However, the HEV is a bit more complicated as the turbo-petrol engine teams up with an e-motor that draws power from a 1.8kWh (NMC) lithium-ion battery pack. It’s a plug-less operation, with the small battery being recharged on the fly by the petrol engine and regenerative braking.

In the real world, with both navigating the same 240km test route consisting of city, urban, highway and off-road sections, the Tank 300 diesel returned a significantly lower consumption figure at 9.5L/100km.

The HEV averaged 11.2L/100km, with the main culprit for the extra consumption being its inability to switch into a two-wheel drive mode (although it can favour the rear axle in light load situations for efficiency). It claws back some points by being able to run on cheaper 91 RON unleaded petrol.

Tarmac isn’t where the 2025 GWM Tank 300 should feel most at home.

With a shortened ladder-frame chassis from the GWM ute and an SUV body, expectations require perspective. Yet, the Chinese-built off-roader is inoffensive to drive, with the previously mentioned recalibration of the active safety systems being a huge win.

The Tank 300 uses coil springs at each corner and, along with the tweaks made, the ride quality is comfortable for daily use. Yes, it can become a little unsettled over high frequency, sharp imperfections and it does lean through corners, but it’s predictable.

Given how close they are in weight, the diesel and HEV use the same suspension package, but the updated oiler we have here is the pick of the two. The steering, especially in the diesel, is decently weighted and responsive – for a big SUV.

Further proving how seriously GWM is taking its development, ex-Holden lead vehicle dynamics engineer, Rob Trubiani, has been tasked with improving the handling of the Chinese brand’s products. The testing is even being conducted within Trubiani’s old General Motors stomping ground at Lang Lang in country Victoria.

Although, one area that hasn’t been fully addressed is the Tank 300’s tendency to nosedive under heavy braking. So much so, that the petrol variants of the original Tank lifted the rear wheels slightly off the deck.

As you can see from the video of this comparison, the diesel still pitches forward significantly under heavy braking, with the tiniest amount of clearance from one of the rear wheels in our testing. And of course, this is only in extreme cases and not common. Ultimately, it’s improved markedly but not yet rectified completely.    

Using road-focused Michelin tyres is a good thing for grip, but also noise, vibration and harshness levels, with the cabin largely isolated from tyre roar. Although, there is wind rustle from the exterior mirrors. The only other gripe is that while generally being well behaved, the nine-speed auto can deliver an abrupt shift from time to time.

While the HEV is faster, the diesel feels like a better fit for the package, especially with the mid-life changes that have been made underneath. This could be worth keeping in mind if you’re intending to buy a second-hand Tank 300.

Yes, they certainly can. A rugged, off-road ability has been a strength of the GWM Tank 300 and the addition of the diesel variant hasn’t changed that. If anything, it has further bolstered the bush-bashing, go-anywhere credentials.

Not only does the diesel engine provide a more consistent and measured power delivery for off-road use, but it gains a few more focused terrain modes as well 2H and 4H. Although both Ultra variants utilise front and rear locking diffs as well as a low-range transfer case.

In terms of ground clearance, the Tank 300 has 224mm of it, as well as decent approach and departure angles and a steel bash plate for some underbody protection. Plus, the HEV continues with a proper mechanical driveline instead of the e-motor creating faux-wheel drive.

While the diesel takes a slight advantage, the reality is, both are very handy on all types of tracks. We tested the pair in both dry and wet/muddy conditions and they handled every challenge we could find. Furthermore, with the diff lockers engaged, they feel unstoppable and can climb up some very tricky sections without spinning wheels.

That becomes even more impressive given there isn’t an all-terrain tyre in sight, further backing up the mechanical traction at play. And, with impressive wheel articulation, the Tank 300 manages to keep all four tyres solidly on the ground more of the time, further increasing purchase.

The Tank 300’s cameras come into play too, as there’s an ability to basically see through your vehicle to the terra firma below – aiding progress through situations where it’s important to avoid rocks or random obstacles. A dedicated 4x4 menu within the infotainment offers a suite of configurability, too.

On well maintained dirt roads the Tank 300 is also comfortable and predictable. Overall, for the price, you aren’t going to find much to rival it in terms of off-road talent.

While the exterior does its own impression of various iconic styles, only the air vents within the cabin are a different take on an established design. Someone at GWM peeked at Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen's homework.

Yet, it’s a good thing as the cabin of the 2025 GWM Tank 300 is a nice place to be. Again, for that drive-away price, it certainly has far more upmarket vibes than you’d expect. It’s even down to the materials used – there’s a lot of Nappa leather. And where hard plastics do feature, the fit and finish appears to be good quality.

General ergonomics are sound with a refreshing number of physical buttons. However, the indicators can become a nightmare when you push past the single touch for three flashes. If you don’t apply enough steering lock, the indicator won’t cancel, leaving you entering a dance between left and right turn signals until you eventually stumble on how to make it stop.

At 4760mm long, 1930mm wide and 1903mm tall, the Tank 300 isn’t as big as you might expect. Still, the 2750mm wheelbase generates a spacious back seat with good legroom, while the small sunroof doesn’t impinge on headroom. There are air vents, USB ports and a fold-down centre arm rest in the back, too.

With a big glasshouse as well as generously sized external mirrors and the 360-degree camera, vision out of the Tank 300 is appreciably clear. Although, at times, either the shiny air vents reflect on the side mirrors and windows during the day, or it’s the mood lighting doing the same at night.

Having the spare wheel attached to the side-hinged tailgate makes life easier if you get a flat, but it does make the door heavier. And the tailgate itself isn’t conducive to tight parking bays due to the way you open it. Cargo capacity is average for the large SUV segment at 400 litres, which expands to 1635L with the 60/40-split rear seats stowed.

The diesel also has a party trick – the boot floor doubles as a collapsible table, which would no doubt prove useful when camping. Even the legs for it are stowed away neatly under the flat floor. The HEV misses out on this due to the location of the battery pack.

The 2025 GWM Tank 300 diesel isn’t merely a case of ‘build it and they will come’. Instead, the Chinese marque decided to hone the product – and it’s all the better for it. The changes are tangible and make a significant impact to the overall experience.

If outright performance or the ability to drive at slow speeds on pure EV means something to you, then the HEV will be your choice. However, the fact it drinks more juice, costs more to run and is $9k more expensive to buy is a hard pill to swallow.

In a way, the attention-grabbing exterior design does the Tank 300 a disservice because it’s more than just a distinctive silhouette. In turbo-diesel form, GWM has created a serious off-roader at a price legacy brands can’t compete with.

So, if there was any doubt remaining, the Tank 300 diesel takes a clear win for traditional tech.

2025 GWM Tank 300 Ultra diesel at a glance:
Price: $50,990 drive-away
Available: Now
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 135kW/480Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 244g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five star (ANCAP 2022)

2025 GWM Tank 300 Ultra Hybrid at a glance:
Price: $59,990 drive-away
Available: Now
Engine: 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: 205g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)

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