AS ONE of the leading Chinese automotive brands offered in Australia, GWM-Haval is gradually carving out a steady following with local buyers, and is looking to expand its range into 'non-traditional' market segments.
The arrival of the Tank 300 off-roader, officially an SUV but definitely sitting at the 'harder' end of the spectrum, sees GWM declaring its intentions to take a larger slice of the Australian new vehicle market.
Interestingly, GWM chose to release the Tank 300 in hybrid form first, with the petrol-only version joining the line-up in 2023, offered in 'Lux' and 'Ultra' specifications, with pricing starting from $47,990.
STRAIGHT up, the Tank makes an impression, sitting loud and proud on 18" rims wearing 265/60 Michelin all-terrain tyres, in a non-nonsense Fossil Grey paint scheme, with black plastic trims for the bumpers, wheel arch extensions, running boards, external mirrors and door handles.
It is not often the base colour is the best look for a car, but in this case, the flat grey just looks right on the slab-sided, squared-off body shape, more impressive for the fact it highlights any blemishes in the bodywork, although hard as we looked, there were none to be found.
Perhaps more importantly, everything looked in proportion, every aspect was to scale compared to the areas around it, with an overall feeling of being 'right'.
More than one person commented on the resemblance to a well-known American off-roader, and yes, it does look as though it would be right at home in a JEEP catalogue, there are plenty of design elements that look like they took their cues from older model Cherokees.
But to call it a JEEP knock-off would be grossly unfair, a tribute perhaps, influenced by, most certainly, but the designers also gave it their own stamp, making the Tank its own vehicle, and rightly so.
Overall, the design gives a feel of practicality and strength, as a taller person, I was a fan of the swing-out tailgate, instead of ducking underneath, I could stand and reach into the luggage area, and it also allowed the fitting of the spare tyre on the tailgate, not under the body or buried below the cargo area floor.
There is also a decent splash guard sloping down from the rear of the front bumper to the underbody, while it won't stop a big hit, it provides protection against accidental impacts, as well as reducing the amount of water spraying up into the engine bay.
Another nice touch was the high-mount air intake, good for those who don't want a full snorkel system, it has a 'u-bend' so water entering the system when fording is trapped in the pipe, reducing the risk of anything getting into the intake system, air then enters the filter box at the bottom, and then exits the top of the box.
In an era of gently-curved bodies, the Tank was just that, a chunky, flat-roofed, old-style station wagon body with plenty of headroom, all straight lines and squared-off corners, some might say a 70s throwback, but there is a lot to be said for a big, practical, car you can load up inside, with the ability to carry almost as much on the roof.
While our test car didn't have roof racks fitted, I looked at it more than once and thought about strapping one of our (mothballed) racing kayaks on top, just because I could...
Everything was just where I wanted it to be, and the tall and wide door mirrors offered an excellent field of view, eliminating rear-facing blind spots.
Also impressive was the ground clearance, the underbody was 'clean', with nothing hanging down and threatening to snag on inconveniently placed bollards, tree roots or rocks, giving a level of confidence missing in other, more highly-priced, SUVs.
Best of all, the body felt solid, the doors closed with a decent 'thud', with plenty of weight behind them, I wasn't ever worried about chassis twist or distortion, the Tank felt as though it would be as tight in five years as it was now.
INSIDE, the Tank was as welcoming as the outside was good looking.
Yes, the dash is plasticky (it is a real word!), but it looks great, with chrome-plated vents, and a patterned finish on the silver-grey facing.
I especially loved the colour-shifting LED ambient lighting, complete with variable intensity, you could dim it for night driving, then turn up the brightness level during the daytime, it just created a friendly and welcoming atmosphere within the cabin.
Best of all, the main controls were chunky dial-type switches, easy to wrap your hands around while driving, with positive 'clicks' to measure each adjustment, perfect for braille driving, not requiring you to take your eyes off the road.
I also like the stubby t-bar shifter, it nestles perfectly between thumb and forefinger for quick and comfortable engagement of gears, with a 'P' button for PARK mode.
Similarly, the switch for the electronic parking brake is placed just right to flick it on when you are done driving, while minor controls are out of the way, and don't interfere with normal driving.
While the steering wheel is a little thin for my preference, it can be adjusted for height and reach, and finding my sweet spot was no great challenge, with plenty of clearance over my legs.
Seats were broad and generally comfortable, yes, I would like them to have a longer base for more under-leg support, but driving more than 1,000 kilometres in one week, I had no big complaints.
In fact, when we discovered the massage function for the driver's seat, with a range of intensities and types, my complaints reduced even further!
The seats and door trims were finished in a quilted 'Comfort Tek' leather, although to be honest I thought it was a high-quality vinyl, but regardless, it was both soft and comfortable, and added to the feel of a welcoming environment for the driver and passengers.
If it sounds like I am a fan, then up to this point, the answer is yes, absolutely, I was loving the experience, this was a good-sized, comfortable, genuine station wagon with plenty of practical add-ons.
But, yes, there has to be a but, then I started looking for extras like, how do I turn the stereo up from the passenger seat, why can't I adjust the shoulder height of the seatbelt on the B-Pillar, where is the cruise control?
These and a myriad of other questions came up when it was time to start and drive the car, and really took the shine off the whole experience.
The answers to the above quiz are: 1) by reaching across and using the controls on the steering wheel, or, slightly less distracting for the driver, tapping the dash cluster touchscreen behind the steering wheel, 2) you can't, they are fixed height, 3) on a micro stalk, left side of the steering column, under the lights and indicators.
AGAIN, there are plenty of positives about the Tank 300, even with a growing list of negatives. Chief among these is the 2-litre, four cylinder petrol turbo engine, producing a healthy 162kW and 380Nm of motive power.
Not only was the power delivery linear, with no 'light switch' moments when boost would arrive in a rush, but it sounded good, revving out towards 6,000rpm, there was no harshness or raucousness echoing from under the bonnet.
Also good, in isolation, was the 8-speed automatic transmission, coupled with low range for off-road work, generally, shifts were smooth, although it was clunky going into first, especially when the fuel saving 'engine off' function was in use.
Brakes were reasonable, the Tank always stopped, but it felt like you had to really stand on them to fully stop the car, even from low speeds in traffic situations.
Ride and handling, while not exemplary, were certainly positive, you felt the size of the car, and had to adjust turning points to not understeer into the next carpark, but, like most cars, this proved to be more of a driver adjustment issue than a particular fault of the car.
The ride was generally comfortable, the long-ish wheelbase and big sidewall all-terrain tyres helped absorb most bumps and corrugations, they were still felt, but were not obtrusive, nor did they upset the overall balance of the car.
Basically, if you remembered you were driving a high-riding four-wheel-drive station wagon, and adapted your driving style to suit, and not try to flog it around like a lightweight sports car, there were no real issues, just the expected amount of body roll on tight corners, and a bit of thumping coming up through the floor.
The biggest problem was the lack of integration between the various systems, each component part generally behaved itself, but the overall feel was that they were all trying to do their own thing, regardless of what other parts of the car were doing.
Compared to similar Japanese and Korean offerings, the Tank still feels like it is a couple of generations behind, but the problem is, they don't seem to improve with successive model upgrades, where the opposition takes notes of strengths and weaknesses, and builds on them accordingly.
Of particular concern is the 'ELK', or Emergency Lane Keep, no matter how often you turn it off, which was a chore, it had to be done through the central display screen, and was buried about three or four screens in, the system would be reactivated at will by the car, much to the driver's surprise.
Honestly, this was exhausting, you would be driving along, suddenly there would be a 'beep' and a warning on the dash cluster of ELK activation, and the steering wheel would try to pull itself out of the driver's grip and the Tank would lurch across the lane.
You felt like you were wrestling the car for control, and instead of being a driver asistance, it became a driver's enemy, not only because of the random reactivation, but the severity of the steering input, there was no subtlety, it would try to wrench the wheel from your grasp.
I am a big fan of driver assistance technology, where I can rely on them to take care of the 'little' things, allowing me to focus on the important tasks like watching surrounding traffic and monitoring road conditions.
Unfortunately, this system proved to be counter-productive, you were always on guard, especially through corners, so that instead of being mentally and physically relaxed, you were arriving exhausted from the effort.
SO, THE perennial question pretty much answers itself...Would I have one? No, I would not. For all the reasons mentioned above, I just cannot put myself in the position of owning one.
Different question then...Would I like to have one? Yes, I would. It looks good, it is roomy, comfortable and practical, and I really love the interior, especially the dash design, if not necessarily the execution.
But until GWM can fix the integration issues, I just can't make the jump, which is a shame. There is plenty to make me want the Tank, and in isolation, everything feels like it would go the distance, but it just doesn't come together as a complete whole.
Maybe the price will attract buyers, and good luck to them, I admit, it attracts me, but I have driven other vehicles that do similar tasks, and they show how it can be done successfully.
Come on GWM, fix these problems, and you will have a car that will clean up - but until then, it is a case of 'So near, yet so far...'
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