Soon to enter the Malaysian Market is the Tank 500, a Land Cruiser-rivalling vehicle by (Great Wall Motors (GWM). On display at Auto Shanghai 2023, the Tank 500 is offered in a total of six variants, with prices starting from RMB 360,000 (approximately RM 232,221).
Good news to any of you interested in this Land Cruiser competitor, as it is confirmed that the Tank 500 will be coming to Malaysia alongside the Tank 300. The variants and pricing will be revealed as we approach its Malaysian debut.
Underpinning the Tank 500 is a 2,850 mm long ladder-on-frame platform. Measuring 5,070 mm or 4,878 mm long (depending on variant), 1,934 mm wide, and 1,905 mm tall, the Chinese SUV’s dimensions are close to that of the Toyota Land Cruiser. Regardless, this is a huge SUV, at least when compared to the size of cars most of us Malaysians drive.
The Tank 500 also features GWM’s capable Hi4T 4WD system and is available in ‘smart’ 4WD and part-time 4WD modes. Crawling mode is also available which aids in travelling across mountains and waters safely while off-roading.
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Looking at the Tank 500’s exterior, we can see lots of chrome being used, from the front especially, all the way to the back. Like it or not will certainly depend on your personal tastes. But to a certain extent, the Tank 500 does carry a ‘majestic’ look, which is how GWM Tank describes this SUV on its official site.
The rear of the Tank 500 gives out a rugged but at the same time elegant feel, thanks to the bumper, rear-mounted spare tyre and the expensive-looking LED rear lights. Other standard exterior features include:
- Automatic LED headlights with follow-me-home
- LED daytime running lights
- Front LED fog lamps
- Door sill plate lamps
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Under the hood of the large Chinese SUV is a 48V mild hybrid system, which consists of a 3.0-litre turbo V6 and an electric drive system, The powertrain is mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission. This results in 260 kW (353 hp metric) and 500 Nm output, which translates into more horsepower but less torque than the Land Cruiser.
Inside, the Tank 500 looks expensive as it includes standard features such as a heated leather steering wheel, a 12-speaker sound system, and a front wireless mobile phone charger.
Additional features available on higher variants of the Tank 500 include:
- Rear wireless charger
- Electric steering wheel adjustment
- Second-row sunshade
Other features that are available as options include:
- Digital rearview mirror
- Leather roof linings
- Automatic parking function
- Remote parking function
- Lane tracking reversing
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In terms of safety, the Tank 500 comes with a full suite of features as standard, such as Brake Assist (BA), Traction control (TC), Roll movement intervention (RMI), Hill-start assist control (HAC), Hill descent control (HDC), Auto hold, and Secondary collision mitigation (SCM) system. It is also equipped with a 360° full-view driving recorder, Interior driving recorder, Driver fatigue monitoring system, Front collision warning (FCW), Rear collision warning (RCW), Automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, Blind-spot monitoring (BSM), Lane change assist (LCA), Junction assist (JA), Intelligent cruise assist (ICA), Traffic jam assistant (TJA), Lane departure warning (LDW), Lane keep assist (LKA), Lane centEring keeping (LCK), Traffic sign recognition (TSR), Cross-traffic alert (CTA), and Tire pressure monitoring.
Colour-wise, customers have a choice of six exterior colours and five interior colours to choose from, including two-tone options. If the above-mentioned specifications are to come with the Tank 500 in Malaysia and at the right price, it might just be a very popular ladder-frame SUV, as long as Malaysians are willing to give it a try.
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