The GWM Tank 500 has made its first debut at the Kuala Lumpur International Mobility Show 2024 (KLIMS 2024), serving as a preview for Malaysia after news broke last year that the model will indeed be launched here in our markets. It’s not quite launch time yet, but the car showcased here could give us a hint of what to expect when it’s eventually introduced in our country.
First things first, the GWM Tank 500 – like its smaller Tank 300 sibling – is also built on a ladder frame chassis, which means it will be rugged enough for off-roading. Its sights are aimed straight at the Toyota Land Cruiser, and that’s why it’s also sized pretty similarly too, measuring 5,070 mm or 4,878 mm in length (depending on variant), 1,934 mm wide, and 1,905 mm tall, with a wheelbase spanning 2,850 mm – a properly big SUV by all measures.
Ditto its looks, because Great Wall Motors has clearly taken some heavy inspiration from the renowned Japanese off-roader, at least to the previous-generation J200 model. The similarities can primarily be seen in front, with the LED headlights bearing a similar wing-like profile, bookending the horizontal grille bars.
It has to be said, though, that the GWM Tank 500 looks significantly beefier, in part thanks to the chunky chrome accents surrounding the much larger grille. Round the back, the vertical tail lights are a fairly unique – if not simple – design touch, complemented by a covered spare wheel positioned slightly off-centred.
Like the Tank 300, the bigger sibling here is also luxuriously equipped inside, with wooden veneers overlaid on the dashboard, paired to quilted Nappa leather on the seats and a crystal element on the gearshift lever. There’s even an analogue clock on the dashboard – a true mark of a luxury vehicle…
Equipment on the inside also befits its luxury status, with standard equipment including things like a heated leather steering wheel, a 12-speaker Infinity sound system, three-zone climate control, second-row sunshades, and a wide range of advanced driver assist systems.
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The GWM Tank 500 is available with a wide range of powertrains globally, ranging from mild hybrids to full-blown PHEVs. GWM Malaysia has not revealed which of these will be making its way into Malaysia, but if we had to guess, we think it’ll probably be the same one offered in Thailand, which coincidentally, is what was displayed at KLIMS 2024.
That means a non-plug-in parallel hybrid, consisting of a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four mill making 244 hp and 380 Nm, paired to an 106 hp/268 Nm electric motor for a total of 350 hp and 616 Nm. The powerplant is paired to a nine-speed automatic gearbox, with drive sent to all four wheels via a part-time selectable 4WD system.
On that note, the GWM Tank 500 is truly built for off-road, as it’s equipped with front and rear electronic locking differential, as well as a mechanical locking centre differential for a total of three. With its massive ride height, the Tank 500 boasts an approach angle of 36.9 degrees, and like its younger sibling, it also has a “tank turn” feature that can automatically locks the inner rear wheel, significantly reducing its turning angle in narrow paths.
With the car now already on display at KLIMS 2024, it probably won’t be too much longer before the car is launched here in Malaysia. Don’t expect it to be cheap, though, given that its younger sibling, the Tank 300, already comes in at a RM250,000 retail price.
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