2023 GWM Tank 300 petrol on sale in Australia, hybrid delayed

July 20: GWM Tank 300 driven on-road and off

GWM's Tank 300 is here, and we've had a proper run off-road. Get Tristan Tancredi's thoughts here.

He mentions the Wrangler, like, SIX TIMES. Six!

May 30: Tank 300 on sale in Australia

The 2023 GWM Tank 300 off-road medium SUV line-up has expanded with two petrol variants.

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Joining the previously-announced Tank 300 Lux and Ultra hybrids, the petrol-only models will arrive in local showrooms in June – beating the electrified variant to market.

A GWM Australia spokesperson said “dealers will start receiving their initial Tank 300 petrol allocations in the coming days”, with customer inspection and test drives to commence following pre-delivery checks.

“Customer deliveries, depending on grade, colour and so forth, should be able to happen relatively smoothly after that.”

The Tank 300 is priced from $46,990 drive-away for the Lux petrol and $50,990 drive-away for the Ultra petrol – $9000 and $10,000 less than the respective hybrid variants.

Under the bonnet, the petrol GWM Tank 300 retains the hybrid’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with 162kW and 380Nm.

It is matched to an eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission and a part-time four-wheel-drive system, compared to the hybrid’s nine-speed transmission and on-demand 4x4 system.

June 5, 2023: GWM's Australian arm has now confirmed official fuel figures for the Tank 300 range, with the hybrid listed at 8.5L/100km and the petrol model at 9.5L/100km.

The petrol retains a 2500-kilogram braked towing capacity.

Standard equipment for the Lux and Ultra petrol is identical to hybrid variants, except for an automatic parking system, which is unavailable for the petrol.

Warranty

As with the hybrid and other GWM vehicles, the petrol Tank 300 is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, five years of roadside assistance, and five years of capped-price servicing.

Hybrid delays

While GWM Australia initially said the hybrid Tank 300 would arrive in March, local communications boss Steve Maciver said it remains affected by supply constraints in China.

“We are still experiencing some challenges with Tank 300 Hybrid supply and continuing our discussions with the factory on this.”

The hybrid’s internal-combustion engine offers 180kW and 380Nm, with the electric motor adding 78kW and 268Nm, for a 224kW and 640Nm total system output.

GWM has already conducted a roadshow across Australia with pre-production examples, with interested buyers invited to inspect – but not test drive – the Tank 300 hybrid at selected dealerships.

Local details for the GWM Tank 300 were released in December 2022, when a five-star ANCAP safety rating was announced under the now-superseded 2020-22 testing criteria. Officially, the Tank 300's rating remains valid.

From 2023, vehicles tested by ANCAP must meet new criteria for vehicle submergence, motorcyclist detection, child presence detection, vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility, and driver attention alert systems.

Wheels Media is not suggesting the GWM Tank 300 would fail to achieve a five-star ANCAP rating under the latest criteria.

When will the GWM Tank 300 be available in Australia?

The 2023 GWM Tank 300 petrol will arrive in local showrooms in June, while deliveries for the hybrid are expected in the coming months.