GWM Tank 700 2026 review: Australia preview drive

Is the world ready for a $150,000-plus ultra-luxury SUV from China?

If it’s built like a Mercedes-Benz G-Class (Geländewagen), feels like a Bentley Bentayga inside, goes (almost) as far as a Land Rover Defender off-road and yet costs a fraction of their prices when factoring in electrified performance, then the GWM Tank 700 Hi4-T’s place in the world starts to make sense.

Now, before you ask your PA to order one, the body-on-frame plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) 4x4 is still not confirmed for Australia, as the beancounters continue to weigh up various pros and cons.

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That’s the official line, anyway, but the company had already gone to the trouble of presenting an overseas-market, left-hand-drive example for dealers, media and, presumably, VIPs to drive at last week’s GWM Tech Day experience at the former GMH proving ground at Lang Lang, south east of Melbourne.

Just bear in mind that the 700 that we may finally see on sale here might be a facelifted version, seeing as the series is approaching its second birthday elsewhere. Maybe in 2027?

To refresh, as the GWM flagship, the 700 would top the Tank (and likely GWM) hierarchy, well above the established 500 models released in Australia last year. Think how the Lexus LX sits above the Toyota Prado-based GX in both size and price.

Closely related to the 500 (and by association, the Cannon Alpha ute), the 700 shares a variation of the Tank body-on-frame chassis, as well as the just-introduced Hi4-T PHEV tech for its unique V6 powertrain, but is otherwise a separate model.

While perhaps looking smaller, the newcomer at 5090mm in length, 2061mm in width and 1952mm in height is 162mm longer, 127mm wider and 47mm higher than 500, whilst its 3000mm wheelbase represents a 150mm stretch.

Although the cabin itself is obviously big and spacious, then, it doesn’t necessarily feel vast once you’ve clambered up on board (retractable side steps help), since there’s plush leather and suede padding aplenty covering the sumptuously pillowy pleated seats, over the large console and across the multi-layered dashboard.

It all seems a bit like you’re ensconced within a decadent cocoon.

With the latter, GWM has taken a minimalist approach, featuring an electronic cluster for the driver, a vast central touchscreen and several lidded compartments, much of it with brushed metal finishes to impart even more opulence.

It’s all impressively presented and built, but the fascia’s overall design is a little too much like your run-of-the-mill 500 if you’re seeking a discounted Defender.

The 700 does a more convincing job in the amply roomy second row, with reclining seats, privacy screens and displays to manipulate the environment as well as the multimedia choices. Plenty to keep everybody entertained.

But, as with the other GWM PHEVs on this platform, the richly carpeted luggage compartment is shallow, due to the bulk of the electronic gubbins underneath necessitating a raised floor.

Our brief blast around the Lang Lang circuit, which included freeway-speed cruising, off-camber turns of varying radii and a bumpy road section, revealed two things.

Firstly, this hybrid is about muscle, not low emissions.

The 700 Hi4-T’s 365kW/560Nm 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo V6 petrol is paired with a 120kW/400Nm electric motor and massive (for a PHEV) 37.1kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery. Making a combined 385kW/800Nm, it drives all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission.

As those numbers suggest, it results in startling off-the-line performance, despite tipping the scales at 3110kg, as well as a terrific mid-range wallop should you be in the mood for a sudden getaway.

This thing lopes along quickly, mostly quietly and super effortlessly, offering a 0-100km/h sprint time of under five-seconds flat. With this sort of oomph, it makes the expected 4.0-litre V8 application seem like overkill. That’s what the rumours are suggesting, anyway.

If you're expecting real-world economy... in China the official combined average fuel consumption figure is 3.0L/100km, or 10.9L/100km when the battery is depleted. We never had a chance to test that during our short test drive at the proving ground.

And what is the second driving revelation?

Experiencing the biggest Tank straight after the Australian-tuned 500 Hi4-T, the 700 is a big, soft, roly-poly beast of a thing, soaking up the rough stuff whilst tracking along exactly where you want it to, whilst completely divorcing the driver from the action. Which is the point of a flagship luxury SUV, but the disconnected steering feel, copious body lean and sense of sheer mass on the move cannot be ignored. Not with that much muscle at hand.

And we cannot tell you if unnecessary and heavy-handed interferences from the advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) – the bane of many Chinese SUVs to date – is present, given the limited driving that was undertaken.

Whether GWM’s new Australian tuning program can tune that to local tastes, as well as tighten up the body control at speed, remains to be seen, but it does feel like a big, bolshie barge after the lighter 500 Hi4-T.

We weren’t allowed to take the lone (as far as we know) 700 in local captivity over Lang Lang’s 4WD track.

However, given its more proletarian sibling’s capabilities completing the course without really breaking a sweat earlier that day, this shouldn’t fare too badly at all. All the clearances (thanks in part to air suspension), extra articulation, torque-variable axles, a trio of locking diffs and electronic off-roading aids are fitted to help keep up with the adventurous plutocrats in their Geländewagens.

Which is what the 700 is all about. Stretching GWM’s bandwidth out towards new frontiers.

Whether Australian buyers are ready for that has yet to be decided, but – with the right tuning and sensible pricing – the brand certainly seems confident enough that it will be, in due course.