GWM Tank 300 vs BMW X1

What's the difference?

So, there you have it. The new Tank 500 hybrid. It’s got the space, the 4x4 capability, the features, the pricing and – most importantly – the hybrid technology to make a real mark in Australia.

Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Ford and the rest of the seven-seater 4x4 wagon fraternity really do have something to worry about.

Being first with electrification is one thing, but hitting the ground running with so much ability for so little is something else entirely.

This new BMW X1 feels like it's been built by a team of parents because it’s one of the most practical and easy to use small SUVs my family and I have ever lived with and, trust me, they’ve seen a lot of test cars come through the Berry garage.

We loved the roomy interior with high ceilings, the clever storage everywhere from the giant door pockets to the floating centre armrest up front and big boot for our pram.

Entry and exit is easy through the tall and wide doors, something my back was thankful for every time I had to put our baby into her car seat.

Driving is easy, with great visibility and the engine that comes in the xDrive20i M Sport makes this X1 sporty and fun to pilot, too.  

The only drawback is the price, it's a bit expensive but at the same time you are getting a high-quality feeling SUV.

If “derivative” and “reminiscent of the outgoing Patrol” means interesting in your book, then you should find the Tank 500 tantalising.

Not us, though. We reckon if you asked AI to render a large 4x4 wagon in the mould of a 2000s-era LandCruiser or the Nissan, it might look like this. Beyond the PR nonsense of the grille being inspired by “ancient Chinese eastern architecture”, this could be any 4WD.

At least the old-looking new Tank has presence. And, despite what its name implies and the fact that this is deceptively big, we’re grateful that the 500 doesn’t look at all bloated.

In fact, dimensionally, with a length/width/height/wheelbase of 5078/1934/1905/2850mm respectively, it is actually longer than the Toyota siblings but a little narrower, splits them for height and sits on the same wheelbase size.

Finally, there’s the badge. Tank 500. If you’re into history or just really old, you might remember the Ford Fairlane 500 "Tank" of the late 1950s. Fun fact: besides the name, they also share body-on-frame chassis construction. And plenty of chintz.

Are we about to indulge in a similar level of Donatella Versace opulence inside? Let’s find out.

This current generation of X1 arrived in late 2022 and finally looked more like part of the BMW SUV family with tall and boxy styling rather than the sleek, but raised hatchback it seemed to be before.

My test car had 'M Portimao Blue' metallic paint - a flattering hue that showed off the X1’s lines as you can see in the images.

I like the X1’s oversized grille which suits the angry looking front bumper that comes with the M Sport inclusions, but balanced by pretty headlights.

Inside, the X1 xDrive20i M Sport is modern and minimalist in design. I like the floating centre armrest in between the driver and front passenger and the way it creates a feeling of more space and adds more storage.

The double screens are nice, but we’re seeing this same design and tech now in budget cars such as the Chery Omoda 5 and Haval H6. BMW needs to be even slicker and more stylish if it wants to maintain its edge.  

If you like your SUVs sporty looking then check out the BMW X2, X4 and X6. These are coupe style SUVs (but with four doors).

If the samey styling isn’t your cup of tea outside, then the Tank 500 makes a strong – and surprisingly restrained – case for your cash inside.

For starters, there’s probably more space than the exterior dimensions suggest, offering sufficient accommodation including headroom for most adult-sized occupants. The front seats provide ample support and the driving position should find favour with most people. And vision out is actually pretty good.

In the Ultra grade we drove, there’s a pleasing attention to detail evident throughout, starting with the horizontal symmetry of the dashboard, wide lower centre console and 14.6-inch central touchscreen. It looks and feels good.

As with most new cars today, the instrumentation is digital and configurable, there are fast keys for most climate control settings (though weirdly not for temperature control – you’ll need to resort to the fiddly touchscreen) and most switchgear is within easy reach.

However, while owners should become used to them quite quickly, the touchscreen-sited access for most vehicle control settings is fiddly; our car had an annoying buzzy rattle from the dashtop. The driver-assist systems glitched a few times, calling out driver attention issues when they weren’t there, and there is no volume control knob, just the toggles on the (attractive) steering-wheel spokes.

Meanwhile, the middle row benefits from a well-padded cushion and a 70/30-split backrest that reclines a fair amount. There’s a separate climate-control zone with good old-fashioned knobs and toggles, as well as four vent outlets, USB-A and -C ports and the windows wind all the way down. And that panoramic sunroof really showers the cabin with light.

Third-row access is compromised by LHD-centric access, meaning that only the road side of the middle seat lifts and slides forward for less-impeded entry/egress. Once sat, the cushion itself seems fine and is OK for adults as long as the middle-row occupants are happy to compromise. Roof-sited air vents are helpful, but the lack of USB outlets is disappointing.

With all seats up, there is just 98 litres of cargo capacity, ballooning out to 795L in five-seat mode and 1459L with the middle-row folded down. These are well below the LandCruiser 300’s corresponding volumes.

Of course, unlike most hybrid SUVs, this hybrid 4x4 wagon carries a full-sized spare wheel slung on the back door, old-school style.

My family found the X1 xDrive20i to be one of the most practical small SUVs we’ve lived with thanks to its spacious interior, clever cabin storage and plenty of convenient features.

I need to point out the door pockets - they’re the biggest I’ve ever seen. They’re more door buckets than pockets and super helpful over the week not just for bottles but for everything else that I needed to dump out of my own pockets and into them.

The floating centre armrest up front looks like an ironing board and has a tonne of storage underneath.

The wireless charging is handy but the holster is a bit un-user friendly in terms of access, but it held the phone tight and stopped it becoming a projectile when driving, which is what you want.

There are power outlets galore, too, proximity unlocking, and a gesture tailgate.

Legroom in the back is excellent and there’s so much headroom throughout. 

The X1’s 540-litre boot capacity is excellent for the class and meant we could fit our baby’s big pram and the seven-year old’s scooter and still have room for the grocery shopping.

In the space of driving this SUV and writing this review the list price of the X1 xDrive20i M Sport has risen from $68,900 to $73,400. 

That price hike was part of an increase across the model range and all grades now cost more, even the entry-level sDrive18i which is now 13K less than the xDrive20i M Sport.

But you’re paying for the more powerful, athletic and only all-wheel drive one in the X1 range. 

You’re also getting loads of standard features in the xDrive20i M Sport. 

There’s the 10.25-inch instrument display with three different styles for your speedo and other gauges, while flowing into that is the 10.7-inch media screen with sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and digital radio. 

There are LED headlights, plus proximity unlocking, a head-up display, dual-zone climate control, a power tailgate, sports seats (the front ones are heated and power adjustable) and adaptive cruise control.

As the name suggests the xDrive20i M Sport is fitted with BMW M Sport goodies as standard. These include adaptive M Suspension, M leather steering wheel, M roof rails, M headliner and M interior trim. 

My test car also had $8900 worth of options fitted including the sunroof, Harman Kardon stereo, the ‘Vernasca Black’ leather seats and 20-inch M light alloy multi-spoke wheels.

Is it good value? Well, you do get a lot of nice things here but at a $13,000 premium over the entry grade, plus the $3500 price jump in the past few weeks, I’d say the value isn’t great.

If you’re trying to keep the cost down, the sDrive18i is the budget pick. 

Behind that chromey grille is a 1998cc 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, delivering 180kW of power at 5500-6000rpm and 380Nm of torque between 1700-4000rpm.

Mated to a 78kW/268Nm electric motor, GWM reckons the combined power and torque outputs are 255kW and 648Nm respectively.

That torque figure seems very optimistic.

Anyway, it’s all sent through to either the rear or both axles via an in-house nine-speed torque-converter automatic transmission. There are your usual 2WD and 4WD high and low ranges.

Nine driving modes are offered as part of an all-terrain response system, with four on-road and five off-road settings, while low-speed off-road cruise-control and ‘Turn Assist’ function also aid manoeuvrability. The latter essentially cuts torque to the inside rear wheel during a turn to tighten the radius, hand-brake style.

Still off the beaten track, the Tank 500 offers 30 degrees of approach angle, 22.5° breakover angle and 24° departure angle. Ground clearance is 224mm, while water wading-depth capability is 800mm.

Don’t forget, the GWM uses body-on-frame construction, with a double-wishbone independent coil sprung set-up up front and multi-link live-axle coil-sprung suspension out back. Kerb weight is at least 2605kg.

Towing capacity is 3000kg braked and 750kg unbraked. LandCruiser’s is 3500kg.

The X1 xDrive20i M Sport has a more powerful engine than the grades below it in the range - it’s a 2.0-litre, turbo-petrol, four-cylinder making 150kW and 300Nm.

A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission does the shifting for you.   

This is also the only all-wheel drive X1 currently in the range.

The 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo hybrid powertrain is rated at Euro-5.

Now, GWM makes a point that the Tank 500’s hybrid system is to improve overall driveability and performance, rather than strive for outright economy.

Keeping this in mind, with standard 91 RON unleaded petrol in its 80-litre fuel tank, the official figures are 8.5L per 100km (versus 8.9 for the LandCruiser 300), for a carbon dioxide emissions rating of 199g/km.

This should mean an average of over 940km between refills.

Speaking of which, we didn’t get a chance to refuel during our test drive on the launch program, however; and remembering that there was quite a bit of thirsty off-roading work done, our trip computer read out a disappointing 12.3L/100km.

Still, that’s nearly half that we witnessed on the trip computer in similar circumstances driving the Patrol with its big thumping V8.

BMW says that after a combination of open and urban roads the X1 xDrive20i M Sport will use 7.4L/100km.

In my own testing my driving was mainly city and suburban, which uses quite a lot of fuel. We did dashes to birthday parties, the grocery shopping, school drop offs and all of it in busy traffic.  

I recorded 8.9L/100km, but that’s not overly thirsty considering I was carrying two car seats with children, and all the gear that goes with them. 

A small 45 litre tank means the xDrive 20i M Sport has a range of about 608km, which is on the shorter side.

The Tank 500 hybrid represents another step up for GWM, with a broad array of abilities.

Initial impressions are positive, mainly due to the overall quietness and smoothness of the 2.0-litre four-pot turbo’s performance.

Considering there’s over 2.6 tonnes of 4x4 to haul around, it moves off the mark fairly smartly, and – with the aid of hybrid electric assistance quite seamlessly kicking in to provide that extra bit of boost – delivers more than enough speed and muscle when you need it.

However, that said, while there’s plenty of go for fast overtaking, it is difficult to believe that the powertrain is mustering 648Nm of torque; the Tank 500 hybrid just doesn’t feel quite that strong. As does an 8.3-second 0-100km/h sprint time.

Still, there’s an innate eagerness to the way the GWM behaves that is also evident in the steering.

Considering this is a ladder-frame-chassis 4x4, the helm is actually quite responsive and direct – and yet also light enough for easy parking.

Furthermore, the Tank 500 doesn’t quite feel its bulk or heft when attempting tight turns, and it handles quite well, too. Impressive stuff, given the unexpectedly cushy ride, ground clearance and amount of wheel articulation on offer.

This is one of those big 4x4 wagons that seems to shrink around you.

However, GWM still has some homework to do when it comes to the level of interference from the intrusive and at-times even hysterical driver-assist safety systems.

The constant barrage of completely unnecessary warnings and chimes is tiresome even after a short stint behind the wheel, proving that more Australian-road tuning is required before the Tank 500 can truly meet local tastes.

Still, the GWM should win friends over with its comfy suspension, controlled handling and decent turn of speed.

But what about off-road?

Our brief excursion onto a 4WD track showed plenty of promise, with sufficient ground clearance, impressive wheel articulation and the right combination of gearing and diff locks in our Ultra Hybrid version to get through a quite challenging course.

And all the while, the Tank 500 imparts a sense of confidence that it can tackle most off-road tracks with a high degree of skill and capability.

Our only notes are that, at times, this lacks the low-down torquey grunt of a diesel when clambering through really challenging paths.

Otherwise, it seems the GWM has the right stuff to keep up with most of the competition.

Only a week before testing the X1 xDrive20i M Sport I’d been reviewing a BMW 330e and going from the 3 Series to the SUV was like changing my seating position from being in a bathtub to sitting on a bar stool. 

Actually, the X1’s seat is far more comfortable than a stool and the refined quality is what you’d expect from BMW.

But compared to the low slung 330e the visibility and the upright driving angle of the X1 is very different.

It’s something you want in an SUV that puts practicality before performance.

As much as I liked the sporty sedan, as a dad I preferred being able to see better when parking in the X1, and this made life a lot easier.

Easy is a good word to describe what the X1 xDrive20i M Sport is like to drive - from that visibility to the light steering, comfortable ride and that great engine with all-wheel drive.

That 2.0-litre four-cylinder has more than enough grunt to run up the steep hills in my neighbourhood without struggling, the transmission is smooth and the all-wheel drive system adds a bit more reassurance in the wet weather.

All of this makes for an easy, enjoyable drive. 

The X1xDrive20i M Sport like all X1s scored the maximum five-star ANCAP rating in 2022.

A score of 88 per cent was given to child protection and the ANCAP report found that a 10-year old and six-year old in the second row had adequate to good protection in a front offset collision and a side impact. 

For child seats there are two ISOFIX points and three top tether anchor mounts across the second row.

As you would expect from a model that’s hasn’t even been around a year yet, the X1 xDrive20i M Sport has the very latest in advanced safety tech.

There’s AEB which is operational from 5.0km/h to 210km/h and also works at road junctions. There’s lane keeping assistance, blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert. 

There are curtain airbags for front and rear passengers, a centre airbag for the driver and co-pilot along with frontal airbags plus side chest and side pelvis airbags.

Befitting its role as the brand flagship, the Tank 500 Hybrid is the first GWM with seven years of roadside assistance and capped-price servicing, to match the brand’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

However, at the time of recording, GWM had yet to reveal what the pricing would be.

Service intervals are at every 12 months or 10,000km – whatever comes first.

The X1 xDrive20i M Sport is covered by BMW’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

A five-year/80,000km service plan through BMW will cost $2150. You’ll be looking to pay an average of $430 per service every 12 months.