GWM Tank 300 vs Volkswagen T-ROC

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.

It's not great that rear cross-traffic alert and blind spot warning haven't been included as part of the T-Roc R Grid Edition's safety package, but there are also things left out that I agree should be. Who needs the leather seats of a T-Roc R? Or power adjustable ones? Not if you can save thousands and keep all the grunt and dynamics.

Yes, the T-Roc R Grid Edition is great value and seriously good fun to drive with a superb high quality feel.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

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.

The T-Roc R Grid Edition is just 4.2m long, 1.5m tall and 1.8m wide, making it small but not the littlest Volkswagen SUV you can get in Australia - that's the T-Cross.

Still, it's little and wearing a tough body kit the T-Roc R Grid Edition looks a bit cartoon-like - in a good way.

Really, the only way you can tell a T-Roc R Grid Edition from the regular T Roc R is by its 19-inch Pretoria wheels and the black roof rails.

The headlights and tail-lights are also slightly different, but this grid edition still looks savage.

Inside, the Nappa leather seats from the T- Roc R are swapped for fabric ones which I think suit this little monster better than the ones made of skin. Euggghh, that sounded gross, but it's true.

It's a premium cabin, as you'd expect from Volkswagen, with zero silliness in there, apart from the R button on the steering wheel.

Press it and you're in 'Race' mode which firms the dampers and gives this SUV a more menacing exhaust note.

At $54,300 the T-Roc R Grid Edition is a lot more affordable than its Audi cousin the SQ2 which has the same engine but lists for $68,200.

The Hyundai Kona N almost matches the T-Roc R Grid Edition for grunt, but undercuts it in price at $49,200.

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.

The T-Roc R Grid Edition is 4.2m long or about 50mm shorter than a Volkswagen Golf hatchback.

Volkswagen is superb at coming up with cleverly designed cabins with a focus on good storage and space, and the T-Roc R Grid Edition has big door pockets, a deep centre console box, four cupholders (two in the front and two in the rear fold-down armrest) and directional air vents in the second row.

The boot has a cargo capacity of 392 litres which is a smidge bigger than many of its rivals. Under the boot floor is a space saver spare - better than nothing.

Being based on the top-of-the-range T-Roc the Grid Edition is well equipped with conveniences such as proximity unlocking, wireless phone charging, directional air vents and four USB ports (two in the front and two in the back).

Space for those up front is excellent, although rear legroom is getting tight for me at 191cm tall if I sit behind my driving position.

The T-Roc R Grid Edition lists for $54,300, which is $6000 less than the T-Roc R.

A lot of that saving is down to the Grid Edition not having Nappa leather seats or a power adjustable driver's seat. Instead there are manually-adjustable fabric sports seats.

The Grid Edition also doesn't come with the 'Matrix LED' headlights of the T- Roc R. But it does have performance LED headlights, it also has 19-inch 'Pretoria' alloy wheels, plus an angry R body kit and quad exhaust.

There's proximity unlocking, dual-zone climate control, a 9.2-inch media screen with sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as digital radio and wireless phone charging.

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.

In the snout is a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine making 221kW and 400Nm. It's the same engine as the Golf R, just a smidge less powerful.

Like the Golf R the T-Roc R Grid Edition is all-wheel drive and the transmission is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

All of that is enough to accelerate the T-Roc R Grid Edition from 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds. That's the same time as the Audi SQ2 and more than half a second faster than the Kona N.

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.

The T Roc R Grid Edition needs premium unleaded petrol and quite a lot of it with Volkswagen saying it'll use 8.3L/100km after a combination of open and urban roads.

At that rate, and with its 55-litre fuel tank, the range of the T-Roc R Grid Edition is about 660km.

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.

It's only March but I'm going to put it out there and say the T-Roc R Grid Edition is going to be up there in my Top 10 funnest cars I'll drive this year.

How could it not be? It's a little car that's only a bit bigger than a kitchen table with 300 horsepower, big disc brakes, lowered sports suspension (independent rear) with adaptive dampers, all-wheel drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Add Volkswagen's quality and superb build and it drives exactly how you'd think - almost darn perfectly, in that you don't drive it but more wear it and it responds instantly, predictably, rewardingly.

At the same launch I drove the Tiguan R Grid Edition too, but I'd say the little T-Roc R Grid Edition is even more agile, more pointable, and more fun because of its smaller size and lighter weight.

Quick in a straight line, with great grip even in slippery corners, reassuring traction from all-wheel drive and steering that's so precise with good road feel, the T-Roc R Grid Edition is a gem to pilot.

The T-Roc R Grid Edition has the same maximum five-star ANCAP score as the T-Roc, but this is from 2017 and, well, the world of safety has moved on a lot since then.

That said, the T-Roc R Grid Edition comes with AEB, lane keeping assistance, manoeuvre braking (front and rear) and adaptive cruise control.

Missing is blind spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert. This is because of the semiconductor shortage globally right now preventing the installation of that technology.

The thing is, the regular T-Roc R comes with those other safety features but not the Grid Edition.

For child seats you'll find two ISOFIX points and three top tether anchor points across the second row.

Curtain air bags protect those in the back and front, while the driver and their co-pilot have side and front 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 T-Roc R Grid Edition is covered by Volkswagen's five-year unlimited kilometre warranty.

A five-year servicing plan costs $2950 and you'll need to get it service every 12 months or 15,000km.