By Otsile Kadiege

Great Wall Motors has a handful of sub-brands under their umbrella. These include the likes of WEY, Haval and Tank. The latter currently manufactures SUVs like the soon-to-be launched Tank 300 and Tank 500. Tank recently took the veils off the all-new Tank 400 Hi-4 T which is an off-road SUV with doomsday ready looks, a premium and high-tech interior and a powerful plug-in hybrid powertrain setup.

Rugged appearance

The Tank 400 Hi-4 T has an unmistakable presence thanks to its butch design and rugged styling. Highlights include a grille with two horizontal chrome strips with a large ‘T’ badge on the centre, aggressive-looking LED headlights and an off-road style lower bumper.

Its off-road presence is further bolstered by body coloured rivet wheel arches and functional roof rails. The rear spots modern LED taillights, an integrated contrasting boot spoiler and a swinging tailgate with a spare wheel mounted to it.

The exterior dimensions of the Tank 400 Hi-4 T are as follows:  4 985mm in length, 1 960mm in width, 1 905mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2 850mm. It has an approach angle of 33° and a departure angle of 30°, a ground clearance of 224mm, and a water wading depth of 800mm.

Posh and high-tech interior

Inside, the Tank 400 Hi-4 T has upmarket fit and finish as well as advanced technologies. Standout features include a seemingly well-appointed dashboard with turbine air-vents and massive screens including a 12.3-inch LCD instrument cluster and a 16.2-inch infotainment screen. More highlights include an airplane-like gear selector, a drive mode rotary dial, wireless charging, ambient lighting, head-up display, three-zone climate control, a 10-speaker sound system and 566 litre luggage capacity which is expandable to 1 803 litre with the rear seats folded.

PHEV powertrain

At the heart of the Tank 400 Hi-4 T is a 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol engine making 180 kW and 380 Nm. The powerplant is paired with an electric motor that generates 120 kW. The Tank 400 Hi-4 T has a total system output of 300 kW and 750 Nm. The engine is paired with a hybrid-specific 9-speed automatic transmission and send its power through an intelligent all-wheel drive system.

The newcomer has a 37.1 kWh battery pack that avails a claimed 105 km of electric driving range. GWM claims charging from 0 to 80% takes only 20 minutes when using fast charging stations.

GWM South Africa hasn’t confirmed local introduction yet but the Tank brand will soon be introduced in SA and their first model will most likely be the Tank 300 which debuted at this year’s Festival of Motoring.