Chinese brands are major disrupters in SA’s passenger car market, but so far pickups from China haven’t caused similar headaches for most legacy bakkie brands.
The locally built Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max continue their long-held sales dominance in the bakkie segment, where buyers are seemingly less willing to experiment with new brands than in the car scene.
GWM, however, is starting to make major inroads. It has established itself as the strongest Chinese player in the one-tonne segment after launching the workhorse Steed range in 2007 and entering the leisure double cab league with the P Series in 2020. The latter has become SA’s most popular Chinese bakkie range, outselling the likes of the Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and VW Amarok.
After the 2024 launch of the luxurious GWM P500 range in the R800,000 to R1m category, the smaller and more affordable P300 arrived earlier this year to compete in the higher-volume R400,000-R700,000 segment. The P300 offers a large line-up of single and double cabs, and on test is the 2.4 turbodiesel double cab LT 4x4.
Priced at R649,900, it is a high-spec double cab that presents a compelling value-for-money proposition with its refinement, performance and high equipment levels, though it is not without foibles.
The cabin mixes upmarket finishes with digitisation including a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. A 7-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless charging, push-button start and keyless entry are part of the deal, as are ambient lighting, a sunroof and leather seats with heating.
Interior styling flair is provided by an aircraft-style gear shifter, and soft-touch surfaces help raise the upmarket ambience.
Safety features include automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, driver fatigue monitoring, traffic sign recognition, blind spot warning, stability control, tyre pressure monitoring, ABS brakes and six airbags. There is also a lane-keeping assist feature that can be disabled if it becomes intrusive, and the car remembers your preferred setting when you restart it.
At 5,416mm in length, the new P300 is slightly larger than the Hilux (5,325mm) and Ford Ranger (5,350mm). It makes for a family-friendly cabin that is roomy and comfortable, and generous oddments space includes fold-up rear seats to provide extra storage.
With outputs of 135kW and 480Nm, the GWM’s 2.4l turbo diesel engine is more powerful than mid-range models of the Ranger, Hilux and D-Max.
The engine has a variable geometry turbocharger to optimise power delivery and help reduce turbo lag. It results in the P300 feeling satisfyingly eager, and it gets off the mark with significantly less lag than the diesel P500, which uses the same engine but is more than 300kg heavier.
The P300 cruises easily, there’s enough grunt to make confident overtaking moves, and the nine-speed auto is a smooth-shifting pleasure.
It is a refined engine with no tractor-like acoustics and hums along silently. It goes along with the P300’s generally quiet vibe, with no significant wind or road noise. There are driving modes for Normal, Sport, and Eco, and the large bakkie is impressively economical, averaging 8.1l/100km in a town/freeway mix.
The P300 has good workhorse credentials with the ability to haul a 1,050l payload and a braked 3.5-tonne towing capacity. A 360° panoramic camera assists with parking and off-roading.
The bakkie’s flaws relate to software and ergonomic bugs and a firm ride.
The wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were glitchy and disconnected from time to time, sometimes for long periods. An ergonomic quirk is that there are convenient physical buttons for controlling the aircon and fan speed, but adjusting the temperature has to be done separately via the infotainment touchscreen, which is a driving distraction.
As for the ride quality, the P300 rolls along comfortably on smooth roads on double wishbone front suspension and rear leaf springs, but without a load in the back it doesn’t absorb bumps as well as rivals such as the Ranger, Navara and Hilux.
With selectable four-wheel drive, low range and a rear diff lock, the P300 is fully kitted for off-road adventures, but driving it on irregular surfaces is uncomfortably jarring despite its high-profile tyres.
The ride quality is a blot on a package that otherwise offers so much in refinement, practicality and fuel economy. The GWM P300 also remains a budget alternative to mainstream brands, undercutting some rivals by over R100,000.
It is backed up by a 7-year/200,000km warranty, 7-years/unlimited distance roadside assistance, and a 7-year/75,000km service plan.
GWM P300 vs rivals
• Foton Tunland G7 2.0TD double cab Limited 4x4, 120kW/390Nm — R599,900
• LDV T60 2.0TD double cab Pro 4x4, 120kW/375Nm — R640,000
• GWM P300 2.4 turbodiesel double cab LT 4x4, 135kW/480Nm — R649,900
• JAC T9 2.0 CTI double cab 4WD Super Lux, 125kW/410Nm — R659,900
• Toyota Hilux 2.4 GD-6 double cab 4x4 Raider, 110kW/400Nm — R716,300
• Nissan Navara 2.5 DDTi double cab LE 4x4, 140kW/450Nm — R744,200
• Mitsubishi Triton 2.4 DI-D double cab GLS 4x4, 135kW/430Nm — R759,990
• Isuzu D-Max 1.9TD double cab LS X-Rider 4x4, 110kW/350Nm — R765,400
• Ford Ranger 2.0 SiT double cab XLT 4x4, 125kW/405Nm — R766,000
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