Eighteen years ago South Africa raised its collective eyebrows when Great Wall Motors (GWM) entered the market.
Our first introduction to their bakkies was the GWM Steed and when they launched the luxury P-Series lifestyle double cabs in 2020, they fully announced their intention to take on the recognised players in the market.
It was received with mixed reaction but they had a steady flow of sales and now it’s been updated and improved with the launch of the P-300.
Engine
The most significant change comes under the bonnet with the addition of a 2.4-litre turbo diesel engine with 135kW and 480Nm of torque matched to their own eight-speed automatic transmission.
GWM says it has put the motor through vigorous testing to ensure its reliability.
It included extreme environments and 76 varied road conditions globally covering six million kilometres, endured 650 hours of alternating load trials, 500 hours of maximum speed and load operation and 300 hours of intense thermal shock assessments.
There are three models in the range: P300 D-Cab 2.4TD LT 2WD, P300 D-Cab 2.4TD LT 4WD and the P300 D-Cab 2.4TD LTD 4WD.
Exterior
It gets a new grille, redesigned bumpers, sleek LED headlights and under the wheel arches are 18-inch alloys.
There’s also fixed or off-road sidesteps, a tailgate step for easy access and an industry-first sunroof in a bakkie.
Intelligent 4x4
Its intelligent 4WD system is equipped with electronic differential locks, Off-Road Expert Mode, a Front Winch with the LTD model also featuring Crawl Control.
The LT model features Torque on Demand (TOD), which detects wheel slippage based on speed differences between the wheels, and automatically adjusts torque distribution.
They have also increased the towing capacity to 3.5-tons
Interior
Changes to the interior include a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 7-inch Digital Instrument Cluster and a wireless charging pad.
The leather seats are both cooled and heated in front, the new leather-wrapped steering wheel is heated and unusual for a bakkie, the cabin gets ambient lighting.
Safety comes in the form of Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keeping Assist & Lane Departure Warning, Driver Fatigue Monitoring, Traffic Sign Recognition, 360 degree Panoramic Camera System, Intelligent Cruise Assistance and Blind Spot Monitoring & Lane Change Assist.
It comes with a transferable seven year/200 000km warranty, seven year/75 000km service plan and seven year unlimited roadside assistance.
Pricing (March 2025)
P300 D-CAB 2.4TD LT 2WD -R599 900
P300 D-CAB 2.4TD LT 4WD—R649 900
P300 D-CAB 2.4TD LTD 4WD -R699 900