The proverbial “a lot to prove” adage has been a constant to the Great Wall Motors (GWM) P500 since its first showing on South African soil in February. Simply put, its massive..
. Besides being the brand’s new flagship bakkie above the P-Series, the P500 is also one of the biggest with an overall length of 5 445 mm, which makes it 95 mm longer than a comparative Ford Ranger Wildtrak. ALSO READ: GWM P500 bakkie out to show Ranger and Hilux size matters Taller by 38 mm, narrower by 24 mm and longer by 23 mm on the wheelbase front, the P500, known as the Shanhai Cannon in China, faces a secondary obstacle arguably bigger than its dimensions.
As with sister brand Tank’s 500, the P500 breaks from Chinese vehicle tradition by asking an almost seven-figure price tag to become the second priciest vehicle in South Africa made in the People’s Republic. ..
but big doesn’t always impress At the obligatory “not-a-million” R999 990 for the top-spec Ultra Luxury tested here, the P500 finds itself in a quandary as, unlike in its home market, GWM has opted for a hybrid powerplant instead of a big displacement petrol or at best, a suitably torquey turbodiesel engine with six-cylinders or twin-turbocharging. As such, the firm’s twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 petrol has been left at home and the 2.
4-litre turbodiesel reserved for the base Luxury and mid-range Super Luxury variants. The Ultra Luxury is therefore a hybrid-only model that pairs the 180kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol from.