They’re confident it’ll hold its own against Hilux, Ranger.
At the Shanghai motor show, plenty of carmakers have seized the opportunity to show off new production cars & concept cars that signal their marque’s intent on tackling the very-near or not-that-far-off future in various different ways. But to us, one of the headlining debutants was from Chinese brand Great Wall and weirdly, it doesn’t have a name.
This tough-looking pick-up is currently referred to as the 4x4 Off-Road, which is a working title. But what’s far more specific are what Great Wall intends to achieve with this thing. When it hits Australian shores towards the end of 2020, the 4x4 has every intention to sit among the very best pick-ups in the market, duking it out against cars like the all-conquering Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger.
On the surface, the 4x4 certainly has what it takes. It looks tough as nails (though this is a specific ‘Off-Road’ variant), and it’ll certainly do a better job marking itself out on the road than the current GWM Steed that is somehow still on sale. This variant is decked out with a variety of Chinese-built and factory-fitted accessories, like a tough rear sports bar, extra spare wheel, and twin jerry cans.
The 4x4 won’t only be available like this though, as a more passenger-focused variant as well as a proper tradie-spec version will be made available at a later date. The cabin’s overall aesthetic looks pleasing enough, but most importantly, a lot of the materials and finer details can be tweaked and changed depending on the chosen variant. So this 4x4 Off-Road has a cabin with tough fabric and bright-yellow inserts, though the less-tough models get quilted leather and an electronic gear selector.
It’ll even offer advanced driver assistance systems like lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and active cruise control among other things, making it easily one of the best-equipped family-friendly pick-up options on paper. What will also appeal are the powertrain options, which is said to comprise of a 120kW petrol and a 145kW diesel, paired to either an 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox or a 6-speed manual depending on spec.
Great Wall’s local office has confirmed that we should be able to see this pick-up sometime towards the tail-end of 2019, hopefully with the sort of sharp pricing that we’ve come to expect from Chinese brands. If it manages to undercut the mainstream competition, with the comprehensive kit list that it’s showing in Shanghai, it’ll be a no-brainer option.
Right?
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