Besides the Tank 500 at the 2021 Chengdu Auto Show in China, Great Wall Motors presented another similarly-sized medium/large SUV with a different design approach. The Tank 400 was unveiled in concept form but it will soon join the 300, 500, 700, and 800 models, completing the off-road SUV range of the China-based automaker.
If you are confused with Tank’s naming strategy, here is an easy way to fully understand the range. The Tank 300 is the base model, and then we have two pairs of mechanically related models – the 400/500 and the flagship 700/800. The 500 and the 800 have a premium design, in contrast with the 400 and 700 which are more rugged and adventurous.
Back to the Tank 400, it is based on the same body-on-frame architecture as the Tank 500 and comes with a matching 2,850 mm wheelbase. Design-wise it has nothing in common with its sibling, adopting angular surfaces and body-colored fenders bolted on the bodywork. The concept car combines bright cyan paint with yellow accents for the exterior and white/light blue upholstery for the interior, but we expect toned-down combinations for the production version. On the dashboard, there is an ultra-wide infotainment touchscreen contrasting with the analog instrument cluster.
The all-terrain tires by BF Goodrich show that this is a true off-roader. Indeed, besides the ladder-frame architecture, the Tank 400 concept comes with an all-wheel-drive system with front and rear locking differentials.
We don’t have any information on the powertrains, but we expect the Tank 400 to be offered with the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine found on the smaller 300, mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The flagship variant could come with the more potent turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 and the nine-speed auto gearbox from the Tank 500 although we can’t be sure about that.
The production version of the Tank 400 could be unveiled sometime in 2022, even though we still wait for the Tank 700 and 800 that premiered in concept form earlier this year. In terms of pricing, the 400 is expected to slot between the smaller 300 and the more premium 500 which means it could cost between US$ 35,000 and US$ 40,000.
