We’ve been travelling quite a bit in recent months and that’s given us ample driving time to become familiar with the GWM P-Series LTD. It’s been quite a revelation in some ways and we’ve become rather attached to it. Here’s what we can tell you after 15000km of experience.
By Sean Badenhorst
First, some facts about the P-Series: it’s made by GWM (Great Wall Motors), a Chinese brand that’s been in South Africa since 2007. The LTD special edition that we are driving is the flagship edition. It’s got all the extras you may need – and even some you may not need. It has a two-litre engine and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. It falls into the sub-120kW 4×4 Double Cab category.
LOOKS
The P-Series LTD is a burly vehicle and a guaranteed head-turner. It comes with 18-inch gloss-black alloy mag wheels, Cooper all-terrain tyres and black sports bar and roof rails. It also has black steel front and rear bumpers as well as black wheel-well trim. And, there’s a snorkel, which is that black air pipe next to the driver’s door. Ours also has a black Roll-Top bin cover that locks. So much black trim on a white vehicle gives it a bold appearance.
POWER
The 2-litre diesel engine delivers up to 120kW and 400Nm, which has proved to be adequate in most situations. Acceleration from 100-130km is a bit delayed, but the eight-speed gear box is impressive and, with a manual option, allows for seamlessly shifting if you feel you need to…
EFFICIENCY
On a recent trip from Stellenbosch to Randburg over a distance of 1390km, we used 9.8 litres/100km at an average speed of 104kph. Total time 14 hours 10 minutes. This included two food stops and a few Stop/Go pauses for roadworks. As with all vehicles, it’s less efficient with town driving. It is also a 4×4 Double Cab that’s geared for off-road driving where fuel efficiency isn’t a priority. It has a 78-litre fuel tank capacity, which gets around 700km in distance, depending on the journey.
PRACTICALITY
We have found the P-Series LTD highly practical for our purposes, which is mostly carrying 3-4 riders with bags and bikes to local trails with the occasional longer trip to another province. With a tailgate cover, we have been able to carry six full suspension mountain bikes on shuttle runs (no luggage). We mostly use a towbar mounted bike rack to carry 2-3 bikes and the bin has ample space for our luggage.
SPACE
There’s plenty of space in the cab. The front seats move quite far back for tall drivers and it’s impressive how much space there is for rear-seat passengers. Also notable is the rear seat has storage space underneath it. The bin is about the size of most double-cab bakkies, maybe a bit roomier. The rolo-lid needs to roll up so there’s a bit of space used behind the cab, but not as much as is required for an electronically operated cover.
EXTRAS
The LTD is the top-of-the-range P-Series and it comes with all the extras you find on most top-end modern cars, including Cruise Control, Lane Assist, Auto Emergency Braking, Lane Support System, Heated Front Seats, Folding Mirrors, Wireless Phone Charge, Bluetooth, and Voice Assist. It also comes with Apple Car Play/Android Auto, which we love and use constantly. The 360-degree park-assist cameras are ridiculously sharp, and useful as this is a large vehicle to park…
While useful for long trips, the Lane Departure System cannot be disabled. Well, it can, but it needs to be done while on a trip. As soon as you switch the car off, it resets to offer default support. It’s great for safety, but we prefer to choose when we want it.
There are several other extras that we haven’t listed, but one that is more useful than you can imagine is the tailgate step. It’s a retractable step that stores inside the tailgate, making it simple to step into the bin. Gone are the days when you must take a run-up or risk pulling a hamstring just to get into/onto the bin.
OFF-ROAD
The P-Series LTD is properly geared for off-road driving. In addition to the snorkel, is has six off-road modes, which can be selected with the turn of a knob. They are 2H (for most tar-road driving), 4H (for higher speed off-road), 4L (for low-speed off-road), Snow, Mud and Sand. We haven’t used Mud or Snow yet, but can confirm all the other modes offer exactly what you expect them to. What’s also impressive is that the LTD also has separate front and rear Diff Lock which can be used separately. And, should you find yourself in a tight spot, there’s off-road Trail-turn Assist, which reduces your turning diameter by 3 metres. There’s also off-road cruise control to ensure you can maintain a constant low speed. Oh, and there’s a front winch! It’s unlikely we will ever use it, but it’s good to know it’s there – confirmation of P-Series commitment to making this a true off-road vehicle.
PRICE
Currently (November 2023), the price for the P-Series LTD is R644 950 (obviously this is subject to change), which includes a R50000 deal assist. This is an impressive price for a 4×4 Double-cab Bakkie with this capability and extras. This is up to 30% less than what you’d pay for a similar vehicle from other brands.
SUMMARY
Yes, there are few small things that aren’t ideal, but man, they’re small – aggressive lane assist, which can be switched off and firm suspension, which is most noticeable over speed bumps on tar roads, are the sum total. The P-Series LTD is some vehicle for that price. We didn’t mention it earlier, but the interior is luxurious and feels far from what you’d expect in a rugged off-road bakkie. We’ve completed 15000km so far and are looking forward to some exciting trips to ride and race all over the country in 2024.
If you want to test drive a P-Series LTD (or any other model) or find out more about it, click here.
If you have any questions about the P-Series LTD, email me on sean@treadmtb.co.za. I’m no petrol-head, but I will be able to get any questions answered by the experts at GWM Boksburg.
