Another day, another plug-in hybrid bakkie entering the country. This time, that honour is afforded to GWM, kitting out its P300 bakkie series with a plug-in variant for the first time. A bit of a mouthful: the GWM P300 2.0T Pioneer Hi4-T PHEV is also the most expensive of the bunch, beating out the former R700,000 flagship.
If you’re serious about taking GWM’s hybrid tech home with you, you’ll need to lay out R915,000. You’re getting a pretty powerful petrol engine coupled with an even better electric motor. GWM’s no slouch when it comes to making a good-looking bakkie, and the P300 PHEV doesn’t disappoint. Aside from the price, that is.
Looking good, boet
The PHEV is built around the 2.0L turbocharged petrol engine that’ll provide much of its range. On its own, the petrol engine is responsible for 180kW of power and 380Nm of torque. The single electric motor isn’t sitting idly by, and delivers 130kW and 495Nm on its own. Together, they’ll output 310kW and 750Nm, says GWM.
The ‘plug-in’ bit of this PHEV involves the 33.1kWh lithium-ion phosphate cell that’s capable of 115km. GWM’s using the NEDC cycle, so the real-world usage will likely fare closer to 98km (WLTP). There are three driving modes included. Electric Mode results in a quieter drive, intended for shorter journeys. Hybrid Mode combines the two for highway driving, while Intelligent Mode keeps an eye on the battery life, hovering at 30-80%.
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It’ll do proper bakkie things, too. It doesn’t shy away from towing anything lighter than 3,500kg. It’s inside where GWM betrays this bakkie’s gruff origin story. A floating 15.6in 2.5K display sits in the centre console, powered by a 7nm processor and 16GB of RAM. Behind the wheel sits the 10.25in instrument cluster, while a 50W wireless charger keeps Android Auto or CarPlay running. Oh, and there’s a macrofibre heated steering wheel.
Suddenly, that R915,000 is starting to make a little more sense. And we haven’t even mentioned the hundreds of other little add-ons that aim to make the P300 PHEV a joy to drive. Whether all those little extras are worth it is up to you.
