Great Wall Motors has released a tray back ute, due for sale later this month.

What can be said for Great Wall?

The motors are sourced from Japanese Manufacturers like Toyota and Mitsubishi. (Good)

The crash test for their previous models were fairly poor. Scoring only 2 Stars. (not good)

The current tray back ute in 4×2 and 4×4, is yet to be given the ANCAP treatment. (?)

They have a three year warranty and 24 hour roadside assistance. (Great)

They are are only available in 2.4L Petrol with manual transmission. (not good)
Diesel models should be available NOW. Who cares about automatic transmissions, triptronic gizmo’s and paddle shift?

I’ve had a good look at the Great Wall’s. Even visiting a dealer and giving them the once over. If they don’t fall apart in the first few thousand K’s, they should be up to the job. I have a friend with the V220 Dual Cab 4×2. His experience with the ute has been positive. He says it goes OK, Stops OK and carries his trade tools without a problem. He is even recommending them to others which says a lot about them. I’m currently driving a Mazda Bravo 2.6L Petrol/Gas. I’m looking at diesel as my next vehicle. The ute that has caught my eye is the lovely looking ‘Isuzu D-Max’. 3.0L Diesel with plenty of grunt and good fuel economy. A ute with a good reputation. Having said that. It was not so long ago that they were considered ‘Thailand Rubbish’. Is it the same for Great Wall from China? I know most of the stuff we buy is made in China and I’m sure they will end up being a fairly good product. Especially when customer feedback has such a viral effect on sales.