Took a Great Wall for a test drive

[robsjack]

With over 270,000km on the Jackaroo I've been starting to look around at a likely replacement. A lack of $$$ puts the LC, Patrol and most of the other heavy duty 4WD's out of the running so I've been looking at the alternatives. I need something that will tow the trailer but not yet looking to do heavy offroad trips. It will be my daily driver also so I'm hoping to get something that is not too much of a fuel guzler. The Jack has been on gas for 5 years now and is relatively frugal on the wallet.

Anyhow I was thinking about a 2nd hand Kluger, Chalenger or even possibly the Hyundai Santa Fee but came across some positive comments about the new X240 Great Wall wagon. I mean $24K for a brand new 4WD sounds too good to be true! Considering it comes with Air bags, ABS, Climate control, leather interior, 17" Alloys, electric windows and central locking I was keen to have a look first hand.

The test drive car certainly looks the goods. Quality of the paint, wheels, tires and external panels is good. The quality of the interior fittings looked fine to me and there was nothing I could fault. I found the seats to be a little flat(not as much wrap around support as the Jack) but they felt ok. The drive was good also with the care being very comfortable. It's no rocket though. I thought the Jack was a little sluggish (especially on gas) but the 2.4l petrol does seem to be a little on the small side. It's got a Mitsubishi engine, gearbox and diff from the Colorado, chassis from the Hilux and alot of the electrics from Toyota.

Whats got be still thinking is that the $$$ are so cheap.

Makes you wonder how much profit the other companies are making on all the other traditional 4WD's. I mean if the Great Wall had a V6 or a decent diesel engine it would be just the thing and I'd definately buy one. It certainly wouldn't cost another $25K.

[Bill]

I have seen them and they look nice.
A couple people on this forum have them in fact.
I also have some customers that own them and they have not had any problems.
Rumor is that next year they may be bringing out a diesel model...
Bill and Morag

[griz066]

Have a look here

http://www.greatwallmotors.com.au/default.asp?action=article&ID=21668

With 45 dealers already on side and a further 30 dealers to be announced by the end of this year the Great Wall utes are backed by a 24/7 roadside assist package and a three year, 100,000 km warranty. The future will see additional models such as a single cab coming on line and there is a choice of two diesel engines, a 2.0 litre turbo diesel and a 2.8 litre turbo diesel waiting in the wings for their debut.

[torsion]

Junk..

[MARKx4]

Junk..

People said that about hyundai and kia and now they make some of the best cars on the market.

They are not in the leuage of landcruiser and patrol, but they are not meant to be and you would be completly stupid if you dared to compare them too them.

They are a great cheap car and with the diesels comong they will be better, 1 of the deisels are out of the captiva which is a proven motor.

Not everyone can spend big dollar on top name cars and would like the choice of new and this is there choice.

Mark.

[gronk]

I think you will find they,re NOT a 4wd...but a soft roader like the Klugers/ Sante Fe's/ etc !!

But if you don't want to go 4wding, then for 24K...and 5 yr warranty, give em a go !!

[theflyingbadger]

People said that about hyundai and kia and now they make some of the best cars on the market.

Agreed, but it took them well over 20 years to get from junk to good. Resale is still garbage though, I've had 3 brand new Hyundais in the past 7 years and the resale on the 2 that've now gone (Terracan & Santa Fe) was awful. The little Getz is still a rocket-powered roller skate tho!

[singo-26]

As i said in a previous thread, I sold Hyundai's  some time ago and the easiest person to sell a Hyundai to was a Hyundai owner (They were past the preconceptions). I will admit the resale is low,  but go and buy a rep rocket falcon or commodore and see how the resale is in 2 years. The Great Wall cars are pieced together using older parts from the Japanese car industry. If i was looking for a ute I'd probably look at one

[robsjack]

I'm under no preconceptions that the Great Wall will be comparable with your LC, Patrol, Hilux,etc...

What's got me really thinking though is the fact that the price difference doesn't equate to the difference in materials and quality.

If Great Wall can make a profit from the X240 at $24K then why is a brand new Kluger, challenger, pathfinder, etc.. $50K+? The profit margin must be huge on these vehicles. I just can't see an extra $25K worth of vehicle.

Maybe in time as Great Wall (and others) improve their cars the Toyota and Nissan will rethink the pricing structure on their cars and come back to something more reasonable.

....hmmmm..... maybe not

probably more likely that Great Wall will increase their prices once they get themselves bedded in the Australian market

[D4D]

Maybe this will help http://myswag.org/forum/index.php?topic=10686.msg159155#msg159155

[britts]

i know a mechanic at a great wall dealership/other car brands and the fact that they have them resprayed when they come into the dealership does nothing for me, on the other hand talk to TJM i think lovells are in R&D for a 35mm lift.

[rotare]

What's got me really thinking though is the fact that the price difference doesn't equate to the difference in materials and quality.

The price difference can probably be accounted for in the difference in labour cost, not material cost.

An average Australian worker working in the car industry would earn around $25/hr.  I bet those Chinese workers putting together those Great Wall cars would be lucky to get the equivalent of $25 per week, working 6 days a week and 15 hours a day.

Pay the assembly workers pittenance and use left over and superceded parts from other manufacturers....... and there you have the main ingredients for making a car for 1/2 the price everyone else does.

[briann532]

The price difference can probably be accounted for in the difference in labour cost, not material cost.

An average Australian worker working in the car industry would earn around $25/hr.  I bet those Chinese workers putting together those Great Wall cars would be lucky to get the equivalent of $25 per week, working 6 days a week and 15 hours a day.

Pay the assembly workers pittenance and use left over and superceded parts from other manufacturers....... and there you have the main ingredients for making a car for 1/2 the price everyone else does.

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..............

Now you've gone and ruined it all with a logical explanation

My 2 cents plus GST's worth................. Horses for courses.

Brian

[torsion]

Wake up to yourself, don't try and gloss it over with spin - they are rubbish junk motor vehicles. Their 24k cause their @hit house.
Buy a second hand 95 series Toyota Prado with all the fruit for less than that. Now your in a capable off road vehicle.


  

[Bill]

Wake up to yourself, don't try and gloss it over with spin - they are rubbish junk motor vehicles. Their 24k cause their @hit house.Buy a second hand 95 series Toyota Prado with all the fruit for less than that. Now your in a capable off road vehicle.


  

And you base this observation on personal experiance?
Please tell us why they are crap and maybe save someone some agravation.

robsjack,
Everyone has thier own opinion and the only one who can decide if the Great Wall is for you is you.
Good luck with whatever decision you make and remember when you finally make a decision
 
Bill and Morag

[theflyingbadger]

If you recognise that it's a soft roader rather than a hard-core 4wd (and the $24K is as much as you want to pay), then personally i'd say go for it. I'd rather have a new car than a 10yo Prado (as suggested elsewhere in this thread) that's done 200K+

Resale will be crapola, but then you've not paid much up front either....

[McGirr]

Each to there own we all would like the best with everyting on it. But at the end of the day we can only afford what we can.

No one makes money selling second hand cars so we will drive them into the ground. Yes toyota and nissan are alot more expensive and make great cars but just like camper trailers everyone likes certain brands and models depending on budgets.

Yes great wall are cheap cars and wiil need extras added to beef them up but so do toyota and nissans when they come off the factory floor.

Good luck with the decision.

Mark   

[theflyingbadger]

wiil need extras added to beef them up

the problem will be the availability of the extras for that car. I had the same issue with my Santa Fe (and to a lessor extent the Terracan before it) - no worries any more with the Patrol on that front

[BigJules]

I reckon a second hand Hyundai Terracan would be a better buy, just because the Great Wall's are so new to our market. The Terracan wasn't flashy, but the diesel is honest and they certainly aren't falling apart.

If one was to buy a Great Wall you'd want to plan on owning it forever.

The Chinese don't only make crap, they make plenty of quality products that most of us would use daily, or at least a portion or components of something. It is my opinion that one would get what one paid for in Chinese vehicles at this time. As with Hyundai when they first came into our market, they lacked quality of design and build. Not now, but now they're not $10990 drive away either.

Good luck with your decision.

[singo-26]

Wake up to yourself, don't try and gloss it over with spin - they are rubbish junk motor vehicles. Their 24k cause their @hit house.
Buy a second hand 95 series Toyota Prado with all the fruit for less than that. Now your in a capable off road vehicle.


  

What are we spinning? The fact that Great Wall have bought years of R and D by Nissan, Izuzu and Mitsubishi chaeper than they could have done it themselves, The fact that clearly they have bought panel pressings from Izuzu no doubt cheaper than they could have produced new pressings themselves. Most of these cheaper vehicles use older technology to produce a cheaper vehicle. Most Hyundai and Kia vehicles have a motor very similar to a Mitsubishi (possibly produced under licence). In a nutshell they use older technology and R and D purchased from the Japanese producers, And cheaper labour, To produce a cheaper product. Thats not spin its fact. BTW my wife drives a very second hand 95 series prado with all the fruit and over 250,000klm, But that is not the vehicle the question was asked about.

[Juggs]

you guys do realise hiluxs mazda/ford bt-50s an dholden colarado are made in taiwan right
no more japanese build quaity on any of them and no $50 per hour labur rates

they are cheap because they are made cheaply of cheaper materials and with cheap basic styling

i test drove everything when i bought the bt-50 and the ride quality and noise in side the cab was noticble worse with the great wall
i also couldnt see the value in th ehilux either so im not a brand snob.
i was going to get the hilux for resale as we only keep them 100k but our insurance company wouldnt offer us cover as it did not have abs brakes on the base model 4x4 dual cab hilux

for the record id buy a hyundai and th emissus is getting a i30 end of the year, but i expect to keep it till its dead as the resale is woeful
brother n law bought a hyundai santafei and was offered 6k for it trade in at 3 years old

[theflyingbadger]

brother n law bought a hyundai santafei and was offered 6k for it trade in at 3 years old

hmmm.. I just got $18K for mine (and a damned good discount on the patrol as well) at 4yo, with 120k on the clock...

[toeball]

Would some one have a better holiday in a 200 series towing an ultimate, than a great wall towing a GIC???

Probably yes but there is no point working every weekend to have the best of everything, get what you can afford and get out there, I don't think there is too much snobbery around a good camp fire.

[griz066]

Junk..

PFFFFT

[Juggs]

hmmm.. I just got $18K for mine (and a damned good discount on the patrol as well) at 4yo, with 120k on the clock...

Hmmm ?
He was trying to trade it in on a 26k Mazda
More room to play with in a 60 k patrol maybe
The car had 80.000 km