Great Wall Motors X240 4WD Review

Pros:

Cons:

By Alborz Fallah | October 28th, 2009

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Price: $12,540 to $16,720

Performance, Ride & Handling	1
Comfort & Interior	3
Quality & Design	1
Value & Features	3
Green	3.5

Since June Great Wall Motors has been doing better than most had expected. Last month the Chinese owned company sold 76 V240s and 56 SA220 twin cab utilities. Today sees the introduction of the first 4WD model from the brand.

The X240 4WD sports utility vehicle will go on sale from a low price of $23,990 drive away. Although many might suspect a cheap Chinese car to be lacking in features, the X240 4WD comes with; electric driver’s seat; leather trimmed seats, power steering, air conditioning, central locking, eight speaker CD/MP3 sound system, alloy wheels and four wheel disc brakes.

Powering the X240 is a 2.4-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that produces 100 kW (5,250 rpm) and 200 Nm of torque (2,500-3,000 rpm) mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. It will drink around 10.4L/100km on the combined fuel cycle.

Although the X240 4WD comes with dual air bags, anti-lock brakes and electronic brake force distribution, going by the recent Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) crash test results, it’s two brothers only scored two out of a maximum five points.

Like all other Great Wall Motor vehicles, a three year/100,000km warranty is standard. Colours available are white, black, silver and red. A sun roof is a $1000 option.

X 240 Technical Specifications

Drive				4×4
Vehicle curb weight (kg)				1830
GVM (kg)				2305
Axle load	Unload	Front (kg)		970
		Rear (kg)		860
	Fully load	Front (kg)		1070
		Rear (kg)		1235
Dimensions		Length (mm)		4620
		Width (mm)		1800
		Height (mm)		1800
Wheel base (mm)				2700
Track			Front (mm)	1515
			Rear (mm)	1520
Min. ground clearance ?full load? (mm)				?175
Min. tuning diameter (m)				?12
Front suspension (mm)				850
Rear suspension (mm)				1070
Approach angle (°)				?28
Departure angle (°)				?27.5
Power performance?
Acceleration time 0 – 100km/h (S)				?20
Max speed(full load) (km/h)				160
Fuel consumption
Fuel consumption – Urban (L/100km)				13.6
Fuel consumption – Extra Urban (L/100km)				8.5
Combined fuel consumption (L/100km)				10.4
Braking performance?
Braking distance at initial brake speed of 50km/h (m)				?20.0(full load), ?19.0 (unload)
Emergency braking distance at initial speed of 50km/h (m)				?38.0
Noise?
External noise at acceleration dB(A)				?74
Internal noise at constant velocity of 50km/h dB(A)				?79

Engine specifications

Item	Specification
Model	4G69S4N
Type	4-cylinder in-line, four-stroke, water cooled, overhead valve, Multi-point Sequential Injection
Displace (L)	2.378
Cylinder × stroke (mmXmm)	87×100
Rated power/rotational speed (kW/rpm)	100/5250
Max. torque/rotational speed (Nm/rpm)	200/2500-3000
Compression ratio	9.8:1

Tyre specifications

Tyre size	235/65 R17 104H
Rim size	5°Deep trough rim 17×7J
Pressure (Kpa)	230
Rolling radius (mm)	358

Steering

Type	Rack and pinion steering gear, power-steering, power-absorbing steering column

Brakes

Type	Drive	Dual-line vacuum Braking Systems, Anti-lock brake system
	Park	Mechanical
Front		Ventilated disk brake
Rear		Disk Brake

Suspension

Front	torsion bar spring, hydraulic shock absorber, stabilizer bar, double wishbone arm type independent suspension
Rear	Four-bar, screw spring, hydraulic shock absorber, stabilizer bar, dependent suspension

Transmission

Model	ZM001DF
Gear Ratio	1st gear	3.992
	2nd gear	2.150
	3rd gear	1.334
	4th gear	1.000
	5th gear	0.857
	R gear	4.220
	H gear	1.000
	L gear	2.480

Owner reviews of the GREAT WALL MOTORS X240 Add a New Review

2010 GREAT WALL MOTORS X240
By jeff nitsch

2010 GREAT WALL MOTORS X240 (4x4)
By Dianne

Marc

Holy hell – did I read that right? 20 seconds to 100km/h!

Even a 3 cylinder diesel Hyundai accent is quicker (19 seconds).
- C
  
  A car this slow can never be safe on Aussie roads!
- AAA
  
  It says LESS THAN 20sec.. could be 1sec or 19.99sec
- DGS
  
  what does a Landrover Defender do 0 – 100km/hr in I wonder?
Mitch

with all the money you save on buying the car you can afford to put petrol into it. 10.4 litres per 100.
Marty

Personally I wouldn’t buy one but I must say I was surprised that it actually doesn’t look to bad. What is it with alot of the figures (ie. Acceleration) using the less than or equal to symbol?
absi

wow – 100kw frm a 2.4L engine! that too petrol!

thats gotta be really old tech…
Tom R

MY GOD THATS CHEAP!!!
=O

But I wouldnt want to have a reverse parking incident in it… i’d die.
NacaYoda

At under $24,000 drive-away, I hate to think how poorly the workers who build these cars are being paid. Not to mention how many environmentally damaging shortcuts the factory is taking.

I’d never, ever, EVER buy one.
- Frenchie
  
  When I was in China at a large well known car manufacturer, a leading hand was being paid $10,000AUD per year. He earned an extra $5000AUD through bonuses and this put him on a good wage. The cars that they were making (for the Chinese market)are being sold for the same price as other equivalent cars sold here in Australia.
  - Jon Leong
    
    I’ve stayed in China for more then 6 years and the reason their wages are low is because the prices of every day items are low. $0.30 AUD for a Bus trip distance of around 40km, and rent for nice 2-room apartment 10 min bus travel from CBD is around $50 a week.
    Car is not a A-B tool for most Chinese who lives in cities, push Bikes are.
    Car is a status symbol for them. Imported cars can have up to 40% import tax on them, thats why even Mercedes, Bmw, Audi have factories in China.(in the early 90′s Import tax is 150% for a 3.0L+ car!)
    
    That said, the basic run-about cars in China is really cheap. Things like the local built Jazz, Mazda 2, Swift, 207, fiesta,Skoda Fabia’s RRP are all around the $10000-13000. Example: A brand new local built Toyota Yaris 1.3 manual (actual Toyota, not a fake look alike) is around $10300 AUD before bargaining, (and when it comes to bargain, Chinese would go mad) after negotiation, people have got it as low as $8800 AUD.
    - Gary
      
      push bikes are no more the main method for commuters due to fast growth of cars. Because main roads are all occupied by cars in all major cities in China, it is just too dangerous to ride a push bike to get to work SAFELY. So people have to switch to public transport.
- AAA
  
  Then you might as well don’t buy ipods, mp3s, laptops, computers, mobile phones, radios, tvs, set top boxes, washing machine, fridges, microwave, blankets, quilts, bed sheets, tools, clothings and most of the other stuffs. Not many things are not made in China these days ~
Jon Leong

I read on some other website that the local spec current gen Hover(Chinese Name of X240) received a 3 star crash rating on C-NCAP. C stands for Chinese I believe??
and the Hover gen 3, those that get exported to European market received 4 star Euro-NCAP rating.

That said… I would want one…

I would pay the extra $10,000 for a RAV4, X-trail or the face lifted CX-7.
- Gary
  
  unfortunately c-ncap is not very reliable, I will only trust ancap or euro ncap.
- Jon Leong
  
  I Wouldn’t want one*
- Toyota Guru
  
  C-NCAP probably carry out crash tests at 5km/h.
Sammy

looks good but I hate alpha-numeric names like this X240, cars are an emotional purchase, how the heck do you form a bond with a car which has a name like a barcode?
- Safety Frist
  
  Umm You’d seriously want to form a bond with this????? :p
trippyfoo

hmm..lol .. .so you must have issues with 335 – x5 – m3 – C63 / E63 -Rs6…

I must say , looks are quite passable, neither offensive or dreadfully dull.
Though whether it’s a good car or not is a whole lot of different matter.
- Safety Frist
  
  Agree Hmm Ferrari F40 or Ferrari Scagliatelli……?????? (LOL):-)
- Sammy
  
  yeah I also think those 318i and C200 names suck as well, but at least there is a history and reasoning for the German naming nomenclature. But all the new upstarts which name the cars like computer serial numbers are just trying too hard to copy the Germans and it seems a bit lame. Look at the top 10 near-luxury cars in the US, its like alphabet soup with Lexus, Infiniti, Acura and others all naming the cars like X45QLSE. Ahhh whatever happened to names like Mustang and Couger, wild animal names…?
  - Baddass
    
    Completely agree. That is why I am angry that Hyundai is ditching real names like Tuscon and Elantra for the growing ‘i’ culture. I don’t know why putting a lower case i in front of a word makes it cool, but that’s just me.
    - DGS
      
      I recon the “i” prefix is just a passing fashion. give it a year or so of been applyed to every thing and the coolness will be gone. If the government get in on it and call the 09/10 Tax Pac “iTax” that should do it in one go!
ChineseDriver

Thats a handsome looking car…

Go Chinese cars!!! haha
f1worldchamp

???
Comparitively low power + lousy economy + Chinese build quality = why bother?
Reckless1

There must be 2 models – on Carsales.com.au the engine puts out 91Kw, this one is 100Kw. Who’s wrong?

For a true 4WD this is pretty cheap, on a par performance wise with the 1988 2.6l Jackaroos I should think. They were pretty capable off road as well.

Ground clearance is a bit poor for off-roading, nothing a bit of a crank on the torsion bars and a pair of new springs at the back wouldn’t fix.

Pretty well equipped for the price too, and not enough power to really stress the rest of the mechanicals, so the chances of high reliability are pretty good.

Nearest vehicles to this are the just superseded Kia Sorento, the base model of which was about $35000 plus on-roads, albeit with a 3.8V6 or a 2.5 diesel so a bit more vehicle for the extra money, or the Suzuki GV 2.4 at around $32000 D/A. The Suzuki is 200kg lighter with a more powerful 2.4 engine…..
Gary

Come on guys, there is no need to compare well-established car brands against new ones. If you really want to, compare chinese brand with 1970s’ toyota or 1980s’ korean.
- Rhys
  
  It is their choice to compete in the current car market, so all of the cars will be compared with the current competitors. Whats the logic in comparing a 70′s or 80′s car with a brand new car?
toxic_horse

These will sell for the same reason i see so many tradies driving around in the Duel cab utes, price.
they might find a market with farmers who need to go off road can’t justify paying 40k for somthing they are going to beat up.
- Devil’s Advocate
  
  That would be interesting. 2 utes stand off at 400m with the survivor the winner! I don’t know how else you could ‘duel’ a ute! TVFPIC.
  
  That is a valid point WRT tradies Toxic. However I am a little surprised they only have a dual cab ute as I am sure the Farmers you mentioned for the 4WD would also buy more of the utes if they also had a single or ‘xtra’ cab version.
Hung Low

Wasn’t the FWD Hyundai Tucson similarly priced? Wouldn’t that be a safer, smarter buy?
I say the engine is the same Mitsubishi one used in the ute, with cars of this size and smallish engines look at the torque and at what rpms produced. With a kerb weight similar to a much larger AWD this little engine will have its hand full but I am sure GWM will have a diesel option on the way. Out of the 4 cylinder soft roaders the X-trail has always had the most decent driveline.
Robin Graves

An asthmatic 4 cyl pulling 2300kg – are we in 1982?
toxic_horse

Yea but this has a low range gear box and probally real 4×4 ability.
not saying i would buy one but i just think they will sell like the duel cab that everyone bagged out.
Great wall don’t care what you’re personal opinion is, as long as they sell units.
- Aleks
  
  How is this different to any car company these days? Its just a business after all.
From The Sales Floor

It’s what i said for 20 years – put a go-kart on the floor with a canopy and someone will buy it – no accounting for taste and safety
GreatSUV

Come here to see How this Great affordable SUV drive all the way from South China to Thailand. Realiable and affordable. They will sell like hot cakes esp in regional Oz!
http://club.autohome.com.cn/bbs/thread-o-200042-4270140-1.html
- Baddass
  
  If you are going to advertise, have the decency to pay for it.
- Hung low
  
  Thanks for the holiday snaps, the food looks good and the weather crap!
X240 locked and lifted

It’s an old Toyota 4-Runner chassis, with a Mitsubishi 2.4L Petrol motor which was from the pre-V6 Pajero’s and Magna’s and the body is from an Isuzu SUV we don’t get here (The Axiom). I don’t see a problem with it. The 2.4 engine was a good, reliable unit and well the 4-Runner (Read Hilux) chassis including transfer case and diffs is from Toyota so what’s to go wrong? Chuck an off the shelf lift kit, some big tyres, front and rear diff locks and turbo the motor (or for the adventurous, swap in a 2.8 Pajero turbo diesel) and you’d have a great car.
- Ahdal
  
  “The body is from an Isuzu SUV we don’t get here (The Axiom)”
  
  Correction: a COPY “from an Isuzu SUV we don’t get here (The Axiom)”.
  - X240 locked and lifted
    
    Who cares…
    It’s tonnes better than the 4-Runner body the chassis used to be attached to.
AAA

Even though it has only 3 star, 2 star or 1 star for safey, I bet you that if you have a colision with your 5 star safety VW Polo, Fiesta, Festiva, Mazda 2, NEW Mini, Yaris you gonna get flattened while the occupants in this 4wd will most likely walk away.
Biker

An acquaintance of mine bought one. (not in OZ though)
This car REALLY is that slow. Doesn’t look as bad as some Tata’s I saw, but this thing is NOT built for speed. It’s built for CHEAP.
- toxic_horse
  
  Actually its built to go off road. thats what 4×4′s are for . i think people forget this.
AWD

Why do they allow crap like this on the road………..its cheap its nasty and its unsafe………and its a disgrace.
- X240 locked and lifted
  
  It’s Cheap. It’s not ‘Nasty’. It’s not ‘Unsafe’. It’s definitely NOT a disgrace. people are so quick to jump to conclusions when they see the price and see it’s made in China.
- danboy
  
  TO MR AWD,
  AUS cars not any better. Perhaps you might wanna check safety rating of 06-07 barina and talking about nasty go to your local holden and ford dealer and ask where they get most of their interior parts you ll be surprised. Look up on the net all aussie cars build before 03 received 2-3 star rating max. Those crap were allowed on the road and no one complained.
X240 locked and lifted

I think people need to have a look at the price – $24k Drive Away!!
It may be slow compared to current SUV’s, but why do you need to go fast. I’ve read elsewhere that it does 0-100km/h in 12 seconds. That’s plenty fast enough. If it’s not, put a turbo kit on it.
- AAA
  
  12sec 0-100kmh is more like it for a 2.4 litre 100KW/200NW/5sp manual and 1800kg vehicle ~
  - Simon
    
    rather under-spec’d for a 2.4 L.
Jojo

ols technology with 2 star death trap rating. No thanks
- danboy
  
  to Jojo,
  
  It seems to me that I need to break this down to everyone. EVERYONE please do look up safety rating of your previous cars. Most received under 3. These days they put some curtain airbags and ESP making it 5 out of 5 and every stupid out there think they ll be safe. I use to drive 2000 Mercedes 200c thinking im sitting in a safe car, looked up safety rating and it was only 2.
filippo

Buy it if you must, but if 6 months later you then whinge to A Current Affair that it has fallen apart or has killed your family, don’t expect any sympathy.
- X240 locked and lifted
  
  Hmmm, Brand new, 3 year, 100,000km warranty, ABS, EBD and airbags or a second hand 10 year old 1 star rated, soft-roader from Toyonissabishi? Tough choice. I wonder if all these people knocking the X240 would consider driving an older car without even ABS or 4 wheel discs, let alone airbags. What the X240 has is MUCH better and safer than what many people drive as 4 wheel drives. Older 90′s model 100 series Toyota’s and GU Nissan’s have nowhere near the safety ‘rating’ or features of the X240 yet people flock to them to go ‘offroad’. Think about it!
  - Baddass
    
    I notice you didn’t mention the safety rating of the V240!
    - Speak Your Mind
      
      Holden just got a full 5-star rating. What was stopping it before was the inclusion of a passengers seat belt reminder. WOW.
- gary
  
  ouch you got told.
Fernando

In 20 years later I may consider buying a Chinese car, if they constantly prove their quality, safety and reliability. But now, no thanks.I would rather work harder to get the proper car.
binladen

Some people just don’t appreciate what “Made IN CHINA” means to them! It is not always cheap and nasty! I think it is very good value for money actually! It is definitely better than a second hand thing. The sales figure is going to show it later just like the Utes on sale now. If there is Auto, it is even better!
abp001

Ppl ppl……we Aussies like to give ppl a fair go….RIGHT? NONE of us here has seen it in the flesh, open it’s doors, checked out it’s quality…and driven the thing yet right? So let’s not be so negative about. For 24K & 3 yr factory warranty, you really can’t ask for too much….and lets be honest….it does look pretty ok. If it had a Jap badge….I’m sure ppl wouldn’t pounce on it & say it looks nasty.
It is low on power……so we can expect leisurely performance…..but let’s remind ourselves it’s 24K driveaway! You get a brand new car & 3 yr warranty & 24hr roadside assist…

Back 10-15 yrs ago…that’s how Hyundai started….and look at them now…they’re embraced by so many ppl…
Sam 300TD

I didn’t think there would be a new car slower than my 300TD. I was wrong.
Peter Griffin

Ohhhh yeah. You’re my Chinese Lois
Carl

I am the sales manager for a NSW Great Wall Dealership. The response we have had to our great wall utes is fantastic – they are selling great and people love them; Not to mention the x240 – the enquiries we have had on them is phenomonal.
I personally love the vehicles Ateco/Great Wall are providing us with, they are all packed with so many features and the prices are great. The x240 is a fantastic product as the sales will tell in the coming months.
There is no need to be scared of the products as all components are from well known brands; Toyota, Mitsubishi and Isuzu and the vehicles are backed with a great warranty.

This is no different to when Hyundai first came to Australia, everyone criticised them and look at Hyundai now – I guarantee you Great Wall will be the same!!
Great balls of Eerwah

Fantastic…More competition the better. Soon I will be able to buy my first “new” car. I don’t think it will be one of the GW X240 but good luck to them. I prefer Toyota- Done me good for over 1,000,000 on second car now.
peter stap

i just bought one for one family..we love it…it sit high and drive well…the price is so good too…
- beachbum 4runner lover
  
  HI Im interested in getting one – can you give me your non carsalesmen opinions of it – thanks
beachbum 4runner lover

Look at the facts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_Hover
- beachbum 4runner lover
  
  toyota 4runner chassis
beachbum 4runner lover

mitsubishi donk
beachbum 4runner lover

Isuzu shell
ALERGIC TO BAVARIAN NUTJOB

Can anybody tell me if this is a different motor to the utes, as they have only 100 hp
Gilly

Well its has a proven chassis, proven 4G64 Mitsubishi engine, pretty good results for the crash test (Euro NCAP 4stars), roomy and proper off road capability for $23990 drive away! At that price you cannot bag its minor shortfalls but where is an auto and diesel version? I think it will sell well……eventually!
meme

who has test driven this yet ??? look at all the crap cars most aussies drive heaps of rust held together with duct tape
MK

And 30 years ago Ford and Chev drivers were laughing at the small ”dinky toy” Toyota utes.
Modern Mick

u typically dumb aussies, everything u buy is made in China and it wont be long before the beloved Toyota ( very overated and extremely overpriced) will expand further from Thailand into China.
I saw it with Datsun and Hyundai, GWM will consume our motor industry a lot quicker than u think.
People complain about performance? most city streets are 50kmh and the max speed on the highway is 110kmh…..
- Car Fanatic
  
  Really? Cause my car was built in South Africa, my computer in U.S, camcorder in Japan and Vacuum in Malaysia, even most of my kids stuffed toys were made in the UK. Not many Chinese products in my house.
  - Modern Mick
    
    Car Fanatic
    
    Looks like you’ll believe anything
    
    Car built in South Africa from imported components from where?
    
    Computer made in the US, ha ha probably in Mexico from Chinese components
    
    Vacuum Cleaner again the same and as for your stuffed toy where are the textiles imported from?
    
    You’ll never get away from the big powerhouse of China and because us westerners are basically lazy and laid back it wont belong before our next generations will be listening to a Chinese Australian Prime Minister on their Chinese Made LCD TVs……
    - Safety Frist
      
      Ha Ha Funny you say that, was buying an LCD telly teh other month when the Sunday sales pleb said buy the LG because it’s Korean and theya re the best at LCD tellies at the moment, Don’t buy the identical looking National one as it is made in China and the Chinese stuff not as good as the Korean….. he went on and on about hte Korean quality, the whole time I’m standing at the side of the LG looking at a large sticker proudly anouncing “BUILT IN CHINA”…….. Let him ramble for ten minutes before bringing it to his notice…… :p
Agro-nup

I have had a good test drive of the 4 wd ute today and then this SUV, I was impressed by both of these vehicles. Yes they both seem a tad underpowerd, but niether of them had been fully run in obviously.
At present I drive a Falcon ute and for 4 years have owned a 1999 3.2 v6 Rodeo, both of which have plenty of grunt, so of course a 2.4 4 cyl doesn’t compare in power terms.
After driving the X240 I have signed up for one, pending finance.
They come with black leather as standard, electric drivers seat, lumbar supprt for both front seats and a very impressive sound system.
They come with lots of other goodies too as mentioned in this article.
I have owned many cars in my life and driven lots of cars too, and I can tell anyone that cares that these seem to be fantastic value.
Of all the SUVs on the market this is one of the nicest looking out there, no question about it.
It drives fine with good all-round vision, the rear 60-40 seats fold completely flat for impressive practicality and versatility.
The build quality is great, it has a very solid feel to it and it suits the purpose of my needs at this stage of my life, at a phenominal low price.
We are looking forward to taking delivery of it and hopefully it will meet our expectaions. I will keep you posted regarding reliability e.t.c.
I am not a badge snob nor a racist, nor a Great Wall employee.
Please dont bother to knock me with any uninformed criticism as I am over all the nonsense that goes on on this site.
It is a car web-site for intelligent discussion, not a site for immature slanging matches.
If anyone would like me to answer any genuine questions please feel free to ask and I will do my best to reply.

Regards to all, Agro-nup. XXX
- flank988
  
  Really want to see your opinion of the car. I hope it wil meet your exceptations. I like to know how reliable it is.
  - Agro-nup
    
    No problem flank, will be happy to report good or bad ( hopefully good ).
- Tamagotchi34
  
  Thanks for the more mature input. I’m getting a GW SUV in a couple of weeks.
  I think they look great. And as some have said it may be slow but who drives fast 4wding. That’s what I want to test it on as I love 4wding.
  It’s got to be far better and safer then the old ford I’m driving now and it all I can’t afford to buy. So I’m loving it.
  I’ll keep everyone posted on what I think too.
- Tam
  
  Looking at buying the now H5 GWM, How was your experience ?
ohreally

I suspect some of these posters are employees of GWM

on the topic of speed, 0-100 in 20 seconds?
I cant imagine entering a freeway
- Can’t help myself
  
  If you close your eyes and try hard enough you will be able to imagine entering a freeway, ha ha.
gary

http://www.caradvice.com.au/40080/new-vehicle-sales-figures-august-2009/

they are coming 21st in selling new UTES, imagine them selling the Hover in AUTO ALSO the new Turbo utes are coming out. Let see how many they will sell mid next year. 5000?
BJH

Test drove the X240 this week, great looking car, a little under powered but gets going on the open road, leather interior very nice, brakes great, on the run 2×4 to 4×4, its definatly not an X-trail or Kluger but for the Price $23990 on road its an option for all us poor people. My 96 Nissan Patrol although a reliable 4X4 has no airbags, no ABS, what would its safety rating be???
- Speak Your Mind
  
  Given that 2004 and on Patrols have ABS as standard, dual and side airbags and a reversing camera optional and it only scored 3 stars with all of the safety features, I’d definitely say the older model Patrol’s would score a big fat zero in the ANCAP tests.
Baddass

Eeesh, power to weight ratio is 1kw/43kg.
LOL

Has 100kw and weighs 1830kg
I make that 1kw/18.3kg. Where did you learn maths, Baddass?
NHANCD

Have any of you even driven one of these ???
Hung Low

Seen a few on the road, they do not look bad at all and for $23k why would you complain??
Where is the road test CA???
Tracy

For those who have actually seen and driven one………how do you think they’d go towing a camper trailer? I know the towing specs say it’ll do it be I’m concerned about all this talk re: power.
- NHANCD
  
  Mate it wouldn’t tow a bloody thing !!! It would the longest trip ever !!! Very guttless.
- rocket
  
  would kill the clutch in no time. probably not covered under warranty as it is a ‘wear & tear’ item.
NHANCD

Test dorve the x240 yesterday, the overall exterior I was quite inpressed with, it looks like a more expressive SUV, the interior was ok, just cause its got leather doesn’t mean its a luxury car, but the engine performance, WTF !!! My work truck would beat off the line in reverse ! I was very dissappointed, as soon as we left the dealer driveway I said to the wife we ain’t buying one, it had no get up, maybe 10 years ago it might have been a good competitor, the Outlander 2.4L motor does nothing for it, the Triton engine would have been better.
I was ready to buy one yesterday, as the wifes shopping car, 3rd car, but the test drive killed that !
safe again

I bought GREAT WALL X240 its better than my old raider wich was dangerous! so all u naysayers should be happy its off the road.
Neo

Buy a 2y.o X trail with 30000km instead, its better economy in the long run!
mas

A car that is slow would be safe on ours roads because then dickheads that are hoons cant hoon into you cause they are toooooo slow!! HAVE I GOT A POINT?
- Andrew M
  
  Just because you dont do the speed limit, it doesnt make those that do hoons
ck

hey just drove and totally checked it out .the build quality is great.the engine is old mitsu great.no i am not a sales man.but if your talking price then do i ne to remind you the people that run this great land is giving us a tax break so its not 23990 it more like 11995 so even if it does only last for the three years you only pay 10 bucks a day plus rego now you want ten dont you.im getting a white one then once i get it i will be the first to put a as injected system on it it will go better and cost nothing to run…ps i work for that roadside company r something somthing v thanks now go cry if you just purchased a hilux for 50000..hehhehhhhh
- rocket
  
  r u gunna turbocharge it as well??????
wopper

Friends have just bought one, I am about to order one next week, have driven my friends, it IS a little under powered at the start, but once it gets going the acceleration is quite good. OK, sure, it may not have the pickup of some others in the market, but for the price, it is a great vehicle! Have been looking for something of a similar size, test drives for Hyundai Tucson (not as much storage, and no 4WD unless you pay close to $30k) Ford Escape (beautiful car, better drive and specs but also $7k+ more expensive)and on comparison, it scrubs up very nicely thankyou! Dealer says that part if their deal with Great Wall is a requirement to have all spare parts in stock, so no worries about replacement parts etc, about the only major gripe is how hard the jack is to get out!!! But all in all, a great vehicle, for a great price!! Why don’t you people who are so busy knocking the vehicle get off the computer and actually take one for a drive – try to be objective when you do, don’t just automatically knock it because you don’t know the vehicle or the brand!
- rocket
  
  did ya drag many people off at the lights???
  - wopper
    
    No, I leave that up to Boy Racers who are compensating for deficiencies in other areas.
Tom

LOL! I dont believe this. Great Wall Motors. Its like Hyundai and all those korean brands in the 90s. Wait 5-6 years for them to catch up. Until then, unless you’re an avid supporter of chinese vehicles and the great wall, i wouldnt advise getting one. their LCV V240 has a 2 star ANCAP rating, and this seems to share the rating. I’d rather attach a V8 to a tin shed and fit a rollcage to it, at least it has more power.
Paul

V240 2 stars but majority of that style utes are only 3 stars & how many stars do you think the ute people are trading in have…0 stars! The X240 should be a 3 star as the car has pretensioners on the seat belts it also has saftey features such as ABS, electric brake distribution & brake assist! At $23990 it’s as cheap as chips!!
Tom

okay so it sounds good on paper. It may have a half-way decent ride. But unless you are absolutely dead set that this is the best car in the world, and can ignore others, i’d be pretty embarrassed to be riding around in a Great Wall. You can call me a brand snob, but i’d rather be seen in a SsangYong than this. Btw, i found the Ssangyong pickup quite alright for off-roading in a 4WD dirt course display a couple of years back at the Sydney Motor show.
Russell

I am also keen to know if anyone has these. Lots of different comments but dont seem to be many owners.
rocket

hey whAT price can u get 1 of these for? anybody know? I know they r saying $23990 but has anybody wrangled a dealer down to cheaper? like ford and holden generally can wrangle 10% off rrp ($2400 in this case).
doordy 182

its funny,we went through all this when kia and hyundai came out,ive done the research and test drove one,even had a chat with ancap on the upcoming test.i have a mazda 3 max sport and i dont mind a x240 for a second car,the barina and sirion and jumbuck were only alowed into oz after the flooded them with air bags other wise the wernt alowed in.some will hate them some will like them and then some will sit on the fence,ive lost 4 friends this year in car accidents,3 in a new falcon with 5 star ancap and one in a prado with 5 star ancap,wasnt their faults and no they were not speeding.sometimes all those stars dont count for much.
Chris

Has anybody actually driven this SUV, not just speculating as to it’s performance. We test drove one last week and was happy with it’s road performance. Would love to hear from anyone who has taken it off road.
thanks
Craig

I am certainly keen on taking one for a drive. I was looking at an X-Trail TI earlier this year for around 40K and this x240 has similiar specifications. There is a lot of talk of no power but the engine only puts out 25kw in power and 26nm on Torque behind the x-trail, the only issue being that this vehicle is 300kg heavier than an x-trail, however with the chasis from a Toyota Surf I am guessing that it will be practically unbrakable, glad I didn’t buy the x-trail as I will save about 16k if i buy a x240 instead, and also gain low range 4×4, I think the price of Nissan, toyota, Ford etc SUV’s may start to come down a bit when the x240 takes off, and about time too, looking at the price of the x240 other manufacturers must be making a killing
Glenn

I drove one today with the wife as we want to get rid of the magna tj and get something a little newer and for the money the warranty and roadside assist makes you look at it a little harder and i dont want to go fast just pull my boat i think we will buy one so if you have not taken one for a drive stop gobbing off about it and drive one the road noise is less then my 100 series i just sold to buy the wife a new kia
- David T
  
  Cheap car, but at a cheap price would be better than most old cars on the road any way (& probably the old Magna).
  Just make sure that you get one that has had the seatbelts replaced under the “mandatory safety recall”.
http://yahoo joe

You’ll all be driving chinese cars in the future anyway, so why not now.
Buy it and if you feel bad, spend another 10 g’s, get a Jetski and still be better off than those guys with their overpriced SUV’s!
Rather get there cheaper than get there and don’t have money to do annything else.
marc

FOR ANYONE LOOKING AT BUYING A X240. AN HONEST RUN-DOWN.
-When I was buying one I found a lack of unbiased opinion so heres a writeup.

(Ok guys I have pretty decent experience with all sorts of cars from building porsche 911s to racing Nissan GTRs. I bought a GWM x240 about 1 month ago this is my honest take):

Styling – excellent, reminds me a bit of a merc CDI with the upward slanting chrome window finishes. The look of the car (and price first attracted me to it).

Interior carpets – very nice (does not come with floor mats – i had to buy some)

Interior seats – leather is cheapish quality but still leather.

Sound system – Good sound system and decent quality sound. takes a while to flip to the next track but I am impressed, nice and bassey, it aint so Nakamichi deck but it will do 99.9% of buyers fine!

Cupholder – flaw (if youve got a drink in the cup holder it inhibits your ability to put the car in 1st gear without sliding you hand lower on the shifter. Design error or whatever. Its silly.

Cupholder – propensity to break (I got my dealer to fix prior to deliver so just be easy on them when fliping them out, dont let them spring out hard and it should last)

Bonnet release lever – mine is fine but i saw one broken on a demo model. So maybe just go easy on these.

Interior (more info) Has got window tint, elec windows, elec driver seat. Passanger can also lock/unlock doors from their side which is a good safety thing or a pain if youve got a girlfriend who likes locking the doors when you like to drive with them unlocked.

Door locks – these feel flimsy to me and i will be going easy when manually operating these. Although, you shouldnt really need to becuase the doors lock when the car is son and doors are closed, although to unlock when the car is operational you either press unlock button (prefered) or manually pull the flimsy feeling door lock flap.

Airconditioner – good except you cant ‘block or turn off’ the passanger air vents (you can only divert them)

Body finish – I noticed some little imperfections in the paint and chrome grill. i have painted cars etc before so I have an eagle eye for this type of stuff. If you were none the wiser you probably would not realise. Also the front tips of my quarter panel were dented (near where it meats the headlight) so i asked the dealer to take these dents out prior to purchase. I am not sure if it was dented in transit or it comes with dips near the tip of the panel near the headlight, anyway it was fixed prior to delivery.

Chrome outer door handles – I have noticed a few little marks on a chrome door handle (maybe QC) isnt as strict as Merc but to be honest this mark is about 1 mm in diameter and most wouldnt even realise.

Boot – you have to shut this with a fair bit of force to close it and the rear out hatch handle feels flimsy, it will last but I suspect it is an item you would go easy on.

Tyres- they decked my car out with good quality Kumhos prior to purchase, tyres are pretty impotant so thats good. Any tyres fitted would need to pass Aussie standards anyway.

Brakes – I havent had to brake hard but looking forward to changing to Bendix etc when I need to, just like the korean motorbike Hyosung the pads that come with these cheaper toys are often lower quality than a replacement you would get here. Anyway I have had no dramas so far.

Fuel cap – the silly thing is that my cars fuel cap has a slot for your key but it doesnt actually lock. I cant figure out if the slot is just for looks as there is no locking mechanism.

Roof rack – only aethetical (but proper ones are coming apparanetly)

Battery – mine came with a Narva batter which is a good thing

Brake lines – dual brake lines which is good

Discs – probably a little small but what do you expect … 6 pot brembos.

ABS – havent had a chance to try it yet, will take it to a skid pan in the wet come winter.

Dash styling – looks a little cheapish (just the finish on the edges, not a deal breaker though).

Rear seat fold mechanism – no complaints and works well.

Drivers side air bag cover – I noticed in the heat mine wrped a little so that you almost had to give it a slight push back into shape…could get annoying if you have to keep doing that or you could just leave it.

Gears – Trans is ok, a little stiff into 1st but as I do more kms I think it will loosen up.

Reverse sensor – very good will give a constant beep when you are about 12 inches away from an object. Also picks up onjects to the rear sides so you dont scrape the edge of your bumpers (if you can’t park).

Noise from bonnet – my bonnet makes a squeeking noise if I drive over a bump. you can’t hear it when driving but If i push up and down on the closed bonnet or front bumper I can hear a slight squeek. When I drive with no music and coast (no engine noise) I can hear slight whistles etc but not enough to drive you mad, unless you were on the brink.

2wd/4wdlr/hr – good electronic transfer via knob. Haven’t done any serious off roading in this but I did play around in a gravel lot. Low ratio seems like it would have enough guts to do what most of us need, it aint no hummer but I think it is suffiicient. It takes a little whicle for the electronic transfer to occur, sometimes you need to drive forward slightly.

4wd button position – would be better if its away from the passanger incase you have one of those idiot friends who like to touch buttons and knobs. You could do some damage if switched on at high speed or on sealed road. Also the knob doesnt have much resistance so it could be turned accidentally if something brushed past it.

Paint – decent quality metallic (mine is black)a few imperfections (1mm in size) Ive probably got 4 all over the car.

Number plate block – to fit aussie plates to the front a disgusting plastic block is fitted to the lower front bar, it is crap, looks cheap and I am going to ditch it eventually and do something else.

Head light fog lights – good visibility, adjustable up and down (depending on load in your car) could do with some spotties on the roof rack (a la jeep wrangler) if you do some serious country driving.

Great wall door sills – as youd expect the car sometimes slips up and reveals that it is a cheaper chinese car. the door stepper sills look great but you can see a tiny bit of glue where it had oozed out from between the steppers and the sil. I am going to finely cut it off with a stanley but it is an example of how something silly can let you remember it was a cheap car.

Trans – back on the trans I am unsure but I heard they may be a borg-warner, if thats the car thats a good thing. I am totally unsure have not made any inquiries and dont intend to.

Engine – yes its has got an underpowered Mitsu 2.4 litre. Honestly I have driven everything from a 600hp 993twin turbo to a 1960s centurion tank. This car IS underpowered. You would need to slip the clutch if you were towing a heavy load at capacity from an uphill start especially with the a/c on.

This did not stop me buying this car, once you are going it is acceptable but this is not a fast or quick car. For me that was not a deal breaker as I was after a respectable conservative car. But when you first drive it it will be noticable unless you step out of a toyota hilux 18r then you may think its a rocket.

Alarm – a bit dissapointing that the car does not comne with an alarm (thats a chrissie project for me). A Chin aalarm wouldn tmeet our requirments anyway so GWM probably decided to stay in their price band and not get them fitted in Australia).

Engine bay – when you lift the hood it is a bit pedestrian. You can see everything was manuafactured in China. A cable tie holds my throttle cable to an intake pipe. there is no plastic stealth looking cam cover like most euro cars have nowdays. But it looks neat and is acceptable.

Spare parts – I beleive parts for these are available, many engine parts would be Mitsubishi and I am sure supporting and ancillary parts are in stock in Australia or can be sourced from GWM. It is comforting to know this car is sold elsewhere like it Italy and has been for some time so there is some sort of support commitment by Great Wall.

Speedo – I have not confirmed this but I have a feeling my speedo reads slightly high (about 2-3 kms at 60-70km) may be if Jumho tyre specs were different to what the speedos were calibrated on.

Fuel economy – is calimed at approx 10.4l per 100 km. I am getting slightly more economy. Its is ok.

Overall – Bang for your buck! Looks great, some have told me to de-badge it but i am going to keep the badges cos I am proud cos overall it is a respectable car!

Would I recommend – If you want a 4wd for rock crawling or serious deep river fording, if you want to tow a big caravan or a big boat do not buy this it is too underpowered. Otherwise, yes I highly recommend this car.

BTW – I wanted one now but a turbo diesel is rumoured to be avaialable mid next year, that would be very interesting and may shut alot of critics up.

Marc Maglione
- safe again
  
  The fuel cap dose lock, its a bit of a mission, stick it in, screw it turn the key, sounds simple, till you try it, its chinese! Ive done over 2000 ks in mine it gos alot better now, but i wont fit a tow bar. I like the x240 more now than when i bought it. It was a quick buy, as my old car was stuffed and i got a good trade. That was the only good thing about dealing with the cairns.The pre delivery was bad, the car was scratched chiped and still had plastic stuck to it, in and out. At the 1000 k service i ask them to check a slight scratching noise at low speed when turning. they say there is no noise, how would they know, when i got the car back after the service the radio was so loud you wouldnt hear a scream,and the wheel alinment was out. The cars OK but go to a better dealer!.
Agro-nup

Great review by Marc, wll done, I had the same chip at the front near the headlight, but have let it go. I hope you remain happy with your car.

Well I have done 700 ks in my new x240, and for what my family needs we couldn’t be happier.
When I get back to work and enjoy the power of my 4 litre ute I’m sure it will be a welcome feeling.
With my 3 yo and 8 day old boys and Wife (to be )in the car I have no need for speed.

It drives fine, smooths out the bumps that my 06 navarra let you know were there, fuel ec seems fine, and we feel very safe and secure in our new vehicle.

Only time will tell if it is a long lasting product, but for now I couldn’t imagine paying 15 or 20 more thousand for a similar, or inferior product.

Long live the Great Wall
Marc

Thanks Agro,

saw a pic of the turbo diesel last night, have put my name down to trade my x240 for one when its available mid next year….they look fantastic and if they can price the TD in at the sub 30k range they are going to clean up.

Spoke to the GWM sales man last night and sales are doing much better than expected here in WA for both x240 and the utes.

Yes i stand corrected the fuel cap does infact lock.

Another thing i realised is that the roof racks are not load rated so my dealership has been selling the cars without them incase of damage or injury. All the x240s in their yard have had the racks taken off.

People look at my car on the street and ask me what on earth it is, a couple of ppl have stopped me at petrol stations to enquire about it.

done over 2000kms now and no issues. Did 1000 kms of country driving and its fine.

Still very very happy with my x240
- christine
  
  hi Marc,
  we are in QLD and are seriously looking at purchasing an X240 soon. we live within spitting distance of one of the best 4×4 beaches on the east coast and would like to know if you or anyone at the dealerships in WA have taken one on the beach. Would love to hear how it preformed.
  cheers.
Jack

I note with interest Marc that you say the X240 may not tow a large caravan or boat. I am looking to perhaps tow a small poptop with such a vehicle. They specify 1800kg towing capacity but the torque at 200 seems a little low compared to similar size engines of similar size vehicles but which have far greater price tags. I know that any salesman is going to extoll the virtues of this X240 as being quite adequate to do the job I might have planed for it but I am wondering if anyone has actually tried towing using this vehicle and how did it perform in doing so. (preferably something in the poptop size and weight – up to say 1600kg)
Williepasten

I feel sorry for all these car “experts” talking about power, torque etc, most of them would not have a clue what they are talking about, also I would like to see their bank accounts, when they say “I’ll pay an extra $…….. poor thing, rich people.
Mjxplode

Can anyone tell me what the dual cab goes like off road, is it only good for flat dirt roads or can you do more serious off road stuff.
Janejhone

wait …….next month MAHINDRA XUV 500N will launch in australia.i realy go for that.great price
and power ..

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