Great Wall Steed grows bigger and better

Bullishness comes easy to China’s biggest ute producer.

Unveiled at Auto Shanghai, a twoyearly international car show that alternates with the Beijing Auto Show as China’s yearly international automotive exhibition, Great Wall’s new generation of what we call the Steed is charged with matching the sectordominating Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger, not only in ability, quality, and sales but ultimately outgunning its rivals in technology by going electric, with a plugin hybrid and hydrogeninvolved fuel cell.

New Zealand will start with fourcylinder turbocharged diesel, potentially a larger unit — conceivably much gruntier (Great Wall says up to 500Nm) than the 145kW/380400Nm 2L announced at a media preview last month.

How well equipped is it? Well, the full wheelbase doublecab selected for New Zealand is a big rig: it’s as long as the Ranger, but wider and, in flagship rockhoppingready Adventure spec (on which the tough look winch, snorkel and roof rack are standard), taller than average. The more streetwise Urban reflects the design intent to create a ute

that’s more SUV: very plush inside, with extreme rear quarter roominess and a back seat that, through being angled — an impossibility in most current utes — is really comfortable. Plus a potential valuesetter as Great Wall says it will be offering this for under $40k. They are available as a sixspeed manual and eightspeed ZF auto.