240 Great Wall X2011 Review

The real story will come later this year when diesel and automatic transmissions arrive. Meanwhile, Great Wall Motors has just released an improved, restyled version of its X240 off-road wagon surprisingly pegged at the same price as the first.

VALUE

The big draw of this car is the price, which at $23,990 is very convincing, especially when the money is tight (and when isn't it?). You don't see as many vans as Great Wall. . But Utah's lowest prices mean he's found a ready market just about anywhere.

For the asking price, the X240 offers leather upholstery and climate-controlled air conditioning, as well as a power driver's seat and a whole bag of goodies in a smart package. Bluetooth and a touchscreen audio system were added to the latest model, along with a rearview camera, DVD player, steering wheel audio controls, and automatic headlights and wipers.

What you still don't get and what's keeping this car from being sold in Victoria is electronic stability control, which won't be here until the end of this year with the introduction of the X200 diesel engine. Victoria has become the first state to deploy proven lifesaving technology since the beginning of this year, and the rest of the country will soon follow suit.

Design

It's still too early to see how Great Wall vehicles stand up to the rigors of Australian life. But just over 12 months later, the Chinese manufacturer has already made changes to the station wagon.

Changes have been made to the front fascias, different headlights and a different front grille, all of which add up to give the car a fresher, almost Mazda-like appearance. Whatever you say about the rest of the car, the Great Wall definitely has a design sense.

TECHNOLOGY

The X240 is mounted on the same chassis as the Great Wall. It's powered by a 2.4-litre Mitsubishi-licensed four-cylinder petrol engine paired with a five-speed manual transmission and a part-time all-wheel drive system that can be engaged on the go with the push of a button.

Producing 100kW of power with 200Nm of torque, claimed fuel consumption is 10.3 liters per 100km. With low range and reasonable ground clearance, you can tackle off-road terrain with confidence. But like most XNUMXxXNUMXs, it will spend most of its life as a commuter wagon.

DRIVING

The driving experience is a bit rough and ready, almost agricultural in the context of the latest Japanese station wagons. For example, the engine produces a lot of noise, vibration and harshness, and a significant part of them penetrates into the cabin. The effect is exacerbated by the fact that you have to work hard on a four-cylinder engine to get the most out of it. But, it does the job.

Manual shifting is fuzzy and it can sometimes be tricky to find the right gate. In this regard, some fine tuning of the installation will go a long way. The fact is that Great Wall cars will improve, and faster than many expect.

Standard equipment includes two airbags, anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, rear parking sensors and a rearview camera, and an eight-speaker audio system with AUX and USB input.