Great Wall Motors. Any good?

[duaned]

Only 100kw to push a reasonably large SUV = FAIL!

[JimNiki]

didn't the sheetmetal thickness change at some stage...
I used to stand on the kingswood bonnet and the old ford bonnet without them buckling when I was younger.

I'd feel a lot safer in one of those tanks anyday! airbag .. shmairbag ..

[woteva]

I work at a Great Wall/Nissan dealership and have driven them all plenty of times. As far as I'm concerned they're all varying degrees of rubbish. The V240 would have to be the pick of the bunch though. But that's not something to brag about. Think Hyundai in the early 90's and that's where Great Wall stand.

Yes they have Mitsubishi running gear but they're gutless as all hell, have a woeful turning circle and a pathetic gearbox. But by far the worst of the Great Wall lineup would have to be the SA220. I'm only a little guy being 5'5" and weigh in at 55kg and even the front bucket seats are too small for me. The leather doesn't look like leather and our demo is only 8000k's old yet all the colour is coming off the leather. The stereo looks like it cost $2 at a reject shop and the gearbox is akin to driving a non synchro road ranger. The only reason you'd buy one of these is because of price. They are garbage pure and simple.

[Bossxr8]

How much money will you save when you have to throw the thing away soon after the warranty expires. Long term durability will be non existant.

[JBomb3000]

Originally Posted by loftie

Great Wall have not pitched that ute at anyone other than business who want a work horse... How long to businesses lease cars for?? 2-3 years?? (so long as the car lasts that long - they'll have saved money on buying a hilux/navara/other)...

It doesn't save you money, all it does is reduces your initial outlay. I'll use Ssangyong as an example because they have been around a while but Great Wall will have similar re sale if not worse. Figures from redbook.

2006 4x4 diesel crew cab Ssangyong musso $28,000, trade in value now $9,800 = $18,200 loss

2006 4x4 diesel crew cab Toyota hilux SR $40,500, trade in value now $23,500 = $17,000 loss

Like i said you pay more upfront and if your financing you'll pay more interest but i know which one i'd rather be driving for the 4 years. I'd also imagine the runnig costs on the hilux would be less than the musso once out of warranty.

[LUXO_8]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

How much money will you save when you have to throw the thing away soon after the warranty expires. Long term durability will be non existant.

i dont think that will be the case, trim and stuff maybe but i reckon you will find them to be pretty rugged......

im pretty keen to see how they go, might get one in a year or so

everything under the thing is rodeo/colorado so parts wont be too hard to find. ive been looking on a couple of 4by sites and some of the guys with them have put rodeo lift kits, rodeo canopies, rodeo rims and offroad tyres, they all love them...say the 4wd system works well and has a borg warner transfer case....high and low range work well and can crawl well

it seems the only issue anyone has is them being underpowered..... that said its got the mitsubishi 4g69 without mivec, i think its a 4g69/4g64 hybrid and theres heaps of aftermarket stuff for those.......
same engine was used in one of the earlier outlanders and havent read of issues with those

only time will tell but i dont think they'll be as bad as the neysayers say


aparently the front is production pieces from the VW Magellan concept.......not copies of, but the actual pieces.....right down to the headlights having VW/AUDi Germany stamped on them!

http://www.netcarshow.com/volkswagen...ellan_concept/

[prydey]

Originally Posted by JimNiki

didn't the sheetmetal thickness change at some stage...
I used to stand on the kingswood bonnet and the old ford bonnet without them buckling when I was younger.

I'd feel a lot safer in one of those tanks anyday! airbag .. shmairbag ..

back then the cars survived and the occupants didn't!! all the energy from the crash wasn't absorbed by the car but by the occupants.

i think i'd rather the car crumple in to a heap to absorb the impact and the occupant being able to survive.

[woteva]

Originally Posted by LUXO_8

aparently the front is production pieces from the VW Magellan concept.......not copies of, but the actual pieces.....right down to the headlights having VW/AUDi Germany stamped on them!

http://www.netcarshow.com/volkswagen...ellan_concept/

I'll check this out and let you know. I highly doubt it though.

[LUXO_8]

one of the fellas off one of the 4by sites mentioned he saw it on his own truck, so just going off that.
EDIT - obviously if its correct, it'd still be moulded in china (perhaps they got the moulds from VW from a stillborn project) im in no way saying those parts are made in europe

id like to check one out only closest dealership is ballarat or melbourne.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by JimNiki

didn't the sheetmetal thickness change at some stage...
I used to stand on the kingswood bonnet and the old ford bonnet without them buckling when I was younger...

Maybe you just got fatter

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by JimNiki

didn't the sheetmetal thickness change at some stage...
I used to stand on the kingswood bonnet and the old ford bonnet without them buckling when I was younger.

I'd feel a lot safer in one of those tanks anyday! airbag .. shmairbag ..

The car will be alright, but you inside, will be about 3 feet longer than you originally were when your bones disintigrate from the force of the impact going into the cabin.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by JimNiki

didn't the sheetmetal thickness change at some stage...
I used to stand on the kingswood bonnet and the old ford bonnet without them buckling when I was younger.

I'd feel a lot safer in one of those tanks anyday! airbag .. shmairbag ..

You realise outer appearance panels mean little in a crash? Its the structure underneath thats important....

Late model Chevy vs 1950s one....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMK1WZjP7g

[magoo66]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

The V240 seems by what I can find googling is 2 star while the X240 is 4 star (Same as Camry Hybrid)

Just a snap shot of some 1-3 star rated cars that some here might be driving at the moment. Of course these are only just a very few of them ....

CHRYSLER VOYAGER 2006
MAZDA MX5 1998
HOLDEN BARINA (2005)
MITSUBISHI LANCER (2000)
MITSUBISHI LANCER (2003-2007)
HYUNDAI ACCENT (2000-2006)
KIA RIO (2000-2005)
NISSAN PULSAR (2000-2005)
TOYOTA ECHO (1999-2005)
DAEWOO MATIZ (1999-2004)
DAEWOO LANOS (1997-2003)
MITSUBISHI LANCER - MIRAGE CE (1996-2003)
NISSAN PULSAR - VECTOR - SENTRA (1996-1999)
HYUNDAI GETZ (2002-2007)
FORD FESTIVA WD-WH-WF (1994-2001)
HOLDEN - SUZUKI BARINA - SWIFT - CULTUS (1989-1999)
SUZUKI ALTO (1985-2000)
MITSUBISHI MAGNA (2003)
HOLDEN COMMODORE (2001)
HOLDEN COMMODORE (2000)
FORD FALCON AU (1998-2002)
TOYOTA CAMRY (1998-2002)
HOLDEN COMMODORE VT-VX (1997-2002)
FORD FALCON EF-EL (1994-1998)
VOLVO 850-S70-V70-C70 (1992-2005)
FORD FALCON EB SERIES II - FALCON ED (1992-1994)
FORD FALCON EA - FALCON EB SERIES I (1988-1992)

Of course these ratings are taken on brand new cars ..... a 5 year old car would rate differently depending on the upkeep?

Wonder how many parts in all cars manufactured today has parts made in China, Taiwan, Korea or where ever else ....... there is a saying that involves glass houses and stones being thrown.

Apples and oranges, the safety ratings of vehicles built a few years ago are completely irrelevant. They are only relevant when comparing vehicles from the same era and anybody currently driving or thinking of purchasing an older vehicle should know that they are not as safe as a new vehicle.

Only the X240 has 4 stars, the SA220 and V240 only achieved 2 star ratings. Comparing apples for apples, a current vehicle that can only achieved a 2 star rating is nothing more than $24,000 worth of rubbish, especially when you look at ANCAP's page for the SA220 and the very first thing you read under 'Risk Notes' is 'High Risk of life-threatening injury in offset test'.

ANCAP Great Wall link: http://www.ancap.com.au/results/sear...anufacturer=47

ANCAP SA220 link: http://www.ancap.com.au/results/337/

[CODSASR]

Originally Posted by LUXO_8

aparently the front is production pieces from the VW Magellan concept.......not copies of, but the actual pieces.....right down to the headlights having VW/AUDi Germany stamped on them!

I would say your right although the indicators are slightly different

[Scott]

Anyone interested in these should have a read of this, good little build thread:
http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=82207

[Chopped]

Due to our greed in the West, we now get the Chinese to make virtually everything in our lives. I can't see why they won't be making our cars in the future.

I'd have a chinese car over an Indian one.

PS Now I'm thinking about Chinese takeaway......mmmmmm.

[JimNiki]

Originally Posted by Chopped

Due to our greed in the West, we now get the Chinese to make virtually everything in our lives. I can't see why they won't be making our cars in the future.

I'd have a chinese car over an Indian one.

PS Now I'm thinking about Chinese takeaway......mmmmmm.

You know how the new VW beetle got a vase in the centre of the dash.
I'm thinking that all these new cars from other countries are going to come with special additions to them to distinguish themselves from the others.

IE: all chines cars have the speedo and other dials going from right to left like their newspapers.

The indian taxi cars all have mandatory air fresheners built into the aircon units.

sorry for sterotyping, it's one of my hobbies!

[FG XR]

for families who want a suv but not the price if $40k they are ideal.. Many would keep them for a while not sell them next year and expect a decent trade-in. Hell my dads 2002 VX Calais was traded in and the dealer only offered him 7-8k (low 112,000kms).

As for tradies who just want a ute to get the job done they are ideal aswell, no point owning a maloo ute if your a brickie or a plasterer when you will be forever cleaning it and worried about dents etc etc

[ltd]

Sorry, but allowing these cheap things into the country is a bad thing for those who work at ford, holden or to a lesser extent toyota.

[just_pazz]

I agree.

[Redrum]

They aren't good, there great, NOT!

[tranquilized]

Regardless of what anyone thinks of these things, the Chinese will change the auto industry forever - and not just with the cars they build themselves. Cars from over the world will be, and are now, built to cater for the Chinese market.

Angus Mackenzie wrote about this in his column in the July Motor Trend. From that article;
Last year, 13.6 million new cars and trucks were sold in China, "relegating the USA to the number two slot on global automotive sales for the first time in 100 years."
"The US will never again be the worlds largest and most important automobile market. Ever."
"Conventional wisdom among most analysts is the Chinese will be buying 30 million new vehicles a year by 2020"
"Chinas importance and influence is going to change what we all drive"

I could go on quoting - it was an interesting article, but the point is every maker around the world will want a piece of that pie and will design their cars accordingly.

I realise all this isn't strictly relevant to the OP, but as has been mentioned, the way we think of Chinese makes now is not dissimilar to the way people thought of Japanese makes decades ago, and more recently Korean makes. Laugh at the Chinese now, but they're just getting started!

[JimNiki]

yeah, yeah, next you'll tell me the US will have a black president one day too ...pft.

[Chopped]

I really don't know you guys are so worried about cars being designed for the Chinese market.





LTD makes a good point however it will be GM, Ford and Toyota who decide that it is not viable to make them here any more (not the Chinese).

[FG XR]

lol looks like a car out of my childs story book^^^

[Quicksand]

Originally Posted by JimNiki

yeah, yeah, next you'll tell me the US will have a black president one day too ...pft.

I'm sorry, i realise that most of what you are saying is tongue in cheek and in humour, but you are really starting to show your ignorance and blinker mentality. Especially with some of your throw away lines that you have blurted out in this thread.

Suzuki: those who ignore Chinese car brands do so at own peril

“The Chinese are coming, there’s no doubt about that – and they’ll probably do it quicker than the Koreans,”

Source: Link

As a consumer, it is good to see more competition which may mean lower prices.

[Hardtopxb]

I reckon that the chineseare doing what the japs and the koreans have done world wide.
Dump cheap nasty cars on us initially, refine them as they up prices, specs etc, and become a world supplier of cheaper cars.The japs and koreans are starting to look over their shoulders at the chinese with a lot of unease.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by ltd

Sorry, but allowing these cheap things into the country is a bad thing for those who work at ford, holden or to a lesser extent toyota.

Wrong.. It may actually make Ford / Holden / Toyota step their product up.. All 4wd dual cabs are pretty ordinarly, and toyota / Nissan are damn expensive considering the level of equipment you get in them... Most of them dont even have cruise control yet!

[Martyvan]

Originally Posted by JimNiki

Has anybody bought or driven one of those Great Wall suv's?
How good/bad are they for under 25k?

I won't be buying one in this lifetime, but just curious s'all.

The only thing great is the name, and if you buy one, you will end up in a wall.

[Carby]

Originally Posted by bfiipursuit

Wrong.. It may actually make Ford / Holden / Toyota step their product up.. All 4wd dual cabs are pretty ordinarly, and toyota / Nissan are damn expensive considering the level of equipment you get in them... Most of them dont even have cruise control yet!

Not so! Want proof? look what cheap clothes and shoes from China did to our textile and shoe manufacturing industry......virtually non existent, can't see much difference for the future of the Aussie Auto manufacturing industry.