After making headlines with the cheapest crew cab utes on the new-car market, Chinese maker Great Wall Motors has entered the lucrative but highly competitive compact softroader segment. Its X240, which went on sale locally in October 2009, is one of 24 entrants in the class. At $23,990 drive-away it is also one of the cheapest.
Only the tiny, three-door Suzuki Jimny 4WD is cheaper [$20,490 plus on-roads] although the soon-to-be superceded Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Dualis and Kia Sportage which, like the X240 are also five-seat soft-roader wagons are only $2000 more than the Chinese offering.
The Great Wall X240 is new to our shores but it had already been on sale in China for at least three years before coming here. So although it looks modern, its underpinnings are relatively dated and due for an overhaul sometime in the next two to three years.
GWM should at least be commended for coming up with a unique design that doesn't appear to be a copy of another popular model in the class [some observers have noted similarities between the appearance of Great Wall utes and Isuzu models, for example].
The X240 is what's known in the business as a body-on-frame vehicle. That is, the body is attached to a separate chassis [a technique mostly used on utility vehicles and trucks], as opposed to the body being one complete unit and having suspension attached to it [how most cars and softroaders are made].
So the X240 shares some of its components and chassis with the GWM V240 ute -- but technically speaking they are not identical twins under the skin.
Although they share the same Mitsubishi-sourced 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, five-speed manual transmission and 4WD system, the chassis of the X240 softroader is shorter than its ute stablemate -- and gets coil suspension at the rear instead of the ute's more rudimentary leaf spring set-up. And four-wheel disc brakes [instead of drums on the rear of the ute].
The X240 doesn't set any new benchmarks for technology or innovation indeed, it's quite crude in parts by modern standards but it has one big ace up its sleeve: price.
Thus even before we started test driving the X240 in and around suburban Sydney, we knew what the final question would be. Do you buy a near-new softroader from a mainstream brand with half the warranty remaining, or take a punt on a new one of these?
PRICE AND EQUIPMENT -- At this price it's worth a look For now, there is only one model in the X240 range: the 2.4 petrol engine with five-speed manual transmission. A diesel manual and a petrol automatic are due at in the second half of 2010.
The only option [fitted to our test car] was a sunroof, which at $1000 is a relative bargain.
Leather upholstery, map lights, sunglasses holder, remote central locking, CD/MP3 player, power windows and mirrors, dual airbags, anti-lock brakes, rear privacy glass, and rear parking sensors are all standard. So is a three-year, 100,000km warranty and 24-hour roadside assistance.
The audio unit has an auxillary audio input socket in the form of a USB port. Indeed, the only notable convenience item omissions are a lack of standard Bluetooth connection [although dealers will no doubt be happy to assist here] and cruise control.
Family buyers should consider, however, that side airbags, traction and stability control aren't available at any price [see SAFETY below].
MECHANICAL -- Ute origins The 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine [100kW and 200Nm] and five-speed transmission are the same as those found in the GWM V240 ute.
When we tested that ute last year we commented on the engine's lack of refinement at higher revs and quite flat power band. The same goes for the same engine and transmission in this X240. Of course, the X240 is not meant to be a race car or win any luxury awards, but these comments are made while putting the vehicle in context with its peers.
The engine doesn't seem willing at first and it takes a while to get a head of steam up. But, interestingly, really high revs seem to be counter-productive, so you need to keep the engine on the boil between 3000-5000rpm. Anything beyond that gives the X240 a bit of an asthma attack.
The official 0 to 100km/h claim is "approximately" 20 seconds. Our stopwatch showed between 19 and 21 seconds. This is 1960s slow.
The five-speed manual transmission feels solid but can be a bit notchy. The clutch action is light and easy. You can shift into 4WD while on the move [up to 60km/h] and there is a choice of high and low range for those who want to go off-roading. But the 4WD system has not been designed to work on tarmac. Most softroaders in this class have 4WD systems that do work on tarmac.
The X240 is also [slightly] thirstier than its nearest rivals, despite its leisurely pace. The official combined cycle average is 10.4L/100km, but by way of comparison the all-wheel drive Subaru Forester has an average rating of 9.3L/100km and the base model 2WD Kia Sportage has an average rating of 8.0L/100km.
City cycle for the X240 is 13.6L/100km and highway cycle is 8.5L/100km according to the Green Vehicle Guide.
A diesel engine is due in the second half of 2010, along with an automatic option for the petrol variant.
PACKAGING -- Five seats, big cargo space The X240 is on the slightly smaller side of the current generation of softroaders -- but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In this regard, it's similar in size to the first-generation Subaru Forester or Mitsubishi Challenger.
The X240's body-on-chassis design brings with it some compromises, however. The cargo floor is higher and the floor in the cabin is quite shallow, so you feel your knees sitting a little higher than they would in other vehicles.
But apart from that, the cabin is a relatively comfortable place to be. There's room for four adults -- or two adults and three kids. There's also plenty of storage pockets up front although the map pockets in the doors are quite thin.
The back seat flips forward and up in one easy move to create a massive cargo space. The tools for the wheel jack are stowed under the back seat, too.
A full size spare wheel is attached under the rear of the car, which means you're going to get dirty if you get a flat -- but it also means you don't have to unpack your luggage to get to the damn thing. [As this article was published, Goodyear was yet to stock or have an official price for the X240's original equipment 235/65 R17 Fortera tyres.
Great Wall Motors appears to have copied the basic layout of the instruments from Toyota [the key fob is almost identical to an older Toyota key fob]. It's a pity they haven't yet matched the quality. On the test car [and other X240s we looked at through the window at car yards] there was a large gap between the top of the dashboard and the garnish that surrounded the radio and air-conditioning controls.
In addition, some switch gear was squeaky [indicators] while some things just didn't want to work as smoothly as planned [the sunroof cover gets stuck halfway as you try to retract it].
At least the horn worked on this test car [it didn't on the previous ute tested]. Horn buffs might like to know that the X240 in fact gets not one but two Euro-style horns. They're so loud you'll have people looking for a train.
SAFETY -- ANCAP figure due soon, but active safety absent Although the GWM X240 shares some of its components with the V240 ute, it would be incorrect to draw any conclusions from the ute's two-star rating in last year's ANCAP crash test.
That is why the independent authority plans to test the X240. The results are due in the first half of 2010, so it would be worth checking the ancap.com.au website to see how it performs.
The passenger seatbelt retractor failure in the V240 ute during an ANCAP test in late 2009 and the subsequent recall do not affect the X240. According to the local distributor, Ateco Automotive, the seatbelt retractors in the X240 softroader are different from the seatbelt retractors in the V240 utility.
All five seating positions have lap-sash seatbelts and height-adjustable headrests. In terms of safety equipment, the X240 has the basics: dual front airbags and anti-lock brakes. Unfortunately, traction control, stability control and side and curtain airbags are not available at any price.
Given that the X240 is already at least three years old it is unlikely these features will be added to the current vehicle. We may have to wait until an all-new model in two to three years for what are fast becoming basic active safety features.
At least the local GWM distributors saw fit to equip every X240 with rear parking sensors as standard. Driveway deaths and injuries of small children are a tragic reality, so hopefully this sensor system may help prevent such an incident from occurring.
That said, if the GWM product planners are drafting up a list of what to put on the next model, we'd like to suggest a rear view camera as well [which is becoming standard on an increasing number of vehicles these days, from Toyota Camrys to Ford Territorys].
COMPETITORS -- A new one of these, or an old one of those? The Suzuki Jimny when new is cheaper than an X240 -- but it's a tiny three-door whereas the X240 is a five-seat wagon. Indeed, because the X240 has such a sharp starting price, its real rivals are used cars.
The closest new five-seat wagon competitors are the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson [both of which have five year/unlimited kilometre warranties] and the Nissan Dualis. But these are two-wheel-drive softroaders and are at least another $2000 dearer than the X240.
Real-world dollar-for-dollar rivals will likely be used Toyota RAVs, Subaru Foresters and Mitsubishi Outlanders, all of which are available for about the same money at around 18 months old with 30,000km on the clock.
They've still got some warranty left and, provided they've been serviced by the book, should give you no trouble.
ON THE ROAD -- Jiggle it just a little bit As with the GWM V240 ute, which felt like a previous generation ute, the X240 softroader feels like a previous generation vehicle. It reminded me of the original Mitsubishi Challenger. That's an achievement of sorts, except that Mitsubishi has already moved onto the next Challenger.
At least GWM has seen fit to equip the X240 with the same type of quality tyres that are fitted to the Ford Territory AWD models [Goodyear Fortera. So while the suspension jiggles around and gets a bit upset by bumps, there is grip once everything settles down.
The brakes felt surprisingly good [perhaps because the X240 gets discs on all four corners whereas the ute has rear drums].
Visibility all around is good thanks to large windows and a low window line [compared with most modern cars]. Convex mirrors on both sides of the car also helped to see what's going on around you.
The gearshift could be smoother, and the power delivery of the engine could be better and more consistent, but we are talking about a $23,990 driveaway car here.
My final comments echo those made for the GWM utes. The X240 is a good first effort, and the building blocks for a better vehicle are here. That said I'd be inclined to wait a little longer yet before taking a punt.