GWM P500 2.4T 9AT 4X4 Luxury (2025) Review

Introduction

Right, so you want a double-cab that feels almost premium, but your budget taps out around R800k. Enter the GWM P500 2.4T 9AT 4X4 Luxury. You’ll need to be okay with the fresh badge and GWM’s still-maturing dealer footprint, but unless you’re towing three horses to George or living hours from the nearest retail group like CMH or Motus, it’s a solid proposition. If you’re the sort who spends weekends crawling up Baviaanskloof or who loses sleep over resale, look elsewhere. This is the real entry point to the P500 range, and after a week of daily driving, I get the appeal.

Key takeaway: The P500 2.4T Luxury is the value sweet spot for a really big, properly comfortable bakkie in South Africa – with compromises, but priced for that.

Design & Exterior

First impression? Immense. The GWM P500 dwarfs its rivals at 5 445 mm long, 1 991 mm wide, and 1 924 mm tall. Felt every centimetre of it trying to fit into the Woolworths lot at Rosebank – had to fold the mirrors in, twice. If you’re after street presence, you’ll get it. If you park in Parkhurst, good luck.

Stance and proportions

There’s more than a whiff of F-150 about the silhouette. The grille’s busy, the LED lighting sharp, and those arches could swallow a Hilux wheel. Yet, the 18-inch wheels look a touch lost. Wouldn’t blame you for wanting chunkier 20s or a lift kit – but try see one up close before you commit. On paper at least, it’s imposing. In person, it’s even bigger.

What's distinctive

• Barn door tailgate only on the Super Luxury up – this Luxury has a normal drop gate, which I actually found easier when loading gravel bags after a hardware run.
• Flush-fit door handles look slick until dust from a gravel road near Augrabies jams them up. Had to tap one loose with a key.
• Loadbox edge sits higher than the Ranger’s, so if you’re thinking aftermarket tonneau or canopy, budget for custom work.

Cabin & Practicality

This is where the P500 pulls clear. The cabin feels a class up: Nappa-style leather, panoramic roof, 360-degree camera, seven airbags, wireless charging, and an infotainment screen that finally responds properly to prods and swipes – a huge step over early GWM touchscreens.

Materials and switchgear

Soft-touch everywhere, more than you’ll find in a Wildtrak. Neat double-stitching lifts the mood. Buttons for volume and climate control – thank you. No endless menu-hunting. Shame about the glossy piano-black centre console though: it shows every fingerprint, a bit like a cellphone store window at Mall of Africa on a Saturday.

Space and load

If you pack smart, you’ll love the space. Rear legroom is vast; you could almost cross your legs behind yourself. Fitted my daughter’s seat and two adults with room to spare. Up front, seats are broad and cushy, with actual thigh support for long hauls up the N3. Loadbed takes 760 kg officially. Not king-of-the-hill, but sensible. Overload it with paving bricks and you’ll know about it.

Tech that actually works

• Wireless Apple CarPlay never glitched once. For once, no fiddling needed.
• The 360 camera isn’t just a gimmick. Helped me avoid scraping the bumper on a weirdly angled kerb at Eastgate.
• Lane-keep assist gets confused by dodgy paint on the N3 near Harrismith. Thankfully, one quick button press and it’s gone.

On the Road

The basics: 2.4 turbo diesel, 135 kW and 480 Nm, nine-speed auto, switchable 4WD with low-range. Sounds decent – and for most bakkie buyers, it is. Don’t expect to win every robot drag, though.

Off the line

There’s a half-beat of lag before it gets moving. Hit the loud pedal at a Cape Town robot and you'll feel the hesitation – a gearbox and throttle software thing, not the engine itself. I’ve felt this before in older GWM models, and odds are an over-the-air update will iron it out. GWM has fixed worse (remember the early Haval H6’s slow infotainment?).

Cruising and overtaking

Once in motion, it calms down. On the N1 between Joburg and Bloem, 120 km/h cruise is easy – little engine noise, just some wind whistle past the mirrors. Push past 130 and a low-frequency hum comes in, a bit like the Tank 500. For overtaking, you’ll want to plan – the nine-speed likes to hang onto a higher gear on hills, and you need a proper shove to bring all 480 Nm into play. There’s no getting around the fact that this bakkie is heavy.

Ride and handling

Over speed bumps, bad tar, and expansion joints, the P500 rides better than most ladder-frame utes. On gravel – I took the long way out past Dullstroom – it stays composed, a little jiggly but never bouncy. Steering is light, which helps in town. Brakes are the weak point: soft at the top, so you learn to dig in further than you’d expect.

Fuel consumption

Factory claim is 8.6 L/100 km. My average was 9.4 L/100 km over 600 km, including N1 cruising, city errands, and a loaded run to Pretoria. Best I managed was 8.8, worst was 9.7. A real 800 km per tank is do-able, which is handy when the next Engen is 200 km away on the N14 and load-shedding knocks out half the pumps.

Data & Comparison

The numbers that matter

• Engine: 2.4-litre turbodiesel, 135 kW, 480 Nm
• Gearbox: 9-speed automatic, low-range 4WD
• Dimensions: 5 445 mm L, 1 991 mm W, 1 924 mm H
• Claimed fuel use: 8.6 L/100 km
• Seating: 5

How it sizes up

GWM P300 vs P500 dimensions? Here’s the deal: P500 is the bigger lounge. It’s wider, taller, and longer than the P300, which is closer to a Hilux in footprint. If you drive or park in tight spots – think old-school Durban North or Melville – measure up first. You’ll feel the difference. And that matters.

Ownership cost

Expect to spend roughly R427 800 over five years for fuel, tyres, and maintenance if you rack up 20 000 km annually. Double-cabs like this still hold strong demand in SA, which helps with resale – but the GWM P500 reliability story is still developing. For now, it’s holding steady, with no major breakdowns reported, but watch the forums for common problems with GWM P Series.

The reliability and parts question

This is where the GWM P500 review South Africa buyers should pay attention. It’s an all-new platform, and this generation gets GWM’s own 9-speed auto. Long-term? Too early to call. Older GWM models (C50 problems South Africa buyers know well) had their niggles with electrics and trim, but this feels like a different animal. The 7-year/200 000 km warranty and longer service plan on the latest cars help. Still, if you want a drawer system or sliders, you’ll wait longer than you would for a Hilux or Ranger, because aftermarket kit lags behind.

Finance

Entry-level Luxury lists at R799 900. On a 72-month term, especially with a balloon, you can keep monthly payments in check. The best bit? You stay under R1 million – where the Ranger Wildtrak and Amarok V6 have now soared. GWM P500 finance South Africa rates remain competitive, but shop around for deals. And that’s the point: value.

Verdict

This is the most convincing Chinese bakkie you can buy in South Africa right now. The interior finally feels sorted. The ride quality is properly refined. The diesel and nine-speed combo need some software tweaks, but nothing here is a deal-breaker. This is what the P500 should have been from the start. Buy if you want maximum value and live close to a GWM dealer. Skip it if you need loads of aftermarket bits or resale is your main worry. If you can wait a few months, the MY25.5 update brings a longer service plan and likely OTA gearbox tweaks…