Sergei Mishin named the pros and cons of the Tank 500 SUV – Chinese cars

We continue our acquaintance with the Tank 500. Now it’s time to get driving impressions.

Make way!

The first feeling that comes when you pick up speed is that the car is heavy. When the accelerator is pressed to the floor, the head does not tilt back, and breathtaking acceleration is not felt. I would like a more vigorous pick-up. It seems that there is a herd of three hundred horses lurking under the hood, but either they are not running together, or something else… In general, the dynamics are sufficient, but not impressive.

The brakes are well-understood and only effective in Sport mode. If you turn on “comfort” or “light”, the pedal becomes a bit empty, and the braking itself becomes loose and uncertain.

It is better not to make sudden steering movements on this car. Remember the high center of gravity! Yes, it will perform an extreme maneuver, but it will frighten an unprepared driver with significant rolls. And even more so for passengers.

The smoothness of the ride on paved roads is good; it feels like the suspension settings are more focused on such road conditions. However, on small bumps the car body shakes. At the same time, the rear axle floats slightly from side to side – when the suspension moves up and down, you can feel how the Panhard rod works, moving the axle left and right.

Continental CrossContact RX tires, despite the “m + s” marking, are only suitable for paved roads

On medium-sized bumps, the energy capacity of the front suspension is not enough – at a speed slightly above 20 km/h, the front wheels begin to bounce, lifting off the ground. Therefore, in such conditions you will have to crawl, rather than drive. Most likely, a significant portion of the blame for this can be placed on the hard Continental CrossContact RX tires. I note that during the second test “approach”, when the five hundred was shod in soft winter tires Nordman 8 SUV, the front suspension of the car did not seem so bouncy.

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All four doors have double glass, which reduces the level of noise trying to enter the cabin from the outside

There is practically no noise in the cabin on summer tires. Double glass on all doors and the windshield make their presence felt. However, later, already on spikes, the sound of spikes began to seep into the cabin, primarily from the rear wheels.

When maneuvering in reverse, I was pleased with the rear view camera washer, which works in conjunction with spraying the tailgate glass. Such a “gift” deserves a special “thank you”, since it is extremely rare on Chinese cars.

The Tank 500 also has a lot of electronic assistants. Parking assistance systems, fatigue reminders, rear and side zone monitoring when driving in the lane, adaptive and intelligent cruise control, as well as a head-up display that allows you to see various types of traffic information on the windshield.

The central monitor can display detailed information about the nuances of off-road modes. In addition, here you can find the compass direction, altitude above sea level, atmospheric pressure, as well as pitch and roll angles

And yet, I really want to check the off-road potential of the Tank 500. But already during the driving process, it turned out that it was simply immense – the driving part of the off-road test drive had to be periodically interrupted by stops to study the hardware.

Tanks are not afraid of dirt, but you will have to study the instructions

For particularly difficult conditions, in addition to the eight driving modes selected by the “puck”, there is a lower transmission range (4L), as well as additional “cliff” and “expert” modes, which are activated by buttons. The latter has the ability to individually configure the operation of the transmission according to your own preferences.

Rock mode (automatically locks differential, optimizes throttle and provides maximum torque for climbing) – for climbing rocks and steps.

Expert mode allows you to distribute torque between the axles at the driver’s request, enable the “Drift” mode (rear-wheel drive only) or “High-speed off-road racing”.

Although the towing loops are hidden from view, they are truly “working”, with which, if necessary, the Tank can be pulled out of any swamp

There are other special means. For example, cruise control for crawling off-road at speeds up to 20 km/h. As well as differential locks on the front and rear axles, which are automatically disabled when the speed reaches 40 km/h.

In general, to get at least a first approximation of all the off-road “weapons” of this car and try out its diversity, you will need at least a week.

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Even uphill on loose sand, the Tank 500 starts easily, without requiring you to switch to a lower row of the transfer case

We don’t have that kind of time, so we’ll limit ourselves to a short trip to a sand quarry to get general impressions. And here Tank 500 showed that it was in its element.

This is where the torque reserve comes into play. It is such that on uncompacted sand there is no need to switch to a lower row of transfer gear. The Tank 500 doesn’t just move and move with ease in such conditions. It turns without effort, despite the fact that with the wheels turned out, the rolling resistance more than doubles, since each of the 4 wheels tramples its own personal track.

He “took off” on our favorite sandy hill without switching to a lower row. It was enough to turn on the “sand” mode to allow the electronics to limit the ability to turn the wheels.

I would like to have more suspension travel, although the simulated locks transfer torque to those wheels that are in reliable contact with the ground in a timely manner

However, the biggest surprise awaited us on the sandy gullies. Even when hanging diagonally, the Tank 500 continues to crawl confidently wherever the driver directs it. Simulating locks does an excellent job of transferring torque from slipping wheels to those that remain in contact with the ground.

And forced locks, especially the front lock, are best reserved for exceptional cases when the car does get stuck. Although only the most desperate person can plant it.

Having completed the “mandatory driving program” in various on-road and off-road conditions, we record the pros and cons.

What do you remember about Tank 500?

The rear head restraints can be used to activate lateral head support

Liked:

— ability to customize the brakes (light, comfort, sport);

— explanations of the features of various driving modes;

— automatic light (high/low) works even if fog lights are turned on in addition to the main headlights;

— rear camera washer;

— touch “remote control” in the armrest of the rear sofa;

— children’s “handles” on the B-pillars;

— Tailgate closer;

— Electric thresholds and steering wheel adjustment;

— advanced headrest settings, including lateral head support.

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The thresholds are located below the doors and are not protected by anything, so they become dirty when driving through puddles and dirt

Strained:

— shaking of the whole car on small bumps;

— an ancient “solid” rear axle, and even with a Panhard rod;

— easily contaminated body sills;

— a trunk door that opens in the “wrong” direction;

— hard, easily scratched sides of the trunk upholstery.

Philosophical maxims

The Tank 500 is certainly an outstanding car that attracts attention. But very contradictory in its philosophy.

His appearance is not impressive enough, since it is woven from different-sized solutions that are not collected into a single, coherent image. Although the dazzling front, shining like a gold tooth, attracts attention. The interior, according to ideology, is strictly perpendicular to the exterior. It is collected, discreet, but at the same time comfortable and convenient.

In general, the approach to the philosophy of this machine is unusual, if not strange. The chrome parts will catch the eye of those you meet, forcing them to pay attention to the car. But hide the owner “in the shadows”, eliminating flashy and annoying elements, surrounding him with bliss and comfort.

The instrument cluster has an off-road mode, which allows you to monitor the redistribution of torque between the axles, as well as control the longitudinal and lateral roll angles

There are a myriad of electronic assistants for imaginable and unimaginable on-road and off-road situations, as well as settings. Their capabilities are immense, so it will take a long time to study them all and understand how to use them.

Meanwhile, the Tank 500 will effortlessly go where its driver, who has no off-road driving skills, dares to go. To do this, it will be enough just to select the desired driving mode – the car will do everything itself, the main thing is not to interfere with it.

The Irony of Fate

On rough terrain the Tank 500 feels like a duck to water

Overall, the Tank 500 is more of a comfortable all-terrain vehicle with unique off-road capabilities than a vehicle for traveling on hard roads. Moreover, its excess off-road potential, camouflaged by a smart, almost crossover appearance, is clearly excessive and is unlikely to be clear to the owners.

And the main joke is that no more than one percent of its owners will use its off-road capabilities. And that’s only partially. For the remaining ninety-nine, the all-terrain capabilities of the Tank 500 will remain “under-demanded” (in reserve).

In terms of its philosophy and capabilities, the Tank 500 personally reminds me of something… Mercedes Gelandewagen, which also comes in “five hundredth” versions. After all, like the Tank, it is a symbiosis of outstanding off-road qualities and comfort. Although its appearance does not hide its off-road ambitions, the majority of owners do not even move off the asphalt, let alone go on real off-road terrain. Preferring to show off on paved roads, only allowing yourself to get into the snowdrifts on city lawns in winter.

But that’s why people buy “business card” cars – so that people around them can check them out and understand who drives them! Alas, this is a completely different story. Not about cars, but about the people who buy them.

P.S.

With a feeling of deep satisfaction I read the news that in the restyled Tank 500 the continuous rear axle will give way to an independent suspension.

Text, photo: Sergey MISHIN (Protector-Team)

Thank you for your technical support “TANK TON-AUTO» in Tolyatti

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