South Africa Off-Road Adventure Great Wall Steed
Super-low prices, decent mpg, respectable 4-wheel drive, high spec, good looks.
When people ask about the pickup truck do not know, I am currently the test, and I tell them it is a big wall, they give the same reaction I had when I met them; the slightest shadow of a smirk twirls across the face in front of a giggle escapes along the Great Wall and it is Chinese, right right.
Yes, okay, Striding the same name a little funny and we are on the fact that this Great Wall Steed we're reviewing is the first entirely Chinese vehicle coming in the UK officially These guys went out of their first car there are 35 years and have built up since to become one of the largest in China, making 4 4S, family sedans and pickup trucks it is not a piece of junk thrown together and delivered more in the hope that it will be sale Nope, the Steed pick up only one we tested already sold over 160 000 units per year to 120k for the Chinese and around 40k in 120 countries including Italy, South Africa and most importantly, Australia, where s and Ute pickup s are lifestyles for many and if it don t cut the mustard, they ain t going to buy them, companion But they do, and that the reference to his own.
Great Wall U K currently sell two versions of a model here in Blighty the Steed S and SE pickup truck.
In a word, they're a great value promising a double pickup high specification cabin adapted with good fuel economy seriously cheap price they offer to keep reading.
We asked for the Steed S model back open on the SE with its hard top canopy visually Steed is in fact a beautiful beautiful same vehicle with just a few comments on how cool the squared, squat back looked, and there is not a hint of formatting unnecessarily-odd to the body is in fact the Steed S is very similar looking to the VW Amarok and that, my friends, is certainly not a bad thing Check out this link and compare the 360 view of it in Ontario to green our favorite show.
Driving around the Steed S gets its fair share of attention, especially for drivers in vans, 4 4S and other pickup brands just enough too it is a badge and a name they probably have never seen before even if you're lovin your cars, you certainly scratching your noggin of his identity.
the rear cargo space is about average with other pickup's available in the UK and ll swallow a large amount of gear working or camping snowboard surf ski kayaking equipment Four adjustable angle eyes strong attachment for straps or strings means that your equipment will remain well placed in transit, while the drop down menu heavy tailgate is hinged strong enough to support the weight of a couple of good ol 'boys, no problem.
First space The front has plenty of free space, but the back can give your mate more 3 June a little sore neck, due to the high seating position Legroom is not so much a problem at the front or back, although I was informed by my brother rather lanky if three adults were in the back, he d be a packaged trip uncomfortable.
Despite the fact that the rear seating position is miles you sitting straighter than the average car, it must expect that most pickup trucks unless it is a giant version of Yank, and the seats are actually fairly well padded as this is equivalent to a work vehicle.
Although fairly simplistic in design, the interior of the Great Wall Steed is very impressive spec d and standard comes with decent quality leather seat fronts are heated, by the way, electric windows all round rear tires go all the way down once, air conditioning and an Alpine stereo system that has a bluetooth connectivity for hands-free phoning Oh, and the stereo can be controlled by buttons on the steering wheel as the plastics used on the dashboard, the center console and the card holder are the polar opposite of soft-touch, but they don t rattle and are pretty much screwed all said the roof lining is dark, which can certainly be the world does more fantastically boring, but in fact if you are a guy working your butt on a dusty construction site or is muddy farm, a cream colored lining ain t exactly Welcom eu Good idea on the part of the Great Wall.
When you press one of the buttons, they do not have that reassuring clunk that some manufacturers such as Honda controls have, and it is more than a single click to the price of Steed Great Wall is not really going have a team of 50 people who design the way the press buttons, but they are, so just suck and accept clickiness, hear the pilot console simply houses a speedometer, tachometer, temperature and fuel gauge is well neat and tidy with white dials that light up the night, the completion of a definitive contemporary finish, rather than some outdated or dull thing.
Negatives Okay, being slightly picky, I noticed the adjustable air vents are fragile and can break easily should see a place overzealous cleaning session of the dashboard, but the parties aren t going you bankrupt if ever happen, I think.
Throughout the interior is a pleasant enough place all told, and it is really nothing wrong with the order specification and finish, you pay relatively little and get a lot.
Jumping into the Great Wall Steed, I have not the slightest idea of what to expect the chassis is an all new to the U K and I never led a Chinese car built before either.
I'll start the engine, it is a big wall made 2 0 diesel direct unit 4 pot injection with a single turbo variable geometry, which is partly why the engine is decently fuel efficient and has the power usually seen on diesel engines bigger cc.
The Steed makes 141 hp 143 hp and 225 ft-lbs 305 Nm of torque to the engine capacity, it's pretty damn good comparison, 2 5 horses s D-4D engine Toyota Hilux is the same, and only 25 lbs ft even with the VGT however, it is still an uncomfortable amount of turbo lag to a modern engine on putting off starting off steep slopes and even without weight in the back, I found myself having to give Steed some beating a preview until changed or undergoes a rise of new snail in the band power large wall state is torque between 1800 2800 rpm what is true for towing or driving around town, but once you are rolling at full speed to get the best power between 2500 and 3100 rpm.
A narrow power band in the rev range is not unusual for a diesel, but it is still frustrating at times, especially if you live in a hilly area around Hit who mentioned two thousand five hundred, however, and you'll have a nice momentum speed After a few days you get used to how over how quickly land you in exceeding target area, and it almost becomes part of your driving routine almost Great Steed Wall has a manual transmission only 6-speed, which feels agricultural and heavy sometimes if you do a lot of city driving, for example, and you'll find this six-stick advantages and disadvantages disadvantages are that the waterproof power strip motor means you'll be moving more than usual on a given route, except if you drive a motorway piece completely flat benefits are that the sixth report equals better fuel economy Traveling to 70 mph in fifth gives 2800 rpm, but drop it into 6 and you'll hit a good 500 rpm figure which means you'll save fuel and smoother, silent too, and I love both these points.
If you are worried about reliability, Steed comes with a 3 year warranty 60,000 miles full mechanical.
Around the city, and pitted country roads, the Steed goes about, and tends to strike over speed bumps and pot holes it's still more felt if you are a rear passenger seats aren t as comfortable in the back but people pray remember this is a pickup rear suspension leaf springs is used if you want to carry up to 1,050kg of bricks, sand, hay , wood or any other in the back, and you will see that most pickups roll that way.
Once on the highway, or even a good condition A or B road because small roads, for our readers outside the UK, Great Steed Wall goes surprisingly well with the surprisingly low road and wind noise entering in the cabin, and a good set lead If you are traveling a good few hours on decent roads, Steed will reward you with an enjoyable trip.
My only significant drawbacks with the motorway journeys was the loss exceeded capacity 70mph up, it really didnt sixth speed is quite fair for the cruise, and even a lead foot to the accelerator reap little or no reward from dropping speed in 5 and the floor, he saw a slight acceleration of pace, rather than a heavy wave of torque cajole the engine exceeded these speeds, you're going to have to drop this COG four and give the accelerator beans is also no cruise control and no option for it but both clutch and accelerator pedals are lightweight and a decently comfortable angle unlike other cars I led Vee in the past and I found an end of the distance.
The shift feeling more reminiscent of a car average family sedan instead of a pick-up weighing more than 1800 kilograms, rather than the three ships as sudden movement of L, and lean the list, you just need a little of everything in his stride and inspire confidence rather than good scare.
This does not mean that it is good that the rear-wheel drive, no more traction control makes trying to tackle a wet roundabout, a little overzealous result is; At the completion of a WRC as lateral drift probably in the pavement or spinning B 180 to face traffic Until you drive like a t just spotted yoof test passed, or suddenly decide you're Stig Blomqvist, she will stay over well.
When the time comes to slow, as is the norm, unless you are actually above Stig B, the Steed is not too bad Ventilated discs front and drums sit up big at the rear, with ABS and EBD distributor electronic brake force there to help, giving a satisfaction to feel something remarkable here; Once I had to give the brake pedal a difficult pressure to move 70 to 40 mph in coming unexpectedly slow traffic, and there was noticeable brake fade after a few minutes I was getting maybe 30 less force than normal.
That's an unusual situation, however, and all in all they're good enough.
As I have already mentioned the Steed can be tail-happy if you are not careful, and if it rains heavy, you got no traction control and it is rear-wheel drive, you will be tippy-toeing around Even off quickly t-juctions in bad weather was not until the second speed for a totally safe traction, you can hire 4H high as long as you're below 12 mph but you will have to de-commit every time you return to the straight line unless you want to premature wear of the transmission which Sá bit boring, and its slight let-down if I'm honest when it really counts though, the central system Steed locking diff April 4 will certainly not disappointed I was seriously impressed by all how good he was, and so were the other guys who watch it perform as the first point is that it is easy to simply commit is push 4H or 4L button on the dashboard, engage the clutch and wait a few seconds until the indicator 4WD is solid Simples.
Once you've done that, the fun begins in a former quarry of Steed laughed steep, rocky inclines leading both up and down with ease EBD probably help on the way down when we decided to approach what looked like a shallow part of the water, it actually turned out to be deep-down of doors and consisted mainly of the web, the sticky mud again, the Steed about myself and even surprised the other guys who came along with standard road tires I will add not even coming close to being stuck, I know from experience that this little bit of wading would challenge many 4 4S, for so that the Great Wall Steed has done exceptionally well tips well get a set of good tires on road and equipped'll be even better if the Great Wall want to lend us another Steed we should have snow this t winter, we will let you know how it does on the white matter.
A 16,744 OTR, the Great Wall Steed S is nearly beyond competition in the nearest pick-up rate double comparative cab Isuzu Mitsubishi Nissan or Toyota begins exclusive VAT- over the Steed price incl If you are in the market for a new pick-up, the difference in price cavernous Steed is something you can not ignore, especially in diving seemingly endless economies.
Speaking of the economy, fuel consumption Steeds is up there with the other offers manufacturers with up to 37mpg extra urban travel to an airport using the motorway and the rest of the time spent driving on the roads B hilly and start-stop urban traffic, it still managed around 33mpg, which is great since I had my lead boots on the gas most of the time.
The Great Wall Steed is not perfect, and there are some points that need improvement But here is the thing; there aren t really a pickup truck is a company vehicle, and you will have to accept a harsh ride, handling a bit vague or limited cabin comfort, but Steed is really more than satisfactory Alongside its rivals, it holds its own more in terms of management, economy, off-road capability and certainly the price.
If you are still skeptical, because it is all-Chinese, here s my advice; Go test drive the Great Wall Steed for one day, look at the price tag, then decide for yourself if you feel like being a snob badge more.
Contender Isuzu D-Max 2 5 to more power, better mpg, less CO2 and improved towing capacity, but it is more than 5,000 others.
Options with a protective value cargo, cover the rigid load bay sensors reverse if possible.
Good things inside as standard leather with heated front seats, air conditioning, all-electric windows, electric mirrors, Alpine stereo with USB auxiliary input Bluetooth phone, steering wheel controls for the stereo, 6-speed gearbox.
Outdoor 6 0 5 0 Interior Engine and gearbox 5 0 on Highway 5 0 0 7 4WD Price 7 0 6 0 10 overall score.
Words Chris Davies Photography Jason Fanthorpe Matthew Davies, Chris Davies.
Chinese order for pickup We review Great Wall Steed S, Chinese exam, big.