GWM Tank 300 vs Suzuki Jimny

The Jimny, and by more than its price suggests. Suzuki publishes a 36-degree approach angle, 47 degrees of departure and 27 degrees of ramp breakover. GWM's figures for the Tank 300 are 29, 25 and 23, so the Suzuki wins all three. The Jimny is also 1,185 kg lighter at 1,095 kg and 1,110 mm shorter, which matters as much as any angle in soft sand and on tight tracks. The Tank 300 holds a 14 mm ground clearance advantage at 224 mm. On terrain that is steep, narrow or technical, the cheaper car is the more capable one.

The Tank 300, comfortably. It is rated to 3,000 kg braked and 750 kg unbraked, against 1,300 kg and 350 kg for the Jimny. Its gross vehicle mass is 2,880 kg to the Suzuki's 1,450, and it brings 480 Nm to the task where the Jimny has 130. In practice that is the difference between towing a dual-axle caravan and towing a small box trailer or a pair of dirt bikes. If towing is part of why you are buying a four-wheel drive, the Jimny is not a candidate and the Tank 300 is one of the cheapest ways to get a 3,000 kg rating.

The Jimny Lite opens at $36,490 driveaway against $47,990 for the Tank 300 Lux Diesel, a difference of $11,500 on July 2026 pricing. The gap narrows if you want doors: the five-door Jimny XL is $40,490, which brings it within $7,500. It widens the other way too, because the Tank 300 range runs to $60,990 for the Ultra plug-in hybrid while the Jimny stops at $40,490. Servicing follows the same pattern, $453 a visit for the Suzuki against $500, or $2,265 against $2,500 across five years.

The XL is the right Jimny if rear-seat access is what stops you. It is $40,490 driveaway against $36,490 for the Lite on July 2026 pricing. It does not close the gap to the Tank 300 in the ways that matter, though. Suzuki's own figures show the longer wheelbase costs it ramp breakover, down from 27 degrees to 24, while approach and departure hold at 36 and 47. Towing, engine, screen size and equipment are unchanged. Read the XL as a Jimny with a practicality problem solved, not as a small Tank 300.

No, not a current one. ANCAP lists every Jimny built from January 2025 as unrated: the three-star grading it previously held expired in December 2024, and even that applied only to three-door variants, never the five-door XL. The Tank 300 sits at the other end. ANCAP awarded it five stars on a 2022 test covering every variant, valid until December 2028. The GWM also fits seven airbags including a centre airbag to the Suzuki's six. The Jimny does ship autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning, so it is not unequipped, but it has not been assessed against the current regime.

The Jimny, on the numbers available. On July 2026 pricing it is $11,500 cheaper to buy, uses 6.4 L/100km on the manual against 7.8, and costs $2,265 to service across five years against $2,500. Both run 12-month or 15,000 km intervals and both carry unlimited-kilometre warranties. Where the Tank 300 pulls back is duration: seven years of warranty and roadside assistance to Suzuki's five, which is two more years of covered risk on a car doing hard work. Depreciation is the missing term, and neither figure is published here.

It can, with a narrow brief. Four seats behind three doors on a 2,250 mm wheelbase suits one or two people who do not regularly carry rear passengers or large loads. The 40-litre tank means frequent stops on a long trip, and 130 Nm makes highway overtaking a considered act. It has no built-in navigation, manual air conditioning and a 7-inch screen. The Tank 300 answers all of that with five seats, five doors, 480 Nm and an 80-litre tank for $11,500 more on July 2026 pricing. Read the Jimny as a deliberate second car that can be a first one if your life is small enough.