GWM Tank 500 vs Nissan Patrol

On price and equipment the Tank 500 wins clearly. The Vanta hybrid opens near $74,990 driveaway against about $105,212 for the entry Patrol Ti, a gap close to $30,000 as of mid-2026, and the GWM uses it to make luxury features standard that the Patrol reserves for its dearer Ti-L. The Tank also carries a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty to the Nissan's five, longer service intervals of 12 months or 15,000km against six months or 10,000km, and cheaper capped-price servicing. The Patrol answers with resale strength and dealer reach, but purely on the buy-in and the running maths, the Tank 500 is the value pick.

Towing is the Patrol's clearest win. It is rated to 3,500kg braked, 500kg more than the Tank 500's 3,000kg, and its 7,000kg gross combination mass beats the GWM's 6,430kg, so it can run a heavier van and a fuller load at once. The tow-ball rating is higher too, at 350kg against 300kg. For a large caravan near the 3.5-tonne mark, that half-tonne of extra capacity and the bigger combined-mass headroom make the Patrol the safer tow rig. The Tank 500's 3,000kg is fine for a camper trailer or a smaller van, but it is a genuine limit if you tow big.

This one hinges on what you count. The Tank 500 holds a five-star ANCAP rating from 2024, at 85 per cent adult and 93 per cent child occupant protection, with the full driver-assist suite standard. The Patrol carries no ANCAP rating at all, because its platform predates current testing, so there is no independent crash score, not a low one, simply none. The Patrol is not short on kit: it fits eight airbags to the Tank's six and the same active-safety systems. But equipment is not a tested result. If an independent rating matters to you, and for many families and fleets it does, the Tank 500 is the only one of the two that gives you one.

Both are genuine dual-range four-wheel drives, so this comes down to the details. The Patrol has the raw numbers: 273mm of ground clearance to the Tank 500's 220mm, a steeper 34.4-degree approach angle against 30 degrees, and the Australian-developed Warrior adds a wider track and all-terrain tyres. The Tank 500 answers with hardware and electronics: a standard rear diff lock, a front locker on the Ultra and up, crawl control and 800mm of wading depth, plus the instant torque of the plug-in hybrid at low speed. The Patrol edges the geometry for hard, rutted terrain; the Tank matches it on traction tech. Both go far further than their size suggests.

Fuel is where the gap is starkest. The Patrol's 5.6-litre V8 claims 14.4L/100km and reviewers report closer to 15.5 in mixed driving. The Tank 500 hybrid claims around 8.5L/100km, and the Ultra Hi4-T plug-in hybrid claims 2.1L/100km combined with about 120km of electric-only range, so a charger can do the daily commute on electrons. The Tank also services less often, every 12 months or 15,000km to the Patrol's six months or 10,000km, and its capped-price visits are cheaper. The Patrol's saving grace is its 140-litre tank, which still gives close to 1,000km of touring range between fills despite the thirst. On day-to-day cost, though, the Tank 500 wins.

The Patrol Ti seats eight, and every Patrol is a big, genuinely spacious body-on-frame wagon. The Tank 500's seating depends on the powertrain: the Vanta and other hybrid grades seat seven, while the Ultra Hi4-T plug-in hybrid trades the third row for its battery and seats five. So if you need to carry the most people, the Patrol leads, and its longer wheelbase gives more third-row room. The Tank 500 counters with more standard comfort kit and the five-star safety rating. For a big family that fills every seat, the Patrol has the edge; for most, the Tank 500's seven seats and kit are plenty.

The Patrol's 5.6-litre V8 makes 298kW and 560Nm. As AU reviewers keep noting, it sounds like nothing else at this price, a naturally-aspirated soundtrack a turbo cannot fake, and it is in its last season before a twin-turbo V6 replaces it. The Tank 500 takes the modern route. The Vanta hybrid makes 255kW and 648Nm, and the Ultra Hi4-T plug-in hybrid lifts that to 300kW and 750Nm and runs 0-100km/h in 6.9 seconds, out-torquing the V8 and matching its power. On outright pace and torque the Tank's plug-in is the stronger unit; on character and noise the Patrol V8 wins hands down. Pick the experience you want.

For most buyers the Tank 500 is the smarter choice. It brings a five-star ANCAP rating, seven seats, a long list of standard kit and either an efficient hybrid or a plug-in hybrid, all for around $30,000 less than the Patrol as of mid-2026. Choose the Patrol if your brief is heavy towing, where its 3,500kg rating and 7,000kg combined mass beat the Tank, if you need eight seats, or if you want a naturally-aspirated V8 and the outback range of a 140-litre tank before that recipe disappears. Both are capable large four-wheel drives; the decision is value and efficiency against pulling power and character.