Like tanks: an SUV from China showed two "faces"
Tank 700 is presented in Russia in two "faces": it is a regular version with an atmospheric V6 and Edition One with a powerful hybrid powertrain with a sporty dodger. This is the most high-tech car of the Chinese brand, the most luxurious and the most expensive. How the Chinese "Gelendwagen" drives - in the material of "Izvestia".
The frame is with you
Chinese "tenco-building" - brand representatives insist on the anglicized pronunciation of "tenc" - already at the start developed in two directions. These are "rounded" cars numbered 300 and 500 and "faceted" 400 and 700. The prototype of the 700 was shown at the Shanghai Motor Show back in 2021, the car was three years in the making and even skipped ahead of the younger Tank 400 model.
Dimensions of the regular Tank 700: 5090×2061×1952, wheelbase - 3000 mm. The Edition One version is larger due to the bodywork: 5110×2122×1986 mm
All this time, the SUV was being "finalized", raising it to the maximally raised bar of "the highest league of premium SUVs". They say that shortly before the premiere, the rear suspension settings were again revised. It, by the way, for the first time in the history of the young premium brand is fully independent, and even with air cylinders and adaptive shock absorbers.
The body with very high torsional rigidity is installed on a powerful frame made of high-strength steels - everything is made with a large reserve. Apparently, Chinese comrades consider the frame not only a functional element, but something like an attribute of an off-roader from the big league. If "Gelik", Lexus LX and M-Hero have it, it means that Tank 700 should have it too.
"Gelendwagen" and "Russian trace"
Edition One version with a sporty dodger clearly demonstrates that not only engineers, but also designers were oriented on "Gelik". And the source of inspiration was tuned G-Class from Brabus or Mansory atelier, with wide air ducts in the bulging bumper, "chandelier" on the roof, a large spoiler and obligatory "nostril" on the hood. And the designers of Tank 700 did not make a clone of "Gelendwagen", as another Chinese brand did. They tried to convey not the form, but the spirit, charisma.
The regular Tank 700 looks different - a little more modest than the Edition One version. You can clearly see that the designers were also inspired by small-series super off-roaders like Rezvani Tank and products of Dartz, Latvian masters of epatage. And, perhaps, modern armored cars.
The basic Tank 700 has no air suspension and ground clearance is unchanged - 249 mm. The Superior version has a ground clearance of 255 mm, while the Edition One has a ground clearance of 245 mm. Air suspension adjusts ground clearance in the range of 195-325 mm. All-wheel drive, with multi-plate clutch in the front wheel drive
There is also a "Russian trace" in the history of Tank 700. Ma Dongquan, product director of Tank 700, said that Mikhail Pivovarov was among the designers. In general, an international team worked on the appearance of the car, which, for example, included Jean-Francois Huey, who previously worked at BMW.
Surprisingly, but Tank 700 does not seem to be a large car, although it is the largest model in the lineup - more than 5 meters from the nose to the spare tire. "Seven Hundred" is longer than the "Gelendwagen" and even the monstrous M-Hero surpasses them in the size of the wheelbase (3 meters). Edition One version with its wide dodger is larger than Lexus LX.
Carbon fiber and starry sky
It's no secret that in most Chinese cars, what looks like wood or metal is guaranteed to be plastic, and leather is likely to be artificial - for environmental or economic reasons.
The Tank brand doesn't skimp on staples in its quest to become part of the big leagues. Some elements of the dodger, including the "nostril" on the hood, are made of real carbon fiber, and not just pasted with a film "under carbon". The interior, as the press-release testifies, "by default" is trimmed with natural nappa leather. Probably, not completely, but only seats, but the difference between upholstery in different parts of the cabin is indistinguishable to the touch and visually - eco leather is also of high quality. Lining on the front panel tinkles when tapping and cools fingers like real aluminum, in the future they promise a variant with natural wood inserts.
For the regular Tank 700, brown-black, brown, red interior options are available. For Edition One, black and white combined with the body color "Multin Grey" and red combined with the body color "Black Bogdo" are available
At the same time, the seemingly analog clock face on the front panel turns out to be drawn on a tiny display, which can act as a button to start the engine.
Rolls-Royce already had a "starry sky" under the ceiling. The Tank 700 has it with streaking meteorites, offered in the top-end Edition One version instead of the sunroof that other versions have.
Atypical "Chinaman"
Seams on all cars are stitched evenly, and panels are adjusted even too neatly - it is strange to complain about such things, but in the interior of Tank 700 there is no feeling of handmade piece work, as, for example, in Range Rover or Aston Martin. There are no ergonomic "tricks" typical for a Chinese car, like a driver's seat with a short cushion or control of most functions through a touchscreen.
Seats in Tank 700 are full-size, with thick backs, "airplane" headrests and a lot of adjustments, including the length of the cushion. They will be especially appreciated by large passengers. Conservatives will like selectors for choosing suspension modes and driving modes plus two rows of large analog keys on the center console - one of them has buttons for switching on the "downshift", "tank" turn, differential lock, switching between hybrid and electric modes. The other row controls the climate system.
The regular SUV (354 hp, 560 Nm) takes 8.8 seconds from the ground to a hundred, while the Edition One version (517 hp and 800 Nm) takes 5.9 seconds. Maximum speed of all versions is limited at 190 km/h
In this case, the direction of air flows is changed through the touchscreen. The multimedia menu hides a lot of fine adjustments. So, with a physical key you can switch from hybrid mode to electric mode, and the intelligent mode and regeneration levels are activated via touchscreen. The same with off-road modes - either you click the selector and get a "package" solution for a certain type of surface ("sand", "mud", "stones"), or move the sliders on the central display in the expert mode. Expert mode allows you to limit or disable the stabilization system, adjust the drive, suspension stiffness and clearance height.
Walking through the menu sub-items, you can find something new all the time. Here is a mode "Ford", able to measure depth, here is off-road cruise control, and here is a function of recognition of a road covering, automatically changing height of a suspension.
Rear passengers, on the other hand, steer their air ducts manually, but control the climate and other functions via a separate touchpad and display in the fold-down armrest.
A springboard to business class
In general, the second row is equipped no worse than in a business sedan - there are heated seats, ventilation, massage, and electrified backrests with a wide range. There is a reserve of space in front of knees and above heads. Probably, it is the most comfortable rear row of a frame SUV. Firstly, thanks to independent suspension - a massive uncut axle would drag under the bottom and annoy with vibrations. Secondly, thanks to excellent noise insulation - the rear side windows are also made double.
The declared average fuel consumption of the conventional Tank 700 is 12.5 liters per 100 km. Declared fuel consumption of the hybrid (excluding electricity, NEDC) - 10.6 liters per hundred kilometers
For the sake of comfort of rear passengers even neglected transformation of a trunk - backrests, folding, rest against a plump cushion of a sofa. They form not even a threshold, but a real springboard.
However, loading possibilities do not belong to talents of "seven hundredth". Behind the massive door swinging aside (it is the only one equipped with a door closer) there is a rather modest trunk for such a big car. The floor level is high, especially for a hybrid, and the ability of the SUV to "squat" simplifies loading not much. Besides, the trunk is covered with pleasant to the touch carpeting - even it is a pity to dirty it with wheeled suitcases.
Road SUV
Hybrid Tank 700 is the fastest and the most powerful in the lineup, with 517 hp and 5.9 seconds to a hundred. And the most expensive - only it is offered in Edition One version with carbon fiber bodywork and 22-inch wheels. It starts smoothly and only then shows all impressive power reserve. It seems that Rolls-Royce has adopted not only the idea with "starry sky", but also "majestic" character of acceleration. Even with a discharged battery, the Tank 700 continues to accelerate as if nothing had happened, although the hybrid system begins to jostle noticeably on sharp sprints. This is a tangible advantage of parallel hybrids over series hybrids, which run only on electric motors and their dynamics directly depend on the level of charge.
In the Tank 700, the traction electric motor is installed between the internal combustion engine and the automatic transmission - a scheme that seems complicated at first glance, but the Chinese manufacturer is confident in it and uses it on other cars. The gasoline V6 can accelerate the car together with the electric motor, can charge the battery, and can do nothing - then the SUV will travel on electric power. The promised electric range is 100 kilometers (according to the NEDC cycle), and the battery is empty rather quickly. At the same time, in hybrid mode its charge is replenished quite effectively, especially it is noticeable on descents - recuperation in this car is surprisingly powerful.
In sport mode the sound of audio system becomes louder, and the suspension is clamped for better controllability. The steering wheel is also clamped, but excessively, it is better to choose the average variant, in light it becomes too sensitive. With such settings "seven hundred" passes corners at impressive speed, as if there are not three with more tons of mass in it. In terms of management it is almost not the best "frame car". As a result, the on-board computer showed an average consumption of 15.8 liters and 49.9 kWh per "hundred". This is a little less than that of an ordinary car.
Which Tank is better
The standard "seven hundred" is a car with a microhybrid "add-on". This is also powerful (354 hp) and with decent dynamics (8.8 s to "hundred"), but against the background of the hybrid-charismatic pales. It is not that it seems slower, but inferior in smoothness of acceleration, it is a little noisier due to the constantly running motor, less accurately steers, although it does not have a big difference between steering modes compared to the hybrid. The gasoline-powered Tank 700 scores off the tarmac, though both cars ride similarly on rough roads. Even Comfort mode doesn't smooth out a major bump completely. Sport mode removes sway, and in extreme off-road modes Tank 700 by default chooses such settings of shock absorbers. Raising the body to a greater height immediately affects the smoothness of the ride - which is typical for cars with air suspension. However, the first fixed off-road height (+60 mm) is quite enough, the second (+40 mm) will be needed in rare cases.
Gasoline "seven hundred" is better suited for difficult terrain, but the off-road arsenal is redundant in both cars - front and rear interwheel locks, the ability to increase ground clearance in the range of 195-325 mm and even open stabilizer to increase the stroke of the front suspension. On the one hand, the name "Tank" - do not be afraid of mud. On the other hand, the owners are unlikely to use all this splendor often, preferring to move on good roads. That is why chassis settings are made first of all for asphalt.
Naturally, such a complex machine simply cannot work perfectly. So, in transition from electric to intellectual mode the electronics suddenly refused to do it, referring to the fact that the internal combustion engine was stopped. On an off-road the assistant of help at descent suddenly did not work and the automobile jumped merrily on bumps down, without slowing down speed. Let's put it down to the fact that Tank 700 has been recently launched in the series.
How much does the flagship cost
A large and maximally equipped automobile cannot be cheap. The basic version with the usual spring suspension, passive shock absorbers and without laser headlights costs 8.6 million rubles. In Superior version it will cost 9.3 million, and the hybrid Edition One costs 11.9 million. Although if you think about it, in comparison with M-Hero and parallel imported German premium with comparable characteristics Edition One does not seem expensive. For now, it is the flagship of the lineup, at least until the Tank 800 appears.
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