GWM POER300 Pick-up Truck: First Drive And Full Specification

With new tax rules for double-cab pick-up trucks in place, a crowded marketplace filled with established brands and a raft of new car-derived van launches, a new diesel-powered double-cab pick-up truck hitting the UK market was not on our 2025 bingo card. However, GWM has launched the POER300 (pronounced POWER) into the UK fuelled by the confidence of selling over 35,000 of them in Australia since 2021 and sees the other circumstances as an opportunity.
With prices starting at around £31K (OTR ex VAT), the POER300 is clearly targeting vehicles like the KGM Musso at the more competitive end of the market, and has its sights set on the agricultural audience first, small businesses and other fleets second. Not wishing to spoil too much, but to give you an early indication of how we feel it will do, if our morning of tests is anything to go by then its capabilities do appear to sit above those of other vehicles currently sitting at the competitive end of the market. Before we get going, we just wanted to let you know that this article includes first drive impressions and as much specification information we can get our hands on. A full review will come later in the year, no doubt, so until then we hope this will sate your thirst for all things GWM POER300.

In the grounds of the Heart Of England Conference Centre in Coventry, we were able to start the day by testing the GWM POER300’s off-road and towing capabilities. Later in the day we were let loose on local roads to test the vehicle’s on-road manners.

To test towing capabilities, a POER300 was set up with a braked triple axle trailer with one of GWM’s road cars strapped in for a total weight of around 3000kg (500kg short of the vehicle’s maximum towing limit). We drove around some gravel perimeter roads to get a sense of the trailer’s size and weight, and then onto an inclined slippery wet grass field to test the hill stop function when used in conjunction with trailers.
Standard towing on flat ground felt effortless for the vehicle, with no noticeable recoil or dragging, and it was quite easy to forget that we were towing anything at all. On the incline, the vehicle didn’t break a sweat as the hill stop system held the vehicle in place midway up, and when we pulled away up the rest of the hill we felt no drag at all. It was very impressive.

Part of the Conference Centre’s grounds was opened up to us as a place to test the vehicle’s various off-road systems. It provided a combination of simple gravel tracks, some muddier pathways, the inevitable steep inclines and deep trenches. There had been some rain earlier in the day making the grass very slippy, but the vehicle had no problems with any of the obstacles. Engaging the 4L system slipped us into a ‘slow is pro’ mindset and we were able to negotiate tight inclined corners and getting stuck in a deep mud groove with no issues. The vehicle’s incline crawl function was easy to engage - just a flip of a switch at the crest - and then we just lifted off the accelerator and the vehicle slowly made its own way down the hill.
Before we move on, we must note how easy it was to find the functions or systems we wanted to activate. There are some pick-up trucks and 4x4 vehicles we recently tested that are filled with control switches to the point of confusion… we felt no such confusion in the POER300 because everything is very easy to find. Overall, this is an impressive 4x4 vehicle that seems perfectly suited to agricultural work, and is going to give some established workhorse pick-ups something to think about. Especially when you consider the POER300 is cheaper than a lot of them to acquire.

Considering how impressively the vehicle handled the off-road and towing tests, we had few worries about the on-road experience. Pleasingly, the weight of the vehicle is enough that there’s only the usual amount of bounce or roll in corners, and it’s a generally confident driving experience on normal roads. The seats are comfortable, the driving height sufficient for most people, and the wide windscreen offers good visibility of the road ahead. The engine provides enough power for the truck to feel like a smaller car when getting away from junctions, and enough sustained power for getting up to motorway speeds. You can tell it’s made by a car manufacturer.
We encountered no major issues, beyond some slightly over-keen haptic feedback and steering pull from the lane departure safety system, which we were told could be deactivated. It’s a good system, but sometimes you need to turn these functions off when lane lines disappear or when you’re on a single-track road. There’s little else to go into much detail about here, but if you’ve ever driven a pick-up truck like the Mitsubishi L200 or Nissan Navara you’ll get the same on-road experience with the POER300. It feels lighter than it should, yet sturdy enough at the same time… it’s a strange balancing act, but the GWM truck pulls it off like a pick-up truck worth at least £5K more.

What Body Types Is The GWM POER300 Available In?

The GWM POER300 is available only as a double-cab pick-up truck. It is not offered in any other body types.

What Trim Levels Is The GWM POER300 Available In?

The GWM POER300 is available in three trim levels: entry-level Lux, mid-level Ultra and top-spec Vanta. Here’s how the equipment highlights break down: - Lux: LED Headlamps, auto-fold side mirrors, leatherette seats, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, touchscreen infotainment system, driver information display, wireless phone charger pad, voice command, extensive list of safety systems and features, rear parking sensors and park assist function. - Ultra adds: heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front leather seats, six-way power adjustable driver’s seat, four-way power adjustable passenger seat, ambient lighting, front footwell lights, auto dimming rear view mirror, privacy glass, tailgate step, front parking sensors, sunroof and a 360-degree surround view camera. - Vanta adds: black-coloured wheels, mirror covers, fixed sidesteps, door handles, front grille and brand badge, wheel arches and sports bar. This trim level is effectively an aesthetic-only pack changing all of the components above to black materials.

How Powerful Is The GWM POER300?

The truck is powered by a 2.4-litre diesel engine, producing over 180 horsepower and delivering 480Nm of torque. This engine is mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox in all models and trims - this is an auto-only truck. WLTP returns are set at 32.7 mpg on the combined cycle and it emits 221g/km of CO2 emissions based on the combined cycle.

What Driving Modes Does The GWM POER300 Feature?

It features a few driving modes - standard, sport and economy - and is a fully capable 4x4 vehicle with standard 2H, 4H and 4L settings, a rear diff lock, and an anti-wind up release mechanism for the 4L setting when driven on a surface with adequate grip.

How Safe Is The GWM POER300?

The GWM POER300 features a high-strength trapezoidal steel frame providing good driving dynamics and increased safety. It also comes as standard with ten active and passive ADAS safety systems, including front and rear collision warning, lane keeping assist and lane centring assist, smart dodge system and a 360-degree camera, plus seven airbags. The truck is also covered by a five-year warranty, which should provide some good peace of mind.

What Is The Interior Of The GWM POER300 Like?

The GWM POER300’s interior is a nice mix of materials including soft-touch surfaces on the dashboard and door panels, and a bit of chrome here and there. The dashboard features a 12.3-inch infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. The gear shifter is a very cool aviation-inspired design that sits behind a wireless smartphone charging pad with USB-A and USB-C ports. The drive modes are accessible via quick buttons that sit on the outside edge of the centre console. Seat materials change between trims and if you step up to the Vanta and Ultra models you get a sunroof.

What Is The GWM POER300’s Cargo Space Like?

The GWM POER300’s cargo space is essentially a 1.5m by 1.5m box with a soft-drop tailgate. At the mid and high trim levels the tailgate is centrally locked and features a clever integrated tailgate step ladder that slides out of the tailgate housing… and genuinely makes you wonder why other pick-up trucks don’t have one.

How Much Will The GWM POER300 Cost?

The GWM POER300 is competitively priced, with the entry-level Lux models pegged at £31,495 (OTR excluding VAT), the mid-range Ultra models costing £34,830 (OTR excluding VAT), and the prices topping out in the Vanta trim level at £36,830 (OTR excluding VAT).

When Will The GWM POER300 Go On Sale?

The GWM POER300 will be available from September 2025.

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