Review: 2025 GWM Poer300
The Honest Grafter With a Slightly Sleepy Right Foot
Every so often a truck comes along that forces you to tilt your head, squint a bit, and mutter, “Hmm… this could actually be alright.” That’s the GWM Poer300 (Pronounced Power 300, silly, I know).
It’s the new kid on the UK pick-up block, and while the established lads - Hilux, Ranger, and Amarok swagger around with their heritage and inflated price tags, the Poer300 rolls up, drops its 1,000kg payload on the table, and says, “I’m cheaper. I’m capable. And I’ve got a pop-out step in me tailgate. Come at me.”
After my brief first drive down at the Heart of England Conference Centre, I’ve now had a full week with the Poer300, which is enough time to poke, prod, carry, tiptoe through mud, attempt to confuse its 4×4 system, and subject the neighbours to the full diesel cold-start experience.
So, here’s the proper Mud Life verdict after seven days of living with GWM’s new working-class hero.
What Actually Is the Poer300?
GWM - Great Wall Motors, aren’t new to the pickup world, but they are returning to the UK after the fairly unremarkable Steed of a decade ago. The Poer300 is their second go and a much more serious effort: a double-cab, 2.4-litre turbo-diesel, nine-speed auto, permanent 4×4 with low range, locking rear diff, and a business-friendly payload and towing package. In fact, this version is the second generation POER300.
And before anyone asks: no, there’s no electric version. Real pickup owners wanted diesel, so GWM said “alright then” and just did diesel. Simple.
On the Road: Smooth Enough, But With a Thinky Moment
Let’s get straight to the one thing that bugged me all week: the hesitation.
Press the accelerator and…
…wait…
…aaaaaand now we’re off.
It’s not every time, but it’s often enough that you notice especially when pulling out of junctions, manoeuvring in traffic, or trying to look competent in front of other drivers. It’s like asking a teenager to tidy their bedroom: they’ll eventually do it, but only after a short internal existential crisis.
This seems to be a mix of throttle calibration and the nine-speed gearbox trying to decide which of its many cogs it fancies using. Once you’re rolling, the engine itself is perfectly strong, 480Nm, after all, and the Poer300 makes good progress without drama. The power delivery is smooth, and it feels sprightlier than a truck weighing roughly the same as Bolton Shopping Park has any right to.
Steering? Light. Very light. Not “fingertips in a fairground dodgem” light, but it certainly doesn't ask for much effort. Body roll is present, as you'd expect in a double-cab with a wheelbase roughly the length of Wales, but it's controlled and never roly-poly.
Ride quality is… fine. Better on the open road, but a bit jittery around town. Without much weight in the back it tends to bobble over potholes, ridges and rough patches. Throw 100–150kg of gear in the bed and it settles down nicely, which is how most proper pickups behave anyway.
Noise isolation is a win. Even at motorway speeds the cabin is civil, and you don't have to crank the radio just to hear your favourite ’80s power ballads.
Is it as refined as a Hilux or Ranger?
No.
Is it several grand cheaper?
Yes.
And your spine will tell the difference accordingly.
Off-Road: Surprisingly Capable (Even When You Try to Break It)
One of my biggest takeaways, both on the launch day and during the week, is that GWM’s 4×4 system is far from basic. In fact, with a full-time four-wheel-drive system as standard, low-box and a rear-locker, it’s impressively sorted.
On wet fields, rutted tracks, and some steeper greasy inclines, the Poer300 just gets on with it. Even on fairly tame all-terrain tyres it rarely spun a wheel. Most of the time I didn’t need low-range or the locking diff - torque management did its job well enough.
Then there’s the anti–driveline wind-up release mechanism. Yes, it's as technical as it sounds. When you’re turning on grippy surfaces in 4WD and you hear a clunk from underneath, that’s the system unwinding itself to prevent stress in the transmission. It’s a bit disconcerting if you’re not expecting it, but perfectly normal.
Ground clearance of 230mm is plenty, and the approach and departure angles are good enough that I didn’t so much as graze the underneath. If anything, the limiting factor is the width on tighter trails, but that’s true of most modern pickups. All told, it’s far more capable off-road than the price tag suggests.
Towing & Load Carrying: A Proper Workhorse
During the launch I towed a heavy load around a soggy field, and once again it impressed. There’s plenty of grunt for towing, and on soggy ground the Poer300 pulled away cleanly with minimal fuss. It’s rated to tow 3,500kg, and while I didn’t subject it to a full test of that limit, it showed the right kind of composure and confidence.
The load bed is excellent: at 1,520mm square, with deep sides and a standard fit bed liner. But the best bit - and the feature that wins “Most Likely to Make a Hilux Owner Sulk” - is the tailgate step on the Ultra and Vanta trims.
I wouldn’t be surprised if other manufacturers suddenly “invent” this feature in the next couple of years.
Interior: Surprisingly Plush (With a Few Quirks)
Inside is where the Poer300 pulls its biggest trick: it doesn’t feel like a budget pickup.
The materials are decent, the layout makes sense, and the switches feel rugged enough to withstand builders, farmers, and your mate Dave who always presses every button just to see what happens.
All trims get:
A crisp 12.3” touchscreen
7” digital driver display
Wireless CarPlay & Android Auto
Wireless charging
Plenty of cubbies, including a Defender-style dash tray ideal for mints, twine, pocket knives, or that one weird nut you found in the boot of your last press car.
Move up the trims and you get leather, heated and ventilated seats, ambient lighting, and even a sunroof - luxuries that still surprise you in a £35k pickup.
What about my pet-hate? There’s good news there too, Lane-keeping Assist is easily switched off thanks to a steering wheel shortcut, which is a MASSIVE tick in my book, though it’s still a three-step affair.
Oh, and rear seat passenger have oodles of leg room - the seats are comfortable, too.
So, After a Week…
The GWM Poer300 isn’t perfect. The throttle hesitation is the thing that irritated me most, and for some buyers that’ll be enough to sway them back towards the big established names, and the ride can be a bit fidgety.
The brand is still “new” in UK pickup circles, and some interior plastics feel a bit… optimistic.
But - and it’s a meaningful but, the Poer300 offers a lot of truck for the money.
It tows well.
It pulls well.
It’s properly capable off-road.
The interior is shockingly good for the class and price.
The load bed and tailgate step are genuinely useful.
The 5-year warranty is reassuring.
And it’s thousands cheaper than the Hilux or Ranger.
If you want brand prestige, plush refinement, or bragging rights down at the pony club, this isn’t your pickup.
If you want a tough, honest, value-packed workhorse that’ll take mud, dogs, tools, and abuse without flinching? The GWM Poer300 deserves a serious look.
Just be ready for that split-second of “thinking time” every time you set off - it’s part of its charm, apparently.
Website: GWM POER300
Prices: £31,495 (Lux), £34,830 (Ultra), £36,830 (Vanta)
