Kitting your vehicle out for your first adventure is always a daunting task. Where do you start, what do you need? Well, Hatfield Motor Group just made it a little bit easier with the introduction of the new GWM P-Series Outdoor. ANTON WILLEMSE SNR checks it out.
Overlanding requires you to kit your vehicle with aftermarket products that sometimes could run into the hundreds of thousands of rands, and although some fitment centres offer credit for these fitments, it can be a hefty amount of money to fork out. As such, its imperative to make the right decisions from the get-go.
First up is of course your choice of vehicle and boy, are there many options to choose from! Quite the underrated option is the GWM P-Series, which has been around for almost two years now. While it’s still not a real threat to the big guns when it comes to sales, it is moving along nicely, selling 400 to 500 units a month. Its biggest selling point is its price, coupled to a very impressive list of standard features that provides everything from heated seats to four cameras that provide a 360° view onto the touchscreen. With a price tag of R640 900 for the P-Series LT it’s a double cab bargain!
Where you score terms of the interior, you lose slightly on the engine, though. The P-Series is powered by a four-cylinder turbodiesel unit producing 120kW and 400Nm, coupled to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. On cold winter mornings there’s the unmistakable sound of diesel clatter but once warmed up it settles down nicely, and with decent cabin insulation it’s hardly audible.
Hatfield Motor Group saw the potential of the P-Series as a blank canvas for an adventure vehicle and recently introduced the P-Series Outdoor. Available from the GWM dealers in the group, it comes standard with a couple of fitments that will get you a few steps closer to that first outdoor adventure. In Outdoor guise, the already capable vehicle is fitted standard with a canopy with a roof rack and a raised air intake (or snorkel), a 270° awning and General Grabber all-terrain tyres, which offer a large footprint when deflated – ideal for sand driving. Also included are stylish fender flares to accommodate the slightly bigger rubber. It also features special ‘Outdoor’ decals.
So, are these accessories suitable and why does your overlanding vehicle need it? I think its a great start. The snorkel offers cleaner air to the system by raising the veh i-cle’s air intake above the dust kicked up by the wheels. It also comes in very handy for those occasional water crossings in the Moremi.
A canopy is always a must as it increases packing space and being lockable, it provides extra security to keeping your luggage safe and dust free. Of course, the added roof rack offers space for a rooftop tent or jerry cans, ammo boxes and anything else you can strap to it. Last but not least, the 270-degree awning will provide shade for picnic stops or when relaxing by a water hole in the bush.
This is a great start for kitting out your vehicle. Other optional extras include a winch and steel replacement bumper. The option of the replacement bull bar not only offers protection when going off-road, but it also increases the approach angle for getting through tough situations off the beaten track. The addition of a winch provides peace of mind for those unforeseen circumstances when you are stuck and all alone in the bush. It’s better to have a winch and not need it, than to need a winch and not have it!
The P-Series Outdoor is a great choice to take your very first adventurous steps, whether it is overlanding through southern Africa, camping in the Kruger or just taking the road less travelled to the coast.
More about Hatfield Motor Group
The Hatfield Motor Group is a well-known and respected name in the automotive industry in South Africa. With a history spanning over 20 years, the group has established itself as one of the leading groups of car dealerships in the country, offering an extensive range of high-quality vehicles and exceptional customer service.
Today, the Hatfield Motor Group represents some of the most prestigious automotive brands in the world, including Audi, Volkswagen, Ford, Mazda, Suzuki, Mahindra, Isuzu, Renault, Honda, Opel and of course GWM/Haval. It also recently became one of a select retail groups for Chery‘s luxury brand, Omoda. The group’s extensive inventory of new and pre-owned vehicles caters to a diverse range of customer needs and preferences, ensuring that there is something for everyone. In addition to its impressive selection of vehicles, the Hatfield Motor Group is also renowned for its exceptional customer service. With a team of highly trained and knowledgeable sales representatives and service technicians, the group is committed to providing its customers with the best possible experience, from the moment they set foot in the dealership to the moment they drive off the showroom floor.
