Rent Tank 400 2024 in Dubai

We hand over the Tank 400 2024 at your door in Dubai, usually within one to two hours of booking, so you can load your gear and head for the sand the same afternoon. This is GWM's boxy, body-on-frame off-roader, and it rents in Dubai as a genuine 4x4 rather than a soft crossover dressed up to look tough. The retro styling pulls attention, but the real story sits underneath: a ladder chassis, four-wheel drive with diff locks, and 224 mm of clearance. If your week is built around a desert weekend, a Hatta run, or any trip where the tarmac ends, this is the car that argues for itself. If it's school runs and mall parking, read on, because the Tank asks for compromises.

What it actually is, and who it suits

The 400 is the plug-in hybrid Hi4-T version. A 2.0-litre turbo petrol works with an electric motor for 408 hp combined and 750 Nm, sent through a 9-speed automatic to all four wheels. That's a lot of muscle for a vehicle this shape, and 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds proves it. The point isn't drag-strip times, though. It's the low-end torque and the off-road hardware: front and rear differential locks on the off-road setup, and 800 mm of fording depth.

Renters who get the most out of it are the ones leaving the city: a group heading to the dunes, a family chasing a Hatta weekend, anyone who wants real capability with a modern cabin and a quiet electric crawl at low speed. If you only drive Sheikh Zayed Road and park in a tower, you're paying for ability you'll rarely touch.

Specs at a glance

Desert, Hatta and the off-road case

This is where the Tank 400 stops apologising. The diff locks, the clearance and the fording depth mean soft sand, rock steps and wadi crossings are within reach, not just gravel tracks. The electric motor feeds instant torque for low-speed crawling without the engine hunting for gears. Air the tyres down, engage low range, and it pulls through dune bowls that would beach a crossover.

A word of honesty: it's heavy. The hybrid battery adds mass, and momentum that helps on the highway becomes something you manage in deep sand. It rewards a driver who can read terrain, so first time in the dunes, go with people who can.

Heat, AC and the cabin

Dubai summers push past 45°C, and a black SUV left in the sun gets brutal inside. The Tank's AC is strong and the cabin is large, so give it a few minutes after a long park before it's genuinely comfortable, especially the back row. Rear passengers get their own vents, which matters on a full car. Crack the windows for the first thirty seconds and the pull-down is reasonable, but don't expect a small car's instant cool; there's more air to move. The interior is a pleasant surprise for the brand, with big screens, chunky physical controls you can find without looking, and materials built to take sand and kids.

Running it around Dubai

Day to day, the Tank is a tall, square thing, and the city reminds you of that. Multi-storey bays in the Marina and older malls are tight for its width, and some height barriers sit low enough to make you check before you commit. The high seating helps over speed bumps and ramps, and visibility is good, but parking takes patience and a careful eye on the mirrors. On the highway it cruises happily and overtakes with ease, though the body-on-frame ride is firmer and busier than a crossover, and wind noise climbs at speed.

On fuel: charged up, you'll do short city trips and airport runs largely on electricity, and the 105 km electric range covers a lot of Dubai driving before the petrol engine wakes. Run the battery flat on a long desert day and it gets thirsty, comfortably over 10 L/100km. The 70-litre tank gives sensible range between fills, but plan to refuel more often than the brochure economy suggests once you're off the charger and on the sand.

Salik tolls and any RTA fines are the renter's responsibility, and child seats are required for under-fours, the same as any car you'd rent here.

The honest trade-offs

Two things to weigh. First, the badge: GWM is still new to many drivers in the UAE, so if brand familiarity and a long service history matter to you, an established 4x4 is the safer emotional choice. Second, this is a committed off-roader living in a city, so the size, weight and thirst are real costs you pay even on the days you stay on tarmac.

The recommendation

Rent the Tank 400 if your trip has a 4x4 reason to exist: dunes, Hatta, a beach camp, or any plan where capability and a comfortable cabin both matter. It pairs genuine off-road hardware with electric refinement, and that combination is hard to match at this end of the market. If your week is city errands, tower parking and the school run, size down to a crossover that's easier to live with, or pick a long-established 4x4 if the only thing missing is a name you already trust. For the desert, though, this is the one I'd hand you the keys to.