Driven: Great Wall Steed

So Great Wall is the first Chinese car brand to go on sale in the UK, and its first product is the Steed pick-up. In its favour is the price and spec. For £15,998 + VAT for the flagship SE, you get pretty much everything you might need on a truck. That includes 2.0-litre diesel engine, 2WD/4WD/low ratio box, load bed liner and secure top (not pictured), electric windows, Alpine audio system, remote locking, leather seats, air-con – the list is almost endless. All good then, and from the outside it looks like a decent enough beast. But it’s only when you sit inside you realise where the money has been saved. The plastics are ugly, mismatched and brittle, the leather is very thin, the stereo is an incongruous aftermarket head unit, the seats are unsupportive – again, the list is almost endless. Add in the fact that it’s slow, noisy and dynamically pretty poor, and it’s a classic example of you get what you pay for. Yes, it’s cheaper than many other pick-ups and that means in these straightened times it will appeal to some buyers who don't care about the details. But I have to confess it's a bit of a disappointment.