British Booms and French Zooms: A Wheeled Vehicle Comparison

Commanders!

With the arrival of the brand-new British medium line, the French lights are no longer the only wheeled vehicles in the game. Players will have a chance to try them out in our upcoming Common Test for Update 1.22.

Join us as we examine the soon-to-be-released Tier X Concept No. 5 to understand its place within World of Tanks. This is the second wheeled tech tree line, so we'll compare this top-tier vehicle to the Panhard EBR 105 in the French line.

British & French Wheeled Medium Tanks – Overview

Are you a medium-game hunter or ninja assassin?

• British Medium Wheeled Vehicles: The new branch in the British tech tree contains six vehicles. They are hard to stop and have excellent agility but are more reliant on their boomsticks than their wheels. They have an overall larger profile than their French cousins and are not as speedy. Different driving modes were traded for a new mechanic that allows turning on the spot, which makes them easier to operate. Their role in the field is to quickly provide fire support and aid the team’s advancement with their high specific power, good gun accuracy, solid view range, and adequate damage per shot.

• French Light Wheeled Vehicles: The French wheeled light tanks were introduced with Update 1.4 in February 2019 and gained a lot of attention with their speed and agility. They played up the notion of speedy, agile scouts that can appear out of nowhere and quickly retreat. Their role on the battlefield is to gather vital intel for the team, dodge shells, and outmaneuver the enemy.

Concept No. 5 vs. Panhard EBR 105

Now we know what we are dealing with, it is time to address the elephant in the room: Although British vehicles are a different class than the French ones, comparisons are inescapable, and burning questions need answers. We take a look at each Tech Tree kingpin and put them head-to-head with their strengths and weaknesses. Simply put, these are very different beasts, and we hope to emphasize this with comparisons in the following categories.

Click on each of the tank icons to see the stats of each vehicle.

The widget shows the vehicles' core characteristics compared. The parameters displayed are valid for the vehicles with all crew members trained to 100% major qualification level. Some characteristics can be further improved with the Commander's bonus to major qualification level, crew perks, and special in-game items.

XConcept No.5

Hit Points

1,800

 HP

 (▲500 HP)

Top Speed / Reverse Speed
(compared to EBR 105 Cruise Mode)

65/35

 km/h

 (▼5/15 km/h)

Top Speed / Reverse Speed
(compared to EBR 105 Rapid Mode)

65/35

 km/h

 (▼26/30 km/h)

Average Damage

430

 HP

 (▲40 HP)

Average Penetration

260

 mm

 (▲70 mm)

Dispersion at 100 m

0.31

 m

 (▼0.07 m)

View Range

400

 m

 (▲60 m)

XPanhard EBR 105

Hit Points

1,300

 HP

 (▼500 HP)

Top Speed / Reverse Speed (Cruise Mode)

70/50

 km/h

 (▲5/15 km/h)

Top Speed / Reverse Speed (Rapid Mode)

91/65

 km/h

 (▲26/30 km/h)

Average Damage

390

 HP

 (▼40 HP)

Average Penetration

190

 mm

 (▼70 mm)

Dispersion at 100 m

0.38

 m

 (▲0.07 m)

View Range

340

 m

 (▼60 m)

 

 

X

Concept No.5

X

EBR 105

You hear wheeled vehicles and you think speed. The Panhard EBR 105 has 70 km/h standard top speed, 42.35 hp/t specific power, and 720 hp engine power, but don’t underestimate the cunning and agility of the newcomer. The Concept No. 5 enters the game with a 65 km/h top speed, 25.2 hp/t specific power, and 580 hp engine power.

A speedy start into the battle is not the main forté of most medium tanks, and the British wheeled mediums are no exception. Keep in mind, the Panhard has Rapid and Cruise modes, whereas British wheeled vehicles do not.

Quickly getting up to speed is one thing, but which ride can traverse a tricky battlefield with its various terrains the fastest?

The British medium tried to keep up, but the EBR 105 pulls away thanks to its "Rapid mode." the Panhard also has a 42.35 hp/t power-to-weight ratio, whereas the Concept has 25.2 hp/t. 

Similar to tanks, wheeled vehicles can take track damage, resulting in reduced speed and wobbly tires. We put our subjects to the test to see which one can take a flat tire or two and stay in motion. 

The French light tank with 8 wheels keep rolling a little faster for a little longer than its six-wheeled British counterpart. After three trials, it is clear the lights are made to keep going no matter what due to lighter armor and other characteristics tailored to their class. It's also worth noting the Panhard gets back on track (so to speak) after a 19.25 s repair time; the Concept's is 25.06 s.

Moving around tight corners or quickly getting out of a narrow position is a well-known weak spot of wheeled vehicles, which, until now, were unable to turn on the spot like tracked vehicles. Enter the Brits, who roll in with a brand-new "wheeled suspension mechanic."

The Concept has the advantage, as it has few issues navigating the alleys and tight lanes of city maps and making a hasty retreat in a difficult situation. French lights need to perform a cumbersome, multi-point turn or make a wide turn in order to re-orient 180°.

Sure, speed is useful in running away, but sometimes you can’t avoid the fight. Who can take out an enemy the fastest? Time to see the impressive boomsticks of our two trial subjects in action.

The British medium and its powerful 110 mm gun brings 430 alpha damage, decent accuracy, 260 mm penetration, and 2,205 DPM to the field to outgun the Panhard's 105 mm cannon cocktail of 390 alpha damage 190 mm penetration, and 1,950 DPM. As a medium, the Concept's firepower edges out the Panhard as to compensate for the latter's higher mobility and faster top speed.

Conclusions

These trials illustrate the French light tanks clearly specialize in speed and mobility. The new British medium tanks, on the other hand, have a solid leg—or wheel—up in firepower and turning with the "wheeled suspension mechanic." There's more to it than boiling things down to which nation's wheels are "better."

Players can discover the new Tech Tree branch of British wheeled vehicles when they hit the Common Test for Update 1.22. Take them for a spin, kick the tires, and see which one fits your playstyle.

Roll Out!