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Review
Not so long ago, I remember writing the words: “it’s not too bad for a Korean car.” Now I can hardly think “that’s not too bad for a Chinese car” or even “it’s not too bad for the price”.
Instead, I write “It’s actually pretty good” and “If this continues, it could be very difficult for the tough Japanese.” It’s amazing how quickly things change.
It’s also amazing how quickly GWM’s utility offerings have gone from perhaps not-so-kind “constructive criticism” to being applauded for getting so much right – which is exactly the territory Cannon X is in now.
Is it the best ute on the market? No, it’s not. Is this the worst? Not for long.
The nuts and bolts of the GWM Cannon X reveal that it will top the three-tiered ‘Cannon’ lineup ahead of the Cannon 4×2 ($35,990), Cannon 4×4 ($38,990) and Cannon L 4×4 ($42,490). . The full Cannon X 4×4 as tested costs $45,490.
Primarily, the GWM Cannon range is designed to challenge rivals including the LDV T60 (starting at $36,832 per car) and the SsangYong Musso (starting at $35,790 per car) as well as a number of ‘mainstream’ rivals – mainly Mitsubishi Triton, which has long been the champion of the game.
All Cannon variants are offered in just one body style: a double-cab pickup measuring 5,410mm long, 1,934mm tall and 1,886mm wide with a 3,230mm wheelbase, making it slightly larger than the Toyota HiLux equivalent in all dimensions.
The range is powered by a 120kW, 400Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel that drives all four wheels exclusively through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. Fuel economy is 9.4 liters per 100 km in the combined ADR cycle.
These figures put the Cannon just below the industry standard 4×4 (somewhere around 140kW/450Nm), which likely contributes to the model’s lower towing rating (3000kg), 500kg less than the segment leaders. The load capacity is a solid 1050 kg, and there is even a convenient built-in ladder in the tailgate.
The GWM Cannon range features double wishbone front suspension and leaf spring rear suspension, and stopping functions rely entirely on disc brakes – something many competitors in this class still don’t offer.
Off-roading is facilitated by a low-range transfer case, hill descent control, hill start assist and a rear differential lock. Approach, break, and takeoff angles are listed as 27.0, 21.1, and 25.0, respectively. The depth of the passage is only 500 mm, and the ground clearance is 232 mm. All figures given are for an empty vehicle.
Interestingly, the security equipment for the Cannon line is the best in its class.
All variants are equipped with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure warning and lane assist, lane change assist, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, road sign recognition, tire pressure monitoring , rear view camera, passenger side camera, rear parking sensors and seven airbags.
The model received a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2021.
For the Cannon line we find an extremely long list of equipment, more details of which can be found here.
Key features of the top-level Cannon X include leather upholstery, tilt/slide steering wheel, 7.0-inch color instrument cluster display, wireless charging, four-way adjustable passenger seat, power steering modes, door open warning, second row 60:40 reclining seat and voice recognition.
All GWM vehicles, including the Cannon ute, come with a seven-year/unlimited mileage warranty with five-year roadside assistance.
Driving experience
When you get into the Cannon X from a cold start, you’ll notice a significant delay between pressing the starter button and the engine firing. It’s almost as if it goes through a series of checks, heats up the glow plugs, and then finally kicks in.
It only happens on a cold start, but it’s quite a long delay – somewhere around five seconds. It’s pretty weird at first, but it’s one of those quirks that you get used to after a while and eventually learn to work around pressing the remote starter as you approach the car.
And this great feature is just one of the many standard features of the Cannon X.
The car has an incredible amount of technology for the price, especially when you consider the safety features and digital dashboard, paddle shifters for the automatic transmission, single-zone climate control, heated seats, leather upholstery, power front seats. .
And unlike some of the Chinese cars we’ve looked at recently, we’re very happy to report that we found the vast majority of the technology on offer in the GWM Cannon X to be comfortable and well-calibrated. Adaptive cruise control even maintains a constant speed on descents, which the Toyota HiLux system does not (as one example).
We particularly like the 360-degree camera technology, keyless entry and start, and the handy number of USB-A and 12V outlets scattered around the cabin.
Even more impressive is that we had no loose finish, no squeaks and rattles, and no misaligned panels. In fact, the Cannon X’s fit and finish were pretty hard to fault, with the interior particularly well presented with quilted leather on the car doors, contrast stitching, a leather steering wheel and a large infotainment screen flanked by vertical air vents. .
Interestingly, the badge on the Cannon X steering wheel is the old GWM logo and doesn’t match the many badges on other cars. This is a very minor criticism (if you can call it that), but we still found it odd.
But not everything is so peachy. Of course, the Cannon X offers good outward visibility with large side mirrors, while the seating position relative to the main controls is about as you’d expect.
The problem is that the non-adjustable shoulder point for the seat belt means the belt can rub against your neck, while the lack of an A-pillar handle – combined with the shallow side steps – can make jumping in and out difficult, especially when wet.
We also found the audio quality to be rather disappointing, especially at low to moderate volumes. It’s hollow and pretty thin, even when connected via cable to a high-end streaming service like Tidal. No amount of head unit adjustments improved the situation either. Maybe this is something GWM can improve on in the future.
The only other quibble from the driver’s seat is that there’s a little wind rustling off the wing mirrors at freeway speeds. A shame considering the car is otherwise very quiet.
Finally, we note that the cup holders on the center console cannot hold two drinks of the same size at the same time – it’s best if you outrank your apprentice or co-pilot and put your coffee in there first.
Otherwise, storage space is very good, the retractable key tray in the center console compartment is a particularly handy feature.
On the road and for the most part the GWM double cab is very good indeed. But there is no getting around the fact that it is ultimately insufficient. While it can offer enough swagger to cruise empty and at city speeds, the two-litre donk struggles to keep up with speeding traffic, especially on undulating terrain.
And no matter how great the eight-speed gearbox is, it can’t work miracles. The lack of torque for the vehicle’s weight is very apparent, especially when trying to overtake or accelerate uphill at 100km/h or more, while the turbo’s lag off the line is more than a little frustrating, worse. than we noted earlier with the Mitsubishi Triton.
Working so hard, the lower-powered GWM engine also tends to feel thirsty, and we averaged 9.4 liters per 100km during the test – exactly the same as the ADR figure. That might sound good to some, but it’s still slightly more than rivals such as the Isuzu D-Max (8.3) and Toyota HiLux (9.0) when taking samples in the same style.
Underfoot, the Cannon X’s ride quality and handling are actually pretty good (well, for a leaf-sprung ute). It can be a bit firm, but no worse than rivals in the class, and offers better handling than you might expect, assuming you can dial yourself into the model’s somewhat vague steering wheel.
On the plus side, the braking performance offered by the four-wheel discs and almost SUV-like pedaling stability make the Cannon X easy to use on your morning commute. Although we didn’t test the car with a heavy load or with a maximum weight of 3000kg attached to the tow ball, we found braking performance to be as good as most competitors we tried – with the possible exception of the HiLux Rogue and the new Ford range Ranger.
Of course, the GWM Cannon X doesn’t have the prestige or reputation of some of its competitors. But it’s backed by a very decent warranty and, at least in our short time with the car, it seems to be a pretty good rival to some of the more established brands.
Give it another generation and we think the Cannon will be something to look at – maybe even want as much as the HiLux or Ranger – especially if GWM can keep bringing it to the country at this price point. The future looks bright indeed.
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