2026 GWM Cannon Ultra review

The GWM Cannon has long been gunning for Australia’s favourite utes, but so far this year it’s barely been nipping at their heels, let alone keeping them awake at night.

GWM’s ute, which started life in 2020 as the GWM Ute, underwent a major update earlier this year, when it was rebranded as the Cannon and gained a more powerful 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine, a new transmission, a different suspension tune, and updated aesthetics.

The expectation – or at least the hope – was that these upgrades would make the Cannon more competitive with the top-selling Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, giving Australia’s most popular utes something to sweat about in the form of a more capable, value-packed alternative.

But that hasn’t happened. The Cannon chalked up about 3600 sales in the first seven months of 2025, which is less than the 5000-odd customers that bought the pre-update Ute in the same period last year.

And demand for the Chinese-made ute continues to be comprehensively dwarfed by both that of the Ranger, with roughly 32,000 sales so far this year, and the HiLux with around 30,000, despite the fact that year-to-dates sales of the popular utes are down by 13.8 and 9.8 per cent, respectively.

So what’s happened? At a glance, it’s difficult to pinpoint – the Cannon has all the tech you could want, looks the part, and has all the necessary four-wheel drive gear including low-range gearing and a locking rear differential.

One thing to note is that prices have increased since the launch of the updated model in February 2025, adding $2000 to the cost of the ute you see on test here: the 2025 GWM Cannon Ultra. It’s a middling variant in the lineup and was joined by cheaper cab/chassis variants in April.

Competition has also increased, with new all-utes like the JAC T9, Kia Tasman, BYD Shark 6, and even GWM’s own Cannon Alpha entering the frey and shifting buyer attention. Mind you, the Shark is the only model on that list that has outsold the regular Cannon so far this year.

Are buyers deliberately looking elsewhere, or is the Cannon simply flying under the radar?

How much does the GWM Cannon cost?

Prices have increased since the updated Cannon was launched, with the Ultra now priced at $45,490 drive-away. That’s $2000 more than it was in February this year.

The Cannon Ultra is comparable to big-name utes costing about $20,000 more, such as the volume-selling Ranger XLT bi-turbo 4×4 dual-cab ($63,890 before on-roads), but its powered seat adjustment and leather upholstery also give it the specs to rival the Ranger Sport bi-turbo ($66,390 before on-roads).

Its equipment list is also equivalent to that of the HiLux SR5 V-Active ($63,260 before on-roads), the Isuzu D-Max LS-U ($62,500 before on-roads) and the D-Max LS-U+ ($65,500 before on-roads) with its leather trim and powered/heated front seats.

In terms of pricing, its closest rival is also a Chinese compatriot: the top-spec JAC T9 Haven, which has been discounted to $43,990 drive-away until October 31, 2025.

To see how the GWM Cannon stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

What is the GWM Cannon like on the inside?

Well-appointed on the surface, but it starts to come undone the deeper you dig.

To start with, we can’t argue with how everything looks. The large-ish screens don’t take up all the available space here and sit nicely on the dashboard, while there appears to be a comfortable amount of buttons all finished in durable dull plastic.

We don’t dislike the material choices of the Cannon Ultra either, since the steering wheel is finished in a smooth synthetic leather, as are the seats. All the harder surfaces are textured too, which makes everything look classy.

But problems arise once it’s time to operate anything, starting with the driver’s seat which offers a decent range of adjustment but lacks a base tilting function – which is typical in Chinese cars and makes it flat and uncomfortable here.

Then there’s the head restraint, which I found to be tilted too far forward regardless of the seatback’s angle of recline. It left me craning my neck forward, with no way to tilt it backwards.

Once you’ve found a ‘manageable’ position, it’s time to get the steering wheel sorted. There’s rake and reach adjustment, but it doesn’t telescope towards the driver enough to find my ideal driving position, leaving my arms slightly too outstretched.

At least the steering wheel is nicely sized, and it has physical buttons with a chunky, robust action. The only downside is that the wheel’s horizontal spokes are excessively thick, making it difficult to see the stalks behind.

That means it’ll take longer for you to get used to everything. Indeed, the theme with most of the cabin’s drawbacks is usability, because even small problems become frustrating to live with.

Take the infotainment system, for example. The screen itself is a 12.3-inch unit, and it offers basic yet visually appealing graphics that make it pleasant to look at and use. There’s a strong selection of native apps too, but the climate control is primarily managed digitally.

Not to worry, because I was pleasantly surprised to find an array of physical buttons below. These include controls for fan speed, demisters, and air recirculation, which made the lack of a temperature button easier to accept.

There’s also a button to quickly open the climate control menu on the screen above, which is confusingly labelled with an image of a seat, so even this shortcut isn’t without flaw.

More concerningly, when using smartphone mirroring, which is wireless for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, you’re effectively locked out of most of the car’s basic functions. That means the climate shortcut button, which was super helpful before, stops working.

So while you have to exit out of CarPlay before everything on the infotainment screen works properly, there’s a similar issue with the 7.0-inch instrument display, which looks nice and provides plenty of information but won’t allow you to scroll through its menus if emergency lane-keeping is enabled.

This one is particularly bizarre, and you’d be forgiven for thinking there aren’t any different menus at all. Once emergency lane-keep is disabled, the steering wheel buttons will allow you to flick through the small selection of displays.

Little things like this make the Cannon difficult to live with, which is a shame because the rest of the cabin is actually quite functional. Everything from the aviation-style gear selector to the storage options is solid without doing anything unexpected.

There are loads of buttons around that gear selector to control things like off-road systems and the Cannon’s pre-wired power outlets. There’s also a wireless phone charger up front, along with single USB-A and USB-C ports and a 12V outlet.

Cupholders and a decently sized central storage box are also included, while there’s a traditional glovebox in front of the passenger that contains the owner’s manual, which still says ‘Poer’ on its front cover and not Cannon. That’s the ute’s name in China, which is a minor annoyance but shows a lack of attention to detail.

The second row isn’t quite as nicely appointed as up front, but that’s to be expected for a dual-cab ute. There’s still plenty of leg and head room for bodies of my average 173cm height, but taller passengers could have issues with the latter as there’s quite a pronounced sunroof bump. You’ll at least have plenty of toe room under the front seats.

The space remains roomy with two people back here, and while the middle seat is serviceable for shorter drives you should expect things to become pretty cramped with three passengers on the rear bench.

Occupants will at least have dual rear-facing air vents to keep them comfortable, and they’re joined by dual USB-A ports on the back of the centre console.

Storage options are limited to handy bottle holders in the doors and a strange nook on the back of the centre console. There are no cupholders in the soft fold-down armrest.

The tub is lined as standard, which should make it more durable in the long run. It’s accessible via a damped tailgate that’s relatively easy to open and close.

GWM also includes a handy fold-out step to make climbing into the tub easier. It extends out from the top of the tailgate and comes complete with a sprung/damped foot plate finished with abrasive material to stop wet boots sliding off.

There are no amenities in the tray here aside from a handful of tie-down points. It’d be nice to have a tonneau cover of some sort as standard, but no such thing appears in GWM’s configurator. A “Black Hard Lid” and roller cover feature in the model’s brochure without prices though.

Oh, and the fuel door wouldn’t release properly during our one fuel stop for the week. After five minutes of reefing on the release lever, it eventually opened enough to be grabbed and pulled open manually.

To see how the GWM Cannon stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

Powering the Cannon Ultra is a 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, which pumps out 135kW of power and 480Nm of torque to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission.

The GWM Cannon, at least in four-wheel drive guise, comes with low-range gearing and a locking rear differential. Part-time four-wheel drive is only available in the top-spec Cannon XSR, along with a locking front differential.

Our week with the ute involved primarily highway driving, but also plenty of time in inner-urban areas. It was likely the latter environment that contributed to our higher-than-claimed fuel consumption figure, but it wasn’t high enough to raise eyebrows.

To see how the GWM Cannon stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

How does the GWM Cannon drive?

The mixed-bag trend of the interior continues once you hit the road.

The 2.4-litre turbo-diesel that now powers the Cannon is a solid unit. It may be noisy, but it doesn’t do anything that isn’t expected of a diesel, and it pumps out a enough useable torque to offer good day-to-day driveability.

This makes the Cannon feel less laboured than something like a Mitsubishi Triton, even though it also has a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel with comparable outputs. We suspect this is due to the Cannon’s automatic transmission, which is the other major mechanical tweak it received in this year’s update.

No longer is there a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic, which has been replaced with a nine-speed auto developed in-house by GWM. The result is a transmission that’s able to keep the engine in its ideal powerband more of the time, contributing to improved acceleration over the six-speed auto Triton.

It’s not without its flaws though. Having nine gears means the Cannon feels like it’s constantly shifting or hunting for the right ratio, not unlike the Ranger’s 10-speed auto, even if the GWM powertrain isn’t quite as smooth as the Ford’s under acceleration.

It takes too long to shift up a lot of the time, leaving the engine hanging on with too many revs while you wait for the next gear. Stomping on the throttle also seems to take the car by surprise, as there’s a significant delay between driver input and the transmission kicking down.

There are handy paddle shifters if you want to take control yourself, but they’re still relatively unresponsive. This transmission setup has its strengths for towing, where the additional lower gears provide a pseudo low-range effect and deliver more torque to the wheels – particularly from a standstill.

The paddle shifters also allow you to keep the ute in a lower gear, but throttle calibration isn’t perfect and there’s a long delay before a wallop of power arrives after you stomp on the throttle.

It’s also worth mentioning the handful of drive modes to make use of. In Normal mode, the ute operates in four-wheel drive on all surfaces, which is different to most other utes that only allow four-wheel drive on unsealed surfaces.

Flicking to Eco mode will revert the Cannon to rear-wheel drive, which can help reduce fuel consumption. This will also dull power, but it’s nice to have the option if you don’t need the 4×4 traction.

Adding weight to the rear axle (either by towing or loading up the tub) also helps to iron out the Cannon’s ride. It feels as if the ute has been tuned to prioritise high-load capability, and this extra weight helps balance out the front and rear of the vehicle.

The trade-off is an imperfect unladen ride. Of course, most utes are fairly bouncy and harsh without a load on board, but despite the effort that was put into improving the Cannon’s ride comfort, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

Our main complaint is that the Cannon feels disconnected between the front and rear. The front-end feels firm yet somehow wallowy, generally handling bumps with composure but ploughing through corners with significant body roll – not unusual for a ute, but still worth noting.

On the other hand, the rear-end is incredibly firm and tends to overwork the front suspension as it bucks the ute over mid-corner bumps. As mentioned, the rigid tune allows the Cannon to accept loads with confidence, but you may be tempted to keep the ute laden all the time to avoid the otherwise unsettled ride.

Unladen, small bumps and holes can be felt rippling through the vehicle, which combined with the sub-optimal seating position makes for a tiring driving experience in which you feel every single imperfection on the road.

Keep in mind that the unpleasant ride is still much better than it used to be, and we expect GWM’s local chassis tuning efforts will refine it further in future.

Other than that, the Cannon delivers decent steering feel and acceptable road noise levels. And because its safety tech is relatively stripped-back, it’s not too annoying on the beeps and bongs front.

Visibility out of the cabin is good, but the surround-view camera and front parking sensors fitted to the Ultra make it even easier to position in carparks and tight spaces.

Its passive safety gear isn’t too intrusive, but we struggled to trust the car’s lane-centring function when using adaptive cruise control. We don’t feel it does a good enough job of staying centred in its lane, and engaging the system while alongside another ute appeared to frighten the Cannon, for lack of a better term.

It made a sudden and fairly unnecessary correction to the steering, which makes us question its calibration. Fortunately, the basic adaptive cruise function is decent, and there are no other safety-related systems beyond the lane-keeping system flaring up from time to time.

The result of all that is a ute that appears to be geared for work rather than lifestyle, but we still think some more fine-tuning would make it a better-sorted all-rounder like the Ranger and HiLux.

For an idea of the GWM Cannon’s off-road capabilities, watch our video review below.

To see how the GWM Cannon stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

What do you get?

There are five variants in the Cannon lineup, and the Ultra sits in the middle.

2025 GWM Cannon Premium equipment highlights:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Chrome sports bar
• Automatic LED headlights
• Power-folding side mirrors
• Spray-in bedliner (pickup only)
• Keyless entry
• Leatherette upholstery
• Leatherette steering wheel
• Six-way manually-adjustable driver’s seat
• Four-way power-adjustable passenger seat
• Single-zone climate control
• 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 3 x 12V power outlets
• USB-A front outlets
• Rain-sensing wipers

Cannon Lux adds:

• Wireless phone charger
• 6-speaker sound system
• DAB+ digital radio
• Front and rear USB-A, USB-C outlets

Cannon Ultra adds:

• Electric sunroof
• Rear privacy glass
• Leather-accented seats
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Heated steering wheel
• 6-way power-adjustable driver seat
• 4-way power-adjustable front passenger seat
• USB port for dash cam
• Ambient lighting
• Auto-dimming rear-view mirror

Cannon Vanta adds:

• 18-inch black alloy wheels
• Black sports bar
• Matte black exterior trim

Cannon XSR adds:

• Off-road drive modes
• Front differential lock
• Body-coloured exterior trim
• Snorkel

To see how the GWM Cannon stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

Is the GWM Cannon safe?

All variants of the GWM Ute – except for the Cannon XSR – were awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating in November 2021. This rating carries across to the renamed Cannon.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• 7 airbags, including:
• Autonomous emergency braking
  • Pedestrian detection
  • Cyclist detection
• Adaptive cruise control
• Blind-spot monitoring (dual-cab only)
• Driver fatigue monitoring system
• Lane departure warning
• Lane-keep assist
• Lane-change assist (dual-cab only)
• Rear cross-traffic assist (dual-cab only)
• Rear parking sensors
• Reverse camera
• Safe exit warning (dual-cab only)
• Speed warning
• Traffic sign recognition
• Trailer sway mitigation
• Tyre-pressure monitoring

The Cannon Ultra and Vanta feature a surround-view camera and front parking sensors.

The Cannon XSR misses out on lane-keep assist, safe exit warning, rear collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, lane-change assist, and rear cross-traffic assist.

To see how the GWM Cannon stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

How much does the GWM Cannon cost to run?

As with the rest of the GWM range, the Cannon ute is backed by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and five years of roadside assistance. The first service for 2.4TD models is required after 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first, while subsequent services intervals are 12 months or 15,000km.

GWM’s service pricing, accurate as of August 2025, is detailed below.

For context, the 2.0-litre Ranger currently costs $1516 to service over five years, but that will increase to $1596 for 2026 models. The HiLux, meanwhile, is covered by three years of capped-price servicing with its shorter six-month/10,000km intervals, which means six services will cost $1830 in total ($305 each).

Maintenance for the D-Max is required every 12 months or 15,000km, and each service costs $469 for a total of $2345 over five years. Otherwise, the JAC T9 costs a total of $3069 over seven years, averaging $438.43 per year.

To see how the GWM Cannon stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the GWM Cannon Ultra

As a package, the Cannon ticks a lot of essential ute boxes, but price rises mean it’s not quite the segment-busting value proposition it once was.

It is still much cheaper than comparable Ranger, HiLux, and even D-Max variants while also packing more tech, but those utes are much better sorted when it comes to comfort, dynamics and refinement, which matter when you’re daily-ing a ute.

But for a young tradie who’s going to put their ute to work, the Cannon still presents excellent value. It can tow and go off-road, and loading it full of tools will smooth out the ride at the rear – and it also has solid cargo carrying credentials with a payload of nearly one tonne.

The bones of the infotainment tech are also strong, even if a few software tweaks are required to iron out the usability shortfalls.

And while the Ultra is a relative bargain, the sweet spot is probably one or two rungs further down on the Cannon ladder, where there’s even better value for money to be had for price-focussed commercial and even family buyers.

Given GWM’s investment in local chassis tuning for its Australian models, we expect the Cannon will continue to improve and give Ford and Toyota more to think about in the years to come.

CarExpert can save you thousands on a new GWM Cannon. Click here to get a great deal.

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MORE: Explore the GWM Cannon showroom