GWM Cannon X 4WD Ute 2022 Review

Cannon X – Last week I drove the Great Wall Motors Cannon X Ute. Its major claim to fame is that its exceptionally well-priced and well equipped.     Being the top spec model it had some of the little luxury features like heated electronically adjustable leather front seats, configurable central screen and driver instrument binnacle. A wireless smart phone charging tray is welcome and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Powered by a 2.0L turbo diesel engine that provides 120kW and 400Nm. This drives all four wheel through an 8 speed ZF automatic transmission.

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It has a couple of welcome additional features like adjustable weighted steering, rear diff lock and manual mode transmission.

Towing capacity is 3000 kg and the most recent models come with a five star ANCAP safety rating.

Even though it’s a little light on power and torque, it drives easily on the sand and dirt roads. The suspension is a little firm though and needs a bit of weight to soften the rear suspension out a touch.

Cannon X is priced from $45,490 drive away. It has a lot going for it but a few little niggles as well

This is a Motoring Minute

Im Rob Fraser

*MLP Includes GST and LCT but excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and dealer delivery. See your dealer for RDAP. Does not include price of options. Some features mentioned in the article are options. RDAP means Recommended Drive Away Price (without options but including all other charges)

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More GWM Cannon X Details

Great Wall Motors, now rebranded GWM, has had a chequered past with Utes in Australia. However that is definitely in the past as the latest Cannon X is like someone took the Steed to a celebrity makeover and it came out a completely different Ute.

That’s a good thing.

Released here in late 2020, the Cannon X may well change people’s perceptions of Chinese Utes.

There is a lot to like about the Cannon X and a few niggles as well.

What does the Cannon X look like?

It’s actually not a bad looking Ute. It has the big bold bonnet and gill with lots of chrome in the American style.

This dwarfs the front auto LED headlights, DRL’s and directional foglights

There are body coloured bumpers, wheel arches and mirrors.

Profile shows the roof rails, side steps, sports bar and shark fin antennae. The black colour we had hides a lot of the finer styling detail.

The rear is typical with side lights and a handy bumper step.

The tub has a spray in tub liner and two upper tie down points near the cabin and two lower at the rear. When will Ute manufacturers learn we need lower tie down points at all times.

Three things I really liked were the easy up and down function on the tailgate, pop out step for easy access and the heavy duty struts on the engine bonnet.

What about inside the Cannon X?

Inside it’s actually very comfortable. The front heated leather seats have electronic adjustments (6 way for driver, 4 way for passenger) and side bolsters. They are a little firm though.

There is also leather quilting throughout the cabin, leather steering wheel and little hard plastic to be found.

Between the height and reach adjustable steering wheel (only on the X model) and plenty of slide adjustment it easy for taller drivers to find a comfortable position.

The 7 inch driver instrument binnacle looks good and has theoretical configurable functionality, but its haphazard in actual use. Buttons that work one minute don’t the next.

The steering wheel isn’t the most comfortable to grip though, but does have a bunch of controls and hides paddle shifters.

With a 9 inch LCD touchscreen that houses a host of infotainment and connectivity technology. Amongst these are the  reverse and surround camera.

Other nice touches are the A/C, keyless entry and push button start, tinted windows, auto dimming rear view mirror, wireless phone charging tray, but wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto,

There is adequate storage areas as well as USB ports and a 12V outlet and a 220v as well.

Rear seat leg room is tight, but the seats are quite comfortable, with adequate headroom. There are twin air vents, a 12V outlet and one USB port.

Cannon X Engine and drivetrain

The Cannon X is powered by a 2.0L turbo diesel engine that produces 120kW and 400Nm. This drives through a constant 4WD system and an 8 speed ZF Automatic transmission. Low range is selected by a button next to the transmission lever.

There is a three mode driver select function as well.

Additional 4WD features include a rear diff lock, 4 wheel disc brakes (which is unusual for Utes), electronic brake and auto hold function.

Suspension is front wishbone and real leaf springs. It’s ok on normal roads, but can be harsh on uneven surfaces. It need a little weight to soften it out.

One feature I LIKED was the selectable weight steering, by means of a button beside the transmission lever. It adjusts steering weight in different circumstances but maintains feel.

The LDW calibration is set right, but I still turned it off every time I remembered.

I found the engine really struggled to hold cruise control selected speed ascending even slight hills and slightly ran away descending. Other than that it cruised easily on the freeway.

On sand the Cannon drove easily with the low torque delivery allowing smooth driving style. On dirt roads and trails the harsh suspension was really noticeable, but it did traverse well.

With the lower engine outputs you find yourself keeping it within a narrow torque band to maintain performance, which translates to higher fuel use.

Drive modes are Eco (rear wheel drive), Normal and Sport (AWD).

However it’s relatively quiet inside thanks to good levels of NVH suppression.

Towing at 3000kg is below par but the payload of 1050kg is spot on.

Cannon X safety features

With a five star ANCAP safety rating (October 2021) the Cannon X has a few safety features that are missing on any number of other Utes other than say the Isuzu and BT 50.

• Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Lane Change Assist
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
• Traffic Sign Recognition & Overspeed Alert
• Vehicle Stability Control
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
• Reverse camera
• Kerbside camera (passenger side)
• Rear parking sensors
• 7 airbags incl front centre airbag
• Collision automatic unlock function
• Collision automatic fuel cut function
• Hill Start Assist
• Hill Decent Control

The little annoying niggles.

Often the controls for the driver instrument binnacle configuration simply didn’t work. They would one minute not the next.

To turn off the LDW feature you had to go into the screen menu every time. Mind you GWM isn’t alone with this.

The sensitivity of the touch screen has slight delay at times. When the reverse camera comes on you sometimes have to manually turn it off.

GWM Cannon X final thoughts

The Cannon has a lot going for it both on paper and in reality.

As you would expect the price point is excellent.

It is a little underpowered but that is only noticeable under load.

While the technology reads well, its let down by the user interface and functionality on a daily basis.

This is a worthy Ute to buy but be aware of the limitations.