- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0DT, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
120kW, 400Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 9.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4X4
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
7 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2023 GWM Ute Cannon-XSR off-road review
Now with extra off-road equipment and a highest-ever price for the GWM Ute Cannon, does this new XSR specification stack up as a smart offering?
- Twin diff locks are a no-brainer for off-roading
- Extra protection, especially for the chassis-mounted fuel filter
- Still a good value proposition considering the standard equipment
- Increased pricing puts it in the firing range of base-spec competitors
- Tailgate cannot lock
- Powertrain and suspension tuning/calibration still need work
2023 GWM Ute Cannon-XSR
Four-wheel-drive utes are growing more and more sophisticated as time goes on. It's not just the top-level, well-known brands that are doing it, either. Relative newcomers to the segment like the Chinese brand GWM are also getting in on the action.
The 2023 GWM Ute Cannon-XSR is another example of this. On top of the mainstream 4x4 and 4x2 models in numerous trim levels, GWM has added this off-road heavyweight at the top of the pile. On the surface, it's not dissimilar to something like a Nissan Navara Warrior, Mitsubishi Triton Xtreme or the old Ford Ranger FX4.
There's an increased focus on off-road ability, while at the same time offering a high level of standard specification. Let's have a closer look.
How much does the GWM Ute cost in Australia?
The 2023 GWM Ute Cannon-XSR is priced from $52,990 drive-away, which makes it by far the most expensive option in the GWM Ute range. It's $7500 more expensive than the regular Cannon-X (on which this model is based), and it's $6500 more expensive than the blacked-out Vanta specification.
For that extra money, a lot of the upgrades you get here centre around improved off-road suitability. There's a locking front differential (on top of the rear locker on other variants), as well as a snorkel, underbody protection, tube-style sidesteps, metal bumpers front and rear, and Cooper all-terrain tyres.
The four-wheel-drive system is quite different as well, moving to a traditional part-time four-wheel-drive system. This puts the XSR in better stead for off-road driving, but doesn't allow for four driven wheels on the blacktop. Other Ute Cannon models offer an all-wheel-drive system that does.
This all comes atop of a heavy list of standard equipment, especially when you consider the asking price. There are heated and electric front seats with faux-leather trimming, 9.0-inch infotainment display, wireless charging pad, LED headlights and tail-lights, 360-degree camera, and a solid safety pedigree. The only thing that seems to be missing here is front parking sensors, if we wanted to be picky.
Clearly, value is still a strong proposition for this top-spec ute. Even in this most expensive variant, there is a high level of gear included for the asking price. However, this is also the first time the GWM Ute has encroached upon the starting point of many competitive utes. For example, stripped-out four-wheel-drive variants of the Isuzu D-Max, Mazda BT-50, Volkswagen Amarok, Nissan Navara and Ford Ranger can be had at similar price points.
Key details | 2023 GWM Ute Cannon-XSR |
Price | $52,990 drive-away |
Colour of test car | Scarlet Red |
Options | Metallic paint – $595 |
Price as tested | $53,585 drive-away |
Rivals | Isuzu D-Max SX | Mazda BT-50 XT | Mitsubishi Triton GSR |
How much space does the GWM Ute have inside?
The first point to get across here is that despite the relatively low asking price, GWM isn't short-changing you on size. Its 5439mm of length overall puts it as one of the biggest in the segment, and the wheelbase is on the big side as well: 3230mm, which puts it in between the current Ford Ranger and the previous-generation model.
A big ute translates into a fair amount of interior space as well. The GWM Ute feels spacious and comfortable up front, with a reassuring sense of build quality and some nice materials. The faux-leather seats have a diamond-quilted pattern on them, and have six directions of electric adjustment for the driver. The front passenger gets slightly short-changed here with only four on offer.
The interior is well organised and easy to navigate, although perhaps let down by some cheap-feeling buttons and switchgear. There are two USB power outlets, a single 12V plug and a wireless charging pad up front, and a well-organised centre console can imbibe plenty of your daily stuff. A handy nook here can slide to hide and reveal two cupholders, and the large storage bin is well-sized.
The sunglasses holder, placed up where a grab handle normally exists above your head, is a novel idea that works.
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In the second row, a trick folding function for the Ute's rear seats allows for some additional storage set-ups. Along with backrests that fold downwards, the seat bases flip upwards and out of the way, not dissimilar to Honda's much-loved Magic Seats in many models. It's quite handy, and means when you don't have rear passengers, you can load up the second row as a pseudo boot with the benefits of central locking and weather protection.
Which is important, because the tailgate of this GWM Ute doesn't have any locking functionality.
Otherwise, the second row of the Ute is good for human-shaped occupants. Leg room is good and headroom is okay as well thanks to the scalloped-out roof line.
And along with air vents, there is a USB power outlet, 220V household plug, and fold-down armrest in the back.
The tub of the Cannon-XSR, while it isn't lockable, does have a few party tricks up its sleeve. There is a step built into the rear bumper, but the GWM Ute goes one better with a pop-out step built into the tailgate that allows you to easily walk up and into the tub. It's useful and helpful, with a tub liner and tie-down points assisting too.
2023 GWM Ute Cannon-XSR | |
Seats | Five |
Length | 5439mm |
Width | 1958mm |
Height | 1918mm |
Wheelbase | 3230mm |
Does the GWM Ute have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
The 9.0-inch infotainment display in the Cannon Ute doesn't hold a high bar in terms of features and immersiveness, but it gets the job done. There's no native navigation or digital radio, but smartphone mirroring (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) covers off the important everyday features well enough.
While the layout takes some getting used to, and isn't always the most intuitive, voice commands for key functions are available – and the system even responds with an Aussie accent.
The digital instrument cluster in front of the driver is a nice touch, but I found it hard to cycle through different displays and information.
We also noted that the six-speaker sound system in this Ute sounded particularly muddy and lacking in clarity compared to similar systems in other utes.
GWM's infotainment system isn't a 'connected' system, so there's no SOS emergency call function, vehicle location tracking or remote access via a smartphone app.
Is the GWM Ute a safe car?
Just like everything else coming to Australia from this Chinese carmaker, the GWM Ute Cannon gets a five-star ANCAP safety rating. 2021 is the year that this score was reached after testing was done at Australian ANCAP facilities.
However, there is a catch here. Because of the differences in the vehicle, this GWM Ute Cannon-XSR (and the cab-chassis models) is untested. Metal bumpers will affect the way a car can absorb an impact, and the differences in weight from things like tyres and additional protection may also affect the vehicle's performance in this regard.
For what it's worth, the rest of the Ute Cannon range (excluding this XSR and cab-chassis models) gets 86 per cent for adult occupants and 87 per cent for child occupants. Vulnerable road users (pedestrians) get a 67 per cent score, while the safety assistance systems on the Ute scored 73 per cent.
2023 GWM Ute Cannon-XSR | |
ANCAP rating | Five stars for Ute Cannon (tested 2021) |
Safety report | Link to ANCAP report for Ute Cannon |
What safety technology does the GWM Ute have?
The new XSR version might not get the ANCAP safety rating, but it does pick up (nearly) the full gamut of safety equipment available to this breed of ute.
This includes forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking, but it's interesting to note the XSR loses the pedestrian detection that is available on the rest of the Ute range. There is lane-departure warning and lane-keep assistance, but no lane-change assistance or door-opening warning.
Adaptive cruise control and traffic sign recognition are there, along with rear parking sensors but no front sensors. A 360-degree camera and tyre pressure monitoring round out the package for XSR.
How much does the GWM Ute cost to maintain?
While the regular servicing schedule is set at every 10,000km and 12 months, GWM stipulates the first service at half that: six months and 5000km for the price of $260.
After that point, and up to four-and-a-half years (or 45,000km), each visit costs $360. This puts the Ute Cannon in a solid position in the ute segment in terms of running costs.
While our favourite online insurance quote generator wasn't giving us the option for the most expensive XSR currently, we thought a quote on the less expensive Cannon-X would be useful as a reference. This was $1855 based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.
At a glance | 2023 GWM Ute Cannon-XSR |
Warranty | Seven years, unlimited km |
Service intervals | First service at six months/5000km Subsequent services every 12 months/10,000km |
Servicing costs | $980 (2.5 years, 25,000km) $1700 (4.5 years, 45,000km) |
Is the GWM Ute fuel-efficient?
Against a claim of 9.4 litres per 100 kilometres, we saw an average of around 10.8L/100km during our time. This included a few big highway runs, but was also offset by some town driving, off-roading and load testing. It's not a bad number, but also not the best one getting around.
Fuel Consumption - brought to you by bp
Fuel Useage | Fuel Stats |
Fuel cons. (claimed) | 9.4L/100km |
Fuel cons. (on test) | 10.8L/100km |
Fuel type | Diesel |
Fuel tank size | 78L |
What is the GWM Ute like to drive?
The suspension of the Cannon-XSR is unchanged from other models, but the inclusion of Cooper All-Terrain tyres, as well as an increase in the overall weight elsewhere, might have upset the balance somewhat. More weight – in the form of both sprung and unsprung mass – does leave the Cannon-XSR feeling brittle. It's less settled and polished than the regular Cannon Ute, which is a bit of a shame.
And it becomes more of a problem when you consider the higher asking price of this XSR specification. There's a good amount of kit included for this extra spend, sure. But when you've got a vehicle with an asking price starting with five, you tend to get a little more critical of the inherent features of ride quality, steering, handling and refinement.
Steering feel is behind the pace as well in terms of what most new-generation utes offer these days. It's a little slow-feeling and vague, giving the Ute a bit of a rudimentary feel from the driver's seat.
The caveat here is that you do get used to the steering feel after a while, and it might not be a major issue for some depending on what kind of vehicle they have come from previously. But if you've spent any time behind the wheel of a Ranger/Amarok, HiLux or D-Max/BT-50, you'll sense that this GWM ute is a little behind the pace.
The single-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine is relatively underwhelming on paper with maximum outputs of 120kW and 400Nm. My hot and likely unpopular take, though, is that if you're wanting a four-wheel-drive ute on a budget that won't be towing more than two tonnes, this kind of output is fine. It's not close to the best in the segment, but it gets the job done well enough.
The throttle and gearbox calibration are set to make the most out of the available grunt with a keen responsiveness to accelerator inputs. That's appreciated sometimes, but it also leaves little extra in reserve when you press down further.
The eight-speed automatic gearbox, which is sourced from ZF (and is used in stacks of other applications), feels a little overeager with this calibration. It changes gears a lot as it cycles between a low-rev cruise and downshifting acceleration. The gear changes themselves are smooth, but the frequency of them makes it noticeable.
Off-road, the GWM Ute Cannon-XSR is more impressive. Once you dial yourself into the hair-trigger throttle feel and engage those locking differentials, the Ute is able to clamber over anything – provided you've got the ground clearance – without issue. The Cooper all-terrain tyres seemed to improve grip on the rocky sandstone tracks we were driving, and the suspension feels relatively stable as well.
Other utes with locking differentials front and rear cost significantly more than this GWM, including the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon ($87,250), Ford Ranger Raptor ($87,990) and Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series GXL ($79,200). Only the stablemate GWM Tank 300 four-wheel-drive wagon can compete with the Cannon Ute for twin-locked value.
And in terms of improving off-road ability, diff locks still feel like you've entered a cheat code. As good as off-road traction-control systems can be these days, lockers are still tough to beat.
We also did some load testing on the Cannon with 600kg placed in the tub for a test drive. The available payload is 875kg, and our test was mostly good. The spring rate – which is on the firm side when unladen – handled the weight well. Damping started to run out of control on rougher and undulating surfaces, so a full payload test would likely put the dampers right to the edge.
And that touchy throttle pedal – which is overdone for most situations – settles down with the additional weight and feels better balanced. The steering seemed relatively unaffected by the weight as well.
Key details | 2023 GWM Ute Cannon-XSR |
Engine | 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel |
Power | 120kW @ 3600rpm |
Torque | 400Nm @ 1500–2500rpm |
Drive type | Part-time four-wheel drive, locking front and rear differentials |
Transmission | 8-speed torque converter automatic |
Power-to-weight ratio | 54kW/t |
Weight (kerb) | 2220kg |
Payload | 875kg |
Spare tyre type | Full-size |
Tow rating | 3000kg braked 750kg unbraked |
Turning circle | 13.7m |
Should I buy a GWM Ute?
Adding tyres, protection and locking differentials to the GWM Ute makes it undoubtedly a better offering overall. It's sharper off-road and feels infinitely more capable and confident.
However, the increased asking price reduces that natural advantage of the GWM Ute: value for money. And it also puts other elements, like ride quality, drivetrain tuning, steering and general refinement under the microscope more closely. Unfortunately, the XSR seems to have taken a step backwards in terms of the ride quality.
It's still good value and offers a good return of equipment in comparison to the increased asking price. However, you'll need to be bush-bashing to really appreciate the upgrades of this XSR specification. And you'll also need to consider the possibility of purchasing a base-spec HiLux, Ranger, BT-50 or D-Max instead, all of which offer fewer bells and whistles but a better driving experience.