Imagine you’re a middle-manager at a car company, and you are told by executives that you need to design and develop a new ute for a market where you’d previously had no experience, would need to quickly capture a market share, and champion a new range of vehicles to be later introduced by the company.
Frankly, I’d probably quit.
Because, despite their popularity, the ute segment is unforgiving. The market is consolidated, and the consumers are sometimes territorial.
You’re aware of the kind, I am sure. The Hilux owner would rather drive off a cliff instead of settling for the Triton, or the Ranger owner that could be on their fourth replacement 5-cylinder engine, but would still never touch a Hilux. Perhaps it’s the Amarok owner, who’d spill their latte if you told them they drove a Ford.
Nonetheless, GWM wasn’t deterred from entering the Australasian market in late 2020, with the GWM Cannon. The Cannon promised plenty of features and on-paper capability for a much lower price than the rest. It was an unknown quantity, but it succeeded in capturing a market where many other newcomers had failed.
Four years later, the Cannon has been updated, packing a new powertrain and promising more performance and capability than before.
So, can this Cannon continue GWM’s momentum?
What We Like and Dislike About The 2025 GWM Cannon Lux
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Swish new interior Larger, more powerful engine Improved gearbox and better calibration Greatly improved infotainment Now rated as a 3.5-tonne hauler Still exceptional value for money | Gearbox and throttle calibration still not perfect Poorly calibrated lane assistance systems Sensitive return-to-centre indicator Sub-par ride quality |
What’s In the 2025 GWM Cannon Range?
For 2025, GWM has revised the Cannon range, axing the 2WD variants exclusively in favour of 4WD models.
At this stage, there is one variant of the newly-updated GWM Cannon available, which is the Cannon Lux. The Cannon Lux starts at $43,950. A higher-spec Cannon Ultra is due to arrive shortly, taking the place at the top of the Cannon range.
Underneath the bonnet of the 2025 GWM Cannon is a new 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine, paired with a new 9-speed automatic gearbox. The new powerplant produces 135kW of power and 480Nm of torque, and is only available as a 4WD.
There are five standard colours available for the GWM Cannon:
- Pearl White
- Crystal Black
- Lunar Red
- Sapphire Blue
- Pittsburgh Silver
For more information on the GWM Cannon, check out the GWM Australia New Zealand website.
How Does The 2025 GWM Cannon Compare To Its Competition?
Although the gap has narrowed between the competition, the Cannon Lux still sits on the cheaper end when compared to equivalently spec’d utes.
| Make/Model | Engine | Power/ Torque (kW/Nm) | Fuel (L/100km) | Towing capacity (Kg) | Price |
| Ford Ranger Sport | 2.0-litre 4-cylinder twin-turbo diesel | 150/500 | 7.6 | 750/3,500 | $59,990 |
| Isuzu D-MAX LS | 3.0-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel | 140/450 | 9.2 | 750/3,500 | $59,990 |
| Toyota Hilux SR5 | 2.8-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel mild hybrid | 150/500 | 8.7 | 750/3,500 | $59,490 |
| GWM Cannon Alpha Lux | 2.4-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel | 135/480 | 8.9 | 750/3,500 | $54,990 |
| Mitsubishi Triton GLXR | 2.4-litre 4-cylinder twin- turbo diesel | 150/470 | 8.8 | 750/3,500 | $53,990 |
| Nissan Navara ST-X | 2.3-litre 4-cylinder twin-turbo diesel | 140/450 | 7.6 | 750/3,500 | $49,995 |
| JAC T9 | 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel | 125/410 | 7.6 | 750/3,200 | $49,990 |
| GWM Cannon | 2.4-litre 4-cylinder turbodiesel | 135/480 | 8.4 | 750/3,500 | $43,490 |
| LDV T60 Lux | 2.0-litre 4-cylinder twin-turbodiesel | 160/500 | – | 750/3,000 | $39,990 |
First Impressions Of The 2025 GWM Cannon Lux
The previous-gen GWM Cannon’s had a distinctive design, which might be described as a tad “on-the-nose”. To put it more bluntly, it was all nose.
This was due to the imposing, yet rather ungainly chrome grille which GWM had adorned the Cannon. At the time, I remember thinking as if it were designed for something the size of a Chevy Silverado.
Oddly though, the grille sort-of worked for it. It made the Cannon appear bigger than it was, and more importantly, it seemed bigger than the competition. Although, the unintended consequence is that it made other areas seem out-of-proportion with the rest of the design.
For 2025, GWM has provided the Cannon with a new stylised grille. Dimensionally, it’s not much smaller than the old one, but the fresh design and matte grey finish, along with a new lower bumper, visually shrinks the nose of Cannon. Overall, it integrates better with the Cannon’s proportions.
Everything else remains the same, with the exception of a new tailgate with GWM embossed on the back, and a fresh set of LED taillights.
Together, these relatively few revisions make a substantial impact.
What’s The Interior Like In The 2025 GWM Cannon Lux?
For 2025, GWM appears to have taken a “less-but-more” approach towards the interior of the new Cannon.
Less, because the Cannon Lux doesn’t provide the same level of standard equipment as you’d once have been able to get for the price.
More, because the rest of the interior has been massively improved. Where the old Cannon felt its price in terms of materials and finish, the new Cannon is a completely different story.
Inside, virtually everything is new. From the dashboard and the switchgear through to the infotainment and instruments, everything has been updated and upgraded.
The materials and build quality have also made a generational leap, with the Cannon now demonstrating the sort of finish you’d expect from a mature OEM.
In fact, there’s not much left over that’ll connect you with the previous-gen Cannon. Maybe the paddle shifters are the same, or the housing for the tweeters near the A-pillar? Even then, I’m not entirely sure.
Although your money mightn’t go as far in terms of features, the overall uplift in the quality will make you feel like you’re getting more bang for your buck. Honestly, the difference is night and day.
In the centre of the dash is a new 12.3’’ infotainment system, which is a multiple-generation leap from the old unit. The new screen has crisp resolution and it’s more responsive than before. The user interface is also better designed and easy to navigate.
There are fewer cameras on the new Cannon Lux compared with the prior generation. Although, those which remain (being a reverse and left-front view camera) have good resolution. At the moment, those cameras are auto-programmed, meaning you’re only able to use them by shifting into reverse or when turning left at low speed. It would’ve been nice for GWM to have installed a manual shortcut.
There’s also a fresh 7’’ digital instrument display, replacing the analogue dials from the old ute. The digital display is a nice upgrade, even though there’s only limited configurability.
Of course, not everything has been improved. The steering wheel felt a bit low-rent on the old ute, and it hasn’t much improved on the new Cannon.
GWM also continues to use a “return-to-centre” indicator, similar to the kind installed in BMWs from the mid-2000s. It’s also sensitive, and I often found myself accidentally signalling to the other side when trying to manually cancel it.
The instrument cluster still locks out when lane assistance is active. This was the same on the old ute, where you’re unable to navigate through the submenus on the instrument cluster without turning it off first. From my experience, GWM is the only brand that does this.
It has also lost its pop-out tailgate step, but this was a bit of a flimsy add-on to the old ute. I can’t say it’ll be missed. Speaking of, the Cannon’s tailgate is a featherweight compared with others in the segment. GWM are also courteous enough to put a gas strut on it, so it doesn’t slam down when opened.
In general, all of these are small fish compared to the overall improvements that GWM have made. More importantly, GWM has made one crucial improvement – a grab-handle for the driver.
What’s The 2025 GWM Cannon Lux Like To Drive?
Earlier, I said that GWM appeared to be taking a “less but more” approach for the interior. Although, the opposite is true for what is underneath the bonnet of the new Cannon.
In other words, there’s more power, more torque, and more gears.
The new Cannon receives GWM’s 2.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo-diesel, replacing the 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo-diesel found in the older Cannon. This engine is known internally as the GW4D24, and it’s the same one you’ll find underneath the turbo-diesel variants of the Cannon Alpha.
In terms of performance, the new engine produces 135kW of power at 3,600rpm and 480Nm of torque between 1,500 and 2,500rpm, or a 15kW and 80Nm peak performance bump over the old engine.
Peak performance is fun to brag about, but those numbers don’t always provide the entire story. Fortunately, the Cannon’s performance has been lifted across the board.
The new engine is more responsive, freer revving and provides its boost lower in the rpm range. Together, the new Cannon has improved off-the-line thrust, and stronger mid-range performance compared with the outgoing Cannon.
Admittedly, the new powerplant still doesn’t feel quite as stout as the engines developed by some of its competitors, and there is still some turbo lag as well. Although, it’s a massive improvement for the Cannon, and it no longer feels left behind by its competition.
The gearbox has also been substituted for a 9-speed automatic, compared with the 8-speed ZF in the older model. To put it politely, the ZF was poorly matched with the GWM’s powerplant. The calibration between it and engine was imprecise, where the ZF was often too eager, and sometimes too slow to shift.
I can remember giving the old Ute a stab of throttle from standstill, and for several seconds, it felt like nothing would happen until you were thrown into 3rd gear with a sudden surge of power.
By comparison, the Cannon’s new 9-speed gearbox is much better calibrated, eliminating much of the jankiness which came with the old Cannon.
Speaking of improved performance, the new Cannon has broadened its towing capability to become a proper 3.5 tonne hauler, where the previous-gen was rated for 3 tonnes.
Overall, the new Cannon has undoubtedly narrowed the gap between its old self and the competition, to the point where it no longer feels left behind by its competition in any major area.
That said, the new Cannon still has a few kinks in its armour.
For example, the new powerplant still doesn’t feel quite as stout as some of the engines produced by other OEMs, and there is still some turbo lag present. The throttle calibration also requires some fine tuning, as you can still notice a slight delay in performance delivery when accelerating from standstill with any urgency.
Furthermore, the 9-speed can be slightly hyperactive. In Normal mode, the Cannon would sometimes claw for an upshift well before entering the middle of the rev-range, and felt like it was constantly hunting around for its gears.
Switching over into Sport mode does correct this, where the Cannon will hold onto the gear for longer. It also helps with the throttle response issue, as well. It’d be tempting simply to leave the GWM in this mode, although Sport mode introduces a fair amount of rev-hang when letting off the throttle.
Ride quality also remains a sore point. The Cannon is stiffly sprung, making it quite juddery in urban areas and where the tarmac isn’t so well maintained.
Poor ride quality is inherent to many utes, although the Cannon is behind many of its peers. However, those stiffer springs also provide the Cannon with better body control when the road gets tighter and twistier.
The turning circle isn’t particularly good either. A 13.1 metres, it’s a larger turning circle than most of the competition. More amusingly, it’s 0.1 metres great than the turning circle of its bigger brother, the GWM Cannon Alpha.
In terms of fuel economy, we achieved a final result of 9.8 litres per 100kms. Although this result is a fair margin above GWM’s claimed figure of 8.4L/100kms, our result was only 0.2L over the result we achieved in the old Cannon in 2021. An extra 400cc displacement for only an extra 0.2L per 100kms? That sounds like an improvement to me.
Also, driving in Eco mode may help lower your fuel usage, as the GWM will divert most of its power to the rear wheels.
Because the new Cannon is technically a facelift instead of an entirely new model, it doesn’t need to be re-tested in order to hold onto the 5-star ANCAP safety rating it obtained in 2021.
This is important, because the new Cannon needn’t have some of the more irksome features required for a 5-star safety rating in 2025. I am alluding to the Driver Attention Monitoring systems, which have found their way into the new GWM Cannon Alpha, Mitsubishi Triton and JAC T9.
Frankly, the GWM Cannon not having one is a boon for anyone who likes to keep their sanity intact. These Driver Attention Monitoring systems are abysmal.
Anyway, the GWM Cannon isn’t short of any safety software which you’d actually want in a new vehicle. That said, the Cannon does have particularly irritating Lane Keep Assistance and Emergency Lane Departure mitigation software.
Basically, this software in the Cannon is overly sensitive. It’ll trigger false positives regularly, and the intervention is aggressive. Fortunately, GWM does have a quick access button from the steering wheel controls, which will allow you to turn it off.
2025 GWM Cannon Lux – Specifications
| Vehicle Type | 4-door dual-cab ute |
| Starting Price | $43,490 |
| Price as Tested | $43,490 |
| Engine | 2.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo-diesel |
| Power, Torque (kW/Nm) | 135/480 |
| Transmission | 9-speed automatic |
| Spare Wheel | Full size |
| Kerb Weight (Kg) | 2,173 |
| Length x Width x Height (mm) | 5416 x 1947 x 1884 |
| Tray Payload (Kg) | 995 |
| Fuel tank capacity, (litres) | 78 |
| Fuel Economy, (L/100km) | Advertised Spec – Combined – 8.4 Real-World Test – Combined – 9.8 Low Usage: 0-6 / Medium Usage 6-12 / High Usage 12+ |
| Towing Capacity (Kg, unbraked/braked) | 750/3,500 |
| Turning circle (metres) | 13.1 Small: 6-10m / Medium 10-12m / Large 12m+ |
| Warranty | 5-year/200,000-km vehicle warranty 5-year 24/7 roadside assist |
| Safety information | ANCAP Rating – 5 stars (2021) Rightcar.govt.nz – 5 Stars – RBH703 |
Have you enjoyed this review? Be sure to join our monthly email newsletter list so you don’t miss a single review!
