2027 GWM Cannon Alpha 3.0TD review

What is the GWM Cannon Alpha like on the inside? 

Those familiar with our previous reporting on the Cannon Alpha will know that we're pretty big fans of what it offers, particularly in terms of space. The dimensional difference between one of these and the ute mainstream is almost entirely reflected in the big GWM’s wheelbase, meaning its back seat is super-commodious.

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It hosts similar amounts of headroom and legroom to the likes of the MG U9 and Foton Tunland, and considerably more legroom than you get in a Ranger. Not only is it a lot more spacious back there, it's also very comfortable. The base squabs of the back seat offer a lot of thigh support, and there's a good amount of recline in the seat back – two things that aren't necessarily guaranteed in some dual-cab utes on the market today. 

Up front, the Cannon Alpha features one of the more luxurious interior layouts of any ute on the market. The nameplate has always featured extensive use of plush, well-presented, soft-touch surfaces complemented by a good array of premium-looking metals, fake metals, and piano-black surfaces. And generally, in my experience, reasonably solid build quality. 

Along with a couple of massive screens up front (14.6-inch touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster), the Cannon Alpha Vanta also comes with a detailed head-up display, wireless phone charging, panoramic sunroof, leather upholstery, GWM's full safety suite, locking front, centre, and rear differentials, trailer assistance, power-operated front seats that are heated, ventilated, and massaging, and plenty more. 


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From the perspective of attention to detail, I’ve always appreciated the way that both the Cannon Alpha and its Tank 500 sibling feel inside. GWM's gone to good lengths to include lots of classy-looking faux knurled surfaces throughout. Its switchgear can occasionally look a little chintzy but, generally speaking, it all looks and feels like something from a car that's much more expensive.

Most of this stuff isn’t especially new. What is, however, is the software behind the touchscreens. The Cannon Alpha 3.0-litre is the first variant in the lineup to come with GWM’s new Coffee OS software. It's better presented and more logically laid out than what we’ve seen previously in the model, and cycles from menu to menu very quickly, too. 

GWM has traded out the quite average-looking woodgrain-effect panel across the dashboard for a more subtle, carbon-esque textured panel that represents an upgrade. It’s moved the Cannon Alpha’s integrated brake controller to the right of the steering wheel, and it’s also tarted up the head-up display.

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In the bed, the Cannon Alpha Vanta gets a spray-in tub liner, along with GWM's 60/40-split tailgate that opens both downwards in traditional tailgate fashion, or through the middle in a 'barn door' formation, which I've always found to be a little fiddly.

All said and done, the Cannon Alpha’s interior remains properly impressive, with build quality, practicality, features and finishes that easily go toe-to-toe with any other dual-cab currently on sale.

To see how the GWM Cannon Alpha lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

The Cannon Alpha’s new 3.0-litre diesel engine is an all-new four-cylinder engineered with our market and customers in mind.

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It produces 170kW of power and 620Nm of torque, and comes paired with GWM’s familiar nine-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive. It’s rated to tow the requisite 3500kg (braked), while payload has increased from 760kg to 945kg.

The 3.0-litre makes 35kW/140Nm more than its 2.4-litre counterpart. GWM proudly notes that it makes more torque than everything else in its class, too, including the Ranger V6’s 600Nm and the HiLux’s 500Nm. Its 170kW power output is 14kW behind that of the Ranger V6’s 184kW, which remains the power leader in the diesel space.

But GWM’s 3.0-litre makes up the deficit in fuel economy. It boasts a very impressive 7.3L/100km combined fuel consumption – 1.1L/100km less than the 8.4L/100km of the Ranger V6, while also edging out the mild-hybrid HiLux’s 7.6L/100km. 

Comparing claimed fuel efficiency numbers between different automakers is obviously a flawed science given the huge amount of potential variables in play. But for GWM’s 3.0-litre to have such a consumption advantage over even its smaller 2.4-litre counterpart (which claims 8.9L/100km) is a genuine achievement.

To see how the GWM Cannon Alpha lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the GWM Cannon Alpha drive? 

We're all here to learn about the more powerful and potent 3.0-litre turbo-diesel powertrain, so we may as well hop straight into it.

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The first thing to note is that the 3.0-litre isn't necessarily an explosive step up in performance for the nameplate, particularly if you're familiar with the Cannon Alpha PHEV. Acceleration off the line is solid, if generally unspectacular. There’s hesitancy from a standstill, but once you’re into the guts of its powerband it feels solid and under-stressed.

From GWM's perspective, this is deliberate. The 3.0-litre is designed to be a strong performer in the areas that matter most to the customers opting for this kind of pickup. So, while it doesn't necessarily deliver the sharpest immediate response at low speed or from a standstill, the 3.0 delivers its power in a sustainable and linear way that should make it a compelling towing workhorse. It's very much like the step up from the Ranger's old bi-turbo diesel four to the V6.

On the motorway, we found the 3.0-litre to have a strong mid-range with decent pull.
We also found it to be quite docile and polished once at operating speeds. While we didn't do any tow testing during our time with it, the powertrain felt geared to suit those duties. We’ll be very keen to hook one of these up to a generously laden trailer in the future.

I suspect another reason for the 3.0-litre’s somewhat docile demeanour is GWM's prioritising of fuel economy. In our brief time with the Cannon Alpha on road, its efficiency levelled off in the low 8.0L/100km range. That's more than GWM's claimed number but still very competitive in the market, particularly when Ford's 3.0-litre Ranger diesel struggles to dip under 10.0L/100km on a good day.

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The Cannon Alpha's nine-speed transmission is perhaps the secret sauce behind this solid fuel economy. It certainly plays a role in the lack of immediate bite at low speed and occasionally when it comes to overtaking scenarios, as it can feel a little less snappy than equivalent transmissions like Ford’s 10-speed unit. Floor the throttle at 80km/h, for example, and it can feel a little sluggish to react and feed in a lower cog.

I suspect that this is GWM being conservative, in order to favour smooth and economical operation over pointed performance. Again, this is something we’ll be keen to test in practice down the line. 

Both the Cannon Alpha and its SUV sibling, the seven-seat Tank 500 off-roader, have recently benefited from GWM’s ‘AT-1’ Australian tuning program. While the ride quality of its SUV namesake has changed considerably off the back of this testing, the Cannon Alpha’s changes are less discernible on the road. I suspect this is because, unlike the Tank, the Cannon Alpha still utilises a leaf-spring rear suspension setup (the heavier PHEV swaps this out for coils).

Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t uncomfortable by any stretch. I’d say it rides bumps around town better than the similarly sized MG U9. But it isn’t quite in the same pantheon of plush as the likes of the Ford Ranger or Kia Tasman.

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Having recently driven the Foton Tunland, the Cannon Alpha feels to me like the sharper platform on the road, with better connection and a more precise front-end. In fact, despite its extra dimensions, I tend to think the Cannon Alpha’s handling chops pair pretty well with most competitors in the standard double-cab ute space.

It doesn't necessarily feel much larger when you're behind the wheel once you’re used to it. You don't really feel like you're lugging around much in the way of extra weight or dimensions, unless you're parallel parking the thing.

The launch of the Cannon Alpha included a drive through an off-road loop. Now, it wasn’t a particularly aggressive or challenging loop, but it was detailed enough to give us a few insights. The Cannon Alpha already has plenty of ‘Beer-o’clock Hill’ cred, so perhaps GWM felt the platform had already proved what it needed to. 

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The loop featured a few rutted sections and some muddy slopes that required a bit of momentum to navigate. In both cases, the Cannon Alpha 3.0 performed well. I was impressed with how quick and easy it is to make use of its low-range ratios and locking front/centre/rear diffs (the Ranger V6 only comes with a locking rear diff, unless you opt for the Super Duty).

On the more basic gravel sections – think a road similar to the trail out to your local beach – the Cannon Alpha’s ride and refinement were once again impressive, feeling quite hushed and predictable as it dealt with the loose surface.

With its existing five-star ANCAP safety rating – yet to be confirmed for the 3.0TD model – the Cannon Alpha comes with all the requisite safety features expected in a dual-cab these days, including driver monitoring and lane-keep assist.

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There was a time when GWM really struggled with these ADAS technologies – early iterations of the Tank 300 and Ora electric hatch come to mind, as well as the last Cannon Alpha I drove, which had a speed warning system that would beep and bong incessantly. GWM is still clearly a little wary of the mood around its ADAS work, as we noted that our Cannon Alpha’s lane-keeping system had been switched off prior to the start of the drive.

After turning it on, we found the Alpha’s lane-keeping system to be pretty inoffensive and accurate. This dovetailed with a generally positive experience of the model’s speed warning and driver monitoring systems, which were both quite mild in their operation. GWM has acknowledged that it is continuing to make its ADAS better, and it seems the proof is in the pudding.

To see how the GWM Cannon Alpha lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool