The GWM Cannon is now a more serious contender than ever.
It arrives in 2025 rocking a new 2.4-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder from its bigger Cannon Alpha brother ready to offer a cut-price alternative to the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max and Mitsubishi Triton.
Thanks to the punchier motor and new nine-speed automatic, the GWM Cannon is now certified to tow the benchmark 3500kg braked load, with solid circa-1000kg payloads across the range.
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It does come at a bit of a cost, though, with the entry point now the $40,490 (drive-away) Lux trim, as GWM loses the old Premium entry grade ($36,490).
Elsewhere, the flagship Nissan Navara Warrior or Ford Ranger Wildtrak X rivalling Cannon XSR is actually $2000 cheaper, when ignoring the current run-out deals.
The Cannon has also dropped a few variants, all grades and now equipped with 4x4 as standard and there are no more alloy trays available, at least for now.
With the 2.4-litre under the bonnet, the 2025 GWM Cannon’s power and torque outputs are boosted a stout 15kW and 80Nm to 135kW and 480Nm. It uses a new nine-speed automatic transmission and retains the Borgwarner full-time 4WD transfer case.
Despite the extra grunt, fuel consumption and emissions improve in the new model, falling from 9.4L/100km and 246g CO2 per kilometre to 8.4L/100km and 221g/km.
Visually, the new Cannon stands out with a fresh grey grille surround and new lower valance on the front bumper along with embossed ‘GWM’ script on the tailgate. New side steps, roof rails and a sports bar complete the look.
The cabin is more modern with a redesigned centre stack hosting a 3.3-inch larger 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The 7.0-inch instrument cluster remains but with more customisation.
There’s also Wireless smartphone charging, USB-A and USB-C charge points plus GWM’s aircraft-inspired shifter.
The range starts with the $40,490 (all prices drive-away) Lux, equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting, spray-in bedliner, chrome exterior trim and keyless entry.
Synthetic leather appointed manual-adjust seats serve front passengers along with climate control, a six-speaker sound system and paddle shifters.
Replacing the old Cannon-X, the Ultra ($43,490) moves the game on with a sunroof, rear privacy glass, genuine leather-accented upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats with power adjust, heated steering wheel and dashcam USB port.
Helpful extras include a tailgate step, front parking sensors and a 360-degree surround camera.
The Vanta is essentially a black pack, with dark finished alloy wheels, side steps, sports bar, wheel arches, door handles and mirror caps.
These trims are all equipped with seven airbags along with a suite of safety assistance systems — though driver monitoring is not equipped. It carries over the Cannon’s 2021 five-star ANCAP rating.
The XSR does without blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and emergency lane-keep assist due to its extra off-road gear, such as a ‘snorkel’ intake, unique grille, metal side steps, part-time 4WD and Expert off-road mode with locking front differential.
2025 GWM Cannon ute pricing
Prices listed are national drive-away
Variant | Price |
Cannon Lux | $40,490 (+ $1000) |
Cannon Ultra | $43,490 |
Vanta | $45,490 (+ $2000) |
XSR | $49,990 (- $3000) |