GWM Cannon Alpha vs Peugeot Boxer

What's the difference?

The Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV combines five-star safety, a confident warranty, lavish luxury and short-haul electric driving for a competitive price. However, from a pure workhorse perspective, its class-benchmark 3500kg tow rating is offset by a modest payload limit, plus an awkward spare tyre location which could be a deal-breaker for some tradies as it compromises working floor space and the securing of loads.

It has its faults like any vehicle but it’s a competent all-rounder, that combines sub-$50K pricing with a big payload capacity, mostly user-friendly design, improved safety and a compelling warranty. It also faces stiff competition in the 3501-8000kg GVM class, particularly from rivals with an automatic option. 

Our test vehicle shares the same body-on-frame chassis design, twin A-arm/coil-spring front suspension, four-wheel disc brakes and electric power-assisted steering as the model it replaces, but the previous leaf-spring live rear axle has been replaced by a multi-link coil-spring arrangement. External chrome has also been greatly reduced.

Its luxurious leather-accented interior has a spacious and classy feel with a panoramic sunroof and opulent mix of surface finishes, but some tradies might consider such indulgences too fancy for carting muddy-booted crews.

The PHEV’s larger rechargeable battery pack uses up all the underfloor space behind the rear axle usually occupied by a full-size spare tyre. As a result, the steel-rimmed spare has been moved to a conspicuous location in the load tub, which not only looks like an afterthought but is far from ideal for workhorse duties (see Practicality).

It comes ready for work with hard-wearing black plastic in the most vulnerable places for scrapes and dents, including the front and rear bumpers and down the sides. The same black finish can be found on the window surrounds, door handles, huge door mirrors (which would not look out of place on a Kenworth) and the housing for the high-mounted third brake light.

It’s a large vehicle measuring 5413mm long, 2050mm wide and, thanks to the conspicuously high roof line, stands 2522mm tall. So, like numerous rivals in this weight class, it can’t access most shopping centre and underground carparks.

The front-wheel drive chassis, with its 3450mm wheelbase and 12.6-metre turning circle, features a simple and rugged combination of coil-spring strut front suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, power-assisted rack and pinion steering and single-leaf/solid beam rear suspension. Long rubber bump-stop cones, attached to the underfloor above each end of the rear axle, provide extra support when the springs compress under heavy loads.

The steel bulkhead, which separates the cabin from the cargo bay, insulates the driver/passenger from cargo bay noise and doubles as a robust cargo barrier. Its window is large enough to allow the driver to make a quick over-shoulder glance at any time to check the load is secure.

Criticisms? The relatively small 5.0-inch media screen can make the reversing camera’s vision difficult to see in detail. The height adjustment on the driver’s seat, using two levers on the lower right side, is clunky to operate. And although the rear barn-door windows are heated, there are no wiper/washers, which we didn’t get to test in wet conditions, which is most unusual for Melbourne.

Our test vehicle’s substantial 2810kg kerb weight is 235kg heavier than its hefty Alpha Hybrid predecessor, due largely to the bigger battery and electric motor. That makes it about half a tonne heavier than numerous conventional turbo-diesel 4x4 dual cab utes.

This substantial kerb weight contributes to a sizeable 3495kg GVM, yet results in a 685kg payload rating which is modest compared to some turbo-diesel rivals with genuine one-tonne capabilities.

It’s also rated to tow up to the class-benchmark 3500kg of braked trailer, but with its 6745kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) that would require a 250kg reduction in payload (from 685kg to 435kg) to avoid exceeding the GCM.

While it’s unlikely owners would need to tow at the 3500kg maximum, it’s important to be aware of these numbers if the need arises, as that 435kg of payload could easily be used up by a crew of tradies before you could load any of their tools.

The vertical mounting of the spare wheel in the load tub not only reduces floor space and load volume but also restricts the securing of loads, given there’s no anchorage point accessible in the right rear corner of the tub.

So, all load straps extending rearwards must share the same left-side anchorage point, which is far from the ideal even spread provided by four-corner load restraint. This spare wheel location needs a rethink (perhaps a swing-away carrier favoured by 4x4 wagon owners would be better).

We also noted the big button on the two-way tailgate, which enables it to split into a pair of hinged doors, stopped working during our test. Fortunately, it could still open the tailgate as a conventional single unit.

There’s ample interior space, not only for front seat occupants but also those in the back. That includes tall people, given I’m 186cm and have at least 40mm of knee room when sitting behind the driver’s seat when set in my position.

There’s also about 80mm of rear headroom, despite the presence of a full-length sunroof which can often compromise this dimension. However, shoulder-room is tight for three adults, so two would be preferable for long trips.

Front-of-cabin storage includes a large-bottle holder and bin in each front door, plus a large glove box, overhead glasses holder and a pull-out compartment for the driver in the lower dash.

The centre console offers wireless phone-charging and a lidded box (with internal air-con flow available) and two small-bottle/cupholders. Another storage nook in the lower right-side of the console offers two USB ports, a 12-volt socket and enough space for a phone.

Rear passengers get a large-bottle holder and bin in each door, pockets on the rear of both front seat backrests and small pull-out drawers under each outer seat. The rear of the centre console also offers adjustable air-vents, a pair of USB ports plus controls for seat heating/cooling and the sliding rear window.

The fold-down centre armrest offers another wireless phone-charging pad, pop-out twin cupholders and a hidden compartment for storage of phones or other slimline items.

The Boxer 160’s 1865kg tare weight and 3510kg GVM results in a sizeable 1645kg payload rating. However, we always quote kerb weights (full tank of fuel) rather than tare weights (10 litres of fuel) to keep things consistent.

So, in this case, adding the missing 80 litres of diesel (67kg) results in a kerb weight of 1932kg, which reduces the payload by the same amount to 1578kg. That’s still almost 1.6 tonnes which is more than ample for this category. It's also rated to tow up to 2500kg of braked trailer and, based on European figures at least, can do this with a full payload.

The cargo bay provides a competitive 11.5 cubic metres of load volume and 10 sturdy load-anchorage points. Its floor, which is 3120mm long and 1870mm wide with 1420mm between the wheel housings, can  accommodate two 1165mm-square standard Aussie pallets or three 1200 x 800mm Euro pallets. There’s ample forklift access through the rear barn-doors with full 270-degree openings or sliding side doors with their big 1250mm openings.

The high roof cavity means even tall adults can stand inside with headroom to spare. It also provides a large and very useful open storage area over the driver’s cabin, which is ideal for storing ropes, straps, load-padding and any other gear a hard-working van might need.

Although the side doors and barn-doors are lined to mid-height, the cargo bay walls are unlined which leaves numerous cavities exposed that could make small items like pens, keys, phones etc disappear if they were dropped. The load floor is also unprotected.

Cabin storage options include upper and lower bins in each door, with the lower bins being wide and deep enough to hold several large bottles. There’s also a full-width map shelf that sits about forehead height for tall drivers, which is easy to access and can hold heaps of stuff.

The dashboard also has numerous storage choices including open shelves to the right of the steering column and underneath it, cup/small-bottle holders in the centre of the dash and on top a fixed clipboard with spring-loaded clamp. There’s also a glovebox with another large open storage bin below it plus even more storage, about the size of a baking tray, under the driver’s seat.

The Boxer 160 (which denotes its European horsepower or ‘PS’ rating) is available only with a 2.0 litre turbo-diesel engine and six-speed manual transmission, plus a choice of 4035mm long wheelbase or 3450mm standard wheelbase like our test vehicle, for a list price of $47,490.

It comes equipped with 15-inch steel wheels and 215/70 R15C tyres with a full-size spare, plus cargo bay bulkhead, hard-wearing rubber floor, 12-volt accessory socket and USB ports, height/reach adjustable steering wheel, two bucket seats with fold-down inboard armrests and lumbar adjustment and multimedia system with 5.0-inch touchscreen and sat-nav plus ample storage and more. There’s also AEB on the upgraded safety menu.

The only options available are three paint colours (Imperial Blue, Red and Aluminium Grey) in addition to our test vehicle’s standard Bianca White.

The Alpha PHEV drivetrain consists of a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine that produces 180kW of power and 380Nm of torque. This is paired with an electric motor that adds another 120kW/400Nm, so combined they officially produce 300kW and 750Nm.

The electric motor draws its energy from a 37.1kWh lithium-ion rechargeable battery. GWM claims it can be charged from 30 to 80 per cent in less than 30 minutes using 50kW DC charging, or around 6.5 hours using AC charging.

It also has up to 6.0kW of V2L (Vehicle to Load) functionality, using a dedicated adapter cable which plugs into the vehicle’s charging port and provides a standard three-pin AC outlet for numerous electric tools and appliances.

The nine-speed torque converter automatic, which offers sequential manual-shifting using steering wheel-mounted paddles, is paired with the familiar Borg Warner ‘Torque on Demand’ 4x4 system.

For road use, this has three selectable drive modes ('Standard'/'Sport'/'Eco') with the centre differential remaining unlocked to automatically adjust torque delivery between the front and rear wheels in response to any loss of traction.

For off-road use, selecting '4H' (4x4 High Range) or '4L' (4x4 Low Range) locks the centre differential to provide an even 50:50 torque split between the front and rear wheels. 4L traction can be optimised by engaging the front and rear diff-locks.

The 2.0-litre Blue HDI four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, which meets the toughest Euro 6 emissions standard using AdBlue, produces peak values of 120kW at 3500rpm and 310Nm of torque at 1500rpm.

Peugeot claims this engine was tested for more than 10,000 hours, subjected to more than 1.3 million km of drive-testing and 16,000 thermal shock cycles (cold starting and accelerations), corresponding to 15 years of intensive use. In short, it should be tough enough. Transmission is a sweet-shifting six-speed manual.

GWM claims official combined average consumption of only 1.7L/100km when the highly-charged battery allows most driving to be done in pure electric mode. GWM also claims an official ‘low charge’ figure of 7.9L/100km, when the battery is depleted and the petrol engine is doing most of the work.

It has an NEDC electric-only driving range of up to 115km and a ‘hybrid’ driving range (petrol engine and electric motor combined) of up to 1060km. The petrol engine drinks standard 91 RON unleaded.

The dash display was showing average petrol consumption of 6.4L/100km at the completion of our 324km test, which comprised a mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about one third was hauling a heavy payload. This was lineball with our own figure of 6.2 based on fuel bowser and tripmeter readings.

Starting with 90 per cent battery charge, we completed 72km of electric-only driving before it automatically switched to hybrid mode when the charge reached 14 per cent. The system would not allow charge to drop lower than that for the remainder of our test, which was conducted in hybrid mode.

So, based on our own test figures, GWM’s claim of more than 1000km of hybrid driving range is credible from its combined 37.1kWh battery and 75-litre fuel tank capacities.

Peugeot’s official combined average is a fanciful 6.4L/100km. The dash readout was claiming a more realistic 9.0L/100km when we filled the tank after 282km of testing, which included more than a third of that distance lugging its maximum payload.

However, our own figure calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings came in at 9.9L, which is more than 3.0L/100km above the official figure. Even so, sub-10L economy is very efficient  for a vehicle of this size, so based on our figures you could expect an excellent real-world driving range of around 900km from its big 90-litre tank.

It has good steering feel with sophisticated ride quality, the latter thanks to four-coil suspension and substantial sprung weight which helps iron out the bumps and deliver a ride that’s more SUV than ute.

Flatten the accelerator from a standing start and up to 750Nm of torque responds with impressive force, even though you can feel that every one of those Newton metres is required to overcome more than 2.8 tonnes of inertia to get this jigger moving swiftly.

Although the option of sequential manual-shifting is available using the steering wheel paddles, we spent most of the test in auto mode as it felt like it was getting the best out of this complex drivetrain.

It’s a competent highway cruiser, too, with the petrol engine requiring 2200rpm to maintain 110km/h with low noise levels.

To test its GVM rating we forklifted just over half a tonne (505kg) into the load tub, which with driver equalled a 600kg payload that was less than 90kg under its limit. The rear coil springs compressed about 50mm, but there was no evidence of bottoming-out on our test route.

Ride, handling and braking were largely unaffected, along with the drivetrain which made light work of our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km set climb at 60km/h.

Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, was equally impressive. It never exceeded the 60km/h speed limit, even though its total vehicle weight of around 3.5 tonnes was being restrained by only a 2.0-litre four and regenerative braking.

You sit up high with the huge windscreen providing a commanding view of the road ahead. Clear eye-lines to the large door mirrors (with wide-angle mirrors in their lower thirds) provide ample coverage of side and rear traffic.

Vision through the central rear-view mirror is also relatively clear compared to the cluttered views found in numerous rivals we’ve tested. The join of the barn-doors obscures the mirror’s central portion, but the driver still has a good view of what’s behind.

The fold-down inboard arm-rests combined with the door contours provide balanced support for arms and elbows to reduce strain on neck and shoulders. This support is particularly good for the driver, as it also allows your hands to rest comfortably on the steering wheel.

There’s negligible cargo bay noise thanks to the bulkhead. However, engine noise is noticeable and tyre noise can be quite intrusive, particularly at highway speeds on coarse bitumen surfaces. Cruising in top gear results in a fairly relaxed 2100rpm at 100km/h and 2300rpm at 110km/h.

The engine, with maximum torque at 1500rpm, has good all-round performance and pulling power under heavy loads, but lacks the sharper throttle response of some rivals. Even so, the manual gearshift has a light but well-defined action combined with a light clutch pedal weight.

Steering is nicely weighted and the quartet of disc brakes have plenty of bite. Handling and stability are also good regardless of load. The rear suspension tuning is commendable when running without loads on bumpy roads, providing a surprisingly smooth ride given spring rates that are designed to cope with 1.5 tonne-plus payloads.

Our only gripes are that the driver’s seat’s adjustable lumbar support presses too firmly against the spine for our liking, even on its softest setting. We also detected a couple of rattles and squeaks on bumpy roads, which sounded like they were coming from the dashboard area.

There’s no ANCAP for this vehicle segment but the Boxer would probably score well if there was thanks to the latest features like video autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane-departure warning, LED daytime running lights, reversing camera, rear parking sensors and more. There’s also driver and passenger front and side-curtain airbags.

Warranty cover is seven years/unlimited km with an eight years/unlimited km traction battery warranty and seven years of roadside assist.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km whichever occurs first. GWM offers seven years of capped-price servicing totalling $4615, or an average of $659 per service.

The Boxer is covered by Peugeot's five years/200,000km warranty and scheduled service intervals of 12 months/20,000km, whichever occurs first. Capped-price servicing applies for the first five scheduled services with a total cost of $3445 valid until June 30, 2020.