GWM Cannon Alpha vs Volkswagen Crafter

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.

This is not the vehicle for somebody looking for the odd weekend away. That’s mainly because it will take up a lot of real estate when you’re not using it (it may not even fit in a lot of car-ports or garages) and it’s far from a daily driver for the school run or shopping trips.

If you’re looking for a getaway machine that will also work at home for the other 48 weeks of the year, a conventional caravan and four-wheel-drive is likely to be a better bet, purely because the tow-vehicle can be your day-to-day transport

But if your plans include longer getaways and you have the storage space to keep the Kampervan stashed away safely, it starts to emerge as a functional alternative.

Talk to long-term travellers, and even the best camper trailer needs to be set up each night and folded away next morning, and as for tents, don’t even start us…

But like a full-sized caravan, the VW simply pulls up to where ever it is you want to stay for the night and is ready to feed, entertain and rest its occupants within seconds of stopping.

But unlike a big, heavy caravan, the Volkswagen imposes far fewer driving caveats (including fuel consumption) and is a vastly more enjoyable and simple thing to drive in pretty much any circumstance.

It's not for everybody, but for those whose lifestyle it matches, the VW Kampervan is an alternative to a caravan that deserves short-listing. Let’s face it, 50 million hippies can’t be wrong.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

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brakes and electric power-assisted steering as the model it replaces, but the previous leaf-spring live rear axle has been replaced by a multi-link coil-spring arrangement.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).

Given that the design of the camper conversion was partly the work of Jayco, there’s every reason to suspect that the end result should work for recreational users. That is, of course, provided Jayco’s caravan-building experience translates to a campervan layout.

That’s because this is not as simple as plonking a wheel-less caravan onto a Crafter cab-chassis; integration in the key here.

The various zones – driving, entertaining, sleeping, bathroom and cooking – need to work with each other with as many components having more than one job.

The off-grid capability is also a highlight and, in the case of the All-Terrain model with its off-road tyres, bash plates and 30mm higher ground clearance, makes getting farther off the beaten track more of a reality.

A lot of people will wonder why VW didn’t simply import a batch of the campervan conversions it already builds in Europe.

The fact is, however, that the left-hand drive layout means the sliding side door would be on the wrong side for Australia, and the integrated gas system would not have met ADR standards. So was born the idea of a local conversions which is where Jayco came in.

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 Crafter’s phone mirroring system seems to work pretty well, although it’s menu-driven layout can be a bit frustrating (it’s hardly alone there) and Android phones sometimes didn’t want to connect as simply as they should have (potential user-error here, folks).

But the rest of the interior is typically Crafter-smart including lots and lots of cupholders, USB ports and cubby-holes dotted around the front seat area.

Doubtless, a few months on the road will show up design issues according to the individual, but for now, our main comment would be the proximity of the bathroom to the food preparation area (although, to be fair, most owners will cook outside the vehicle).

The mattress is a split queen unit (rather than a single mattress) and it occupies the full width of the rearmost part of the vehicle, so making the bed might be a bit more difficult.

The location and width of the bathroom (although it feels pretty tiny once you’re in there and operates as a wet-room) also means there’s just half the rear view that the vehicle might otherwise have.

The thick pillar between the two rear barn-doors also adds to that blind spot. At least the mirrors are good; nice and wide and very clear.

It’s when the Kampervan is not being used to survey this wide, brown land that its practicality starts to come into question. Unlike a conventional four-wheel drive and caravan rig, the accommodation section of the Crafter can’t simply be unhooked and parked in the driveway.

Which means it’s not really suburb or city-friendly. Underground car-parks will soon detach the air-conditioning unit in a pretty violent way, and the almost-seven-metre length will have you looking for adjacent empty parking spaces (or the car-and-trailer section at Bunnings).

Put simply, this is the touring solution for those who want to tackle the Big Trip in one go, staying on the road for weeks or perhaps even months. Obviously, that’s an observation rather than a criticism, but it remains something to think about.

Based on the top-shelf Crafter van, the Kampervan then goes on a mission to be both a car and a holiday house.

So, pull up a comfy chair, because there’s a fair bit to discuss here. This isn’t just a tent on wheels, it’s a fully functional tiny home that just happens to be relocatable on a daily basis. As such, the vehicle needs to be able to manage energy, water, gas and waste.

VW’s aim was to elevate the quality standards of the caravan industry to that of the car-making world, as well as address its customers’ main agendas, including storage, the ability to go off-grid and the management of light and ventilation for sleeping.

That utility starts with the walk-through layout where the front seats swivel to form the other half of the dining table seating. From there, the layout runs to a full bathroom, a kitchen and then back again to a fixed queen-size bed.

The bathroom combines a shower and a lavatory with a cassette system for black-water storage and disposal.

The kitchen features a 90-litre fridge with a freezer drawer that is accessible form both inside and outside the vehicle. There’s a dual gas-hob and a 9.0kg gas bottle stored in the rear compartment (under the bed, but accessed from outside) that also includes a huge slide-out drawer for an extra fridge or whatever else needs to be carted around.

There’s also a sink with a mixer tap and the vehicle carries 120 litres of fresh water, not to mention gas-powered on-demand hot water.

A wind-out awning runs the full length of the van, extending the living space and forming a space for the VW-branded camping table and chairs.

The bedroom includes a pair of swivelling fans for cross-ventilation, USB and 240-volt ports, a swivelling TV and blinds and screens on all windows. The standard air-conditioning system will also run for about seven hours before the vehicle runs out of power.

Speaking of power, the electrical system is a force of nature. Aside from the standard Crafter battery (which remains the start battery and can’t be depleted by the equipment on board) the standard smart-alternator function has been disabled so the engine can help charge the batteries whenever possible.

That power storage array incorporates a 400Ah lithium-ion battery with a 3000-watt inverter to run the 240-volt system even when off-grid. There’s a 60A DC-to-DC charging system and, all up, VW reckons the vehicle can stay off grid for about three days straight based on normal power consumption. A multi-screen control panel tracks power usage and issues alerts when required.

So, what’s missing from the Kampervan? Climate-control air-conditioning for the cabin, mainly (the Crafter starts life as a commercial van, after all). Oh, and beds for the third and fourth passenger. Cue hippy-free-love jokes.

The Kampervan starts at $157,990 for the on-road biased Style model and $165,490 for the All-Terrain version.

As the more off-road capable variant, the All-Terrain gets 16-inch steel wheels with all-terrain tyres, bash plates, a higher ride height and a snorkel.

In either case, the accommodation fittings and fixtures are identical, that sounds pretty steep, but go out and price a full-sized four-wheel drive and a full-sized caravan with a bathroom and then see how it all stacks up.

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 Crafter is powered by VW’s now-familiar 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine which produces 130kW of power and 410Nm of torque thanks to a pair of turbochargers.

Driving through an eight-speed automatic transmission, the torque is then sent to all four wheels via VW’s '4Motion' permanent all-wheel-drive system.

It’s worth mentioning the automatic transmission is a conventional torque-converter unit, rather that the dual-clutch layout VW has championed for years now.

The Crafter also uses ventilated disc brakes front and rear and the however you look at it, the modern driveline of the Kampervan makes an old air-cooled Kombi look even more antiquated (which is saying something).

And while the Crafter in commercial-vehicle trim has the option of an electronic locking rear differential, the Kampervan adds this as standard.

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.

Although the Crafter’s driveline boasts energy recuperation, it’s not a hybrid system. Instead, the vehicle’s alternator is able to generate electricity during braking and store that in the vehicle’s batteries for later use, rather than storing that power in a dedicated hybrid battery.

This also helps ensure the main battery is always fully charged to power the stop-start system that is also standard on the Crafter.

Because it’s a commercial vehicle, there’s no compulsion to offer an official fuel consumption figure and, indeed, Volkswagen doesn’t.

But our real world drive including some winding roads and a bit of freeway thrown in, gave us an average figure of between nine and 10 litres per 100km. This is likely to be a bit lower on a purely highway run, but is a good indicator of general use consumption.

The 75 litre fuel tank should, then, give an easy 700km of range, but don’t forget the Crafter’s engine uses AdBlue, so that extra cost needs to be factored into running costs.

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 can see the appeal of a high driving position the moment you step into (or climb into, really) the Kampervan. The view out is fabulous and even though the vehicle is just shy of seven metres long, you soon develop a bit of a sixth sense for where the back wheels are, based on what the front wheels have just done.

The glass area is huge with the exception of the view to the rear thanks to that bathroom placement.

The front seats are big and comfy, although the two rear seats are pretty flat and place the occupants quite close together. There’s enough adjustability in the seat and steering column to make anybody feel at home and the exterior mirrors are big and clear.

There’s enough performance, to be sure, but the sheer mass of the Kampervan and the fact that it’s moving a lot of air means you’ll be giving the rather long-travel accelerator a decent workout.

Taking off into traffic is the only time the VW will feel a bit sluggish, but once the engine has a few revs on board it all gets going fairly smartly.

Unlike a lot of modern cars that can feel as though they're travelling a lot slower than they really are, the Kampervan is the opposite. Not that it’s spooky to drive, but there will be times you’ll be in a 100km/h zone, look down and discover you’re doing 90.

In the context of a leisure vehicle, this shouldn’t bother anybody apart from a highway patrol officer down on his or her monthly quota.

The engine is smooth and the transmission is refined and possesses enough smarts to make a better job of shifting itself than the driver ever will.

It’s not exactly silent inside, though, with a smattering of clicks and clatters from some of the less-automotive furniture, but it’s a fair bet even a brand-new house would likewise rattle a bit if you hurled it down a bumpy road at 100km/h.

The biggest source of noise pollution, though, is in the All-Terrain model and consists of a chorus of sucking, sobbing, choking and burping noises from the snorkel which is placed right near the driver’s right ear. Obviously, it’s worse with the window open.

Ride quality is very good. Clearly, having a bit of weight on board doesn’t hurt, but even so, the Kampervan refuses to pitch or wallow despite that ride compliance. In fact, it’s very composed for such a big unit that was originally designed to carry parcels and pallets.

The Crafter, on which the Kampervan is based, is typical of the emerging breed of commercial vehicles that try not to give anything away to passenger cars in safety terms.

Well, in the front seats anyway, because the two seats in the rear are formed by a bench seat that doubles as a kitchen-table seat, so lacks the contouring of most car seats.

More importantly, the rear seats miss out on side-curtain airbags. This is understandable given the vehicle’s origins. Both rear seats do, however, feature top-tethers for child restraints.

Up front, meantime, the two front passengers get both front and side-curtain airbags with a full array of driver aids to help with safety.

They start with stability control, anti-lock brakes, brake-assist, traction-control, multi-collision braking and hill-holding function.

There’s also autonomous emergency braking that works at speeds up to 60km/h, driver-fatigue detection, a rear view camera, adaptive cruise-control, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring and lane-keeping assistance.

What’s missing? Apart from the side airbags for all passengers, we’d like to see tyre-pressure monitoring on such a large, heavy vehicle and AEB that works beyond 60km/h.

The Kampervan has not been ANCAP tested.

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 Kampervan carries Volkswagen Australia’s full five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. That extends to not just the base vehicle, but the whole conversion including all of Jayco’s additions and other aftermarket fittings.

VW offers a version of capped price servicing called its 'Service Care Plan' that covers scheduled maintenance for the first five years and can be purchased at the time the vehicle is ordered.

No price for this was available as we went to press, but for reference, the same five-year service plan for the Amarok dual-cab ute costs $1900.

Standard service intervals are every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first.