GWM Cannon vs Foton Tunland

What's the difference?

The GWM Cannon XSR is a twin-locked 4WD ute that’s reasonable on-road (it’s getting better all the time) and very capable off-road.

It certainly has enough gear onboard – including front and rear diff locks, a snorkel and all-terrain tyres – to be taken seriously as a 4WD, but it could still be better and more refined in other aspects, even at this price-point.

There are some issues with the Cannon’s general driveability but ultimately it has plenty going for it, not least its appeal as an impressive value-for-money purchase.

You have to give Foton some credit because the 2026 Tunland V9-S 4x4 is a big US-sized ute without the big US-style price-tag.

On the surface this is an impressive vehicle. It’s well-equipped, comfortable, reasonably capable off-road and is generally nice to drive.

But under closer scrutiny, and when driving the Tunland, some substantial flaws soon become obvious, not the least of which is an underdone powertrain and some annoying driver-assist tech.

Still, it is a lot of ute for the money, so the Tunland represents a strong case as a budget buy.

The XSR is 5439mm long (with a 3230mm wheelbase), 1958mm wide and 1893mm high. Official kerb weight is listed as 2230kg.

This is a substantial ute that resembles an amalgamation of Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max and Toyota HiLux.

The wide wheel track gives the XSR a squat stance and its snorkel, sports bar, bash plates, chunky all-terrain tyres and red brake calipers add to this ute’s presence.

Inside, a steering-wheel design tweak (it’s now three spokes) and refreshed dashboard layout help to give the cabin a low-key classy look and feel.

It may lack the all-around polish of something like the Ford Ranger, but the XSR’s much lower price negates that perception.

The XSR holds its own in the looks department across the dual cab ute category.

The Tunland is 5617mm long (with a 3355mm wheelbase), 2090mm wide and 1955mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 2315kg.

It has a big bluff front end with chrome type front grille, chunky wheel arches, sports bar on the tub, pronounced rear and of course, its not-insubstantial all-around size. These factors give the Tunland presence on and off the road.

But that big front end is not as an in-your-face occasion as the MG U9’s is, not by a long shot.

The interior has everything you’d expect of a top-spec dual-cab interior – synthetic leather seat trim, soft-touch surfaces but also an abundance of durable plastic. And there’s colour ambient lighting front and rear.

Ultimately, the Tunland holds its own in design terms against rival such as the LDV T60 and MG U9.

The XSR’s five-seat interior is neat and spacious but there are parts, such as some buttons, dials and switches, that feel a bit flimsy and cheap.

Up front there are two USB ports, a wireless charging pad, a 12V plug and a deep centre console.

The new 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and has been improved by increments.

The front seats are power adjustable (driver’s six-way, passenger four-way) and both are comfortable without being too plush.

Second-row passengers get a firm but comfortable seat and amenities include USB charge ports, a 220V plug, air vents, and a fold-down centre armrest (with cupholders). There’s plenty of head, knee and legroom, unless you’re stuck in the middle where knee and foot room is pinched.

The second-row seat base can be folded out of the way to make room for more gear if no one’s in the back seat.

The second-row seat has top-tether points and there are ISOFIX anchors on the outboard seats.

The XSR’s load space (1520mm long, 1520mm wide and 540mm deep) has a durable tub liner, four tie-down points, as well as a pop-out step hidden in the top of the tailgate, and a step-up indent at each corner of the rear bumper.

This Cannon offers just as much all-round practicality and load-space flexibility as the likes of Isuzu D-Max, Mitsubishi Triton and Toyota HiLux.

It’s the usual set-up for a ute cabin, which means a workable blend of comfort, ease-of-use, functionality and practicality.

The multimedia system is easy enough to use, but it’s not the most intuitive set-up around with cycling through menus and sub-menus required during operation. But the screen is big and colours are crisp and clearly visible.

There are four USB-A ports, a 220V/300W power socket, a x 12V/120W power outlet as well as two cupholders up front and two in the fold-down armrest in the back row.

The cabin is spacious with the Tunland's extra size used to better accommodate the driver and passengers rather than being used to expand the load space.

Speaking of load space...

In terms of packability for touring, the Tunland’s tub is 1577mm long (1240mm between the wheel arches), 1650mm wide and the load space itself is 530mm deep. Load height is 880mm.

The Tunland’s tub has four tie-down points, but they're positioned too high in the tub for my liking.

All in all, this ute is on a par with its rivals for practicality.

The Tunland V9-S (S for Supreme) is at the top of a four-variant line-up and has recommended pricing starting at $49,990, before on-road costs. The other variants are the V7-C 4x2, V7-C 4x4 and V9-L 4x4. (C - Commercial, L - Luxury.)

Standard features include a 14.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with wireless Apple CarPlay plus wireless charging), six-speaker stereo, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, three-profile facial recognition, dual-zone climate control, six-way powered plus four-way lumbar adjustment heated and ventilated driver seat (with memory function), 18-inch alloy wheels and tailgate assist.

It's worth noting the test vehicle is fitted with a towbar kit (seven-pin, $1384.16 RRP fitted) and RedArc Tow Pro V3 Electric Brake Controller Kit ($871.33 RRP fitted).

Exterior paint choices include standard 'Flare White' (no cost) or you can choose from 'Titanium Grey', 'Phantom Black', 'Lightning Purple', 'Galaxy Silver', 'Fire Red', 'Diamond Blue' or 'Aurora Green', which is on our test vehicle. Each of those colours cost $690 MLP (Manufacturer’s List Price).

While the Tunland bests some of its rivals – such as the MG U9 – for price (the base spec is $52,990, the top grade is $60,990), it can’t match the value proposition of something like the LDV T60 (around $39,000 to $46,500, drive-away), no matter how stacked its features list is.

The new 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine produces 135kW at 3600rpm and 480Nm at 1500-2500rpm. It's tractable and well suited to the demands of 4WDing.

Don’t get me wrong, the previous-gen Cannon’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (120kW/400Nm) was no slouch, either. It’s just that this bigger and more powerful engine is better.

The new engine can easily muster more than enough power and torque on- and off-road when needed. However, there are enough instances of substantial lag at crucial moments – punching off the mark from a complete stop to safely merge into traffic, for example – that when compounded threaten to mar the overall driving experience.

Another thing. The automatic transmission, now a nine- rather than eight-speed, while generally okay, proves patchy in daily driving, not upshifting as slickly as it should and sometimes hunting for the sweet spot, rather than hitting it.

In terms of all-round powertrain performance, the XSR is on par with four-cylinder, turbo-diesel rivals such as the Ford Ranger 2.0L (125kW/405Nm), Isuzu D-Max 2.2L (120kW/400Nm), Mitsubishi Triton 2.4L (150kW/470Nm) and Toyota HiLux 2.8L (150kW/500Nm).

The Tunland has a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine – producing 120kW at 3600rpm and 450Nm at 1500-2400rpm – and that’s matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

It also has a 48V mild-hybrid system, which is similar to the HiLux’s set-up, cannot be charged manually and does not offer electric-only driving.

This ute also has drive modes – 'Eco', 'Standard', 'Sport', 'Sand' and 'Mud/Snow' – and part-time four-wheel drive.

The engine and auto transmission combination yields a sluggish driving experience on sealed surfaces, and it feels underpowered. The pairing works better in low-speed 4WDing more than anything else.

In terms of engine outputs, the Tunland (120kW/450Nm) lags behind rivals such as the MG U9 (160kW/520Nm) and even the LDV T60 (160kW/500Nm).

Listed fuel consumption is 8.4L/100km on a combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle, which is better than the 9.4L/100km offered by the previous 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and eight-speed auto.

I recorded on-test fuel consumption of 10L/100km which is ahead of the 11.2L/100km I recorded in a Cannon XSR with the 2.0-litre four and eight-speed.

The XSR has an 78-litre tank, so, going by my on-test fuel figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 780km from a full tank of diesel.

Official fuel consumption is listed as 8.0L/100km on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle.

Fuel consumption on this test was 9.8L/100km, which is pretty good because I have done a lot of low-range 4WDing.

The Tunland has a 76-litre fuel tank so, going by that fuel figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 775km from a full tank. It also has a 12-litre AdBlue tank.

In fuel consumption terms, the Tunland holds its own against the MG U9 (up to 7.9L/100km official) and LDV T60 (up to 8.1L/100km official).

As noted above, there are some issues with the Cannon’s general driveability, but all in all it’s not atrocious. And if it’s a potential buy for you, you’ll always come back to the value-for-money rationale.

On- and off-road, the new engine has plenty of punch about it, but patchy delivery through the transmission sometimes works against it.

It’s a not a dynamic vehicle. No surprise, it’s a ute after all. But that point has to be made here because some people still drive these vehicles expecting sports car-like ride and handling.

The good news is the XSR’s touchy throttle and too-loose steering of days gone by have been mostly sorted out. But its thrashy transmission, stiff ride and unwieldy 13.7m turning circle remain.

Its bigger engine doesn’t carry over the previous-gen’s underdone feeling when pushed hard and it has a relaxed feel when you’re cruising along on the highway.

Some concerns have been raised over the years about driver-assist tech in Chinese-built vehicles. To the company’s credit, GWM seems to have addressed those issues… at least to some extent.

Suffice it to say, I’ve experienced a few tricky situations as a result of driver-assist tech in GWM vehicles. From annoyingly intrusive traffic sign recognition and jarring adaptive cruise control through to one particularly hair-raising AEB-related incident. (For more, read my yarn)

Overall, the XSR remains okay on sealed surfaces, but it’s not as refined or compliant as it could or should be.

As for off-roading…

On dirt tracks the XSR is jittery over corrugations and tends to thump through deeper potholes. Otherwise it is reasonably composed.

But with twin differential locks, decent underbody protection and Cooper Discoverer AT3 all-terrain tyres, this Cannon handles low-range 4WDing with ease.

The new bigger engine delivers on promised grunt in the dirt, giving the Cannon plenty of punch when the going gets tough.

Ground clearance of 228mm, wading depth of 700mm and off-road angles of 30 degrees (approach) and 26 degrees (departure; rampover is not listed) don’t hurt its 4WDing potential, either.

Off-road traction control and other driver-assist systems including hill descent control are adequate without being as smooth as the equivalent systems in more expensive vehicles.

It has 'Crawl Mode' (allowing for no-pedal, low-speed driving) and 'Turn Assist' (which brakes the XSR’s inside rear wheel to reduce the ute’s turning circle on traction-compromised surfaces).

While 4WDing, swapping between high- and low-range, changing off-road modes or switching diff locks on or off has been at times a clunky process, with the transition taking on a feeling not unlike shunting trains. No big deal, I reckon, but worth mentioning.

Wheel travel is adequate and this ute’s Cooper Discoverer AT3 all-terrain tyres perform well in the dirt and mud.

The Cannon XSR has towing capacities of 750kg (unbraked trailer) and 3000kg (braked).

All in all, off-roading is the one area in which the Cannon eclipses something like the BYD Shark 6 or Kia Tasman and matches, if not bests the Ford Ranger.

The Foton Tunland is compliant and comfortable and in general terms, pretty agreeable on road. In fact, ride and handling are quite impressive on sealed surfaces. A large part of the credit for that should be attributed to, a) its size and b) this top-spec model's multi-link suspension. I consists of double wishbones up the front and multi-link at the rear with coil springs, whereas lower-spec Tunlands have leaf springs.

The engine, however, is a different story. “Wheezy, laggy, underpowered,” my notes read.

This ute is underdone in terms of power and torque and though the automatic transmission the engine is paired with is cluey, the combination doesn't have the oomph you'd like in a ute of this size.

The Tunland’s driver-assist tech on road is the wrong side of annoying. It’s either over the top in its preemptive reaction to whatever it thinks is going to happen, or too intrusive or abrasive in its effectiveness. The good news is you can switch that stuff off, but you do have to do that every time you start up.

Now to the off-road.

Crucially, the engine and auto combination works better at low speeds, especially in low-range 4WDing working in partnership with the off-road drive modes – Mud/Snow and Sand – the Tunland does reasonably well.

Low range gearing is good, off-road traction control is reasonably well calibrated, and again, as an overall package it performs satisfactorily. And if you get the urge, you can use diff locks front and rear.

It is, however, somewhat hamstrung by its size – its sheer physical dimensions – and feels low in terms of how much rolling ground clearance it offers, which is listed as listed 240mm but feels like less.

It also has big chunky side steps, so those may well become rock or tree stump magnets when you tackle more challenging technical 4WDing.

For the spec nerds among us, off-road-relevant figures include a 28-degree approach angle, a 26-degree departure angle and a 21-degree rampover angle. Not sure what I’m on about? Check out some of my previous yarns where I painstakingly explain it. By the way, wading depth is a listed 700mm but my tracks weren’t that wet.

Sounds like I’m kicking the Tunland while it’s down? Well, I’m not… much.

Overall, it does reasonably well for what it is. There’s enough power and torque to get you through moderate off-roading obstacles and challenges, but it's not going to win any awards for hardcore grunt.

But this ute – like many contemporary 4WD utes and wagons on the market now – is let down by its standard tyres (Giti 4x4 AT71, 265/70Rx18 116T). If you are planning to do anything more than light to moderate off-roading in this ute one of your first ports of call will be to replace the Tunland’s showroom rubber with a decent set of more aggressive all terrain tyres.

In terms of towing capacity, the Tunland is rated to tow a 750kg unbraked trailer and 3500kg braked.

Payload is 995kg with a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 3310kg and Gross Combined Mass (GCM) of 6810kg.

For all-around drivability and pure off-road capability, the Tunland manages to hold its own against the likes of the MG U9 and LDV T60. That is to say, satisfactorily.

As of May 2026, the 2026 Tunland has not been rated by ANCAP.

As standard, it has eight airbags and a suite of driver-assist tech including auto emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

It also has two child seat anchor points and two ISOFIX anchor points.

In safety terms, the Tunland holds the likes of LDV T60 (unrated), but is eclipsed by the MG U9’s maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The XSR is covered by a seven-year/unlimited km warranty and five years of free roadside assistance.

The first service is scheduled at the 12 month/10,000km mark, then services are scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km.

Capped price servicing is available and for a Cannon with a warranty start date on or after January 1, 2026, the costs are $365, $470, $515, $520, and $685 per service. That’s a total of $2555 (and an average of $511 per workshop visit), which is more expensive than some of the Cannon’s rivals on the market.

The Tunland is covered by a seven-year/unlimited km warranty and a seven-year roadside assistance plan.

The first service – at three months or 5000km – is free, but after that service intervals are scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km and end up totalling an estimated $4492.39 (over seven years). Those service costs are getting up there.

Foton Australia has about 30 dealerships across the country.

In terms of the warranty period, the Tunland bests the LDV T60 (seven-year/200,000km new vehicle warranty) and the MG U9’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre manufacturer warranty, but the is closer in terms of overall costs with the MG U9 costing $2395 in total for the first five years (up to 70,000km), and the LDV T60 costing between $300 to more than $750 each service.