GWM Cannon vs Mahindra XUV3XO

What's the difference?

The latest version of the Cannon ute displays commendable improvement in key areas like drivetrain and chassis tuning, along with a benchmark 3500kg tow rating, heaps of standard equipment and a generous warranty for a list price well under $50K. For a tradie on a budget, it represents value that's hard to ignore.

So, what do we make of the Mahindra XUV 3X0?

After our first taster in India, we are pleased with its presentation inside and out, packaging, quality and equipment levels.

And while driving around a brand’s own proving ground cannot give a true indication of how a vehicle performs, steers, handles, rides and stops, our initial impression is that this is an easy, confident, responsive, agile and comfortable small SUV from behind the wheel. More or less.

Of course, not knowing pricing limits a definitive verdict, but the 3XO looks promising, and we’re keen to drive it on Australian roads very soon, so watch this space.

Better still, it is obvious that Mahindra is serious about cracking Australia’s small SUV market, since the 3XO ticks so many of the essential boxes.

In the face of largely cheap yet disappointing rivals out there, that’s a very good thing.

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

The upgraded Cannon brings refreshed exterior styling, with the front fascia featuring a new grille and bumper design, larger fog lights and more subtle use of chrome highlights.

At the rear there’s more prominent (and permanent) brand identification with bold ‘GWM’ lettering embossed on the tailgate panel, which is a welcome blast from our pick-up past.

The spacious interior design has also been enhanced with use of what GWM calls ‘premium materials’ including soft-touch surfaces on the dash and door panels along with subtle chrome accents.

There’s also a new steering wheel and the centre console has been redesigned with less buttons and dials (not always a good thing) topped by the new multimedia touchscreen.

The 3XO is not quite as new as it looks.

Although only on sale in India since last year, the newcomer is actually based on the decade-old SsangYong Tivoli, which was the first model under Mahindra’s brief ownership of the Korean brand (now under KGM control since 2023).

And, if you’ve visited India lately, you might have seen a substantially modified Mahindra version of the Tivoli, badged XUV300 and sold for five years there from 2019, and the actual basis for the 3XO.

Now, Mahindra says that the latter is around 80 per cent new, with fresh sheetmetal clothing the bones of its predecessor(s). And they’re quite contemporary threads, with crisp surfacing, striking LED lighting, clean grille finishes and a pert rear-end design.

Subaru would be proud of the squared-off wheel arches, lofty 201mm ground clearance and sub-four-metre length, while the latter helps keep the small SUV inside an Indian tax bracket. Fun fact: that’s why the old Ford EcoSport, also from Chennai, needed its spare wheel mounted on the tailgate.

The 3XO's length/width/height/wheelbase of 3990mm/1821mm/1647mm/2600mm respectively, puts the 3XO on the stubbier side of the crossover brigade. Yet with more clearances than almost all alternatives. This is crying out for a rugged 4x4 ‘Outback’ treatment.

Overall, then, the smallest of Mahindras is an effectively chunky update, with a height and stance to handle the rough and tumble of urban driving.

With its 2230kg kerb weight and 3225kg GVM, the Cannon Ultra has a 995kg payload rating (that’s close enough to a ‘one-tonner’ by our measure) and the latest upgrades include an increase in braked tow rating from the previous 3000kg to the class-benchmark 3500kg.

However, with its 6200kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) our test vehicle would require a substantial payload reduction of more than half a tonne (525kg) to tow its maximum trailer weight (but it’s not alone there).

And that would leave 470kg of payload capacity, most of which could be used up by the weight of a hefty five-member working crew before you could think about loading any of their tools and other equipment.

Fact is, few (if any) owners would need to tow 3500kg, but it’s important to be aware of these numbers if you do plan to tow that heavy and want to stay on the right side of the law.

The square load tub is 1520mm long and wide and 540mm deep, but with 1146mm between the rear wheel-housings it won’t fit a standard Aussie pallet. However, it will accommodate Euro pallets, if hauling such payloads is important.

The tub’s internal surfaces are protected by a spray-in liner and there are load-anchorage points front and back, with the rears close to floor level (ideal for all loads) and the fronts near the tops of the sidewalls (not ideal for low loads). The tailgate is equipped with hydraulic dampers to assist opening/closing and the handy fold-out step allows easy entry to the load tub.

Cabin storage includes a bottle holder and bin in each front door, a small lower dash compartment on the driver’s right and a slender bin above the glove box on the passenger side.

The centre console has a wireless phone-charging pad, 12V socket and two USB ports up front, plus cup/small-bottle holders and a lidded box at the back with an internal air conditioning cooling vent and sliding upper storage tray.

The rear seat has adequate legroom even for tall people, given I’m 186cm and have about 60mm of knee clearance when seated behind the driver’s seat in my position.

Headroom is adequate though not as generous and the deep contour in the roof lining to allow for the sunroof can make tall rear passengers feel a bit closed-in.

Shoulder room can also be squeezy for three large Aussies, so like all dual cab utes short of a full-size US pick-up it’s okay for short trips but ideal for two on longer drives.

There’s a bin and bottle-holder in each rear door and pockets on both front seat backrests. The 60/40-split seat bases can also fold up and by stored vertically for more internal load space, or to access wheel-changing equipment.

Mahindra reckons that even though the 3XO is only four metres long, it's got the space and the practicality of some 4.7m SUVs.

Which sounds dubious, but first impressions inside reveal ample room for legs, shoulders and heads, even in the sunroof-specced AX7L. Sat high, vision is impressive too, aided by an excellent driving position on nicely-shaped seats, deep glass areas and handy 360-degree camera views.

Based on the old dashboard architecture but with a completely redesigned central touchscreen and electronic instrumentation pod (and both measuring in at 10.2 inches), the effect is modern enough, with a very welcome avoidance of screen-based buttons for actual switches that are incredibly easy to navigate.

In fact, the sheer user-friendliness of the 3XO’s interior is commendable, from the world’s deepest glovebox and chilled centre bin (in the AX7L only) to the various USB ports, cupholders and storage options. The climate control effectiveness is a given if any Indian vehicle is to succeed. And the material fit and finish seemed fine. About the only dislike is the lack of steering-wheel reach adjustment, betraying the Mahindra’s real age.

Moving to the row behind, there’s sufficient space for a pair of 180cm adults, on comfy cushions. Again, vision, storage and all amenities rate highly, with face-level vents especially appreciated at this price point. The 3XO is pitched as a sensible family-car proposition in India so the back-seat area is crucial.

Behind that is the boot, which is fairly large as well, aided by a low floor and a large hatch aperture, while a space-saver spare lurks underneath, so no stupid tyre-repair kit for this sensible small SUV.

There’s also a lot of room under the bonnet…

At the time of publishing, XUV 3XO (here-on in referred to as 3XO) pricing hadn’t been confirmed. But, we’re instructed that the entry-level AX5L will start from “about $25,000”, placing it right among the sharks.

But Mahindra is out for blood, so keyless entry/start, synthetic leather trim, a 10.2-inch touchscreen and 10.2-inch driver display, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a surround-view camera, dual-zone climate control, electric folding mirrors, roof rails and 16-inch alloys – with a spare – are included.

From “well under $30K”, the AX7L ushers in 17-sized rims, a panoramic sunroof, Harman-Kardon audio, a chilled glovebox, fog lights, front parking sensors and a shockingly powerful (pun intended) 65W USB-C port to (more than) make up for a missing wireless charger pad.

Lined up against its Chinese and South Korean rivals, the 3XO’s specification is largely on the money. Largely.

However, no DAB+ digital radio is an oversight, and although the Mahindra includes must-have advanced driver-assist safety systems (ADAS) like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane-support tech, it misses out on some secondary nice-to-have alerts optionally available on some rivals – more on them in the safety section later on.

Now, if you’re thinking that the 3XO might look a bit familiar, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. And there’s a very solid reason for that.

The Cannon's engine capacity has increased 20 per cent by adopting the Alpha's 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel. It produces 135kW of power at 3600rpm and 480Nm of torque between 1500-2500rpm, which represents a 12.5 per cent power increase and 20 per cent more torque.

This is paired with GWM’s new homegrown nine-speed torque converter automatic (previously eight-speed) which has overdrive on the top three ratios and there are steering wheel paddle-shifters for sequential manual-shifting.

The 4x4 system is a ‘torque on demand’ design that transmits power to the rear axle under normal driving conditions to optimise fuel economy, but automatically sends power to the front axle if a loss of rear axle traction is detected.

It also offers a choice of selectable drive modes comprising 'Normal' (default), 'Sport' and 'Eco', plus 4H (4x4 High Range) and 4L (4x4 Low Range). The latter is only for the rough stuff, where the selectable electronic rear diff-lock could also come in handy.

It might be tiny and a cylinder down compared to almost all of its Asian rivals, but Mahindra’s in-house 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine follows European downsizing convention.

This means it relies on advanced technologies to produce comparatively healthy power and torque outputs, being 82kW at 5000rpm and 200Nm between 1500rpm and 3500rpm respectively.

Coming in at around 1400kg, the result is a power-to-weight ratio of about 59kW per tonne, which is modest against the slightly heavier Tiggo 4’s 76kW/tonne, for instance.

Driving the front wheels is a Toyota-made six-speed torque-converter automatic, so no droney CVTs or laggy dual-clutch transmissions here. But we’re disappointed the six-speed manual gearbox offered elsewhere isn’t even an option in Australia, especially after driving the Mahindra.

GWM claims official combined consumption of 8.4L/100km and the dash display was showing 9.6 at the completion of our 321km test, which comprised the usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving, of which about one third of that distance was hauling its maximum payload. The engine auto start/stop function was switched off for the duration.

Our own figure of 9.7L/100km, crunched from actual fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, was line-ball with the Cannon’s onboard calculation, which proved its accuracy. It also validated our test vehicle’s real-world sub-10L/100km consumption, which is excellent for a two-tonne-plus ute and gets a big thumbs-up from us.

Therefore, based on our test figure, you could expect a real-world driving range of around 800km from its 78-litre diesel tank.

The official Australian combined fuel consumption average is 6.5 litres per 100km, which translates to 137g/km of carbon dioxide emissions. With a 42L tank, should equate to about 640km per refill.

Urban and Extra Urban numbers are 7.6L/100km and 5.9L/100km respectively.  

Just keep in mind that the 3XO is recommended to drink from the 95 RON premium unleaded petrol bowser.

Even though there’s no adjustment for base-cushion rake or lumber support on the driver’s seat, we didn’t suffer any discomfort during our test. There are also three steering wheel assist modes to choose from comprising 'Light', 'Comfort' (default) and 'Sport'.

The new 2.4-litre engine effectively fills the gap that existed with the previous 2.0-litre, which felt underdone given this vehicle's size and weight. The big 20 per cent increase in torque is a noticeable improvement, as it pulls strongly from low rpm with gearing that keeps it within its peak zone most of the time.

It’s also relatively smooth and quiet and the three drive modes optimise performance in each setting. The Sport mode provides a noticeable increase in response, which in combination with the same setting for the steering is the most engaging drive experience.

The refined nine-speed auto is a sweet-shifting transmission in either auto or manual mode.

We were also pleasantly surprised by a big improvement in ride and handling, as this latest version of the Cannon feels like it finally has the beefier spring rates and damper settings this ute has been crying out for.

It’s also an effortless highway cruiser, with the overdriven top gear ensuring the engine requires less than 1800rpm to maintain 110km/h. However, although wind and engine noise is pleasantly low at these speeds, we did notice tyre noise emanating from the rear tyres into the cabin.

To test its GVM rating, we maxed out the payload to 990kg. This compressed the rear leaf-springs about 60mm, leaving around 40mm of static bump-stop clearance which ensured no bottoming-out on our test route.

It felt stable and sure-footed and the new drivetrain made light work of our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, displaying ample pulling power in fourth gear to easily haul this load to the summit.

Engine-braking on the way down, in a manually-selected second gear, was arguably the best we’ve experienced in a sub-3.0-litre turbo-diesel with almost a tonne on its back.

Our only gripe is the emergency lane-keeping assist function, which needs more refinement as it creates weird fluctuations in steering weight and aggressively tugs at the wheel when you get anywhere near a white line.

Fortunately, this can be disabled in the vehicle settings menu, but unfortunately must be switched off before each drive.

There’s much made about how strong and rigid the 3XO’s platform is, and it’s not just for better crash protection.

Aided by a typical MacPherson-style strut front and twist-beam rear suspension set-up, Mahindra reckons it has dialled in just the right amount of dynamic finesse to make this small SUV the keen driver’s choice.

To find out if that’s the case, we spent a couple of hours behind the wheel of one at Mahindra’s vast proving ground near Chennai. A 180km/h high-speed loop. A set of chicanes. And a few rough surfaces where we could find them. Just a taster, really.

The overall impression is that nothing betrays the 3XO’s ageing platform from behind the wheel.

Torquey and smooth, the 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine is punchy off the line, possessing a sporty, peppy nature as well as an endearing willingness. Adding to this is the six-speed auto, as it’s also pleasingly responsive, with no lag or jolts. This is how small turbos should behave.

We managed to max it out at almost 170km/h (indicated) on the speed bowl, where it felt dead-set stable and secure. Impressive, given the 3XO’s height and ground clearance.

But the steering seems too light and a little disconnected during low-speed manoeuvres, at least for keener drivers, but once velocities climb, it seems to weigh up with sufficient heft. This is reminiscent of the way that Volkswagens used to tune its steering some 25 years ago. Maybe that’s the biggest sign of the Tivoli’s bones lurking underneath.

What this means is that the Mahindra is not the sort of SUV you buy if you absolutely relish driving, in the way the Mazda CX-3 or the very sadly-missed Ford Puma are. Hopefully, we’ll be pleasantly surprised on Australian roads.

We never got a chance to test the suspension’s ride quality, but over the couple of bumps that we did traverse, it seemed to soak them up well enough. And even though our test 3XO lacked the (optional) rear parcel shelf, road and tyre noise seemed sufficiently contained. Again, Australian roads will reveal all.

What we can say with some confidence is that the little Mahindra is a lively, user-friendly, comfort-biased and civilised small SUV. No glaring faults or anomalies appeared, just a cheerful, charming character.

For what it represents, the 3XO seems properly engineered and tuned.

Perhaps all those years ironing out the bugs in the preceding XUV300 and Tivoli are paying dividends for today’s buyers.

We weren’t expecting that.

No Australian or European NCAP crash-test rating exists for the 3XO.

But it does include AEB with cyclist/pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, high beam assist and adaptive cruise control with Smart Pilot Assist, as well as six airbags.

Plus, ISOFIX fixings are fitted to the rear seats, along with a trio of child-seat anchorage points.

However, neither grade offers rear cross-traffic alert and a blind-spot monitor, meaning the XUV 3XO may struggle to achieve a five-star ANCAP crash-test rating at this time.

That said, it recently scored five stars in India’s new (but less-stringent) Bharat NCAP test, aided by extensive body strengthening and crash-force mitigation engineering development at Mahindra’s world-class research and development centres in India.

And there’s still more safety development underway, ahead of next year’s planned ANCAP test.

Like all GWM Cannons, our test vehicle comes with a generous seven-year/unlimited km warranty, which includes five years of roadside assist. Apart from the first service at 12 months or 10,000km, scheduled servicing is every 12 months/15,000km, whichever occurs first.

GWM offers capped-pricing for the first five scheduled services (60 months or 70,000km), which totals $2530, or an average of $506 per service.

Mahindra offers a seven-year warranty with roadside assistance, and that is excellent news for most buyers. But the 150,000km cap when most other brands have unlimited mileage might fall a bit short for some prospective buyers’ requirements.

At the time of publishing, no service scheduling and capped-price servicing pricing information was available, but expect these to be announced after early July 2025.