GWM UTE vs Denza B5

What's the difference?

In a very competitive ute market, the GWM Cannon XSR represents plenty of bang for your buck, but it’s just not as refined as you’d hope. 

It should be better at this price-point, especially when it’ll be unfavourably cross-shopped with lower-spec variants in the Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max and Toyota HiLux line-ups.

It’s a nice enough vehicle on-road, and the XSR is an effective 4WD on the dirt without ever being truly exceptional – but that’s fine for those who want to save big bucks and still drive away in a well-equipped twin-locked off-road vehicle.

The Denza B5 Leopard PHEV is an impressive five-seat premium-style 4WD wagon: it’s reasonably nice to drive, it’s comfortable and it’s a capable 4WD and word on the tracks is that a new software update is set to make it even more of an effective off-roader.

It doesn’t offer the level of fuel economy you’d hope for, and there are issues with elements of its driver-assist tech suite – some of which are jarring and over-reactive – but the B5 looks and feels like a premium 4WD and represents decent value for money, especially when cross-shopped against something like a new-generation Prado.

The XSR is 5439mm long (with a 3230mm wheelbase), 1958mm wide, and 1918mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 1965kg.

It looks like the mongrel child of a HiLux, Ranger and D-Max – in a good way.

The wider-than-standard wheel track, as well as the snorkel, sports bar, substantial bash plates, tyres and even red brake calipers add to this ute’s presence.

It’s easy to immediately pick up on the B5’s plethora of design cues: it wears with pride its old-school 4WD influences – not the least of which is its blocky, straight-up-and-down profile – mixed in new-gen looks.

All-round this 4WD wagon might be considered an affectionate homage to the likes of the Toyota Prado (aka 250 Series).

The B5 sports roof rails, a sunroof and 20-inch alloy wheels.

Whatever you see when you look at the B5, at least it’s not generic or boring.

And that non-boring impression continues inside…

The B5’s interior is premium-looking and -feeling and it also features quirky touches, such as the crystal-look buttons including a ruby-red start-stop button, and enough leather-accented surfaces and brushed-metal-type sections to keep you intrigued.

Though the dash may be a confusion of buttons and controls, on- and off-screen, the whole she-bang is superficially impressive.

Case in point: the auto shifter lowers and self-stows away in the centre console when the car is switched off and rises for use when the car is switched on. Neat.

It’s on a par in design terms with rivals, such as the Prado.

The XSR’s five-seat interior is a neat and roomy space but, in line with most utes at this price-point, if you scrutinise it in a critical way you soon discover that some parts feel a bit cheap and flimsy, such as some buttons, dials and switches.

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

A pair of cupholders can be concealed under a sliding cover and the storage bin is on the right side of big.

The driver gets a six-way power-adjustable seat; the front-seat passenger gets four-way power adjustment. Both seats are comfortable without being too plush.

Second-row passengers get a firm but comfortable seat and amenities include a USB port, a 220V plug, and a fold-down centre armrest.

The second-row seat base can be folded up and out of the way to make room for more gear if only two people are travelling.

Build quality is generally okay, part from the aforementioned flimsy-feeling buttons.

The XSR’s business end, the tub, has a durable-looking tub liner, tie-down points and a handy pop-out step hidden in the top of the tailgate.

But it's worth noting this ute’s tailgate can’t be locked.

The B5’s cabin is plush, spacious, and comfortable.

The driver’s seat is eight-way power adjustable (plus four-way adjustable lumbar support), while the front passenger seat is six-way power adjustable.

As mentioned earlier, all seats are Nappa leather-accented.

The B5’s luxury-style interior, also as mentioned, includes nifty touches, such as crystal-look buttons being the most obvious, and an auto shifter auto that stows away in the centre console when the car is switched off and rises, ready for use, when the car is switched on. 

Elsewhere the dash and centre console is, at first, a confusion of buttons and controls, on-screen and off. But you soon get sort of used to all of it.

The second row is a 60:40 split-fold split and it has a flip-down control console rather than a basic centre armrest with cupholders.

The rear cargo area has four tie-down points and volume is listed as 470L (with the second row up and in use) and 1064 litres with the second row stowed away.

The Denza B5 Leopard PHEV is available in two specs: entry-level B5 and top-spec B5 Leopard, which is the subject of this test. The Leopard has a recommended retail price of $79,990 (excluding on-road costs), while the regular B5 is $74,990.

Standard features in the Leopard include a 15.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), a 12.3-inch driver instrument cluster, surround-view cameras, hydraulic adaptive suspension, 16 driving modes, and front and rear diff locks.

The Leopard has Nappa leather-accented seats.

The B5 and its bigger stablemate, the B8, mark the debut of Denza’s Dual Mode Off-road (DMO) hybrid 4x4 architecture, consisting of the plug-in hybrid powertrain, which umbrellas a Blade battery, twin electric motors, and turbocharged four-cylinder engine – but more on that later.

Also of note is the fact that this B5’s 31.8kWh battery supports Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality/capability, which means you can power your camping gear (lights, fridge, karaoke juke box etc.).

Eclipse Black paint is standard. Optional paint choices – including Alpine White, Juniper Green, Glacier Blue, Granite Grey and Leopard Gold – each costs an extra $1500 (including an interior colour-scheme and materials to match).

It’s more impressive in the value-for-money stakes than something like the new-generation Toyota Prado, which will set you back upwards of $100,000 for an Altitude or Kakadu spec.

The XSR has the Cannon’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that produces 120kW at 3600rpm and 400Nm from 1500rpm to 2500rpm. 

It has an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

As mentioned, the XSR has part-time 4WD – with 2WD high-range, 4WD high-range and 4WD low-range – rather than the full-time 4WD set-up that’s in standard Cannons.

The B5 has a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, a 31.8kWh battery and an electric motor on each axle (front: 200kW/360Nm, rear: 285kW/400Nm) – and that combination all-up produces total outputs of 400kW and 760Nm.

The Leopard has a CVT, low-range 4WD gearing, as well as a front and rear diff lock.

The Denza B5 has 16 selectable drive modes: daily drive modes (Comfort, Eco and Sport), as well as terrain modes (Snow, Sand, Mud, Mountain, Rock, Intelligent, Creep, Wading, Sport+, Custom, Burst, Climbing, Tug-of-War (towing), L Function (low-range 4WD), and Leopard Turn, which is the B5’s equivalent of the Tank Turn, where it brakes the inside rear wheel during tight, low-speed off-road turns, reducing the turning radius, and so enabling the B5 to navigate a particularly tight turn.

The Cannon XSR has a listed fuel consumption of 9.4L/100km on a combined cycle.

Actual fuel consumption on this test, from pump to pump, was 11.2L/100km but, as is the nature of my testing, I did a lot of low-range four-wheel driving.

The Cannon XSR has an 78-litre tank so, going by that fuel figure above, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 696km from a full tank.

Note: Drop 30km to 50km from any vehicle’s total calculated fuel-range figure for a better idea of that vehicle’s safe touring range – so, following that advice, the above driving range figure (696km) would become 666km after a 30km safe-distance buffer has been subtracted.

Also, remember that numerous other factors affect your fuel consumption and so impact your driving range, including how much extra weight you have onboard (passengers, camping gear, etc), whether your vehicle is fitted with any aftermarket equipment (bullbar, spare-wheel carrier, etc), whether you are towing (a camper-trailer, caravan, or boat, etc), your vehicle's tyre pressures, and the conditions.

The 31.8kWh battery provides up to 100km of electric-only driving and supports 100kW DC fast-charging.

Official combined fuel consumption is 3.9L/100km and the B5 runs on regular unleaded fuel (91).

Official fuel consumption is 10.9L/100km when state of charge is lower than 25 per cent.

On this test, I recorded 10.2L/100km.

The B5 has a 83-litre fuel tank so, going by my fuel figures, you could expect a total driving range of about 900km out of a full tank and a full charge.
 

If you’re not expecting a dynamic, sporty driving experience from the Cannon XSR, then you won’t be disappointed.

I’m enjoying the fact that off-road vehicles from China and India are improving all the time but there are significant trade-offs when opting for a much cheaper version of the ute you actually want.

The XSR is not an insubstantial ute, but that doesn’t excuse its less-than-ideal steering (which feels too loose) or its stiff ride on upgraded suspension which, even though it increases wheel travel (for 4WDing – more about that later), seemingly hasn’t been tuned to suit the XSR’s bigger tyres, wider wheel track and greater bulk than its lower-spec stablemates.

Also, this ute has an unwieldy turning circle of 13.7m, which makes it an interesting vehicle to manoeuvre along busy urban streets or through a bustling car park.

This is a well priced ute if compared to similarly equipped, much more expensive utes, but that doesn’t excuse its touchy throttle and thrashy transmission.

However, its engine, which can feel underdone when challenged, has a relaxed feel about it when open-road cruising and if you aren’t putting too much pressure on it you likely won’t think it’s much of a let-down.

Overall, the XSR does okay on sealed surfaces, without ever getting anywhere near great – it’s simply not as refined or compliant as it could – or should – be.

On the dirt track leading to our 4WD test track, the XSR was very skippy over corrugations and tended to thump through potholes.

This ute does go well off-road though when it comes time for low-range 4WDing but, equipped with front and rear diff locks, that’s to be expected.

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

It also has 'Crawl Mode' (allows 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).

The over-sensitive throttle is far from ideal during low-speed low-range 4WDing when you need absolute control for safe driving, but I did become used to it – or at least I put up with it.

As mentioned earlier, the upgraded suspension has boosted wheel travel, which means you’re more than likely able in the XSR to stretch a tyre to the dirt for better traction and controlled forward progress.

The XSR’s Cooper Discoverer AT3 all-terrain tyres help, especially when the dirt becomes sticky mud that would gum up a lesser tyre, and we had no strife getting up and over one of our more severe set-piece hill climbs on that rubber.

All in all, the XSR is a capable twin-locked 4WD without ever being exceptional – and that’s fine.

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

The B5 Leopard is 4921mm long (with a 2800mm wheelbase), 1970mm wide, 1930mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 3007kg and a 11.8m turning circle. 

Yep, so it’s not insubstantial. But it doesn’t feel unwieldy to drive.

On road, there’s a lot to like about the B5: it's comfortable, refined and composed and it has such a premium feel about it that it really is a top spot in which to spend a lot of time, on road trips, day-to-day driving or long road trips – it's very impressive.

Denza reckons the B5 is capable of doing the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.8 seconds but, while I did admittedly check out the B5’s impressive acceleration in short bursts, I didn’t try to prove or disprove that 0-100km/h claim.

On dirt tracks the B5’s suspension – double wishbone independent and coil springs – yields a firm and jittery ride over minor irregularities in the track but otherwise it’s mostly controlled

Off-road, the separate body-on-ladder chassis B5 has up its metal sleeve an effective combination of mechanical low-range 4WD on the rear axle, electronic torque vectoring at front, diff locks front and rear, and well-calibrated off-road traction control.

This plug-in hybrid optimises a combination of driver-assist technology – including 16 drive modes with the bulk of those designed for off-road scenarios – and with nicely dialled-in off-road traction control and mechanical diff locks on-board it is formidable in most off-road situations.

In action, all of those modes adjust vehicle systems, throttle, and engine output to give the driver the best chance possible of getting safely through every off-road challenge.

And it does a bloody good job of it. 

The B5 tackled our steep rock-step test with ease there's plenty of torque available and again that off-road traction control system is well calibrated, sharp and precise in its application.

Off-road angles on this vehicle are also on the right side of good and the fact that the Leopard has hydraulic-adjustable suspension to suit each driving mode is also a handy feature because you can maximise those off-road angles – approach, departure and ramp-over – as well as ground clearance.

In fact, you can set ground clearance anywhere between 220mm and 310mm and that means you have greater flexibility in terms of what you can drive, how you can drive, how severe an obstacle you can tackle and how safe you are while doing that.

This plug-in hybrid works through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and it works well in this vehicle, in this package. It's clever, smooth and seamless in its operation 

Another bonus is the B5’s off-road/360-degree cameras, which actually offer a decent image rather than the muddy, fish-eye view of some other on-board camera systems.

Now for the flaws.

There’s little to no wheel travel; there’s not a lot of stretch to those wheels when the height-adjustable suspension is maxed out at its top point – in Crawl mode – so you are sacrificing that. 

The B5’s tyres (Pirelli Scorpion Elect SUV tyres – 275/55R20) are marketed as “all weather” tyres but they're not suited to four-wheel driving of any great difficulty.

If you’re thinking about using your B5 as an off-road tourer, get rid of the showroom-standard tyres and replace them with more aggressive all-terrains. 

Payload in the Leopard is 490kg (600kg in the standard B5).

In terms of towing capacity: the B5 Leopard is rated to tow 750kg unbraked, and 3000kg braked. GVM is 3497kg, while GCM is 6232kg.

The B5 is a very effective 4WD wagon: smooth and comfortably capable.

There are some issues with the driver-assist tech, but that's mostly limited to its on-road behaviour – it can be intrusive and preemptive in its application – but the driver-assist tech, which relates to off-road performance, is impressive. 

We eagerly await a full-blown software update that will further improve the B5’s off-road efficacy.

The Denza B5 Leopard PHEV has the maximum five-star ANCAP rating from testing in 2025.

As standard, it has 11 airbags (curtain, front, side, knee and centre airbags) and a comprehensive suite of driver-assist tech including AEB, adaptive cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, a 360-degree around-view camera, as well as front and rear collision warning, and front cross traffic alert.

On a par with more expensive rivals, then.

The XSR is covered by a seven year/unlimited km warranty.

The first service is scheduled at the six-month/5000km mark (and costs $260), then every 12 months or 10,000km, with each service costing $360 a pop.

The Denza B5 Leopard PHEV is covered by a six-year/150,000km warranty. 

The B5’s 31.8kWh battery has an eight year/160,000km warranty.

The first service is scheduled at six months/3500km; the rest of the servicing appointments are set for every 12 months/20,000km.

Total cost is $3220 (plus GST) via five-year capped-price servicing.

That puts it on a par with more expensive rivals.