Isuzu NPR vs GWM Cannon

What's the difference?

Driving a truck of this size has never been easier than it is with these new Isuzus. Once you’ve worked out how to judge gaps in traffic and have acclimatised to the bulk of a light truck, it’s all pretty straight-forward.

The greater levels of connectivity and safety in this generation of trucks is a big leap on the OH and S front, and there’s no trade-off in terms of the traditional practicalities trucks like these offer.

Our advice would be to option up the suspension driver’s seat and, where possible, look into the independent front suspension, too, as this gives the vehicle a more car-like feel in terms of both steering and ride quality.

Meantime, the option of the ready-to-work packages makes the whole idea of getting into a light truck all the more simple, fuss-free and financially attractive. Which are all things fleet managers around the world can agree on.

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

It combines big payload and towing capabilities with a standard tray and luxury appointments not usually offered as standard equipment in a single cab-chassis 4x2. And all at a price that matches more basic alternatives from the major players. So, for tradies, farmers or fleets wanting more bang-for-buck style than the usual entry-level workhorse, this could be just what they're looking for.

While it’s generally agreed that trucks trail cars and utes in terms of safety and connectivity, the latest N-Series trucks are aimed at reversing that trend. Lots of active safety gear has been added to the N-Series in the most recent upgrade and that’s led to a much safer vehicle.

The ability to connect Apple CarPlay and Android devices is also a major bonus this time around.

The other element unique to Isuzu is the ability for customers to order a fully-finished truck, rather than order the basic package from the truck manufacturer and then finding a third-party supplier for the body they need.

Isuzu calls it its ready-to-work option and it spans various types of bodies including a service body, conventional drop-side tray, enclosed van and even a tipper body. As an off-the-shelf alternative to the traditional way of ordering and specifying a truck, it’s a surprise nobody else has done it, although Isuzu’s volumes definitely play a part.

Our test vehicle rides on a unique 3470mm wheelbase, which is 240mm longer than the 3230mm dimension shared by other Cannon utes.

This is designed to improve load distribution and therefore vehicle dynamics, given the 4x2’s sizeable payload is also unmatched by its siblings (see Practicality). The longer wheelbase results in a 13.9-metre turning circle, which is the largest of the Cannon fleet.

It features double-wishbone/coil-spring front suspension, a leaf-spring live rear axle, four-wheel disc brakes, electric power-assisted steering and under-carriage armour.

The cab’s exterior has an upmarket appearance that’s unusual in this space, matched by an interior which looks more like those found in SUVs and higher-grade dual cabs with faux-leather upholstery, soft-touch surfaces, exposed stitching, contrasting textures and satin chrome highlights throughout.

There’s even a neat line drawing on the passenger-side dash depicting the silhouette of a ute, which highlights its attention to detail.

Because they’re made to work first and foremost, the cabins of these 4.5-tonne trucks are roomy and offer plenty of storage space for clipboards, receipt books, Eskies and more.

As a workspace rather than simple transport, plenty of thought has gone into how they function for an eight-hour shift, too, and options like suspension driver’s seats will make a difference.

They’re a bit of a climb up, though, so getting in and out requires at least some measure of dexterity. But once you are in, the view through that huge, panoramic windscreen is fabulous and if you like the seat-height advantage of an SUV, you’ll love an N-Series truck.

Beyond that, the quality of the interior plastics still trails the car and ute world by a margin, and the hard plastic surfaces aren’t great to look at or engage with. By trucks standards, though, they’re on the money.

Our test vehicle’s relatively light 1900kg kerb weight includes the standard tray. So, its 3050kg GVM results in a substantial 1150kg payload rating that's in addition to the tray, rather than the tray's weight being part of the payload which is usually the case with cab-chassis models.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3200kg of braked trailer, which is 300kg less than the class-benchmark 3500kg its Ranger and D-Max 4x2 rivals can tow, but still ample for most trailering requirements in real-world use.

However, with its 5590kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time), towing its maximum trailer weight would require a substantial 660kg reduction in payload (from 1150kg to 490kg) to avoid exceeding the GCM limit.

The tray appears to have sturdy construction, complete with a tube-frame front bulkhead that includes a full-width welded mesh insert to protect the rear window from load damage.

According to our tape measure, the tray is internally 1845mm wide and 2580mm long, with hinged and removable drop-sides that stand 260mm tall and feature neat flush-fitting lock mechanisms.

However, there are no internal anchorage points, so all loads must be secured externally using the rope-rails positioned along each side beneath the tray.

Cabin storage includes a large bottle-holder and bin in each door and the driver gets two small nooks on the right side of the dash. There’s also a long and narrow bin provided in the upper left side of the dash, above a usefully sized glovebox.

The centre console has a pad that’s ideal for storing a phone, plus two USB-A ports and a 12v socket. There’s also buttons for controlling other 12v accessories, along with two cupholders and a lidded box at the rear that's usefully deep with an internal vent to control temps for drinks and food. The box lid is also nicely padded to serve as a driver’s elbow rest.

Our Pearl White test vehicle comes standard with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel and eight-speed automatic drivetrain carried over from the previous model, for a list price of $34,490.

That compares favourably with single cab-chassis diesel 4x2 rivals like the manual-only Toyota HiLux Workmate Hi-Rider 2.4L ($32,970), Isuzu D-Max SX High Ride 2.2L auto ($36,200) and Ford Ranger XL Hi-Rider 2.0L auto ($37,130), given the Cannon comes standard with an aluminium tray which rival buyers must pay extra for. Our example is also fitted with GWM’s genuine accessory towbar which adds $1449 to this price.

The tray is one of many items on the Premium’s generous standard equipment list that also includes 18-inch two-tone alloy wheels with 265/60R18 tyres and a full-size steel spare, ‘Machine Grey’ grille with body-coloured front bumper/wheel-arch trims/mirror caps/doorhandles, auto LED headlights with DRLs/sequential indicators/follow-me-home lighting, front fog lights, LED tail-lights, side-steps, reversing camera, rear parking sensors and more.

Smart keyless entry provides access to a well-appointed cabin with carpet, synthetic leather bucket seats, single-zone climate control, electronic parking brake, push-button start, height/reach adjustable steering wheel with paddle-shifters and three comfort modes, adaptive cruise control, 7.0-inch driver’s instrument cluster, four-speaker audio system with a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen and more.

The base engine for the N-Series trucks is a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel with 110kW of power and 375Nm of torque. Available across the short and mid-wheelbase N-Series models, the 3.0-litre engine is more or less the same engine as seen in the Isuzu D-Max ute range.

As such, it has a good reputation for durability and although there are some turbocharger and tuning changes compared with the D-Max, the basic engine is very similar.

There’s also a much more heavy-duty, truck-like engine option. That is also a four-cylinder unit, but with a massive 5.2 litres of capacity, it’s a real statement of intent. Although power is only marginally more than the 3.0-litre engine, at 114kW, torque is the big winner with 419Nm at just 1600rpm.

Typically fitted to N-Series models with the wider cabin, the 5.2-litre engine also shifts the GCM up a gear to 9000kg from 8000kg. The braked towing limit of the bigger-engined truck also jumps to 4500kg (from 4000kg).

The 3.0L trucks are fitted with either a conventional five-speed manual gearbox or a robotised six-speed manual (which operates like an automatic and is driven with just two pedals). The bigger engined versions have a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed robotised manual.

With the rest of the Cannon fleet recently upgrading to a larger 2.4-litre turbo-diesel, its 2.0-litre predecessor is now exclusive to the Premium model grade, producing 120kW of power at 3600rpm and 400Nm of torque between 1500-2500rpm.

It also retains the previous eight-speed torque converter automatic (2.4-litre has a nine-speed unit) offering the choice of sequential manual-shifting using the steering wheel-mounted paddles. And there are three selectable drive modes comprising ‘Normal’ (default), ‘Sport’ and ‘Eco’.

The first thing to know is that vehicles in this weight class – unlike passenger cars and dual-cab utes - don’t have to undergo an official government test for fuel economy. So there’s no simple comparison to be made here.

Also, there are simply too many variables in truck fuel economy to make definitive statements. Unlike cars which are usually loaded to within a few hundred kilograms trip-to-trip, a truck’s mass can vary enormously from empty to fully loaded (and with what) and those circumstances will vary nearly every day.

Then there’s the issue of what body is fitted to the chassis. Obviously, a high van body will contribute a lot more drag at highway speeds than a low-line tray body.

With all that in mind, it’s impossible to generalise although you can expect fuel economy to increase the more you put on board or hitch to the tow-bar.

It’s also worth mentioning that Isuzu’s N-Series engines meet Euro 5 emissions standard for diesel engines. N-Series trucks have fuel tanks ranging from 75 to 100 litres.

GWM claims official combined average consumption of 7.6L/100km but the dash display was showing 9.5 when we stopped to refuel at the completion of our 290km test, which included the usual mix of suburban, city and highway driving of which about one third was hauling its maximum payload.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, was almost identical at 9.7L/100km. That was within the usual 2-3L/100km discrepancy between official claims and real-world consumption and thrifty sub-10L/100km economy for a light commercial in daily urban use.

So, based on our test figure, you could expect a realistic driving range of around 770km from its 78-litre tank.

Although the sheer size of the Isuzu can be a bit daunting at first, once you’re in with the excellent side mirrors adjusted, it’s vastly less confronting.

The view to the front and sides is brilliant thanks to the deep glass and the high-and-mighty seating position is terrific for finding the corners of the vehicle, too.

You still need to understand that the length of the truck imposes some unconventional lines through corners, and leaving plenty of space between yourself and the insides of corners soon becomes second nature.

The seating position itself offers up a classic truck-like set-up with an upright seat-back and an almost flat steering wheel. It sounds terrible to car drivers but it’s not. It’s actually very comfortable for long stints at the helm.

Ride quality is compromised to an extent by the N-Series’ role as a hauler (and spring rates to suit that role) but the optional independent front suspension makes it a lot more comfy.

And even with the more traditional front suspension fitted, the fast steering makes the truck a lot more manoeuvrable than you might have imagined.

The biggest gripe for us was the transmission, specifically, the optional robotised manual six-speed. This unit really does hark back to the very early days of the technology (before the dual-clutch layout arrived) and the shifts are slow and stilted with a distinct lurch as the transmission swaps gears and engages the clutch.

You can improve things by lifting off the accelerator to initiate each shift, but fundamentally, modern dual-clutch transmissions do a much better job.

The other issue will be for drivers who like to left-foot brake in any vehicle with two pedals.

Unfortunately for them, the Isuzu places both pedals to the right of the big, almost vertical steering column with neatly cleaves the driver’s footwell in two, making left-foot braking impossible.

The GWM Cannon has generous external dimensions which translate to a spacious and airy cabin. In this case, the usually restrictive single cab can easily accommodate taller drivers, given I’m 186cm and found a comfortable driving position.

The door mirrors provide good rearward vision along both sides, but there's no blind-spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert. Even so, when carrying a load that blocks the central mirror, the rear camera and parking sensors assist when reversing.

Given our test vehicle’s kerb weight is less than two tonnes, the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel is a better fit in terms of power-to-weight ratio, as it can feel underdone in heavier Cannon ute variants.

As a result, it has livelier response, particularly when operating in its peak torque band between 1500-2500rpm which it does most of the time. We trialled the different drive modes but found the ‘Normal’ default setting an ideal compromise between ‘Sport’ and ‘Eco’ modes.

It has very firm rear suspension, as you’d expect given its big payload rating. This results in a harsh ride over bumps when unladen, as the relatively light weight of the aluminium tray can’t match a heavier steel tray or custom work body in providing the sprung weight needed for a smoother ride. So, ideally it should be carrying a decent load most (if not all) of the time for optimum comfort.

On the highway it only requires about 1800rpm to maintain 110km/h, which is bang in the middle of its peak torque band. At those speeds there is noticeable rear tyre noise along with wind-buffeting from the tray’s bulkhead, but they’re not intrusive enough to require raised voices.

To test its payload rating we forklifted 975kg into the tray, which combined with the weight of the towbar and driver equalled a total payload within 50kg of its 1150kg limit.

The rear leaf-springs compressed 60mm under this weight, which still left about 40mm of static bump-stop clearance that ensured no bottoming-out on our test route.

As expected, the ride quality greatly improved with such a big increase in sprung weight, which is what it’s primarily designed for. And thanks to the extended wheelbase, most of the tray’s load was positioned ahead of the rear axle, which provided ideal weight distribution and good handling stability.

The 2.0-litre drivetrain also performed well on our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km-long set climb at 60km/h, easily hauling this load to the summit without downshifting lower than fourth gear.

In a manually selected second gear, it also displayed strong retardation when testing engine-braking on the way down, easily staying beneath the posted 60km/h limit until the engine reached 4400rpm on overrun (no redline is displayed) and automatically shifted up a gear.

These engine-protecting calibrations are becoming common in utes and vans, so keeping the revs below that threshold with regular applications of the brake pedal is the best way to share engine and wheel-braking on steep descents with heavy loads.

Our only gripes are, firstly, the intrusive engine clatter between 1000-2000rpm which detracts from its otherwise good performance.

And secondly the emergency lane-keeping assist, with its weird fluctuations in steering weight and aggressive tugs at the wheel when making corrections which are often not justified. Fortunately, this annoying function can be switched off. Unfortunately, you must do it before every drive, which requires accessing the touchscreen each time.

The GWM Cannon has a five-star ANCAP rating (awarded 2021) which includes seven airbags and a suite of active safety features including auto emergency braking (AEB) with junction assist, front collision warning, trailer sway mitigation, tyre pressure monitoring, traffic sign recognition, reversing camera, rear parking sensors and more. However, we wish it also shared the ‘rear cross-traffic alert with brake’ function that’s standard on the higher Lux-grade dual-cab-chassis 4x4 variant.

Because trucks are designed to be used day in, day out, the warranty reflects that. In this case, it’s six years and 250,000km of factory cover for any two-wheel drive N-Series.

The four-wheel-drive variants are, due to the tasks they’re usually put to, covered for three years or 150,000km.

Isuzu also provides six years of roadside assistance. There’s also capped-price servicing on a pay-up-front basis although the cost varies between models. 

It comes with a seven years/unlimited km warranty, plus five years of roadside assistance. Scheduled servicing starts at six months/5000km whichever occurs first, then every 12 months/10,000km. Capped pricing applies to the first five scheduled services up to 54 months/45,000km, which totals $2065 or an average of $413 per service.

GWM currently has a network of 121 dealerships throughout Australia, with expectations of 135 by 2026. They are located in metropolitan and regional areas in every state and territory. And every dealership provides accredited vehicle servicing.