KGM Musso vs GWM UTE

What's the difference?

KGM (formerly SsangYong) has revised its Musso range for 2026 with some new features and revised styling throughout the Australian line-up, as well as a name-change for this grade: the Advance which used to be the Adventure.

The updated Musso is a dual-cab 4WD ute with high and low-range gearing, an auto-locking rear differential and 3.5-tonne towing capacity, and all for under $50,000.

And with the optional XLV (extra long vehicle/version) pack, which our test vehicle has, it gets a longer wheelbase (110mm extra), a 300mm longer tub and 90kg of extra payload over the standard Musso (880kg rather than 790kg).

So, is the Musso an affordable alternative to the likes of Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger?

The Cannon XSR is GWM’s new top-shelf ute variant.

This dual-cab 4WD ute is intended as an off-road-focussed vehicle and has visual and mechanical upgrades over the rest of the Cannon stable, including part-time 4WD (not the full-time 4WD on GWM’s lower-spec Cannons), a front differential lock (in addition to the existing rear diff lock), raised air intake (aka a snorkel) and Cooper Discoverer AT3 all-terrain tyres.

It’s priced from $52,990 drive-away, so costs about $7500 more than you’d pay for the standard Cannon X on which this special edition ute is based. But it still undercuts similarly-equipped top-spec Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux utes by about $20,000.

So, with twin lockers, a snorkel, underbody protection and all-terrain tyres, is the GWM XSR worth the extra cash?

Read on.