2025 GWM Cannon review

Pragmatic ‘head not heart’ purchases drive Australia’s wildly popular ute segment, and manufacturers can’t afford to come to the table with an offering that doesn’t get the fundamentals right above all else.

Not content on waiting to bolster these fundamentals, GWM has facelifted its 2025 Cannon dual-cab with a raft of upgrades more befitting of a new generation of vehicle, including a bigger 2.4-litre engine, substantial styling tweaks, greater towing capacity, and more technology.

How much does the 2025 GWM Cannon cost?

The cost of entry to the GWM Cannon range has risen slightly with this update and the number of variants available at launch has also been slimmed down to four.

The Lux grade kicks things off from $40,490 (up $1000), with the model range then walking through the Ultra for $43,490 (unchanged), Vanta for $45,490 (up $2000), and the off-road-focused XSR flagship, with the latter being $3000 less expensive than before at $49,990 before on-roads.

A base Premium grade will be introduced later, using a carryover 2.0-litre engine from the pre-facelift range.

Buyers are covered by a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with five years of roadside assistance included.

A five-year capped-price servicing package will cover 54 months/45,000km of scheduled servicing for $2065.

What is the 2025 GWM Cannon like inside?

Despite being a facelift, the updated Cannon feels like a new generation vehicle when you step inside.

More premium materials and a heavily revised design – with fewer physical buttons – present a much cleaner, more minimalist cabin than its predecessor. GWM says its focus was to provide more creature comforts for a nicer daily commute; we say mission accomplished.

With a reduced number of interior buttons, more functions are housed in a now-standard 12.3-inch centre touchscreen with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, DAB+ radio and voice command functionality.

A 7.0-inch digital driver display has also been added, modernising the interior and giving drivers access to more live info. Wireless phone charging also comes as standard.

Ergonomics and visibility are good, however the front seats lack bolstering and could be more supportive. A redesigned steering wheel with large grips forces a somewhat unnatural hand position that no amount of adjustment could remedy.

Rear-seat comfort is adequate but not benchmark, however rear passengers do enjoy decent legroom, rear air vents, dedicated charging ports and a fold-down armrest.

What equipment does the 2025 GWM Cannon come with?

A healthy assortment of equipment comes standard for the new Cannon.

Mechanically, Lux through Vanta grades gets four-wheel drive with a low-range transfer case and electric locking rear diff. An electric locking front diff and various off-road drive modes are added to the flagship XSR.

Faux leather appears on the Lux’s steering wheel and manually adjustable front seats. Ultra grades and above gain electric seats, heating and ventilation, and leather accents on their front seats, with heating added to the steering wheel.

An electric sunroof, tailgate step, rear privacy glass, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, front parking sensors (with a 360-degree review camera), and ambient lighting are added on Ultra trim and up.

Every variant in the range rolls on 18-inch wheels, with new-design alloys featuring on Lux and Ultra trim, blacked-out on Vanta. The XSR trim carries over the same pre-facelift wheel design.

How safe is the 2025 GWM Cannon?

Being a facelift and not a new generation, the 2025 GWM Cannon carries over its previous five-star ANCAP rating.

Standard safety kit includes seven airbags (with centre and curtain units), a reversing camera with rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, and a raft of passive and active collision warnings.

A door open/vehicle approach warning, traffic sign recognition, traffic jam assist, rear collision and cross-traffic alert, and driver fatigue monitoring system aims to keep all road users safe.

Important to note is top-grade XSR misses out on quite a few safety features, including emergency lane keep, open door/vehicle warning, rear collision and cross-traffic warning, blind spot detection, and lane change assist. GWM claims this is due to “hardware limitations with vehicle design”.

What powers the 2025 GWM Cannon?

The centerpiece of the 2025 GWM Cannon upgrade is the engine, new for the Cannon range but borrowed (and tried and tested) from the larger Cannon Ultra dual-cab ute.

It’s a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder (up from the previous 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four), providing total outputs of 135kW and 480Nm which are improvements of 15kW/80Nm over the pre-facelift model.

Despite the increase in displacement and outputs, fuel economy has been improved, with the new engine using a claimed 8.4L/100km (down from the previous engine’s 9.4L/100km). During our testing on mostly backroads and highways, we recorded 8.1L/100km according to the onboard computer. Only targeting a Euro 5 emission compliance, the engine does not require AdBlue.

This consumption figure is likely helped by GWM’s move to an inhouse-built nine-speed automatic, with the old ZF-built eight-speed sent to pasture. All variants come equipped with four-wheel drive.

All these combined (with some chassis and suspension tweaks) see the new Cannon rated to 3500kg for braked towing, up from the 3200kg rating of its predecessor.

What is the 2025 GWM Cannon like to drive?

On the road, the GWM Cannon feels apt for the mid-field competition it targets in the ute segment.

As with its previous iteration, the ride is on the firm end of the spectrum. It provides a good sense of connectedness but can prove tedious over longer sections of poor road quality, especially without a load in the tray.

The GWM-built gearbox is a surprise standout, rarely hunting or falling over itself in the search for the correct ratio and providing smooth take-off from a standstill.

While the new engine picks up some much-needed grunt, it still feels unrefined in its delivery. A relatively narrow peak torque band (1500-2500pm) feels much better suited to around-town driving thanks to the nine-speed auto but will often rev itself out of puff when asked to perform. While our testing did not include a towing component, we can’t help but think this problem would only be amplified while pulling a load.

Where the Cannon is most let down is its lane-keep assist system. It is among the worst we’ve driven, and during our stint through regional Victoria, it often became confused by lane markings. More than once it steered us onto the wrong side of the road and then blared annoyed beeps and chimes at us for the indiscretion.

Thankfully, GWM has made turning the lane-keep function off a quick and painless process, but this seems a Band-Aid solution at best.

The NRMA’s take on the 2025 GWM Cannon

The 2025 Cannon shifts the needle in the right direction in almost all metrics. While the cost of entry has jumped a little, it’s still a comparative bargain in the segment when compared to some lesser-specified rivals.

GWM acknowledges the Cannon is not ready to take on segment leaders yet, and this does translate into the driving experience and implementation of some technologies. But for the pragmatic ute buyer, it’s an undeniably strong value proposition that has had its fundamentals reinforced. We doubt many buyers will trade in a Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux to grab one, but a few Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton owners would be wise to book a test drive.

Pros: More value than ever; healthier tow rating; great interior refinement

Cons: Punitive lane-keep assist; engine still feels a bit rough; some interior control blunders