Video Summary
The plug-in petrol-electric ute era has arrived in Australia. GWM says its Cannon Alpha PHEV has the mix of traditional ute hardware and new-age tech just right.- GWM is one of China's biggest auto companies and sells four brands in Australia, including Cannon.
- The GWM Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV that was tested costs roughly $70,000 on the road, and is stuffed full of gear, making it a competitive proposition. The only option fitted to the test vehicle is a $1,239 tow bar.
- This vehicle can tow the full freight (3,500 kilos).
- Warranty: 7-year unlimited km
- Battery Warranty: 8-year unlimited km
- Capped Price Servicing Cost: $3,320 over 5 years / 70,000km
- Service Intervals: 12 Months / 15,000km
- Per visit for the first five visits, the capped price servicing costs about $650, double what you’d pay for a diesel Ranger or Toyota HiLux over the same number of services.
- The high voltage batteries plug is one of the main distinguishing features of the Cannon Alpha PHEV compared to the diesel and hybrid models
- The exterior dimensions are identical to the diesel and hybrid models, so is the wheelbase. The GWM Cannon Alpha is significantly bigger in every measure compared to a Hilux.
- The PHEVs get black grills and wheels, whereas other Cannon Alphas have chrome. The blackout bits look less 90s.
- The Ultra is different from the Lux by its panoramic sunroof, power sliding rear window, and two-piece tailgate.
- It has a 2.0-liter turbo petrol engine that combines with an electric motor with an electric motor that sits ahead of the 9-speed automatic in the transmission tunnel and drives all four wheels. It has front, center and rear locking diffs, and a low range.
-The combined power and torque is more than a Ford Ranger Raptor Super Ute.
- Zero to 100 kilometer an hour time is 6.9 seconds.
- The vehicle weight is 2810 kg.
- The official fuel consumption claim is 1.7L/100km, only achievable if the high-voltage battery is kept charged. The as-tested fuel economy was 9.5L/100km.
- The interior is wide and spacious, but has a pastiche of trims that seem to have been sourced from several different decades. A large steering wheel, center screen, and instrument panel all add to the space. It's absolutely packed with gear, which makes it a really competitive proposition against other luxury 4x4 dual cab utes.
- With the wide comfy leather driver seat and the white interior, there is a lot going on. It takes a while to figure it all out, but it appears well put together, which is typical of Chinese brands.
- There is a decent amount of storage up front, including door bins, glove box, spring-loaded cup holders in the center console, a cooled center binn with a sliding top shelf, and two USB-A ports. There are many adjustable things on the seats, a touchscreen, and buttons on the center console, there is a lot of information to be found. However, you can’t access the screen to a drop down menu when using a smartphone app such as Apple CarPlay.
- Although it has many advanced features, the CarPlay system has issues of seizing and stopping. That meant reverting to standard sat nav which worked well.
- The Alpha PHEV has earned a 5-star ANCAP rating.
- GWM has added helpful dropdown and shortcut features, and there are rear seat USB ports and adjustable air vents.
- The back seat folds down in three parts, and more storage space is back there as well.
- For safety, there are 4.5 driver assistance features. It has a pretty sound mechanical package.
-The car is well contained considering how heavy and high it is.
- Hill descent control, while standard, isn’t adjustable, making it difficult to handle steep terrains at times.
- Its side skirts and front end are likely to touch down first on steep grades.
-With 325 kilos in the tray, it behaves pretty well.
The reviewer concludes that as one of the first plug-in dual cab utes, it's a pretty good effort. He would seriously think about the cheaper Lux, rather than the Ultra. There is a lot to like in the way it drives and how it handles. But it needs to be tested against the BYD Shark 6.
