finder score: 78%
How did we calculate this? We analysed and aggregated the scores of CarExpert, CarsGuide, Drive and WhichCar to bring you the finder.com.au score. This is a comprehensive score that brings together the four different expert ratings you see below.
How does the 2022 GWM Ute compare with its peers?
GWM Ute pricing and specifications
As of February 2022, Great Wall Motors builds 1 body type version of the Ute, a dual-cab pick-up. There are 3 different trims.
GWM Ute Cannon
Kicking the range off is the GWM Ute Cannon. This model starts from $34,990 driveaway.
The GWM Ute Cannon highlights include:
- 18-inch Premium alloy wheels
- Comfort-Tek synthetic leather premium seats
- 9-inch colour touch display
- Keyless entry and push-button start
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- LED headlamps
- AEB with pedestrian detection
- Lane keep assist (LKA)
- Forward collision warning (FCW)
- Adaptive cruise control (ACC)
- Traffic sign recognition (TSR)
- Tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
- Rear parking sensors
- Kerbside camera (passenger side)
- Reversing camera
- Rear differential lock (4x4 model)
- Driving modes
- Manual air-conditioning
The specification is very thorough for the money.
GWM Ute Cannon-L
For $6,500 more, buyers can go for the GWM Ute Cannon-L. This model costs from $41,490 driveaway.
On top of the standard Cannon, this model has:
- Stainless steel sports bar
- 18-inch Luxury alloy wheels
- 6-way power-adjustable driver's seat
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Heated front seats
- 360° surround view camera
- Privacy glass
- Auto air-conditioning
- Power-adjustable and folding door mirrors, with indicators
- Cargo ladder
- Automatic anti-glare rear-view mirror
- Chrome-plated front grille, side mirrors and door handles
- 2 tweeters and 4 woofers
In other words, quite a lot of extra goodies.
GWM Ute Cannon-X
GWM's top of the range model is the Cannon-X. It costs an extra $3,000, a total of $44,490 driveaway.
GWM Cannon-X highlights:
- Black luxury interior
- 7-inch colour instrument cluster
- 2 smart keys
- Tilt and slide adjustable steering column
- Power-assist steering modes (Comfort, Normal and Sport)
- Wireless phone charging
- Door ajar warning
- 60:40 second-row rear seats
- Rear row armrest
That's a considerable selection of additional features, for less than the price of an entry-level 4x4 dual-cab Mitsubishi Triton or a Ford Ranger XL dual-cab.
Click on a price to compare car loans for the GWM Ute.
| The above prices are Recommended Delivered Prices for private buyers in NSW postcode 2000, taken from the GWM Australia website in February 2022. |
Great Wall Motors charges the following for paint colours other than Pure White:
- Pittsburgh Silver ($595)
- Blue Sapphire ($595)
- Scarlet Red ($595)
- Crystal Black ($595)
Overview
The GWM Ute ute, so good, they named it twice?
Putting aside the GWM branding, this is a genuinely attractive ute that has a heap of equipment. The low driveway prices are sure to attract buyers. Plus, GWM included some truly nifty features into the Ute. For the money, the spec list is really rather impressive. Some testers called it the best vehicle GWM has built to date. GWM cleverly sought out mechanical components from brands like ZF transmissions and Borg Warner and bolstered up the ute's safety assists.
If the reasonably low purchase price and long equipment list weren't enough to convince you, then perhaps the 7-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty and 5 years of capped-price servicing and roadside assistance are.
Should it go on your shortlist? Maybe, particularly if you're wanting to spend as little as possible on a new ute.
Engine and performance
Under the bonnet, you'll find one of GWM's 2.0-litre turbo diesel engines.
GWM 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine
There's not a huge amount of information available about the GWM Ute's engine. Certainly not as much as its rivals.
It's labelled as GW4D20M. Power measures 120kW at 3,600RPM (according to Great Wall Motors Global) and torque a reasonable 400Nm between 1,500-2,500RPM.
Smartly, GWM paired this engine with an 8-speed ZF 8HP gearbox. Volkswagen uses a variant of this transmission in the Amarok, as do dozens of other manufacturers.
Car reviewers' impressions of the GWM Ute engine and transmission line-up
For the modest capacity of the engine, the GWM Ute isn't low-powered. Multiple reviewers uttered this sentiment. For example, the D-Max or BT-50 with a similarly-sized (but not exactly) powerplant has less power and torque on paper. Car reviewers did comment that there was a small, but detectable amount of lag from the get-go, but added that the engine then kicks in once the revs start to climb.
Reportedly, when you place a demand on the engine, it is initially a little rough. It was suggested that almost all other utes had less turbo lag from a standing start. One tester wrote that this phenomenon didn't last too long and the ute will then get its bearings once you're up to highway speed. One of the reviewing panel described the GWM Ute as a competent motorway performer.
A different source suggested, when looking at the numbers, you'd think the Ute is a little short on power and torque, but in reality, it defies these digits. This view was seconded by another of the reviewing panel, who said the performance on real roads was quite vigorous. A third tester said the engine was now a standout element of the GWM Ute, designating it as a solid package. They conceded it wasn't the most elegant diesel ever made, but that it had an eagerness across the rev-band and that once you're up and moving, it could even press you into the seat with steady acceleration.
With a ZF transmission, you'd expect a lot. It was described as a slick operator, capable of compensating for some of the engine's lethargy at certain revs (as above, apparently, if you mash the throttle, the engine takes a brief moment to respond). It was this gearbox that one tester determined improved the GWM Ute's acceleration from the off. Of course, the transmission switches between gears rhythmically and it possesses an intelligent map, according to one journalist.
TL;DR? It seems the GWM Ute has a better engine than it's ever had, with one of the testers saying this was the ute's best feature.
GWM Ute engine and transmission figures
GWM Ute fuel economy
For our reviews, we always reference the Green Vehicle Guide, a government fuel economy initiative.
2.0-litre turbo diesel
There are several different fuel economies listed on the Green Vehicle Guide for the Great Wall Motors Ute, one works out to:
- Combined: 8.3L/100km
- Urban: 9.4L/100km
- Extra: 7.2L/100km
Those figures work out to an approximate annual cost of $1,635 on diesel, if you spend 66% of your time in town. Cross-referencing this with the brochure, it appears to apply to the 4x2 Cannon.
The 8-speed automatic model, as a 4x4, uses:
- Combined: 9.4L/100km
- Urban: 10.4L/100km
- Extra: 8.7L/100km
This model uses more diesel and the estimated annual cost is nearer to $1,856.
What you need to know about fuel economy
All car manufacturers put their vehicles through standardised fuel testing procedures. These tests are great because they allow you to compare models from different manufacturers.
However, the tests take place under strict conditions. On public roads, every trip is going to be different. Traffic, the weather, road surfaces, vehicle health and payloads all vary, meaning the economy you achieve may be different to the brochure figures.
It is quite common to see a vehicle vary by as much as 1.0L (or more) from the brochure fuel economy data.
How much diesel did the GWM Ute burn on test?
Handily, motoring journalists tend to report the fuel economy they achieved while testing their press cars.One of the testers managed to record 0.1L/100km under the official 9.4L/100km. Another tester reported 0.8L/100km higher figures. The final journalist used 0.5L/100km more than the brochure figures.That's well within the 1.0L/100km margin we typically spot when analysing reviews, so that's good. However, do your due diligence and, if you can, try to test drive a GWM Ute and see what fuel economy you log during your time with it.It's not bad, but it's a long way off some of its rivals with similarly sized engines. The Ford Ranger double-cab 4WD uses 7.4L/100km combined (on paper) and the Mazda BT-50's fuel economy is given as 6.7L/100km combined.Handling
Is there any point reviewing a ute's handling?
It can seem a little odd assessing the handling of a ute. Not that long ago, they were super spartan, commercial vehicles that were a little jarring and sometimes felt like a handful.
But now, more and more buyers are using them as a daily driver. In answer, ute builders have worked at making them more refined and comfortable.
What's the GWM Ute like to drive?
First, as you would expect with a commercial vehicle, which Great Wall Motors claims can carry up to 1,050kg (as a dual-cab), the rear suspension is heavy-duty. It needs to be, so it can hold over a tonne of stuff, but when it's got nothing in the tray, it's as uncompressed as it'll ever be. As a result, all utes exhibit a jouncy (to some extent) unladen ride. The rear suspension is a bit busy, but if you test drive a few utes, you'll find this trait is common across them all. This was put into context when one of the motoring experts said that the GWM Ute wasn't any less yielding than its competitors.
With some weight secured into the tray, reviewers found the GWM Ute became a little more pliant. However, they noted it still wasn't perfect, with potential for some refinements to be made on the next iteration. One of the testers loaded it up to near its maximum payload and found things still held together well. It left them surprised at how well it carried the extra weight.
Reviewers gave GWM a big thumbs up for fitting disc brakes all-round, as many manufacturers still fit drum brakes.
Other testers were surprised by how well the GWM Ute behaves around town. Testers detected a sensation of vagueness to the steering, which isn't uncommon in larger, commercial vehicles. They indicated that this needs to be controlled, meaning presumably you have to put a little effort into keeping the GWM Ute moving in a straight line.
The steering was described as lightly weighted, easy to turn but perhaps slightly sluggish.
Apparently, around corners the ute holds onto the road admirably, responding in a steady and manageable manner. One of the testers believed that the GWM Ute didn't handle as well as the segment average benchmark, with road imperfections causing it to get a little wallowy. They thought this could be fixed with some local tuning, as many ute builders do. They decided this should be on GWM Australia's to-do list, with a high priority. That same reviewer also recognised that the Ute wasn't extreme in any manner, it was just somewhat average. Bearable, but lacking some polish was how one tester summed it up.
It seems the GWM Ute handles okay, it's not going to trouble any of the segment leaders, but the motoring experts surmised it could hold its own most of the time.
Interior and equipment
What's the interior of the GWM Ute like?
Is "You get what you pay for" a true statement anymore? Because, with the GWM Ute, you certainly get a lot of clobber for your cash.
Base spec models would probably sit fairly high up in most competitor line-ups. One of the reviews we analysed stated the interior was much closer to a high-end sedan and that it actually outclassed some of its more established adversaries. This belief was seconded by another reviewer, which hinted that the GWM Ute was better than some of its contemporaries. GWM received compliments for the materials it chose, which are supposedly high quality. This was supported by one of the other testers.
It sounds like things are relatively stylish in the cabin too, which hasn't always been the case with the less expensive utes. Obviously, lower-end models like the Cannon and Cannon-L aren't as well-equipped as the higher-spec X.
A reviewer said that the Cannon-X range-topper had a premium air that seems contrary to the asking price. Another tester suggested the switchgear used was weighty and substantial.
The seats are reportedly very comfortable. Reviewers deemed the interior space as good, with enough room for even tall persons in the rear. It was suggested that almost everyone will find the Cannon-X trim accommodating. One reviewer indicated it was in contention for best-in-class second-row space.
In terms of things that aren't great, reviewers said that the steering wheel controls were cumbersome and that the infotainment display is overly reflective, especially in bright sunlight. More than one motoring journalist noted the occasional embedded Chinese language alerts for vehicle functions, which they understandably wanted in English so they could comprehend what it was telling them. Another writer moaned that the Cannon and Cannon-L lacked steering wheel reach adjustment, perhaps as a way to lower costs. They also had a little bugbear that the lane keeping assist defaulted to hijacking the driver's multi-information display after a time delay. One motoring writer found that the armrest annoyingly moved around with very little effort on Cannon and Cannon-L grades. Others found the Cannon sounded too many irritating and unnecessary bongs and chimes during normal operation.
Storage space is apparently adequate, with all the usual cubbies you'd expect. It was described as sufficient, but not groundbreaking. One tester criticised the Ute, saying the door pockets weren't deep enough, even hinting that on rough surfaces, things could be ejected.
One tester went as far as describing the surround-view mode as the best in its class.
Finally, the tray design gathered a lot of positive comments. Testers liked that the tailgate was controlled with 2 struts, opening more like a passenger car. Plus, many of the reviewers loved the ingenuity of the pop-out step that is located on the top edge of the tailgate. It means you don't have to scuff up your jeans clambering in the back. That's important, considering GWM applies a spray-on bed liner to the Cannon-L model.
In summary, it sounds like a comfortable and well thought-out cabin.
GWM Ute safety, security and driver assists
GWM Ute interior and comfort features
GWM Ute exterior highlights
Verdict
GWM's Ute is a cost-effective ute that manages to deliver a heap of tech, for a comparatively small amount of money. You get some genuinely innovative equipment like the cargo ladder that lives inside the tailgate when not in use. It's genuinely easy on the eye and includes a lot of equipment.
It seems the GWM Ute isn't perfect, but very few cars are. If you're considering a ute near this price point, like the Mitsubishi Triton, then you should test drive the GWM Ute Cannon, as you might find you're getting a better deal.We analysed and combined 4 GWM Ute reviews into this single guide, to help you save some time. With the time we've saved you, why not take a moment to compare car insurance and car loans, sometimes you can save hundreds of dollars.
