GWM Cannon XSR 2025 Review

The GWM Cannon comes in four grades, all 4x4 dual-cab utes and all using the same engine and transmission except for 4x4 driveline differences between the flagship XSR variant (featured here) and those below it.

While lesser Cannons employ a full-time 4x4 capability, the XSR goes for the more common, workmanlike part-time system adding a lockable differential to the front, complementing the one at the rear.

This, plus other elements including a water-fording snorkel, metal side steps and a few cosmetic touches such as body-colour external mirrors and door handles, make the 2025 GWM Cannon XSR the most expensive variant at a drive-away price of $49,990.

Drive-away prices for the Cannon line-up spread from the $40,490 base-model Lux through the mid-range Ultra and Vanta models – at $43,490 and $45,490 respectively – to the top-spec XSR (prices correct at the time of writing but check with the manufacturer as deals appear frequently).

Similarly equipped and market-dominant rivals such as the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux GR Sport and Isuzu D-MAX X-Terrain are all priced much higher.

The 2025 GWM Cannon XSR might be the premium variant, but its standard equipment list doesn’t always reflect that.

With its on-demand 4x4 system, a front diff lock as well as the rear (and a snorkel), the XSR is more focussed as an off-roader than its siblings. Yet inside it closely matches the Vanta model’s cabin comforts with part-leather trim, power-adjusted and heated seats up front and a small flip-up power sunroof. Cooling for the front seats works in with the climate-control system to help make the XSR-spec Cannon bearable on hot summer days.

The Cannon XSR’s 18-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels reveal glimpses of red-painted brake callipers and wear 265/60 multi-purpose tyres supported by a full-size steel spare wheel. All Cannons come with tub-liners, front and rear skid plates and side steps – the XSR’s are solid steel – sports bars and roof rails.

The Cannon XSR’s lined tub, which is dimensionally comparable to Ranger, HiLux and D-Max, is rated to carry an 875kg payload. Accessed by either a fold-down step that emerges from the opened tailgate, or slightly tight footholds set into the sides of the rear bumper it’s easily loaded. Although, the space in the tub between the wheel arches isn’t wide enough to accept an Australian pallet.

The XSR’s off-road focussed configuration has meant the loss of some safety tech, which we’ll discuss shortly.

Warranty coverage for the GWM Cannon XSR is typically generous for a Chinese ute at seven years/unlimited kilometres, with servicing scheduled at 12-month/15,000km intervals (whichever comes first) and roadside assist is provided for the first five years.

Capped-price servicing costs during those five years start at $370 for the initial service, then rises to $690 at five years for a total cost of $2530.

While the rest of the range receives a five-star ANCAP safety score, the 2025 GWM Cannon XSR doesn’t run a rating.

Still, it runs an extensive list of safety technology – although the XSR variant lacks specific items which, according to the company, are not available due to elements of its “exterior design.”

As a result, the seven-airbag XSR comes with most of the fundamentals, but not all.

There’s no reverse autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert.

However, the XSR does get high and low-speed AEB, pedestrian avoidance, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, front cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, self-dipping LED headlights, driver attention monitoring, road sign recognition and a 3D 360-degree camera.

The 2025 GWM Cannon XSR’s cleaned-up dash display offers two screens. The conventional tablet-style centre  display (measuring 12.3 inches) accompanies a smaller seven-inch digital-readout nestled behind the steering wheel.

No, there’s no native satnav and the touch-screen dependent control systems are sometimes difficult to get your head around, but everything is presented cleanly and relatively intuitively. The stubby, sometimes vague shift lever has equal numbers of fans and detractors.

The driving position, easily tailored by the two-way adjustable steering wheel and the power-adjusted seat, is acceptably comfortable. And there’s ample legroom in both front and rear with no headroom problems introduced by the small, powered sunroof. Thus far, the XSR-spec GWM Cannon lacks a head-up display.

A good supply of USB connections throughout – including USB-A and USB-C points below the dashboard’s centre air vents and two USB-C points above the rear centre air vents – plus wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, wireless smartphone charging, Bluetooth and an electrochromatic rear-view mirror, all help bring a bit of cosy familiarity to a 4x4 ute.

Despite its on-trend dash presentation, like an increasing number of utes, the Cannon’s driver-vehicle interactions are overtly touch-screen dependent.

While it’s not surprising that the replacement of a smaller engine with a bigger one has brought benefits in quoted power delivery, the new GWM Cannon’s claimed improvements in fuel economy and exhaust emissions look like a bonus.

With 135kW and 480Nm on tap, the 2.4-litre turbo-diesel comes from the bigger Cannon Alpha and is a bit of a game-changer compared to the original 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine.

That said, the GWM Cannon is still a little unfavoured for power/weight ratios against rivals such as the 2.0-litre Ford Ranger, 2.8-litre Toyota HiLux and three-litre Isuzu D-MAX. The new GWM-developed nine-speed auto gearbox helps mitigate these downsides with three modes: Standard, Sport and Eco.

Against the GWM Cannon XSR’s 8.4L/100km combined fuel consumption claim – in the same realm as the competition – our Cannon XSR saw 9.6L/100km. This included a week of driving in a mix of freeway and urban conditions.

The official 221g/km CO2 output is also similarly comparable to its segment rivals.

The Cannon’s 78-litre fuel tank is close in capacity to the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, which both hold 80 litres, and a little bigger than the 76-litre Isuzu D-MAX.

In its latest form, the 2025 GWM Cannon XSR is more refined and easier to live with than early iterations.

Not only is the power delivery considerably improved; the general overall dynamic refinement, particularly in the way the Cannon steers (it’s relatively quick at just over three turns from lock to lock) is welcomingly more precise and confidence inspiring.

Annoyances continue though. The accelerator is imprecise from step-off, not knowing whether to deliver a complete bootful or a tentative creep forward, which results in a sudden rush or, especially when reversing, a brief bout of wheelspin. Surely the system could easily be better calibrated.

And the seemingly quick steering could be masking the Cannon’s extended turning circle, which is quoted at 13.7 metres but feels even worse.

Although, at cruising speeds, the Cannon is stable, secure and pretty quiet in terms of engine and road noise. The ride quality, unladen, can be choppy and bordering on unpleasant. Using up some of the Cannon’s potential 875kg payload would undoubtedly bring rewards in comfort.

Over-assertive lane-keep tactics, once a familiar bugbear among Chinese vehicles, are still noticed, but less evident in the GWM Cannon than they were a few short years ago.

Others have mentioned this too, but the Cannon’s perverse indicators, which play a merry game of flashing between left and right sides as the driver tries deactivating them, are a constant and surely unnecessary frustration.

The Cannon’s towing abilities, increased from 3200kg to 3500kg, are now up to scratch.

For this review we stayed on-road. Its off-road and workhorse capabilities are covered in our launch review.

With part-leather seat trim, soft-touch surfacing in the places where they are appreciated, a clean dash design and clearly presented multifunction steering wheel controls, the 2025 GWM Cannon XSR has evolved nicely in terms of architecture, functionality and apparent quality.

Not atypically, there’s a shortage of handy storage places for smaller paraphernalia, although the narrow inset tray running almost the full width of the dash proves handy. As do the litres of storage space available in the deep cubby with its sliding tray in the centre console.

As already mentioned, the legroom available to rear-seat passengers gains a ‘good’ score – unlike some utes.

It might lack the ultimate panache of a Ford Ranger or a BYD Shark 6, but the 2025 GWM Cannon XSR is a sound, well-presented workhorse 4x4 ute that doesn’t make any excuses for being a relative newcomer in a well-matured market segment.

It just keeps getting better.

This is almost incidental to the fact that the Cannon also remains significantly cheaper than the long-standing class stalwarts – and that’s before considering the fact that all GWM Cannon prices are drive-away.

2025 GWM Cannon XSR at a glance:
Price: $49,990 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 135kW/480Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.4L/100km
CO2: 221g/km
Safety rating: Not tested

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