We like
Economical for its size, flexible fuel source (petrol or EV), smooth and quiet operation, high perceived quality, excellent feature list, warranty, price

Room for improvement
Grumpy engine under load, tray-mounted spare wheel, poor storage of EV cables, overall weight, fussy touchscreen, lots of annoying warning beeps/buzzers; over-zealous steering nanny

Overview

 

A man-size 4WD ute from around $54k* with 3500kg tow rating and the ability to drive purely on batteries for up to 115km. Hit me with that five years ago and I’d be reporting you for substance abuse.

 

Yet that, and more, are some of the surprises with the ute that possibly answers every complaint made about combining hard work with family livability.

 

And yes Doreen, it is Chinese and so what?

 

Within two years of launch, Chinese-made vehicles have bounced to the top of the ‘value for money’ chain and after pretty much capturing the EV market in passenger cars and SUVs, have turned their attention to utes.

 

The GWM Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV reflects the big stretch from what we only recently accepted as ute standards in ride/comfort/features/price. In fact, having a traditional ute along for part of this road test just showed how much more today’s ute buyer is getting.

 

It is not perfect and is obviously not for everyone. Some commercial buyers who work their utes hard may prefer to stay with legacy brands, for example, and some may not seek the level of features found in utes like the Cannon Alpha.

 

But there’s a big slice who want ownership based more on leisure miles than work hours, who may have a family and seek safety for a dual-purpose vehicle role, and may see value for money as a prerequisite.

 

Taken further, the warranty, low ownership costs and miserly fuel consumption along with the flexibility of running it on electric or petrol power, have significant appeal.

 

 

The ute comes with a five-star crash rating and has safety equipment including seven airbags, autonomous braking, lane keep and departure control, and a host of other aids.

 

The Ultra version of the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV is the model flagship and GWM has fitted all the high-end equipment that includes (but is not limited to) vehicle-to-load capability (plugs into your home appliances, for example); heated and vented and massaging front seats and heated/vented outer rear seats; wireless charging front and rear; lots of power plugs (but not a three-pin plug for the V2L); 14.6-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto; 360-degree camera; panoramic roof; 10-speaker Infinity audio; split tailgate; and heated steering wheel.  

 

And it looks like GWM has nicked a diamante analogue clock from Bentley to star in the centre of the dashboard.

 

 

GWM has a seven-year warranty with an eight-year warranty on the battery pack. There’s roadside assistance for seven years and the capped-price service program lasts for seven years.

 

The capped-price program is for 12 months and in the first year, is for 10,000km. Subsequent 12-month intervals are at 15,000km gaps. The seven-year total is $4610 which is an average of $660 a year.

 

 

*The PHEV ute starts at $53,490 driveaway. The more upmarket Ultra PHEV tested here is $60,490 driveaway.

 

 

Driving impressions

 

 

The unexpected thing about the GWM Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV is that it rides as smoothly as a passenger car. That’s thanks to the four-coil suspension and even the 2.8-tonne weight.

 

On long, open roads it just eats distance with ease and remains quiet, composed and economical – especially if you’ve charged up the onboard battery before leaving home.

 

It’s also comfortable for all passengers, especially those often overlooked in the rear. There’s good cabin room, the rear seat is set a bit higher than the front so there’s an advantage for kids who may prefer a view of the outside, rather than a screen.

 

The driver gets heaps of space, especially leg and elbow room, and all the controls fall logically in place.

 

The fairy tale ends with the roadholding, which is confident up to the bit when it’s not. Then the weight of the ute unrolls some understeer to dent any sporty aspirations. True, it’s not a sports car and drivers shouldn't over-expect anything in the handling department.

 

One big dislike with the ute was the over-zealous lane assist that pulls (really) hard at the steering wheel to stop a lane change. It is very much on the ultra-cautious side of reality and becomes hard work to avoid engaging.

 

There’s also a plethora of warning bells and whistles and chimes to keep you from listening to the radio/audio, along with warning signs that imply you will die if you don’t brake NOW. Somewhat takes the fun out of driving.

 

Back under the bonnet: Power delivery is smooth and while there’s a decent amount of torque – thanks to the electric motor – it doesn’t feel particularly strong.

 

The PHEV combines a 120kW electric motor with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine rated at 180kW, for a combined output of 300kW. Much of those two power figures don’t arrive at the same time, however the big plus is that the motor punches from 1rpm (yes, one rev) and the petrol is cranking its maximum much higher in the rev range. So it evens out.

 

Likewise, the torque of the motor kicks in at its maximum 400Nm at 1rpm and slips away as the revs rise, while the petrol contributes 380Nm at higher revs. GWM claims the maximum torque output is 750Nm but, again, remember this all comes in at different times.

 

Drive goes through a nine-speed automatic transmission with five modes, a two-speed transfer case and front and rear (Ultra version) locking diff’. The drive is selectable 4WD – like most off roaders – so drivers can just dial in what they think is needed for the different road surfaces.

 

Off the road this thing was quite a surprise. Daunted by the weight and knowing there’s a bit of rear overhang along with a long wheelbase that shrinks the ramp-over angle, it was nurturing over limestone ruts and rocky inclines.

 

Surprise indeed. The Cannon Alpha PHEV was very capable and the torque kept pouring through to the wheels with excellent traction and little hint that it was in trouble.

 

Appreciated was the smooth ride, even over the bigger rocks. The tyres were grippy enough for the modest dirt work encountered but there’s lots of potential for even better off-road performance if a more aggressive tyre tread was used.

 

As mentioned, it’s a weighty 2.8-tonne vehicle without humans and other cargo. So the performance is constrained not by the powerplants but by the mass it has to haul.

 

Fuel economy is naturally affected. GWM claims that with the NEDC test, the Alpha Ultra PHEV will return 1.7 litres per 100km and without a charge, that will go to an average of 7.9 L/100km. I’d suggest that’s actually closer to 9.5 L/100km as a real-life average, which shows just how important it is to plug it in. Having a home charger – available through GWM – is a must.

 

Run on its batteries alone, the ute is claimed to get 115km without needing the engine. In reality, that’s a bit optimistic with our test coming in at 98km. Regardless, it still means that most owners can get to work or drop the kids off at school or run errands in suburbia for about a day. That equates to a big cost saving.

 

In terms of load, the PHEV will take a payload of up to 685kg and tow up to 3500kg (with tow kit), while the tray is a reasonable 1.52m by 1.5m. A nice touch is the split tailgate that folds down conventionally, but also has a split (about 60:40) that allows it to swing out with vertical hinges.

 

This allows loading on the 60 per cent side without fouling the spare wheel. Didn’t I mention that?

 

The spare wheel sits upright at the end of the tray and obviously takes up a bit of room.

 

There’s no room for the spare under the rear chassis rails because that’s where one half of the battery is placed. I’d be concerned that the battery was also in a vulnerable place for damage when off roading, but it didn’t get in the way on test mainly because it had some protection from the tow bar assembly.

 

That said, the battery didn’t appear to have any protection in the form of a skid plate.

 

Meanwhile, other bits and pieces associated with the electric motor – charging cable et al – have to live in a box on the rear passenger floor. GWM needs to find a better place for this gear.