2025 GWM Cannon XSR Review: China’s Ute Shames Hilux and Ranger

Australia’s ute market is a sweaty locker room of ego and exhaust fumes — a place where size matters, chrome counts, and every bloke thinks he’s auditioning for a BCF ad. Into this musky, testosterone-fuelled market strides the GWM Cannon XSR — the ute that could finally make Toyota and Ford blush.

For decades, the Hilux and Ranger have strutted about like kings of the paddock, their owners as loyal as Labradors. But here comes GWM, reborn and ready to pop a button on the flannel shirt of the establishment. Once the punchline of the car world, Great Wall Motors has pulled off the automotive equivalent of a glow-up. Gone are the brittle plastics and questionable safety. In their place? A ute that looks sharp, feels premium, and makes even the priciest HiLux Rogue glance nervously in the rear-view.

Under the bonnet sits a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel churning out 135 kW and 480 Nm (2.0L in lower models), paired with GWM’s own 9-speed automatic transmission (8-speed in lower models). Although it’s smooth, torquey, it feels a little dim witted at low speeds in 2h. Cannon is properly sorted off-road with front and rear diff locks, bash plates, and underbody armour that looks ready for a Mad Max reboot.

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ABOVE: Cannon XSR

Inside the Cannon: A Luxe Smoko Room (and a Fab Tailgate Step)

Step inside and you’ll forget this is a “budget” ute. It’s a little flash — the dashboard lighting feels like Mardi Gras in Dubbo — but it’s interesting, and that’s better than bland. The only real clanger is the DAB+ radio, which hides favourites behind a menu maze. Favourites yes, presets no? Who signed off on that?

Otherwise, the tech game is strong: a big 12.3-inch infotainment screen, a 7-inch driver display, wireless charging, 360-degree cameras, and steering that actually adjusts far enough to suit normal-sized humans. And the pièce de résistance: the fab pull-out tailgate step, which makes climbing into the tub a breeze if you have long legs, and are 18.

The Hilux Embarrassment

We tested the Toyota Hilux SR5 at about $15K more than a fully loaded Cannon XSR. And yet inside, it felt like stepping back in time: tiny 4.2-inch driver display, puny 8-inch infotainment screen, cloth seats, rear drums, and a 6-speed automatic that struggles to keep up. The steering wheel barely adjusts, the interior is cramped, and the ADAS feels half-baked thanks to hydraulic steering that doesn’t play nicely with the computers.

The Cannon makes it all look ancient — larger, more modern, heated/cooled seats, 12.3-inch screen, and a cabin that’s genuinely comfy. Even the Hilux’s touted reliability can’t save it from feeling like a relic next to the XSR.

The Changing of the Guard

The ute market is no longer just Japanese and American. BYD, LDV, MG, Foton, JAC — all bringing more for less. Even the BYD Shark 6 PHEV at $62,095 drive-away undercuts most rivals while leaving them for dead on EV range. The Ranger Stormtrak PHEV? Nearly $95K. Add six- or seven-year warranties, modern safety, and real cabin comfort, and the old mastheads suddenly look like they’ve stopped evolving somewhere around the iPod era.

Verdict: The Bloke Next Door Just Got Hotter

The GWM Cannon XSR isn’t perfect. The DAB+ setup is daft, the suspension can punish empty drives, and that name still sounds like a toy. But it’s modern, confident, and surprisingly handsome. It’s the ute equivalent of that new bloke who moves into the street — stylish, muscular, and probably better at everything than the one you’re with.

If the Hilux was your dependable ex, the Cannon XSR is your exciting new fling — cheaper, better in most ways, and guaranteed to make the neighbours talk.

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