First impressions: The new GWM Cannon is more than just a facelift

Chinese automakers are known for their affordable and feature-packed crossovers. From small budget options to mid-size premium ones, there are a lot of models to choose from. When it comes to pickup trucks, though, it’s a different story.

While the pickup truck segment is one of the most popular in our market, Chinese brands have yet to get a sizable market share. GWM plans to change all that as the 4×4-focused Chinese automaker is one of the first in our market to bank on its pickup trucks, specifically the Cannon.

We already reviewed the GWM Cannon back in 2023, and while it wasn’t the best, it still had a lot to offer, especially at its price point, making it a very compelling model. Fast forward to this year, it has received quite the update,e and that’s what we recently got to experience at a very quick track day held at the R33 Drift Track in Pampanga.

The refreshed GWM Cannon was launched in our market at the 2025 Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) in April. And more than just its new looks, it also gets a mechanical upgrade, all of which we’ll be discussing here.

For starters, the exterior has been revamped with a few styling changes here and there. The headlights and taillights remain the same, but it ditches any elegance for a more sporty and rugged look.

The large front grille gets a two-bar mesh design, with two slats that extend outward to below the headlights. The bumper also receives the mesh grille treatment, along with a redesigned overrider. New 18-inch alloy wheels and larger overfenders add to the more rugged look, while the rear tailgate gets the GWM name proudly stamped on it.

This being the top-spec SLux 4×4 variant, it gets mostly blacked-out trim on the exterior, along with a new blacked-out sports bar which can be functional when the cargo bed is in use. It also comes with a tailgate step, which makes bed access easier.

That’s not all, as the interior receives the biggest changes with a completely revamped design, with a much more modern and sleeker look, along with more premium materials and an available red interior which spices things up.

Instead of being integrated into the dashboard, the seven-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system are now tablet-like, while buttons have unsurprisingly (and unfortunately) been lessened in favor of a cleaner layout. Thankfully, the most important buttons are still present, and smartphone connectivity (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) can be completely wireless.

One quirky design feature is the steering wheel. At first glance, you might think it looks weird as it’s missing a logo, but the entire horn pad/airbag cover is actually the GWM logo. Quite an interesting design feature that seems to have gone through a lot of thought.

Also, this new Cannon continues to boast loads of interior room, largely thanks to its larger dimensions compared to other pickup trucks such as the Ford Ranger Raptor.

And in addition, with the advent of outdoor activities such as overlanding, GWM has cleverly added some provisions for wired accessories needed for such uses. The buttons to control these can be found in the center console.

Another big change in the new GWM Cannon is what’s under the hood. It now packs a larger 2.4-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel that produces 184 horsepower and 480Nm of torque, an increase of 21 horsepower and 80Nm compared to the old 2.0-liter turbodiesel, and is now mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission.

That, along with handling and braking characteristics, we were able to fully test out during this track day. The makeshift track layout involves hard acceleration and braking, as well as both wide and tight turns, nose-in and parallel parking trials, and a quick adaptive cruise control test.

What is immediately noticeable is how much more refined this new engine is compared to the previous one. While it still has that loud diesel clatter, it’s less truck-like. 

The new transmission is smooth, but has a little bit of lag when coming from a stop, much like a dual-clutch transmission. This will become a problem in heavy stop-and-go city traffic and steep uphill conditions. Regardless, you’ll feel the increase in power.

As for handling, steering is extremely light and slightly lacking in terms of feedback. We’re not sure if this can be adjusted as we didn’t have enough seat time, but that’s something we definitely want to find out. 

One thing you will surely appreciate is how well-mannered it is. Lack of feedback aside, the Cannon is able to stay planted even when taking corners at higher speeds with minimal body roll. That, combined with some hard braking while turning, helps add some confidence in the Cannon, especially when road conditions aren’t exactly the best.

The steering’s light feel also contributes to making the Cannon very easy to park. Despite its large size, you won’t find difficulty in nose-in parking and even parallel parking. That’s also thanks to all-around parking sensors and a 360-degree camera system.

Now we can’t comment on ride quality just yet, as the concrete pavement of the R33 Drift Track is smoother than most roads around the country. Given the planted nature of the vehicle’s handling, we won’t be surprised if it’s still as firm as the pre-refresh model, if not slightly better. 

In addition, the Cannon Slux 4×4 is fully equipped with various advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) such as adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, blindspot monitoring, lane keeping assist, and lane departure warning. 

We were able to experience the adaptive cruise control feature, but only as passengers. We can comment on this once we get to try the feature (and the rest of the system) out on public roads, but based on our experience with the pre-refresh version, it should be pretty good.

First impressions matter

The GWM Cannon is now only available in two variants: the Lux 4×4, which is priced at Php 1,348,000, and the Slux 4×4, which is priced at Php 1,498,000*. Now, those are very affordable numbers when compared to its similarly equipped and much pricier rivals, and that’s enough to pull some buyers in.

Right now, we just can’t recommend it yet, given that we barely drove it for more than 10 minutes and that we barely had any seat time with it. That said, things are looking good so far, and we definitely want to see how this thing performs in real-world conditions. So far, we’re impressed, and that’s what matters for now.

*Prices do not include excise taxes for pickup trucks. GWM Philippines has not announced any price increases for its pickup truck lineup.

_{Photos by Sam Surla and Julian Panlilio}