The Great Wall Motor (GWM) Cannon is a pickup truck model produced by the Chinese automotive manufacturer, Great Wall Motors. First introduced in 2019 GWM’s pickup has gained a following for its robust design, load-bearing capabilities, and modern features.
Known in its home country of China as the Great Wall Pao, the Cannon is built on GWM’s P71 platform. Here in the Philippines, the GWM Cannon is powered by a 2.0-Liter four-cylinder diesel engine with a max output of 161 hp and 400 Nm of torque. Depending on the variant, the Cannon be had with either a six-speed manual gearbox or an eight-speed automatic. With this kit, the Cannon could be a viable contender in the pickup segment.
Launch
The Cannon pickup truck made its debut in the Philippines alongside the Haval H6 and Jolion SUV on April 11, 2023. GWM’s pickup truck presented itself as a feature-packed truck that provided a ton of value for your money. At launch, the Cannon is available in six variants, the Pilot 4x2 and 4x4 variants, and the Lux and SLux variants which also had 4x2 and 4x4 versions respectively. The least expensive Cannon at launch was the Pilot 4x2 with a launch price tag of P998,000 while at the other end of the price spectrum is the SLux 4x4 with the initial launch price set at P1,498,000.
Platform, Chassis and Powertrain
The Cannon rides on GWM’s P71 platform, powering GWM’s pickup truck is a 2.0-Liter four-cylinder diesel engine that can put out 161 hp and 400 Nm of torque. Transmission options include a six-speed manual and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Supporting the vehicle is a double wishbone suspension up front and a rigid axle with leaf springs at the rear. Stopping power is provided by ventilated disc brakes at the front with drum brakes at the rear for the Pilot variant. The Lux and SLux variants are equipped with ventilated discs at the front and solid discs at the rear, this setup is coupled with an electric parking brake with an auto hold feature.
Chassis
Class
Mid-size pickup truck
Body Style
4-door Double cab
Platform
Layout
All-wheel drive with Torque-on-Demand(4x4)
Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive(4x2)
GWM presents a suite of tech features Cannon. The Pilot variant is equipped with a nine-inch touchscreen infotainment and a six-speaker arrangement for entertainment, leather seats, power-adjustable driver seats, automatic air-conditioning, and automatic anti-glare rear-view mirrors.
The Lux and Slux variants take it a step further, sporting variant-exclusive features like rear AC vents, hydraulic-assisted tailgates, cruise control, and a suite of intelligent driver aids.
Exterior
The Cannon showcases a bold and rugged appearance, typical of a pickup truck. It features a muscular front grille with prominent GWM badging, sleek headlights, and a sturdy bumper. The overall design emphasizes a sense of strength and durability, with angular lines and a raised stance. The Pilot variant of the Cannon is simple, featuring a minimal amount of cladding and using body-colored fenders for the wheels.
The Lux and Slux variant on the other hand takes the already rugged looks of the Cannon and gives it additional muscle. This variant features flared wheel arches and a chrome-looking front grille. Providing additional height are 18-inch multi-spoke design alloy wheels.
Interior
Inside the Cannon, is a reasonably spacious cabin with a modern layout and amenities. It offers seating for up to five occupants, seats are upholstered in leather with cabin space providing ample amounts of legroom. The dashboard is simple and functional, housing the touchscreen infotainment system, climate controls, and other convenience features. Depending on the variant, the Cannon can be had with a manual air-conditioning system or an automatic system equipped with vents for rear passengers.
Safety
Equipped on the Pilot variants of the Cannon are the basic safety amenities such as keyless entry, engine immobilizer, a set of four airbags, ISOFIX tethers, ABS with EBD, hill-start and descent control, secondary collision mitigation, traction control, rear sensors, a tire pressure monitoring system, and curbside and reverse camera.
Exclusive for the SLux variants is GWM’s suite of advanced driver assist systems, which include, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, automatic emergency braking, cross-traffic alert, over-speed alarm, and intelligent cruise assistance.
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For under P1,500,000 at the time of this review, the GWM Cannon presents exceptional value in its top-of-the-line SLux configuration. It has all-wheel-drive, a strong chassis, and a lot of tech features that also include adaptive cruise among other things. Though, is there a catch? What's the chink in the armor of the Cannon? In this episode of Behind the Wheel we venture to ask whether or not it is worth giving this pickup a shot.
