After spending the last year focusing on meeting ute customers where the industry is heading with plug-in hybrid tech, GWM is now meeting them where they are with a bigger and better diesel engine.
Replacing the 135kW/480Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel unit in use since the Cannon Alpha‘s launch in 2024, the new 3.0-litre four touts outputs of 170kW and 620Nm.
Pricing hasn’t yet been nailed down by GWM Australia but it promises a two-grade lineup (consisting of entry Lux and high-trim Vanta) with a starting point ‘under $60,000 driveaway’, which is around the same kick-off point as an Isuzu D-Max 3.0L (from $59K d/a), though a fair bit cheaper than a Ford Ranger V6 (from $73K d/a).
In Q4 this year, an off-road-focused ‘XSR’ grade will also join GWM’s lineup.
Diesel sales might be declining, but they’re doing so from an enormous base with almost one in every four new cars – and half of last year’s top-ten best sellers – sporting the tried-and-tested compression-ignition tech that Aussies have used to build and enjoy this country.
GWM says Australia is the lead market for its new 3.0L and has therefore prioritised much of its development around local requests; travelling from sand to sea to city, tackling challenges on- and off-road with a healthy dose of towing to evaluate its performance in the real world.
For our first drive of this new setup, which is set to go on sale in September, we got behind the wheel of some pre-production examples of the three-litre Cannon Alpha at the Australian Automotive Research Centre (AARC) proving ground facility in Victoria.
Used by a range of manufacturers, including Toyota, as part of local development, our brief 30-minute drive at AARC saw us sample sealed highway conditions, twisty mountain roads and high-speed dirt roads to help get a good feel for the new engine and the new ‘AT-1’ steering and suspension tune designed for this new setup.
On paper, the 3.0L’s 170kW/620Nm outputs are certainly impressive – making it 14kW down but 20Nm up on Ford’s premium ‘Lion’ V6.
GWM also points to the fact its 3.0L hits peak torque sooner and holds it for longer, with a band of 1400-2400rpm to Ford’s 1750-2250rpm – though the latter does have one additional cog in its 10-speed auto to Cannon Alpha’s nine-speed ZF unit.
The 3.0L is generally solid and confidently offers up more grunt than the outgoing 2.4L but what stands out more is the calibration of the transmission, which is smoother than previous iterations and shows that the Cannon Alpha is maturing as it ages.
But there are chinks in its armour. At low speeds, the 3.0L Cannon Alpha suffers from GWM’s tendency to have an over-sensitive accelerator, yet strangely the problem is flipped once you head out onto the road.
Conservative powertrain tuning keeps revs low and it doesn’t kick down through gears fast enough. Nor is it consistent, as there were two or three occasions where it abruptly changed tack and listened to our boot-request, and we’ll need more driving time to determine why. Switching the Cannon Alpha to Sport mode does help, but not enough.
Thankfully, there is a set of paddles on the back of the steering wheel to take control which, along with the new ‘Tow Mode’, should prove advantageous when utilising its 3500kg braked capacity – something we didn’t get a chance to do on this initial drive.
The 3.0L is a step in the right direction for the Cannon Alpha but having spent at least 25,000km behind the wheel of Lion V6-equipped vehicles (and buying one myself), the Ford donk still feels the better all-round option when it comes to sheer punch and smoothness.
One area the Cannon Alpha steps backwards with the 3.0L is the switch to a part-time rather than an on-demand 4×4 system, which is a significant disadvantage for those owners who want to access maximum traction when towing in mixed conditions.
Notably, our pre-production Alpha blocked us from shifting from 2H to 4H until we slowed to under 80km/h, and once locked in 4×4, the ute beeped at us continuously to slow back down to 80km/h – though this can be circumvented by switching to more specific drive modes, we’re told.
Along with a conservative tune, the part-time 4×4 system is designed to save on fuel, with the Alpha promising a 7.3L/100km average fuel consumption claim to the Ranger V6’s 8.4L/100km and D-Max 3.0L’s 7.8L/100km.
We saw an indicated 10.9L/100km in our short loop, but further testing is needed to draw a conclusion on efficiency.
GWM Australia won’t offer the new extended fuel tank, which is available in the related Tank 500 diesel SUV and which takes diesel tank capacity to a whopping 131 litres, but the Alpha’s 78L capacity should still do 1068km in one hit if the claimed efficiency rings true.
The new 3.0L will not require AdBlue until 2028, when Euro 6d emissions regulations make it mandatory. GWM has also switched to a timing chain instead of a timing belt in the larger 3.0L for enhanced long-term durability.
The suspension and steering changes made in the Cannon Alpha’s AT-1 upgrade also appear to be a big step in the right direction, with the pre-production ute we drove taking some serious punishment over corrugations without skipping off the intended driving line, despite using rear leaf springs rather than the PHEV’s coil springs.
The 3350mm wheelbase provides stability even with the new Cannon Alpha’s 4×2 set-up and relaxed ESC tune along with awarding it huge space inside the cabin.
GWM hasn’t made any major changes inside, which you can read about in more detail in our previous reviews, but the Alpha remains extremely spacious for the class in both the first and second rows.
Equipment levels are expected to be largely the same as the current Cannon Alpha PHEV Lux and Vanta grades but expect standard features such as heated seats, synthetic leather upholstery, a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display and 14.6-inch multimedia system.
Higher grades pick up niceties such as a panoramic sunroof, full leather upholstery, ventilated seats and even heated back seats.
And, unlike the plug-in hybrid, we can happily confirm the 3.0L Cannon Alpha’s spare wheel is underslung, not mounted in the tray.
The honest verdict
GWM has declared its new 3.0L engine nothing less than class-leading in its all-round performance, which feels brave in such a competitive segment.
Our early testing leaves us in some doubt about this conclusion but we’ll reassess once the production model hits the pavement and the dirt trails come September.
Its claim to be king, however, is not backed by arrogance, but by passion from a local team which is increasingly finding its footing in Australia, and the maturing Cannon Alpha is one of the best updates we’ve seen so far.
Our testing time was brief, and we’ve yet to sample the new 3.0L in hot conditions, do any sort of towing or even engage low-range, but the signs, so far, appear to be good.