2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV review: Quick drive

The 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV we’re driving at our first (albeit brief) local test adds plug-in hybrid tech to GWM’s dual-cab range. That range comprises eight models already, with the closed-loop hybrid starting from $64,990 drive-away currently. 

Like its Tank 500 sibling, the Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV is fitted with a more powerful electric motor and larger battery, and therefore performance numbers that represent a significant step up from the regular Cannon Alpha dual-cab range. The Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV makes a healthy 300kW and 750Nm, which would make a decent impact in a segment often criticised for being underpowered. 

Segment favourites Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max (with diesel power) would all be left in the Cannon PHEV's wake, with only the new Ranger PHEV potentially keeping pace when it is launched in Australia in 2025. Ford has kept specification details for the Ranger PHEV close to its chest, but it has confirmed the electric system will be paired with a 2.3-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder.

Like our drive in the GWM Tank 500 PHEV, our drive in its dual-cab sibling is an early evaluation opportunity, as much for Australian press to have a closer look at the capability and inclusions, as it is for GWM to gauge whether the vehicle would work in Australia. That’s why the Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV we’re driving is left-hand drive and taking place on a closed-off road course.

The Cannon Alpha Ultra Hybrid has already proven to be an impressive performer both on and off-road when we've tested it, and the even more off-road-focused version of the PHEV we're driving is unsurprisingly effortless on the off-road course. The regular Alpha Ultra PHEV retains a 28.5-degree approach angle, 19-degree rampover angle, and 23-degree departure angle, bettering the Tank 500 slightly on each count. Standard equipment includes a front diff lock, centre diff lock, and rear diff lock, as well as low-range gearing for proper four-wheel-drive capability. 

A party trick offered by the Tank 500 PHEV as well as the Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV is V2L (vehicle-to-load) capability, meaning you could theoretically power equipment up to 3.3kW at the campsite, for example. Unlike an EV, though, where you would need to leave enough charge to get back to a charge point, the Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV retains the capability of the petrol engine, meaning you can easily leave the campsite even if you’ve depleted the battery.

Tech for the sake of it? Maybe. But it’s tech that would work for some of you in the right scenario, and if you're a regular weekend camper, it could come in handy.

Pricing is the area where it’s difficult to speculate as to how this dual-cab would fare in Australia. If you take the starting price of the Hybrid model as a guide and add somewhere between $12,000 and $15,000 to the price, you’re looking at close to $80K for a GWM dual-cab. While that’s representative of the technology included, the question is are Australian buyers ready to spend that much money on a dual-cab from a challenger brand? That’s the question GWM will have to answer. 

The figures for the Cannon are the same as those for the Tank 500. As such, GWM claims the petrol engine generates 180kW at 5500–6000rpm and 380Nm at 1700–4000rpm, so there’s a significant boost added by the electric motor when you assess the combined outputs.

With the battery discharged, the fuel use on the combined cycle is claimed to be 9.3 litres per 100 kilometres. Assuming you can get near that figure in the real world, the Alpha Ultra PHEV would be competitive within the dual-cab set, although diesel engines will be more fuel efficient in general running.

On a 50kW charger, you’ll get the 37.1kWh battery from 30 per cent to 80 per cent in just 15 minutes. Interestingly, and perhaps most significant for buyers, is the claimed EV range – a useful 110km. If you factored in a real-world return of 90–100km, that is more than enough for the average Aussie to do all their daily running during the week, fuel-free. 

The engine is mated to the same nine-speed automatic transmission used in the Tank 500 PHEV, and it worked just as smoothly in the dual-cab on sealed roads, or in low-range at crawling speed off-road. The inclusion of a full-size spare and braked tow rating of 3500kg also keeps the Alpha Ultra PHEV right in the competitive end of the dual-cab segment. 

The camera system was handy off-road and cabin comfort was also excellent. Visibility was solid on and off-road, and there's plenty of room in the second row as well. Like the Tank PHEV, the transition from electric to petrol power was almost imperceptible, and the gearbox was smooth under our testing loads as well. The engine doesn't require premium fuel and battery technology is ternary lithium.

A short drive of a LHD vehicle in controlled conditions isn’t the regular test-drive scenario that Drive puts a review vehicle through by any means, so we’ll reserve our final judgement until we spend more time with the Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV on and off-road. However, if the drive experience we sampled translates to a more thorough test, the latest iteration of the Cannon Alpha is a good one.

You don’t need to be Einstein to realise that Australians love a dual-cab. Few have failed in this market, and the challenger brands like GWM are already making some inroads. If you actually need a dual-cab to do what it’s supposed to do, the Cannon Alpha Ultra PHEV could offer a credible alternative. 

GWM’s Cannon Alpha dual-cab is ticking along nicely on the Australian sales charts, but that’s hardly surprising given our incredible interest in dual-cabs in general. Both GWM and LDV and even SsangYong have shown if you offer a competitively specified and sharply priced alternative, Aussie buyers will look at it. Are we ready for a plug-in hybrid dual-cab yet? That’s the million-dollar question.