WHAT started as a regulation road test turned into a battle of epic proportions when I decided that the GWM Cannon Alpha Ultra Hybrid Ute (yeah, let's just call it 'Cannon' from here on...) would be a great way to tidy up my suburban backyard.
With its impressive dimensions, the Cannon was already attracting attention, one lady even suggested her car might fit nicely in the tray, and I have to admit, I was starting to fall for its American-inspired styling.
Not that it was mimicking a specific vehicle, but you could be forgiven for thinking it came out of Detroit, it just had that look about it.
Taking it to Munchies on a Friday night was always going to be an adventure, with its generally 'traditionalist' turnout, but one thing I like about genuine car enthusiasts, they will at least ask about the car before they scorn it.
So it was I found myself acting as a defacto salesperson for GWM (must remember to submit my commission claims!), a not unfamiliar role for the various makes and models we test, and I had to admit, while it is not the best in class, it is certainly excellent value for money.
I admitted it was not a car I was likely to buy, but for the punter about to put their hard-earned on the table, I could see that many people could overlook some of the things I didn't like, with a significant saving over the other major players on offer.
So, what is it exactly?
Well, for a start, it is big...5,445mm long, bumper to bumper, tall (1,924mm) and wide (1,991mm), with a wheelbase of 3,350mm, although the length is a bit of a stretch, literally, as there is over 100mm of space between the radiator and the grille section, with the bumper even further ahead.
The engine bay, not surprisingly, is big, but with a reasonable amount of space around the 2-litre, four cylinder petrol turbo, generating a combined 255 kilowatts and 648 Newton-metres when teamed with the electric motor.
All of this goes to ground through a nine-speed auto transmission, with high- and low-range available in the four-wheel-drive system, while the driver also gets fingertip control of the gearshifts thanks to steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.
Personally, I don't see the point of this in a four-wheel-drive Ute, the idea of paddle shifters is for fast changing while having a sporty drive, not something that is highly recommended in a vehicle with a centre of gravity close to a metre off the ground, and enough body roll to give passengers the heebie-jeebies.
This is not a dig at GWM, I feel the same about paddle shifts in any high riding ute, I have done enough off-roading in my time to be comfortable with a console-mounted gear shifter.
Where the Cannon does suffer, specifically, in relation to paddle shifts is the lag between pulling the gear and when it actually changes, either up or down, leading to the driver repeating the shift command, and suddenly finding they have gone two gears when they only wanted one.
This was more noticeable on downshifts, if the computer thought the road speed was too high for the requested gear, then it would hold off until you had slowed sufficiently, before dropping through the gears.
Again, this is not a problem restricted to GWM, I have had it with other brands, but it is just another reason I don't go for sports shifters in what is essentially a commercial vehicle.
Ok, rant over, on with the show.
One thing I did notice with the Cannon was the lack of engine braking, even when the regenerative braking energy recovery was set to High, it still felt as though it was rolling on, rather than losing speed and gaining energy to charge the drive battery.
General ride comfort was disappointing, but again this is a common fault with luxury-spec Utes, while all cars are a compromise, trying to civilise a work truck is a bridge too far for the suspension.
Short version - a work truck is designed to carry a minimum 500kg in the tray, sitting on the rear suspension, which requires a stiffly sprung rear to handle the weight, and when loaded this way, the ride smooths out somewhat, because everything is doing the job as God, or at least the Senior Engineer, intended.
But, take that weight out, because it is working as a luxury family car, with leather interior, multi-zone airconditioning and a bunch of other goodies, and suddenly the back end wants to hop around like Skippy on red cordial.
The end result is a car that wants to leap into the air every time you hit a speed bump, raised pedestrian crossing or, even more likely in southeast Queensland, a badly worn and potholed section of road.
Which is a shame, because the front end is well-sorted, I admit I goofed turning into a few tight car parks, but that was operator error, having just climbed out of a much smaller car, not a fault of the Cannon.
Overall, the nose went where it was pointed, it absorbed the same bumps that were so upsetting to the back end without trying to shake your fillings out, and even the wide 18" tyres didn't cause too much angst in the suspension department.
One area I was not a fan of was the around-view camera system, this uses front and rear mounted cameras, as well as side cameras fitted to the bottom of the door mirror surrounds, with the images stitched together by computer and displayed on the (massive!) central screen in the cabin.
Unfortunately, the wide angle views became distorted, with images being stretched, worst of all, it would switch from an all-round view to a top-down image, usually just as you were creeping toward a traffic bollard or the car parked ahead or behind of you, causing a minor conniption as you tried to adjust your brain to the sudden change in perspective.
No, I never hit anything, but there were a few moments of particularly colourful language, apologies to Sister Margaret of the Immaculate Conception who happened to be standing next to the car on one occasion....
My partner made particular note of the thinner-rimmed steering wheel of the Cannon, while it was better than most in recent times, I agree, I would rather another 10mm of circumference for added comfort, but this is one of the joys of cars being sold in global markets, we are living in the age of 'One Size Fits None', it is either too thick, or too thin, there aren't many 'Goldilocks'' out there.
That aside, I was generally impressed with the interior of the Cannon, ok, the fake silver-grey timber fascia was plasticky (yep, there's that word again), but otherwise the fit and finish was good, it was just a nice place to spend time.
Again, acknowledging the gimmicky nature of the selectable ambient interior lighting, once we worked out the controls, it was nice to be bathed in a relaxing violet light, especially at night, and the outline of the front end embedded in the passenger console was pretty cool.
The multiple style massage function for the front seats was another nice touch, we tried a few different styles before settling on our personal favourites, it was just enough to relax, without being a distraction, and was welcome on longer drives.
One big win was the airconditioning, it was genuine cold air, setting the cabin temperature at 23C was more than enough, it was coming out blast freezer cold, and in a humid Logan summer where we had 90% humidity and 35C outside, that was very welcome.
Other improvements over previous include relocating the B-Pillar seatbelt mounts relative to the seats, so you aren't being choked as soon as you put your seatbelt on.
There is also a 'welcome' function on both front seats and also the rear bench seat, all electrically adjustable, sliding them backwards when the doors open, to make entry and exit easier.
Reinforcing the build quality, and the improvement in materials, the door windows crack open to equalise air pressure and make closing the door easier, no need to slam, as the internal air is compressed, it vents out the window, which then closes when the door closes.
The Cannon gives the impression it is here for the long run, there was a time when durability felt questionable, but the current generation has a feeling of solidity that gives you confidence it will go the distance.
Best of all - GWM has fitted the top spec models with a Heads Up Display, and it is a good one.
It is bright and easy to read, floating above the bonnet in the lower part of the driver's eyeline, with a selectable menu of what is displayed.
Yes, I love them, you don't need to look away from the road to check your speed, you get naviagation instructions and also the posted speed limit, HUDs are an effective measure in reducing driver distraction.
If it sounds like I am becoming a fan-boy of GWM, well, not quite, but they have earned the right to be recognised for the work they have done, this Ute looks and feels like it is up to the job.
That said, it is not perfect, as we discovered when we hit the road.
First, the driver monitoring is intrusive, no argument.
It took a few swipes on the huge 12.3" central touchscreen to find the off switch, and then the constant 'Please focus on the road' or 'Please take a break from driving' audio messages were shut down - for today.
While it can be disabled for a day, it resets overnight, and you have to go back in and turn it off again.
Not the worst, but enough to be annoying if I owned the car and had to do that every day.
Good news, the intervention by the lane keep assist and other safety systems has been modulated, no longer does the car try to wrench the steering wheel out of your hands for straying a bit too close (in the sensor's 'eye') to the edges of the lane.
It will still give the wheel a nudge, but you can push through it to maintain your line, especially good in roadworks where you may find lane widths are reduced, it is not 'pinballing' from one side to the other.
In general driving, we found the transmission solid and well-sorted, the nine-speed auto has a ratio for just about every occasion, but it could be clunky if it had to make too many shifts in quick succession.
An example was transitioning from heavy acceleration to constant speed, it would 'hunt' for the right gear, say moving from third to sixth, previously smooth shifts became harsh and it felt as if the transmission was clunking as it worked through the gears.
Another common occurrence was the transmission resetting into first after you pull up at a Stop sign or red light, there was a definite 'clunk' as it dropped into gear.
While it didn't feel terminal, it was off-putting, and spoke to the overall feeling of being not quite right the Cannon gave off when driving.
Braking was reasonable, again, horses for courses, the Cannon is a repurposed work truck, rather than a purpose-built sports machine, so on that basis, it wasn't terrible, but not a car I would choose to go hurtling into 'stop' type corners.
So, with this background, how did it go working as a ute?
Pretty good!
One party trick the Cannon has is a 'split' tailgate, with a 'soft open' function.
A long push of the button on the tailgate, and it lowers itself on the gas struts, rather than using the 'gravity assist' method of most utes.
This gives you full width access to the load area, great for loading and unloading branches, grass clippings and other general items, just like a 'normal' ute.
But a quick press unlocks the 60/40 split, with the shorter section hinged horizontally, while the larger piece remains locked in place.
One friend remarked this would make loading 20kg bags of salt much easier, with no need to either hoist them over the side of the tub, or slide them along or across the lowered tailgate, and making unloading similarly easy compared to other utes.
For me, I went the over-the-tub option for loading up the green waste, and found I got a the full load of clippings, front and backyards, plus plenty of branch trimmings in a single load, assisted by high-mounted tie-down points to use ratchets to compress it all.
While it wasn't a heavy load, it was certainly high on the cubic volume, and I appreciated not having to make multiple trips to get rid of everything.
So, did it pass muster?
Yes and no.
Sorry, I am the master of ambivalence, why give a straight answer to a simple question?
Yes, it did everything GWM promises, and works well as a ute, full marks on that front.
Value for money? I think so, given it comes in significantly under the price of the similarly-equipped competitors, and doesn't stint on interior fit out.
Yes, it still feels a little cheap in some areas, but with a $20k, and more, price difference, I wasn't complaining too much, and nor do I think will most buyers.
It still has integration issues, where it feels as though the Cannon is arguing with itself, to the detriment of the driving experience.
This is where I find myself saying 'No, I wouldn't buy one', because it feels unfinished, and even with the price difference, I just can't bring myself to overlook them.
But, given GWM's recent sales results, it does look like there are plenty of people who can, and ultimately, that is what matters.
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