ATN #418

LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
Off-road
OFF-ROAD
SCORE: 5/10
GWM UTE CANNON-L
We were excited to take the GWM Cannon-L off-road, but that excitement didn’t
last long. The gear selector was a particular annoyance as it is over-complicated
and not what you want in a 4x4 where quick shifts from drive to reverse are
required. It was also slow to engage 4x4, which is not ideal.
On the upside, traction control response seemed adequate and it was able
to get through our test course, just not as easily as other utes, due to its poor
ramp-over angle. Hill-descent control worked well and when combined with the
rear selectable locker, mild off-roading is within the GWM’s reach.
As a side note, and we are still not sure what happened here, but the Cannon
was making some awful clunks and bangs from the rear-end when making
tight turns in our off-road test. The radio also decided it didn’t want to turn off,
requiring the vehicle to be switched off and back on again.
SSANGYONG MUSSO
UNLIMITED XLV
The Musso struggled in the off-road test, due mainly to a lack of ground
clearance. It bottomed out more than any other ute and was the only one that
didn’t make it up our steep test climb at the first attempt.
Thankfully there are aftermarket suspension lift kits available to fix the ground
clearance issue, but the Ssangyong’s automatic rear diff lock is not as practical as
being able to manually activate the locker when required.
Low-range gearing was also a weak point, having to rely on hill-descent control
to come back down our steep test hill, though the system worked fairly well. The
engine feels really peaky too, making smooth progress more difficult than others
being tested.
SCORE: 5.5/10
92 ATN July 2021 FULLYLOADED.COM.AU