Dual-cab 4x4 utes have been predictable for a long time, but now the Chinese automotive tidal wave is flooding ashore in this popular vehicle segment too. The latest new contender is the 2024 GWM Cannon Alpha, an oversized example of the ladder-frame breed with a long equipment list and an interior ambience akin to a luxury car. There can be no better vehicle to compare this most cogent threat yet to the existing ute hierarchy than the Toyota HiLux, which is a sales goliath. In this case we’ve lined up the latest mild-hybrid HiLux SR5 against the Cannon Alpha in top-spec Ultra trim powered by a turbo-diesel engine. There’s a lot the GWM does right, but also a lot it gets wrong. Can its good points outweigh the bad enough for us to favour it over the predictable Toyota?
