In some markets, like the United States, electric pickup trucks have dominated headlines in recent years, thanks to high-profile models such as the Rivian R1T, Tesla Cybertruck, and Ford F-150 Lightning. The buzz has been loud, but sales have been quiet and are now tapering off, indicating that many truck buyers aren’t quite ready to go fully electric. That gap is where hybrid pickups are starting to look increasingly practical.America is home to numerous hybrid pickups, including versions of the Toyota Tundra, Ford F-150, Ford Maverick, and Toyota Tacoma. There are also an increasing number of plug-in hybrid pickups hitting showrooms in other markets, including Australia, promising to provide the performance of a powerful hybrid with improved fuel economy once unachievable in a traditional diesel or petrol truck.Read: We Tested China’s Toyota Land Cruiser Rival And It Caught Us Off GuardOne of the big players in the hybrid pickup space has been China’s BYD Shark 6, but Down Under, it’s no longer the only compelling option. In addition to Ford launching a plug-in hybrid version of the best-selling Ranger, another Chinese brand, Great Wall Motors (GWM), also sells its popular Cannon Alpha PHEV. That’s the blacked-out pickup you see before it. Looks pretty good, right?So What Is It?The Cannon Alpha PHEV comes from the same brand that has brought us China’s answer to the Toyota Land Cruiser, known as the Tank 500, which we tested recently. Interestingly, the Cannon Alpha actually shares its underpinnings with the Tank 500, which is a very good starting point.Beneath the skin of the pickup, which we tested in flagship Ultra guise, is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor delivering 120 kW (161 hp) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft). When combined with the 180 kW (241 hp) and 380 Nm (280 lb-ft_ offered up by the combustion engine, you get an impressive 300 kW (402 hp) and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft). Peak power is down on the 321 kW (430 hp) of the Shark 6, but torque is up from the BYD’s 650 Nm (479 lb-ft). The Ford Ranger PHEV trails far behind with 207 kW (277 hp) and 697 Nm (514 lb-ft). Also impressive with the GWM’s powertrain is the fact that it’s equipped with a sizeable 37.1 kWh battery pack, offering it up to 115 kW of all-electric driving.Review: Ram’s Diesel 2500 Is Everything We Wanted But Nothing We NeededPricing is also very competitive. In Australia, the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV starts at AU$59,990 and tops out at AU$66,990 for the Ultra we tested. That’s up on the Shark 6’s AU$57,900 starting price, but is less than the Ranger PHEV, which kicks off from AU$71,990.The front half of the Cannon Alpha PHEV’s interior is virtually identical to the Tank 500 we tested recently. Given how astonished I was at the level of luxury on offer in the Tank, considering its price, I was equally impressed with the fit and finish of GWM’s pickup.The middle section of the dashboard has a lovely faux wood finish and supports a free-standing 12.3-inch infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Cannon Alpha is also equipped with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a head-up display.As in the Tank 500, a small analog clock in the dash adds a touch of class to the cabin, as do the physical climate control shortcut buttons directly beneath it. There are also metallic finishes on the air vents, as well as heaps of soft-touch leather on the dashboard, door panels, and transmission tunnel. This is a very uncharacteristic pickup truck interior, and it’s all the better for it.The creature comforts and technology suite are also far beyond most traditional trucks. These include a heated steering wheel as well as heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats. The infotainment system is also far more tech-forward and feature-rich than is typical of vehicles competing in this segment.Like the Tank 500, the screen is very responsive, and the menus are easy to follow and understand. Unfortunately, the digital gauge cluster isn’t so nice. While it’s large and clear, it offers little scope for personalization and only has tiny readouts for the speed and a power meter. There’s no option for traditional gauges, nor even a tachometer, which is a little strange.Review: We Drive The $7,000 Nissan SUV That’s Taking Asia By StormOther standouts include a wireless smartphone charger and a chunky gear selector. There are also large buttons to enable the front and rear differential locks, engage 4L, and choose between the various driving modes. It’s disappointing that there are some blank buttons, however, particularly given that the Ultra is the flagship version. The rear is also excellent. In addition to offering plenty of space for adults, the outboard seats are heated and ventilated. There is also a small sliding rear window, similar to what’s found in the Nissan Navara. Not only that but there’s even a wireless smartphone charger in the fold-down armrest, which I’ve never seen before.From the outside, the Cannon Alpha PHEV Ultra looks quite nice, although the standard wheels and tires do look massively undersized.GWM’s local solution for adding a spare tire also leaves a lot to be desired. As the battery pack takes up the space under the bed where the tire would usually sit, it’s been forced to mount the wheel vertically in the bed and cover it in a cheap-looking plastic cover. More on this later.As a daily driver, the Cannon Alpha PHEV Ultra does the job well. All too often, pickup trucks ride harshly when unladen, and historically, they’ve been quite archaic too, particularly when fitted with large capacity and unrefined diesel engines. The GWM feels nothing like this.As we found in the Tank 500, the plug-in hybrid powertrain is smooth and quiet while offering plenty of pep. GWM has hilariously equipped it with a launch control mode, and when activated, the truck can hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in around 7.0 seconds, which is quite impressive given this isn’t a focused performer quite like the Ford Ranger Raptor.Review: I Drove The Ranger Lobo Ford Should’ve Built For AmericaWhen you’re not needing to get off the line quickly and simply wanting to cruise, the powertrain does have some annoyances, however. It suffers from some pretty terrible rev hang and will continue to accelerate for a good 1-2 seconds even after you lift of the throttle. While it’s easy enough to drive around this issue, it remains a safety concern. GWM did issue a fix to address this issue late last year for both the Cannon Alpha and Tank 500, but our tester hadn’t benefited from this update. The powertrain can also feel a little laggy, and the engagement between electric power and combustion power could be improved.I was also a little disappointed with the fuel economy. GWM quotes a consumption of 1.7 l/100 km over the combined cycle, but this is of course only measured during the initial 100 km, when the battery is fully charged and the pickup can operate primarily on electric power.Read: No Pickup Should Be As Fun As The Ford Ranger RaptorDuring my week with the Cannon Alpha PHEV, I averaged 11.5 l/100 km, despite having the regenerative braking turned up to the max most of the time. This consumption figure is no better than a typical diesel truck of this size, although it’s respectable for one offering this level of performance.But, with the provided cable, the GWM is easy enough to charge up at home, and thanks to its generous electric range, owners will be able to do many of their trips without using a sip of fuel. When plugged into a DC charger, the Cannon Alpha PHEV supports a charging rate of up to 50 kW.GWM quotes a maximum payload of 685 kg as well a braked towing capacity of 3,500 kg.The Cannon Alpha PHEV has some impressive off-road chops, too. While we only had the opportunity to test it along a short off-road trail, we found that its four-wheel drive system performed well across slippery and rocky terrain. There’s also a low-range transfer case and, as mentioned, front and rear locking diffs, to help out should owners find themselves stuck in any kind of precarious position.For the most part, the Cannon feels solid and well-built. However, the placement of the spare tire proved to be more than just an eyesore. It has been crudely mounted to a steel support in the bed and over even the smallest of bumps, including cat’s eyes, the spare wheel rattles. It gets very annoying, very fast, and I was tempted to take out the spare wheel just to enjoy some silence.VerdictThe market for plug-in hybrid pickup trucks remains quite small and is still in its infancy. However, vehicles like the Cannon Alpha PHEV Ultra prove that powertrains like the one used by the GWM make loads of sense. Thanks to the large battery pack, the pickup offers plenty of all-electric driving range, and when operating in hybrid, it has far more grunt than more basic petrol and diesel engines.While some may be concerned with the complexities associated with a plug-in hybrid system, Aussie owners can rest easy knowing all GWM products have a seven-year, unlimited-kilometer warranty.However, the Cannon Alpha PHEV could be better. If GWM makes some refinements to its powertrain, such as the hesitancy of the hybrid system, and could engineer a more elegant solution for the spare wheel, it’d be an easy pick in an exciting segment.
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