GWM’s Ute Cannon Vanta model has a more subtle flavour of blacked-out trims over the bright chrome models we first saw, but it’s the dearest in the range.
GWM has introduced a new flagship Ute variant that removes all the chrome bling introduced with the first model. Keeping on trend with the sort of tricked-up utes seen on the road with aftermarket changes, the factory GWM Ute Cannon Vanta uses matt black in lieu of chrome for its main exterior elements. But don’t be fooled by the name, there is no actual ‘Vantablack’ here – a chemical coating that absorbs up to 99.965% of visible light and is quite an expensive substance.
Remaining competitive against rivals such as the Mitsubishi Triton GSR and Nissan Navara Pro-4x, the GWM Ute Cannon Vanta is priced at $46,490 driveaway and comes with GWM’s 7-year, unlimited km warranty, and includes 5 years roadside assistance and 5-years Capped Price Servicing.
Sitting above the Cannon X in the local line-up, the Cannon Vanta brings unique equipment such as the black 18-inch alloys, black exterior mirrors and door handles, black front grille, black sports bar, and blacked-out manufacturer bagdes. The new model can be purchased in one of five paint colours: Pearl White, Crystal Black, Blue Sapphire, Scarlet Red and Pittsburgh Silver.
One notable omission is there are no roof rails like on the X variant, however, all other equipment carries over including front heated leather seats, wireless phone charging, 360-degree camera, 7.0-inch colour instrument cluster, automatic anti-glare rear view mirror, and, three selectable power assist steering modes.
On the safety front the five-star ANCAP-rated GWM Ute has Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian and bicycle detection, Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Traffic Sign Recognition.