The new Great Wall ute has a name: the Great Wall Ute.
It arrives in Australia in the fourth quarter of this year with a range of three four-wheel drive, dual-cab models.
The range consists of the base Cannon, mid-spec Cannon-L and range-topping Cannon-X.
While a multi-link rear suspension is available in up-spec models on the Chinese market, all Ute models here will feature a leaf-spring rear suspension like most rivals.
The Ute promises to be a substantial upgrade in technology over the outgoing Great Wall Steed.
Standard features include steering-based lane-keeping assist and a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, while Great Wall has also previewed the option of a surround-view camera and an extendable ladder to access the tray.
Though not confirmed, we expect the Ute to follow its Chinese-market counterpart in offering autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection so it can best the Steed’s dismal two-star ANCAP rating.
Great Wall Motors hasn’t released much information on the Ute yet but we already know a bit about its latest model.
Information lodged on the Department of Transport and Regional Services’ Road Vehicle Certification System shows the Ute’s 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine will produce 120kW of power, 400Nm of torque and have a braked towing capacity of 2250kg.
It’ll be offered with a choice of a six-speed manual or ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission.
At 5410mm long, 1934mm wide and 1886mm tall and with a 3230mm long wheelbase, the Great Wall Ute is sized similarly to a Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
Its braked towing capacity is 1250kg short of 4×4 variants of the Ranger and HiLux, however, not to mention the value-priced SsangYong Musso. It’s also 850kg off that of the Mitsubishi Triton and shy of the 3500kg figure previously touted by executives in China.
The Great Wall’s engine also falls closer in its outputs to the entry-level, fleet-spec turbo-diesels in the Ranger XL (118kW/385Nm) and HiLux Workmate (110kW/400Nm) rather than the more powerful diesel options in their respective ranges, which offer upwards of 150-157kW of power and 500Nm of torque.
Great Wall Motors has promised a more powerful turbo-diesel is on the way. It revealed a 145kW/400Nm unit at last year’s Shanghai motor show and alluded to one with 500Nm of torque being in the works.
