I love pickups. I don’t have one yet, but my next new-car purchase will be. Today’s pickups are versatile beasts that aren’t so slow and rough on the kidneys like the trucks of the 2000s.

The Cannon is GWM’s entry for the very competitive compact pickup class, and when I last reviewed the automatic SLux 4×4, I said it was very competitively priced and spec’d and just in need of a wider dealer network to raise its appeal.

This lower-spec Pilot is pretty much like the SLux, but deletes the driver-assistance tech to bring the price down and make it more appealing to fleet buyers and old-school guys like me who don’t care much for tech toys.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a poverty-spec variant. It still gets ABS, four airbags, traction and hill descent control, hill start assist, tire pressure monitoring system, cruise control, reverse sensors, and rear and curbside cameras.

The seats are wrapped in leather, the driver’s seat is power-adjustable, the air-conditioning is automatic, and the nine-inch touchscreen supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. With the same 161hp and 400Nm engine and the same drivetrain as the SLux, the price is just P1,118,000 for the manual 4×4 version (or P998,000 for a 4×2).

The body-on-frame chassis is solid and flex-free, let down only a bit by the underdamped suspension. Perhaps in a bid to soften the ride of the rear leaf springs, the shock absorbers have excessive rebound, creating a bobbing sensation over rough surfaces.

The steering is mildly ponderous but just about what you’d expect for a truck, while the 2.0-liter turbodiesel is torquey if not especially sprightly. Rowing the six-speed is a nonissue if you’re used to manual transmissions, with a slightly notchy gate and moderate clutch effort. Still, those with chicken legs might want to cough up the extra dough for the auto-equipped SLux. Or just don’t skip leg day.

With its wide flanks and weird, stiff-kneed but also flaccid-feeling suspension, it doesn’t feel particularly sporty to drive like the Mazda BT-50 or the Ford Ranger Wildtrak. It’ll haul, but it’s just not particularly engaging like the better sorted-out competition.

The cockpit is a high point of the Cannon, with its clear sight lines, logical ergonomics, and tasteful materials.

Physical buttons and dials below the screen are for the climate control, the volume, and the stability control. A rotary dial behind the shifter lets you choose drive modes. As with the SLux, the latter is a gem.

The analog dials are handsome, although the font size of the 3.5-inch info screen could stand to be more legible for drivers who have fuzzy vision. The infotainment screen is easy to use and mainly for the audio system and the secondary controls.

Supplied by BorgWarner, the Torque-on-Demand system lets you choose among two-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and 4-Low, or even lock the rear differential for serious off-road work.

Approach, departure, and break-over angles of 27°, 25°, and 21.1° will also let you play in the boondocks without scratching the underside too much.

As for bed size, measurements of 1,520mm by 1,520mm by 540mm put it just a notch below the class-leading Ford Ranger, but bigger than the Toyota Hilux or the Isuzu D-Max. Over the course of several days, the Cannon made itself useful by easily hauling bikes, dog crates, palettes, and other bulky items.

Fuel economy of 11-12km/L in the city was quite painless, and if the Cannon didn’t quite stand out for anything spectacular, neither did it underwhelm. The plain Jane styling with the slab-sided flanks grows on you after a while, and nothing that a set of flashier tires and wheels can’t remedy.

While I didn’t really miss the ADAS features of the SLux, I could have used a rear window defogger as the back kept fogging up while I was driving down from Tagaytay.

It has been several months now since the Cannon was launched, with a low price as its main draw. However, Mitsubishi fairly recently announced pricing of the upcoming Triton. With the manual GL coming in at an introductory price of P1,157,000, this Cannon Pilot may have its work cut out for it justifying why it deserves a spot in your garage.

By itself, of course, the truck feels well-built and competent for the hard life that most pickup trucks are meant for. If you need a modern truck that can still be had with a stick shift, it deserves a place on your short list.