King Kong Cannon vs. Ford Ranger: Compact Truck Battle
The King Kong Cannon is a compact pickup truck from Great Wall Motors with one of the coolest names we’ve ever heard. The real question is, can it stand up against the Ford Ranger? The Chinese pickup truck‘s size slots right between the Ranger and F-150. How does it compare in power, price, and other essential attributes?
The King Kong Cannon’s payload capacity is minimal
Great Wall Motors King Kong Cannon pickup truck is capable of hauling just 1,102 pounds. It’s easy to see that the truck doesn’t live up to its name in terms of power. Even a truck smaller in size than it, like the Ford Ranger, can haul more weight. The pickup truck that shares its name with a mythical gorilla has not revealed its towing capacity yet.
A great name can only get you so far. The King Kong Cannon has to step up to popular trucks like the Ford Ranger at some point. In terms of payload capacity, it falls very short. The 2022 Ford Ranger can haul up to 1,905 pounds when properly equipped. In addition, it can tow up to 7,500 pounds after purchasing the Trailer Tow Package from Ford.
The Ford Ranger has a more powerful engine
In terms of engine size and capability, the King Kong Cannon should be called the tiny marmoset. The two options are either a 2.0-liter gasoline or a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel engine. The first makes up to 187 horsepower, while the latter falls to 147 hp. The gasoline engine averages around 23 miles per gallon, and the turbo-diesel gets 28 mpg.
The Ford Ranger comes with only one option, and it’s a 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo four-cylinder engine. This little beast makes up to 270 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, plenty of power for a compact truck. Consequently, the Ranger gets just 21 city and 26 highway mpg. Though the extra power is excellent, the King Kong Cannon manages to win in fuel economy by a slight margin.
How much does a King Kong Cannon cost?
The price of the King Kong Cannon is one of its best qualities. It’s so good that it might make up for all of its other shortcomings. The expected price of the pickup truck is around ¥100,000 or about $15,650. A starting price below $16,000 makes it cheaper than the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Hyundai Santa Cruz, and even the new Ford Maverick. King Kong appears in big-budget movies, but you don’t need a big budget to own its truck.
The 2022 Ford Ranger starts at just $25,285. Though it is an excellent price compared to other trucks in the American market, it’s nearly $10,000 more than the Cannon. The Ranger has many more trims that raise its price even higher. The highest Lariat trim is over $34,000, but the incoming Tremor and even Raptor models will far exceed that number. The Ranger Tremor is estimated to start at around $41,000, according to CarAndDriver.
Though the King Kong Cannon is affordable, it falls short in a lot of ways. Compared to American pickup trucks like the Ford Ranger, it just can’t hold its own. Great Wall Motors’ pickup truck will only be available for the Chinese market, with the potential to enter Australia. In terms of having the best name ever, it is a strong candidate.
