It wasn’t that long ago when some of our favorite small pickups all gathered together
and drove off into the truck graveyard.
Deemed extinct by their manufacturers who believed their full size trucks were one size
fits all.
Bum now some of them are being exhumed and given new life, including this 2015 GMC Canyon.
When it comes time to buy a new truck – and I’m not talking about one of those behemoth
full-size jobs – until now, the choices have been extremely limited with the Toyota
Tacoma and Nissan Frontier dominating the landscape.
But those trucks haven’t been redesigned in ions and with no one else prodding the
segment along they’ve become staid.
This all-new Canyon and its Chevy counterpart the Colorado however are about to wake things
up.
They’re not called small trucks anymore, rather midsize and this biggest Canyon model,
the Crew Cab Long Box is evidence as to why.
At over 18’ long it’s less than 5” shorter than a comparable Sierra.
Yet, that size difference among a host of other nuanced attributes like fuel economy
and price is exactly why there’s room in the marketplace for the Canyon and trucks
like it.
For the weekend warrior who wants a pickup in his driveway he and his family can live
with comfortably on a daily use basis, this GMC makes good sense.
Enhanced by this incredible Cardinal Red paint, the Canyon is a serious looker; a truck with
big time curb appeal from any angle; kudos to GM designers on penning this body.
A no-frills 2-wheel drive extended cab with a 4-cylinder and a stick shift can be had
for less than $22,000, but this week I’ve been living large in this 4WD SLE Crew Cab
Long Box equipped with the All-Terrain Package and a host of other add-ons wearing a sticker
price of $39,370.
But before you groan, you have to realize that a comparably outfitted Sierra retails
for almost $9,000 more.
The All-Terrain grouping adds off-road suspension, hill decent control, new Kevlar-fortified
Goodyear Wranglers wrapped around special 17” wheels, a transfer case shield, body
color rear bumper and specific interior treatment.
Mine also has the Trailering Package which doubles the Canyon’s towing maximum to 7,000
pounds.
At 305 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque its smaller displacement engine still leads
in hp and also bests the competition in fuel economy, rated at 17mpg city/24mpg highway.
GM’s 3.6 liter V6 is an engine that works beautifully in a wide range of applications
but unfortunately it feels less harmonious here.
Power is not the problem as it makes 305 horses but the 6 speed auto frequently requires your
right foot to kick it down a gear to generate needed power and that can get tiresome.
Outside of that though the Canyon steers handles and rides more like a GM midsize car than
a truck making it the perfect tweener.
The segment’s first electric power steering system and a car-sized wheel contribute to
the Canyon’s deft maneuverability.
A healthy 1,470 pound payload capacity is underpinned by leaf springs in the rear – a
factor that contributes to a somewhat trucky ride over bad pavement and an area in which
I believe GM missed an opportunity to debut some coil springs for an even smoother ride.
One of the features I most appreciate is the 4-wheel drive system with an auto setting
– something you won’t find in the others, making confident traction available at all
times.
An automatic locking rear differential adds to that mantra.
The 6’ 2” box with bedliner and tie downs makes this a midsize that you can really use
to move stuff.
The tailgate can be shut with just a couple of fingers and there are steps built into
the bumper.
The only items I’d remove from this truck are the off-road assist steps simply because
they’re not necessary and more often than not just dirty your pants.
Inside there’s the excellent IntelliLink system replete with colorful animations and
graphics, Siri Eyes Free for iPhone and even a 4G LTE Wi-Fi connection including OnStar.
A Bose sound system, heated seats and remote start add to the fully-stocked pantry.
Some of my passengers found the front seat room to be a bit confining but the rear seats
are definitely kid friendly and are even suitable for adults with knees gently splayed.
And GMC realizes that USB ports are important – you’ll find 4 in all and 2 in the rear.
Relatively quiet inside, the Canyon expertly matches its intended use as a truck that’s
capable enough to get there and do the job as well as taking the family to the mall.
Scuttlebutt says that GMC is still tweaking the transmission to improve drivability and
once its ironed out, the Canyon is poised to be a segment buster and GM will also be
adding a Duramax Diesel next year.