Our 2015 GMC Canyon tester, outfitted with the 3.6-liter V6 and four-wheel drive, is officially rated to burn 17 MPG in the city and 24 on the highway for a combined rating of 20 MPG.
That puts the Canyon ahead of its biggest competition, the V6-powered Tacoma, by two MPG combined, and only one MPG above the V6-powered GMC Sierra. Opt for a 5.3-liter V8 in the Sierra and the gap grows to a two-MPG advantage for the Canyon.
In a recent interview, Ram CEO Bob Hegbloom said that for a midsize truck to work for his brand, there would have to be a solid five-MPG advantage over its half-ton sibling, or else there would be too much overlap between the trucks. Apparently GM disagrees.
One of the major selling points on midsize trucks and smaller vehicles in general is the fuel economy advantage. So how does the Canyon stack up in the real world?
Over the total of 5882 miles I put on the truck to date, the trip computer reads an average of 17.4 MPG.
This calculation began the day the truck was picked up and includes all sorts of different usage, like regularly towing a 4,500-lb snowmobile trailer, commuting through dense city traffic, hauling a 6,300-lb Airstream, hauling my snowmobile to and from trails and more. It’s also probably worth mentioning that the truck did all of that through one of the coldest winters in recent memory.
I’ve been working this truck damn hard, hence the three MPG gap between our average and the EPA’s. But I also haven’t done anything an owner wouldn’t, so take this number as a representation of what you can expect if you work your Canyon like a proper truck (and it’s damn cold outside, like -30F cold).
Realizing you might not tow or haul as much as me, I also put the truck through a few specific fuel economy tests that represent different scenarios.
On a recent 100-mile highway run, with the cruise control set consistently at 68 MPH, I achieved ...