Functional fun in a more frugal package
www.GMInsideNews.com
April 17, 2015
By: Mark Stevenson
Even with all the hoopla over Cadillac’s newest toys, this is by far my most anticipated press vehicle of the year: the 2015 GMC Canyon. Not because it’s over-the-moon impressive or blows the old Canyon and its competitors out of the water. No. It’s that GM bothered to build it at all.
Manufactured for the eight years spanning 2004 to 2012 in Shreveport, Louisiana (Go Knockers!), the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon were never particularly brilliant trucks. If you wanted a pickup and couldn’t afford a Silverado/Sierra or didn’t have room to park it, the Colorado and Canyon were your penalty box twins — kind of like the Sedin brothers, but not as interesting or as good looking.
But, relinquishing an entire segment, especially one that involves red-blooded American pickup trucks, is not something GM is going to let the import brands get away with. No sir. Not on their watch. And they vowed to get back in the game as Ford and Chrysler twiddled their thumbs on the sidelines.
Truth be told, the compact and midsize pickup game is kind of like being in a feeder series racing league. Sure, you get to race at all the big tracks and spectators will watch, but they aren’t really there to watch you. Most automakers really don’t care about their midsize offerings. Have you seen the Frontier lately? And I’m fairly certain the only reason GM got back in this game is to later put someone in a full-size, big boy truck. But, thankfully, the Colorado and Canyon are no longer the penalty boxes they used to be. Not by a long shot.
Let’s look at the design first, especially in comparison to the lesser Colorado. For once, GM has figured out a GMC truck should look better than a Chevrolet. During its first generation, the Colorado was definitely the ‘sportier’ looking of the two. Now, wearing more mature metalwork, the Canyon wins out. Same goes for the Silverado and Sierra.
GMC’s truckled pulls off its best impression of the Sierra lacking growth hormone. It might be smaller but still looks tough, grown up, and luxurious at the same time. I was smitten. So were a number of people I caught looking at it as I drove past.
Inside, it’s typical modern GM truck trimmings, right down to the switch gear. That’s not a bad thing, but the dials as part of the IP and the horrible blue accent colors have overstayed their welcome. Also, GMC IntelliLink annoys me more and more each time I use it. It’s time to take the underlying software and hardware for all of GM’s infotainment systems out behind a barn. Everything else - the look and feel of materials, overall design, and the sound-deadening that makes it one of the quietest cabins on the market - are all fantastic. When it comes to space for your friends, it will make for a cramped trip if everyone is 6-feet tall. But, if you have little ones, they’ll be absolutely fine in the back.
Under the hood of our tester was GM’s popular 3.6-litre V6 engine producing a healthy 305 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque sent to the wheels by way of a six-speed automatic transmission. The engine might not be the best sounding unit, but it makes up for it by delivering power in as linear a fashion as a naturally-aspirated V6 can. The transmission is smooth but not necessarily quick to shift when needed. I can deal with that. I’d rather it be smooth during 95 percent of my travels than fast for the other 5 percent. Also, unlike Chrysler’s 9-speed slush box, you can legally use all gears in every state. Good luck using ninth in Virginia and not being thrown in jail.
While the ride quality of any pickup isn’t going to win awards, the Canyon puts in a valiant effort and won’t break your back. Not even close. If anything, it soaked up bumps just as good as a Sierra.
And yet, even if I was in the market for a truck, I’d really think hard about the Canyon. Not because it’s bad. Far from it. But, the price is incredibly close to full-size pickups, especially compared to one still sitting on the lot from last year with cash on the hood. The other thing is size. The Canyon is far from small. For my needs, I want something lower and made easier to load motorcycles and other “lifestyle” toys. With the extra height of this new generation of midsize trucks, effort to load them up increases, decreasing my interest in purchasing one.
All in all, the Canyon is a solid buy for someone looking for a truck in that weight-class. That it beats the Frontier is a no-brainer. But, we will have to wait and see what testers say about the new Tacoma and whether its new Atkinson-cycle V6 is up to the rugged task of truck duty.
2015 GMC Canyon All Terrain Gallery
www.GMInsideNews.com
April 17, 2015
By: Mark Stevenson
Even with all the hoopla over Cadillac’s newest toys, this is by far my most anticipated press vehicle of the year: the 2015 GMC Canyon. Not because it’s over-the-moon impressive or blows the old Canyon and its competitors out of the water. No. It’s that GM bothered to build it at all.
Manufactured for the eight years spanning 2004 to 2012 in Shreveport, Louisiana (Go Knockers!), the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon were never particularly brilliant trucks. If you wanted a pickup and couldn’t afford a Silverado/Sierra or didn’t have room to park it, the Colorado and Canyon were your penalty box twins — kind of like the Sedin brothers, but not as interesting or as good looking.
But, relinquishing an entire segment, especially one that involves red-blooded American pickup trucks, is not something GM is going to let the import brands get away with. No sir. Not on their watch. And they vowed to get back in the game as Ford and Chrysler twiddled their thumbs on the sidelines.
Truth be told, the compact and midsize pickup game is kind of like being in a feeder series racing league. Sure, you get to race at all the big tracks and spectators will watch, but they aren’t really there to watch you. Most automakers really don’t care about their midsize offerings. Have you seen the Frontier lately? And I’m fairly certain the only reason GM got back in this game is to later put someone in a full-size, big boy truck. But, thankfully, the Colorado and Canyon are no longer the penalty boxes they used to be. Not by a long shot.
Let’s look at the design first, especially in comparison to the lesser Colorado. For once, GM has figured out a GMC truck should look better than a Chevrolet. During its first generation, the Colorado was definitely the ‘sportier’ looking of the two. Now, wearing more mature metalwork, the Canyon wins out. Same goes for the Silverado and Sierra.
GMC’s truckled pulls off its best impression of the Sierra lacking growth hormone. It might be smaller but still looks tough, grown up, and luxurious at the same time. I was smitten. So were a number of people I caught looking at it as I drove past.
Inside, it’s typical modern GM truck trimmings, right down to the switch gear. That’s not a bad thing, but the dials as part of the IP and the horrible blue accent colors have overstayed their welcome. Also, GMC IntelliLink annoys me more and more each time I use it. It’s time to take the underlying software and hardware for all of GM’s infotainment systems out behind a barn. Everything else - the look and feel of materials, overall design, and the sound-deadening that makes it one of the quietest cabins on the market - are all fantastic. When it comes to space for your friends, it will make for a cramped trip if everyone is 6-feet tall. But, if you have little ones, they’ll be absolutely fine in the back.
Under the hood of our tester was GM’s popular 3.6-litre V6 engine producing a healthy 305 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque sent to the wheels by way of a six-speed automatic transmission. The engine might not be the best sounding unit, but it makes up for it by delivering power in as linear a fashion as a naturally-aspirated V6 can. The transmission is smooth but not necessarily quick to shift when needed. I can deal with that. I’d rather it be smooth during 95 percent of my travels than fast for the other 5 percent. Also, unlike Chrysler’s 9-speed slush box, you can legally use all gears in every state. Good luck using ninth in Virginia and not being thrown in jail.
While the ride quality of any pickup isn’t going to win awards, the Canyon puts in a valiant effort and won’t break your back. Not even close. If anything, it soaked up bumps just as good as a Sierra.
And yet, even if I was in the market for a truck, I’d really think hard about the Canyon. Not because it’s bad. Far from it. But, the price is incredibly close to full-size pickups, especially compared to one still sitting on the lot from last year with cash on the hood. The other thing is size. The Canyon is far from small. For my needs, I want something lower and made easier to load motorcycles and other “lifestyle” toys. With the extra height of this new generation of midsize trucks, effort to load them up increases, decreasing my interest in purchasing one.
All in all, the Canyon is a solid buy for someone looking for a truck in that weight-class. That it beats the Frontier is a no-brainer. But, we will have to wait and see what testers say about the new Tacoma and whether its new Atkinson-cycle V6 is up to the rugged task of truck duty.
2015 GMC Canyon All Terrain Gallery