The Rebirth of the Mid-Sized Truck: 2015 GMC Canyon

Screaming into 2015, the GMC Canyon makes a comeback for GMC in the mid-sized truck category loaded with awesome features and outstanding capability. With most domestic truck makers leaving the mid-sized segment behind, the foreign models were able to capture and capitalize on this market for a few years, but with the rebirth of the GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado, GM is obviously looking to regain their piece of the pie and much more. This fact is evident from the inclusion of a large list of cool features and safety assists to enjoy and take advantage of.

Anyone who finds a large, full-sized truck too large for a garage and not as agile as they might like will enjoy the Canyon. It’s small enough to fit in a garage and is easy to park and maneuver in many places larger trucks can’t go. In addition to the more enticing size, the Canyon offers a great deal of fuel efficiency and still gives owners a 7,000 pound towing capacity along with a payload capability of 1,600 pounds. The Canyon also offers the most refined interior in the class to enjoy and be pampered in after a long work day.

Driving the Canyon gives owners the confidence in knowing they have made a smart choice for their truck. With an aggressive acceleration, a very adept control system needs to be in place and that is found on the Canyon. This truck offers brakes that respond quickly and smoothly, a steering system that is nearly intuitive, and a suspension that is expertly engineered to keep the truck planted on the road and offer a degree of road ride comfort that would not be expected in a truck. Add to that the very quiet interior, made possible by the fantastic noise reducing technology and exceptional insulation.

The all new Canyon shows up with a lineup of two engines for owners to choose from and enjoy what the truck can do and some great fuel efficiency. The first engine comes in as 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine that offers up to 200 horsepower and 191 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine can be paired with either a six-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission and shows up with fuel efficiency numbers of 19 city/26 hwy mpg for the manual and 19-20 city/25-27 hwy for the automatic depending on the cab, bed and drivetrain.

The second and more powerful engine is a 3.6-liter V6 engine that offers up to 305 horsepower and 269 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine when fitted with the automatic transmission shows up with fuel efficiency numbers of f18 city/26 hwy mpg for the RWD model 17 city/24 hwy mpg for the 4WD model.

Those who wish to wait a year to buy a GMC Canyon will find the availability for 2016 of a 2.8-liter diesel engine which will offer excellent torque and help improve fuel efficiency and power for this already very enjoyable truck.

The cabin of the Canyon is one of the best in the class. Offering the availability of creating a Wi-Fi hotspot through the OnStar system this truck offers connectivity for all owners to take advantage of. Add to that the full array of enjoyable materials such as soft and comfortable seats and aluminum trim and the interior of the Canyon is a sight to behold. The control panel boasts plenty of feedback for the driver and an eight-inch touchscreen to help control the audio system in style. Even though this interior is fairly upscale in appearance, it is rugged enough to handle the rough workday crowd that might find themselves riding along inside.

With a very squared off look and shape to the body, especially across the front end, the Canyon is one of the most striking trucks on the road. The large and chrome plated front grill gives a look of power and strong muscle to show it means business. Add LED running lights and projector beam headlights and the Canyon gives plenty of visibility as well as being easy to see at night. The rear of the truck shows off with CornerStep rear bumper that makes it easy to load and unload the truck as well as climb up inside, continuing to give the feeling of a highly capable work truck.

In most truck the base model is usually a stripped down work truck style vehicle, but the Canyon comes in well-equipped even at the base level. The standard features found on this truck include a 4.2-inch screen to control the six-speaker audio system, power windows, a rearview camera, the CornerStep rear bumper, cargo box lighting, and a locking tailgate. On the higher trim levels standard features add cruise control, OnStar, an eight-inch touchscreen, 16-ich aluminum wheels, a navigation system, an overhead console and a rear defroster to the mix as standard fare.

As with any truck, an owner can fit the Canyon with what they need to make it basically their own best version of what it can be. The optional features found on the Canyon include fog lights, a spray-on bedliner, Autotrac all-wheel drive, a trailer package, an All-Terrain Package with a locking rear differential, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, heated front seats, heated side mirrors, and several styles of 17 or 18-inch aluminum wheels. Adding any or all of these awesome features along with the choice of different cab configurations and bed lengths, the Canyon gives owners a great deal to choose from.

For the GMC Canyon SL Extended Cab with the rear-wheel drive, four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual transmission the price starts out at $21,830. Moving to the top end of the spectrum with a four-wheel drive, long-bed, Crew Cab SLT model powered by the V6 and having the six-speed automatic transmission and every option box checked the price shows up at $44,810. This difference gives owners a great deal of range to choose from and make the GMC Canyon a truck that has all the equipment they want and reflects their own personality and needs in a big way.