The full-size pickup truck segment has been experiencing a rather dramatic downward curve in recent months, sending shocks

Are compact pickups the answer to our hauling and towing needs in our $115+ per barrel economy? (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

through the entire auto industry, especially the domestics which lean all too much on this sales staple. A category once filled with bestselling vehicles such as Ford’s F-150 and GM’s Silverado and Sierra entrants, until recently it was one seemingly impervious to market fluctuations. Now, even Toyota and Nissan are idling their respective Tundra and Titan plants, because the market for big rigs has slowed to a crawl. So, what about compact trucks?

Smaller pickups are becoming popular alternatives to half-ton trucks for light industry and individuals alike, for a number of reasons. First off, the fuel economy issues that are plaguing full-size pickup truck sales aren’t as much of an issue with smaller haulers, and being that people still need to get the work done, whether it’s toting gravel or arborist equipment, from an industrial perspective, or the ATV in back and a trailer full of dirt bikes on the weekend, trucks will remain important fixtures on the automotive landscape. The second reason that smaller pickup sales are improving comes down to the trucks themselves. While the stripped out workhorses of the past are still available, with their vinyl seats, manual transmissions, four-cylinder engines and

The Canyon is a great looking truck in all of its guises. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

tiny side-facing jump seats for strapping in the kids, today’s compacts also offer interiors that are almost as well appointed as their bigger brothers, boasting comfortable seats and top-tier convenience features, smooth shifting manual and automatic transmissions, powerful, refined engines, and rear seats that can fit up to three adults comfortably, accessible via conventional rear doors. Truly, the modern compact pickup truck is right for the times.

Interestingly enough, GMC’s Canyon might just be ideally situated in this changing market. Where rivals from Dodge, Toyota and Nissan have upsized their trucks to “midsize” proportions, GM and Ford have allowed their small trucks to soldier on a size below. Sure GMC calls its truck a midsize, but it’s shorter than all but the Ranger and narrower than the other trucks. This might have been seen as a negative only last year, but now that the market is downsizing it could very well be a good thing for these two domestic automakers.

GM

The four-cylinder is strong but the unique inline-five really lays down the power. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

has even got the engine lineup right. While a four-cylinder is available, large at 2.9-litres and boasting 185-horsepower and 190 lb-ft of torque which makes it the ballsiest four-banger in the pack, its 3.7-litre inline five-cylinder offers a lot more grunt at 242 horsepower and 242 lb-ft of torque, yet it achieves lower fuel consumption numbers than rival V6 engines at an estimated 14.4 L/100 km in the city and 9.6 on the highway. Sure it’s not the most powerful out there (although only the Nissan Frontier beats its horsepower rating and only the Frontier and Tacoma offer more torque), but this isn’t as much of an issue as it used to be now that gasoline regularly hovers around $1.30 per litre. Ford’s V6-powered Ranger, for instance, is much less powerful yet gets a 15.7 L/100 km city and 11.6 highway rating. The Frontier uses more fuel too, while the Tacoma and Dakota get better city mileage but don’t do as well on the highway. It might be splitting hairs, but I like the way GM goes about balancing engine output and fuel economy.

And it does it all with a tried and tested four-speed automatic transmission (the four-cylinder gets a standard five-speed manual), not the most sophisticated in the light truck segment but totally capable, especially when work is needed. Yes, the little Canyon can haul like the bigger boys, with a payload capacity of 696 kilos (1,535 lbs), which is actually quite a bit more than some of its larger competitors. It falls a bit short when it comes to towing, however, only capable of 1,814 kilograms (4,000 lbs). Still, that’s a lot of camp trailer or rubbish removal. Just don’t try and strap on a 19-foot Airstream Flying Cloud… stick to the little Airstream Basecamp instead.

Something like the Basecamp makes sense if you plan on off-roading your Canyon, and to that end GMC offers a couple of suitable option packages. Along with the choice of Regular, Extended and Crew Cab models, plus the decision

Not as much room as in that big blue container, but plenty for most hauling jobs. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

to go with a Short length bed at 1,525 mm (5’1”) with the Crew or a Standard box at 1,825 mm (6’1”) with the Regular or Extended cabs, you can get any of the above with rear- or four-wheel drive. I tested two, an Extended Cab 4x4 and a Crew Cab 4x4, and know without a doubt what my family would need… the Crew if you hadn’t guessed. Sure the bed won’t fit a standard 4x8 sheet of plywood flat on the floor, although GM has made it so that you can lock the dual-stage tailgate back 55-degrees and slide the plywood on top of the wheel arches if needs be. If that won’t do, however, the Extended Cab allows decent room for kids and the option of occasionally hauling along a couple of smaller friends or colleagues, but your truck won’t likely be the one picked after work to head to the local watering hole – maybe that’s not such a bad idea after all.

Over and above cab, box and chassis layouts, the Canyon can be had in two trim levels.

Not a bad place to hang out, especially in top-line trim. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

The SL, with a non-discounted MSRP of $27,255 (and believe me when I say there are discounts available, as GM is offering $7,000 off for cash or 0-percent financing for 72-months at the time of writing), and SLE at $29,120, are both nicely equipped as far as pickup trucks go. Air conditioning is standard, as is a tilt adjustable steering column and cruise control, plus power rack-and-pinion steering, automatic headlights, a tachometer, GM’s Driver Information Centre that includes multi-language settings and trip functions, a tire pressure monitoring system, the LATCH attachments for child safety seats and ABS for the front disc, rear drum braking setup.

Another nice thing is that pretty well everything optional comes a la carte. Other than an $825 Power Convenience Package with such benefits as power windows, central door locks with remote keyless entry, power remote outside mirrors

The audio system interface is a bit dated looking, but a six-disc player can be had and XM satellite radio. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

and an alarm system, your engine choice is a standalone option, as is the regular or off-road suspension package, which adds bold body-coloured wheel flares, front fog lights, two front frame-mounted recovery hooks, skid plates, a locking rear diff andP265/75R-15 On-Off Road BW SBR tires wrapped around a set of aluminum rims as part of the deal.

And just in case you thought the Canyon wasn’t up with the times it can be had with an AM/FM audio system featuring a six-disc in-dash CD changer and XM satellite radio for a little more, not to mention side-curtain airbags to protect the whole family.

A potential deal-breaker is the absence of GM's StabiliTrak stability control. It simply can’t be had, but saying this, the situation might change soon enough now that

All this can be yours for a heavily discounted price. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

regulations to standardize stability control will make such systems mandatory by the end of the decade.

On the positive, the accessory list is awesome. If you’re into the outdoor lifestyle, you can equip your Canyon with some really reasonably priced extras that’ll make your camping trips truly comfortable, and dry. Along with the usual extras like bed liners, cargo nets, bed extenders, tool boxes and tonneau covers, the Canyon can be had with a bed rug, a form fitting air mattress, and even an integrated tent (no doubt a carryover from the Pontiac Aztek days). A rear DVD entertainment system can be had too.

With all $11,515 of options loaded on, minus any of the dealer-installed accessories I just mentioned, the Canyon crept up to $41,835 including the $1,200 destination charge. Sure that’s a fair bit of coin for a small pickup truck,

Electronic 4x4 buttons on the dash make going off-road ultra-easy. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

although next to a fully-loaded Silverado its chump change. And remember, GM has a habit of heavily discounting its vehicles, especially those with pickup beds.

Out on the road the Canyon rides pretty well. There’s no mistaking it for a truck, especially in 4x4 trim, but it doesn’t beat up its occupants and handles corners surprisingly well, although body roll is the norm here. Its overall light curb weight allows the inline-five to move it down the road with enthusiasm, and while not quite seamless, its four-speed automatic shifts smoothly and quick enough for most pickup buyers.

Off-road it goes pretty well anywhere you point it, and its smaller size makes it easier to maneuver through narrow trails than its larger sibling. And GM’s two-speed, part-time Insta-Trac transfer case is easy to operate thanks to dash-mounted electronic controls.

The

Rear seat room in the Extended Cab is tight, but the larger Crew Cab makes a good family hauler. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

Canyon feels pretty tight too, with no apparent rattles or squeaking going on, and its doors shut with the tough solidity we’ve come to expect from GM. No, they don’t close with the hermetically sealed, airtight thud of a Cadillac CTS’ doors, or anything, but they also don’t leave that tinny ringing sound in the air after slamming them shut. Overall the cabin plastics are about average for this class, and should only offend seriously spoiled upper crust snobs. Even those should realize that this is a work cum play truck, and shouldn’t be held to the same standards as their luxury car (you might want to be able to wash the mud off the door panels after all), although I’d like to see a little more support in the seat cushions. The metal-like silver painted centre console that came with our test trucks was nice, although after being spoiled with GM’s newer electronic interface systems it would be nice to see this truck updated to the automaker’s new standard. The buttons are mostly large enough for use with gloves, however, and the three-dial HVAC system is about as easy to use as any I’ve tested.

Climbing

One great looking truck. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press)

out of the truck and stepping aside, the Canyon really looks good. In fact, I’ll go on record saying that it’s at least as nice looking as the Tacoma and Frontier, and might even be the best looking of all small pickup trucks available. That’s my opinion, of course, as some like the angled lines of the Dakota and others think the Ranger looks like a tough like a mini F-150. To each, his or her own I suppose. I just happen to like the way the Canyon looks.

And at the end of the day it’s going to come down to that, and value for money. Factor in GM’s fabulous new five-year, 160,000 km powertrain warranty and it starts looking even better. Yes, you can get a Ford Ranger or Mazda B-Series truck for quite a bit less (before discounts), but in my books the Canyon, and its Chevy Colorado cousin offer more for the money.


Specifications (GMC Canyon):

• Price Range (MSRP): $27,255 – $40,635 (not including accessories and incentives not applied)
• Destination Charge: $1,200
• Body Type: 2- to 4-door pickup truck
• Layout: front engine, RWD (opt. 4WD)
• Base Engine: 185-hp, 190 lb-ft torque of torque, 2.9L, 16-valve, DOHC I-4
• Opt. Engine: 242-hp, 242 lb-ft of torque, 3.7L, 20-valve, DOHC I-5
• Transmission: 5-spd manual (opt. 4-spd auto)
• Tires (base / off-road): 235/75R15 / 265/75R15
• Brakes (front/rear): disc/drum, ABS
• Dimensions (min – max L/W/H/WB): 4,886 – 5,260 / 1,717 – 1,742 / 1,649 – 1,723 / 2,826 – 3,200 mm (192.4 – 207.1 / 67.6 – 68.6 / 64.9 – 67.9 / 111.3 – 126.0 in)
• Curb Weight (min – max): 1,531 – 1,886 kg (3,375 – 4,093 lbs)
• Cargo Volume (short – regular box): 1,040 – 1,245 L (37.0 – 44.0 cu-ft)
• Payload: 696 kg (1,535 lbs)
• Towing Capacity: 1,814 kg (4,000 lbs)
• Fuel Economy (I-5 4WD city/hwy): 14.4 / 9.6 L/100 km
• Warranty (mo/km): 36/60,000 comprehensive - 60/160,000 powertrain
• Competitors: Chevrolet Colorado, Dodge Dakota, Ford Ranger, Mazda B-Series, Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma
• Web Site: www.gm.ca

Interior

Exterior

Mechanical

Safety

Dimensions

Misc

(A28) Window, Rear Sliding

(M30) Transmission, 4-Speed Automatic

(Z82) Trailer Hitch

(J004) Standard Black Paint

(J005) Standard Gloss Paint

(LLR) Engine, 3.7L DOHC MFI L5

(G80) Differential, Locking Rear

(ZRD) Full Size Spare Tire

(AM6) Seats, 60/40 Vinyl Split Bench

(R6X) Bedliner Delete

(B38) Floor Covering: Vinyl full floor

(R6Y) Fog Light Delete

(AJ1) Glass, Solar-Ray Deep Tinted

(K05) Engine Block Heater

(US8) AM/FM Stereo with CD

(28U) Inferno Orange Metallic

(PP2) Wheels: 16 x 6.0 Aluminum