A capable pickup in a manageable size
It’s as quiet and easy to drive as a crossover, but with the cargo space of a full-sized truck
Thirty years ago, nearly every major brand had a stake in the mid-size truck segment, but one by one they’ve pulled out because of falling sales.
Most buyers may have loved their truck’s utility, but the archaic interiors (honestly, only a contortionist would be comfortable riding in the back seat of my truck), high fuel consumption and lack of features forced them to consider crossovers or vans. And with the sport utility vehicle segment gradually forsaking its truck-based roots for front-wheeldrive crossover platforms, the rearwheel-drive pickings were getting even slimmer.
But GM thinks there’s hope for the mid-size pickup market and believes it can bring back those buyers by giving them what they’ve found elsewhere. And they’re banking on a pair of mid-size truck twins to jump-start that shrunken segment.
There’s nothing cute or shrunken about the Canyon’s appearance. It’s about as tough-looking as GM’s full-sized haulers. There are handy step-ups on the bumpers, front tow hooks and tie-downs in the rugged, lined bed.
Instead of poorly-executed hard plastics, with flashed edges sharp enough to draw blood, the Canyon’s crew-size cabin is upholstered in decent materials and genuinely has room for four adults. There’s not much storage room up front, though, and your passenger may not appreciate you claiming the extra cup holder for your cellphone.
If comfort and technology are largely responsible for buyers flocking to the crossover segment, the Canyon has a lengthy list to lure them back. Its cabin is as cushy and offers as many features as any mainstream family utility vehicle.
Aside from the four-way adjustable, heated front seats, there’s an eight-inch MyLink touch screen with Bluetooth, navigation, OnStar, Sirius XM radio, six-speaker sound system and a 4G Wifi Hotspot.
There’s a full array of safety technology, too, including multiple airbags, rear vision camera, electronic stability, traction control, lane departure and forward collision warnings, latch child seat anchors and theft deterrent.
During my week with the Canyon, I managed to load it to the gunwales with dump-run items and took it for several road trips. Its compact size and excellent suspension damping make it as quiet and easy to drive as a crossover — with the added attraction of a genuine pickup bed. It’s fairly manoeuverable, but I wouldn’t say it’s that much easier to park than a full-sized truck. I averaged 13.9 L/100 km over mixed driving — using both 2WD and 4WD modes.
My tester came with the 305 horsepower 3.6-litre V6 engine capable of towing up to 7,000 pounds, but there’s a 200-h.p. 2.4-litre four-cylinder for those who need the bed’s carrying ability more than they need to tow.
It’s more than adequate power for a truck this size, but becomes less responsive in 4x4 mode. Heading into the bush to try some deep snow off-roading necessitates pulling over and putting the Canyon into neutral to engage 4-Lo.
It may be more compact in size, but my tester boasted a locking rear differential, hill descent control, offroad suspension package and an underbody transfer case shield. It’s no urban dilettante.
During my week with the Canyon, I answered many questions and heard several opinions. Overall, the reception was positive — but there are still a lot of people out there who consider the Canyon/Colorado ‘too big’ and wonder why there’s no longer a true compact pickup available.
Good question.