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Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
Back in the ’70s only Chevy offered a compact pickup dubbed Luv, which was cute but nothing a real truck fan could get excited about. The Chevy S-10 and GMC Sonoma that arrived in 1982 were quite a bit stronger and tougher looking albeit still compacts, whereas the larger and much more attractive first-generation Colorado and Canyon pickups didn’t come along until 2004. After an extremely long initial lifecycle, briefly interrupted by a two-year hiatus between 2012 and 2014,
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Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
The close of 2015 saw the Colorado and Canyon collectively closing in on the bestselling Toyota Tacoma, but despite the two models’ best sales since 2007 they weren’t able to outpace the redesigned Toyota that saw its own sales climb considerably. In the end the two GM trucks fell 2,042 units short of matching the Tacoma’s Canadian sales, with 9,730 deliveries compared to 11,772. The Chevy won over the majority of buyers with 5,095 driving one home, whereas the GMC fared
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Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
The Ridgeline brings up an important point. Where many auto scribes lauded it when
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Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
The Ridgeline was butt ugly too, or at least that was my not so humble opinion, while
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Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
It really is a superb looking ride, all of my test truck’s gorgeous black goodness due to its Nightfall Edition upgrade. You can purchase any Canyon trim with Onyx Black paint, one of seven colour choices available, but it’s a must-have if you want to get all the other Nightfall improvements, while you’ll also need to move up to mid-grade SLE Crew Cab trim to do so. The extras include a body-colour grille, a blacked
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Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
The rest of my tester’s equipment comes as part of its SLE trim, and it’s a long list of features so bear with me. It includes fog lamps, body-colour door handles, powered mirrors in body-colour housings, a chromed beltline, an EZ-Lift and Lower tailgate, remote entry, a soft-touch instrument panel with genuine aluminum trim, an overhead console, illuminated vanity mirrors, dual reading and rear courtesy lights, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a tilt and telescopic leather-wrapped
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Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
A truck that looks this awesome couldn’t be powered by a four-cylinder, so don’t worry because the V6 is prerequisite. Don’t get me wrong, as there’s nothing wrong with a 2.5-litre direct-injection four-cylinder capable of 200 horsepower and 191
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Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
I should point out that you cannot get the SLE Nightfall Edition with GM’s new 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel, a $4,390 option that might not save you that much at the pump over a three- or four-year term but nevertheless delivers a stump-pulling 369 lb-ft of torque from a deep rooted 2,000 rpm. It ups the Canyon’s max tow
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Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
Along with plenty of power my tester had a sublime ride, better actually than most crossover SUVs and many cars. Truly, the days of slamming a car by saying it rides like a truck are well over and done with, because today’s trucks tend to ride a lot smoother than all but softly sprung luxury sedans. The Canyon is also a decent handler, although let’s be clear that its agility remains well within the truck range. Still, it holds its own around corners if not pushed too hard, although it’s more
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
I found one thing strange, however, that at an as-tested price of $45,145 plus freight and fees there aren’t any seat heaters up front. For that price I’d expect them in back too! At least they’re covered in a comfortable, good looking fabric that stays mostly warm in winter and relatively cool in summer, that is when compared to leather that comes standard, along with three-way heatable front seats, in top-line SLT trim. GMC finishes the SLE’s seats with attractive patterned inserts and contrast grey stitching around the bolsters, the latter a nice match for the contrast stitched and padded leatherette dash top and instrument panel facing, making the
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
On that note the Canyon SLE comes with a stylish primary gauge cluster comprised of classic white numbering and red needles spinning around a black background encircled by red for the tachometer and speedometer, the space between filled with a high-resolution full-colour multi-information display, while fuel and temperature meters are positioned up above in a separate section. Atop the centre stack was a large eight-inch full-colour infotainment touchscreen featuring extremely crisp resolution and very nice graphics. Like the multi-info display
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
The leather-wrapped steering wheel is stitched in the same light grey thread as the seat bolsters, plus it’s formed more like a sports car’s wheel with carved thumb spats and a nice thick meaty feel. The armrests at side and centre get the padded leatherette treatment much like that on the dash, this particular Canyon done
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Of note, the upgraded HVAC system is automatic, which is good, albeit just single-zone. Being in the driver’s seat nine times out of ten this doesn’t bother me all that much, although my partner tends to like a warmer setting than I do and therefore it would pose a problem on road trips. GM may want to step up to a dual-zone system for the Canyon’s mid-cycle update, as its main competition already offers the more advanced HVAC system.
On
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
As for cargo space the rear seat cushions fold up and out of the way for stowing taller items you need to keep secure and dry, whereas anything else can get tossed in the bed where there’s room galore. That point in mind, the number one reason I’d choose a GM truck over any competitor is purely practical, those rear bumper
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Photo: Karen Tuggay, Canadian Auto Press |
Of course, even without those intelligent corner steps the Canyon SLE Nightfall Edition had me at howdy (“hello” just seemed too urban). It looks so damn good, followed up with excellent road manners and a really nice interior filled with just the right amount of features. Compared to a full-size Sierra with similar goodies it’s priced quite reasonably too, making the Canyon a good choice for those needing less room and capability. It’s a mid-size pickup made for real truck people, and one you can feel proud to be seen in.
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