WASHINGTON — I like full-size trucks; I even once owned one. They have a few drawbacks, such as limited parking in D.C.-area garages, gas mileage that suffers in stop-and-go traffic with a big V8 and higher prices. But if you didn’t want to fork out the big bucks for a full-size truck until now, your options were limited to a few players in the midsize truck market, and they are getting a little outdated.
To help change that, for 2015, General Motors brought back the GMC Canyon and the Chevrolet Colorado, which was named the 2015 Motor Trend Truck of the Year.
The GMC Canyon is a more upscale version of the Colorado, with the top-of-the-line $40,290 SLT trim level.
With the new 2015 GMC Canyon, there is no more sacrificing for a more efficient right-sized truck for urban areas. The mid-size truck market has been reborn and GMC has made a more upscale mid-size truck that can still haul the goods.
My tester was the largest of the Canyons, with a crew cab and a long cargo box. At 6 feet, 2 inches, it was longer than the cargo box on the full-size truck I used to own. But even with the large box and four doors, I could easily park in almost every spot at work, as compared to just four spots that were big enough to hold my full-size truck.
The 2015 Canyon is not as wide as a full-size truck, so it’s easier to drive in the city and maneuver in tighter spaces, but it can still to tow 7,000 pounds if you choose a V6 with the towing package. This new Canyon is very capable, with 13 standard tie-downs in the bed. You can even add movable cargo rings to add a little more versatility, and steps on the bumper corners will help you get into the bed. The standard engine is a 2.5L four-cylinder, good for 200 hp, or you can choose the available 3.6L V6 and enjoy 305 hp.
The interior is a large step forward for midsize trucks. The materials are nice and soft to the touch. The heated leather seats on my SLT trim level are slightly more firm than those on a full-size truck, but still comfortable. The rear bench seat folds up, or the seat backs can fold down, but there is no flat floor like in the full-size GM trucks.
The controls are easy to use. There are knobs for climate and radio, so you can still use them with gloved hands. There is an easy-to-use 8-inch touch screen for the radio, NAV and standard rear view camera. This 2015 Canyon is also a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot with four USB ports to connect devices, get some work done or stream a movie while you wait in the grocery store parking lot.
Driving the new Canyon is a step up as well. Though nothing like a car, it’s very smooth for a truck. The smaller size makes for a better commuter vehicle. The narrow lanes on parts of Connecticut Avenue posed no problem. The V6 has good power and a smooth six-speed automatic, but in certain situations, such as going slow then hitting the gas, it takes the transmission a bit to downshift, like it was in fifth when it needed to be third. That probably has more to do with trying to hit fuel economy numbers.
The 4×4 Canyon I drove is rated 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway. I managed 19.8 mpg over 225 miles on regular fuel.
