2004 GMC Canyon Review (continued)
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Walkaround

The Canyon puts on a new face for GMC's mid-size pickup. No more mister nice guy. The black center grille with its floating GMC logo is surrounded by brightwork that extends to either side of the truck. It separates a complex looking array of lights composed of daytime running lamps, turn indicators, and high and low beams. Unlike the old Sonoma with its rounded lines, the Canyon has an edge. A slight dihedral at the front outer edge of the hood gives it an aggressive appearance.

Whether standard cab, extended cab, or crew cab, the Canyon has a balanced look. The regular and extended cab have 6-foot, 1-inch beds. The crew cab loses a foot of bed in exchange for its larger cab. Standard and extended cab models have steps in the rear fender ahead of the rear wheels, making it easier to reach and load things in the front of the bed. Extended cabs have door handles inside the door jam in the front edge of the rear-hinged doors. Crew Cabs have front-hinged rear doors with reach-through door handles that are easy to grip and pull open.

The tailgate can be opened fully or dropped 55 degrees to provide support for a 4x8-foot sheet of plywood.

Interior Features

The base Canyon has a no-fault interior right down to its rubber floor mats so you can get in with muddy work boots and not feel guilty. The SLE, however, has more comfort-minded interior with carpeting and more luxurious fabric on its seats.

The new cab allows about four inches additional room from side to side for a roomier front seat and a rear seat in the Crew Cab that more easily accommodates three adults across. Front and rear seats are chair height which, for the driver, allows excellent visibility over the hood and improves leg room for rear seat passengers. The front seats are still the first-class section of the cabin, but those in coach won't have to endure the pain of the old sideways-mounted seats in extended cabs. The Canyon's extended cab is large enough to orient its occasional passengers facing forward.

The instrument panel has large white numerals on a black background with the orange needles that GM loves. Lighting functions are clustered on the dash to the left of the steering wheel; there are no switches in any remote location.

Similarly, the center stack, on a raised portion of the stack on silver-colored plastic, groups the 4x4 functions, the audio and the HVAC functions each with their own. The emergency flasher button is high on the dash where it's easily seen. The cruise control function, however, is the same turn signal stalk system GM has had for decades, albeit refined. Some people hate it; others are don't mind it and are familiar with it.

The Canyon features triple seals around the doors, an example of refinement over the old Sonoma. These not only reduce water and dust intrusion, they also reduce wind noise for a quieter cab.