The driving experience in the GMC Canyon varies by model. The four-cylinder engine delivers adequate performance, costs less, and is a bit more frugal. The five-cylinder offers brisk acceleration, feels like an inline-6, and works well with an automatic.The 3.5-liter five-cylinder Vortec 3500 is a dual-overhead cam engine with variable valve timing. It's rated at 220 horsepower, and develops 225 pound-feet of torque at 2800 rpm. The latter is important because torque is the twisting force on the tires that propels the truck from a stop and helps it tow heavy loads up long grades. Canyon is admittedly short on peak torque compared to some of its competitors, but at least the torque it does have is spread over a broad rpm range. The all-aluminum engine construction aids in cooling and, because of its lower weight, saves fuel and permits quicker acceleration. The five-cylinder engine is essentially the Vortec 4200 six-cylinder from the GMC Envoy with one cylinder lopped off. The resulting inline-5 idles and cruises quietly, but the uncommon number of cylinders makes a peculiar siren-like sound when accelerating. It doesn't sound bad, just different. Recommended fuel is unleaded regular, another plus for economical operation. (Toyota recommends 91 octane for its V6.) A 2WD, five-cylinder Canyon with manual transmission gets an EPA-rated 19/25 mpg City/Highway.
The 175-horsepower four-cylinder engine is essentially the five-cylinder minus one more cylinder. It's rated 21/27 mpg with manual transmission and 2WD. And that's the combination we prefer for a four-cylinder pickup: manual and 2WD. We found a Canyon with the manual transmission works well, and acceleration performance should be adequate for drivers who favor economy over power.
On the road, the Canyon feels solid, with no rattles or squeaks, and the bed doesn't boom or make any other noise. The standard suspension (Z85) is able to work precisely, without interference from chassis flex, resulting in a controlled ride. Canyon is stable and predictable around curves, and a solid stopper when the binders were applied, aided by ABS on loose surfaces. The Canyon is a truck, however, so it doesn't corner and brake like a car. We found it generally tended toward understeer. We found it handled well on washboard roads and didn't bounce around like smaller pickups often do.
Maximum towing load for a properly equipped Canyon is 4,000 pounds. That looks light when compared with 6,500 pounds for a Toyota Tacoma or Nissan Frontier, and 7,150 pounds for a V8-powered Dodge Dakota, but that may only be an disadvantage on paper. If we were going to pull a 4,000-pound trailer, we'd choose a full-size truck. The Canyon is designed to pull toys: ATVs, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, bass boats.
We were pleased with the operation of the four-wheel-drive system. There's no doubt when it engages: There's a small clunk when it shifts into four-wheel high (which can be done on the fly) and a bigger clunk when it shifts into four-wheel low (requiring the vehicle be stopped and in neutral). No full-time all-wheel drive is available; this is a truck-style part-time four-wheel-drive system and should not be used on dry pavement. We found it worked well in deep mud.
The Z71 suspension package provides maximum ground clearance, with tires designed for off-roading and springs and shocks calibrated for off-road performance without sacrificing too much on-road comfort. We found its ride quality remarkably civilized on the road. The Z71 suspension certainly adds heft to the Canyon, and there's noticeable jiggle from the extra weight of the off-road tires, but not anything like off-road compact pickups of the past. We found it handled rocky hillclimbs and rugged terrain well.
We haven't tried the ZQ8 sport suspension in a Canyon, but it rode well in our Chevrolet Colorado. It comes with low-profile, 50-series 17-inch tires, but they don't look particularly sticky. We didn't drive the Colorado in anger, but our impression was that it didn't offer the sports-car handling of the Toyota Tacoma X-Runner. And the low ground clearance means it'll occasionally bottom out.
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