2009 GMC Canyon: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

The 2009 GMC Canyon lineup gets an available V8 engine and a few new features. This compact pickup truck shares its basic design with the Chevrolet Colorado. Canyon offers regular- and extended-cab body styles with a 6-foot bed. Four-door Crew Cab models with a 5-foot bed are offered as well. All are available with rear-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive that should not be left engaged on dry pavement but includes a low-range gear for off-roading. Canyons come with a 185-hp 2.9-liter 4-cylinder engine, or a 242-hp 3.7-liter 5-cylinder. New for 2009 is an available 300-hp 5.3-liter V8. Manual or automatic transmission is available with the 4-cylinder, while 5-cylinder and V8 versions only get an automatic. Maximum towing capacity is 6000 lb. Regular cabs seat up to three. Extendeds have rear-hinged back doors and seat up to five with two rear jump seats. Crew Cabs have four conventional doors and seat up to six with a folding rear bench. Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, and curtain side airbags. Off-road and sport suspensions are available, as is a wireless cell-phone link.

COMPETITION

Consumer Guide Automotive places each vehicle into one of 18 classes based on size, price, and market position. Compact Pickups offer a true-truck design in a relatively modest package. They are best suited for personal or light-duty use rather than commercial use, heavy hauling, or towing.

Our Best Buy is the Toyota Tacoma. Our Recommended picks are the Dodge Dakota, Honda Ridgeline, and Nissan Frontier.

New for 2009 is the Suzuki Equator.