Canyon Crew Cab-GMC-2015

PREVIEW

After a brief absence, General Motors re-enters the midsize pickup segment with the 2015 GMC Canyon. GMC ended midsize pickup production with the 2012 Canyon, ceding the field to the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier (Ford ended U.S. production of its Ranger midsize pickup in 2011). But even before its end, the Canyon was saddled with an inefficient powertrain and subpar interior, and never seriously contested the Tacoma's supremacy in the segment.

With the redesigned full-size Sierra's success, GMC has timing on its side for the Canyon launch. The midsize pickup should benefit from the Sierra's spotlight without being perceived as a junior model. A large three-bar grille design, set inside an equally massive front fascia with LED-trimmed headlights, retains the family look in a smaller, modern workhorse package.

The Canyon will be available as an extended cab with a 6-foot bed, or as a crew cab in 5- and 6-foot bed lengths.

Base, SLE and SLT trims will be offered (the SLE is available with the off-road-oriented All-Terrain package) with either two- or four-wheel drive. The base 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is rated at an estimated 193 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, enough for light duty around town and off-road. For bigger payloads and bigger toys, there's a 3.6-liter V6 good for an estimated 302 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque. A 2.8-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder is scheduled for the 2016 model year.

A six-speed automatic transmission is standard, except for the extended-cab four-cylinder two-wheel-drive base Canyon, which can be ordered with a six-speed manual transmission. A properly equipped Canyon is rated for towing up to 6,700 pounds, more than the current Tacoma.

Unique features include an automatic mode on four-wheel-drive models that engages four-wheel-drive only when needed. There is also a step integrated into the rear bumper and the optional "EZ Lift-and-Lower" tailgate, which makes for one-handed closing and no-bang opening of the tailgate. 

The new Canyon's cabin should be a vastly nicer place to sit and drive. Materials quality appears as good as anything in the Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan, for example. The Canyon also offers 4G LTE cellular connectivity, making the truck a Wi-Fi hotspot, while the latest GMC IntelliLink infotainment system enables gesture recognition and "natural" voice recognition. A rearview camera comes standard, while optional safety features include forward-collision alert, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control.

The 2015 GMC Canyon should arrive in dealer showrooms this fall. By then, a redesigned Toyota Tacoma should be imminent and a new Frontier not far behind. The other alternative in this group is the Honda Ridgeline, which is only available as a crew cab with a 5-foot bed and a maximum tow rating of 5,000 pounds. Pricing for the Canyon has not yet been announced.

Check back for a full review of the new Canyon, including specs, driving impressions and buying advice as it becomes available.