You’d be forgiven for mistaking the 2004 GMC Canyon for its larger brother the Sierra. The all-new compact pickup borrows the familiar styling of GMC’s full-size trucks. It borrows the “premium pickup” mission in life as well. The Canyon, which replaces the Sonoma in the lineup, features a more powerful engine team, a larger interior, and some features you might not expect in a relatively inexpensive truck.

Like the Chevrolet Colorado, which it’s built alongside, the Canyon is new from the ground up.  In the past, the GMC Sonoma played second fiddle to its twin the Chevrolet S-10, but the Canyon gains greater distinction from its Chevrolet stablemate in addition to a new-from-the-ground-up chassis and powertrain.  GMC’s motto these days is “Professional Grade,” and the Canyon lives up to that function nicely.

It’s not very large, but that doesn’t stop the Canyon from looking tough.  The front-end styling is distinctly GMC, with an open grille and red “GMC” badging to link it visually to the tough Sierra full-size pickup.  Regular, extended and crew cab versions are available, as well as a “high stance” off-roading package that can be had for two- or four-wheel drive models.  The four-door crew cab version is large enough to carry a whole work crew, if need be.  Toward the rear, the Canyon loses some distinction compared to the Chevy Colorado; the trucks share taillights and beds.  They also share an innovative dual-position tailgate, which allows long objects to be carried without leaving the bed open.

The Canyon’s interior goes heavy on the low-grade plastic at first blush, but the watchword here is “durable,” not “cheap.”  GMC’s smallest pickup looks like it’s ready to work, with businesslike cloth seats in base models.  In the extended cab, the jumpseats face forward, and there is storage underneath the floor for tools.  The seats are comfortable, and crew cab versions have enough room to carry real human beings in back.  GM’s OnStar emergency call service and XM satellite radio are available, as they are in nearly all GM products these days.  Even when prettied up with heated leather seats, we wouldn’t be afraid to get the Canyon dirty.

The engines and transmissions are all new, and in what seems like a counterintuitive move, GMC has reduced the Canyon’s work capacity slightly.  It’s not a mistake or poor planning, though; GMC is positioning the Canyon in the “sweet spot” for the compact pickup market, and being careful not to overlap abilities with the larger Sierra pickups.  The new four- and five-cylinder engines in the Canyon are based on the straight six found in the GMC Envoy, and they’re perfectly suited to compact-pickup jobs.  The four-banger is a 2.8 liter unit, and produces 175 horsepower.  The larger 3.5 liter five-cylinder ups the ante to 220.  Both engines have electronic throttles for smoother driving and variable valve timing for improved efficiency.  Around town, both motors are torquey and powerful; on the freeway they get kind of noisy but don’t lack for passing power.  We liked the combination of the five-speed manual transmission and 3.5 liter five-cylinder engine best.  The all-new five-speed manual is smoother than the four-speed automatic.  The Canyon also offers a choice of rear end gearing, and can tow up to 4000 pounds.

Suspension underpinnings are standard for compact pickups, with a ladder frame, independent front suspension and a semi-floating rear axle.  The “high stance” models will scramble happily over formidable obstacles without sacrificing on-road comfort.  Unusual for a small truck is the availability of a traction control system for two-wheel drive trucks, a valuable bit of safety equipment that’s usually reserved for the big luxury trucks.  Four-wheel anti-lock brakes are standard.  Also on the safety front, the Canyon can be had with head-curtain side airbags for front passengers.

We drove a variety of Canyons in all of the available body styles and it wasn’t hard to pronounce GMC’s new minitruck a one hundred percent improvement over the Sonoma.  Better yet, dealers will offer a variety of cool accessories for the truck, from bed rails and side steps to tonneau covers.  Pricing for the Canyon starts at $15,550 for a regular cab, two-wheel drive truck.  A crew cab 4×4 like the one we spent most of our time in starts at $23,725, depending on trim levels.  With many of the compact trucks out there pushing $30,000 when fully equipped, GMC has priced its impressive “premium grade” mini-pickup well.

Specifications:

All specs are for the 2004 GMC Canyon Crew Cab 4wd.
Length:     207 in.
Width:        67.6 in.
Height:        64.8 in.
Wheelbase:    125.9 in.
Curb weight:    4150 lb.
Payload:    1304 lb.
Towing capacity:    4000 lb.
Base price:        $23,725
Engine:     3.5 liter inline five-cylinder
Drivetrain:     four-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Horsepower:     220 @ 5600
Torque:     225 @ 2800
Fuel capacity:    19.6 gal.

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