2008 GMC Canyon Review Summaries

What reviewers liked most about the GMC Canyon:

The inline-five, with 225 lb-ft of torque, handled even the steepest of hills and got us over some substantial boulders.

-- AutoWeek

GMC aims to provide greater power, space and functionality in the Canyon than with that offered in the Sonoma.

-- Cars.com

GMC's Canyon and its Chevy Colorado companion focus on the light-duty non-commercial user -- assuming heavy haulers will move up to the full-size Sierra and Silverado.

-- Consumer Guide

On the highway, the Canyon feels solid and stable. The optional five-cylinder engine gives it good power, better than competing V6 engines.

-- New Car Test Drive

Although the truck is marginally shorter than its predecessor, the Sonoma, its about four inches wider inside.

-- New Car Test Drive

Output is 174 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque for the 2.8-liter I-4, while the 3.5-liter I-5 offers 220 horses and 225 lb-ft of torque--considerably more than any other V-6s offered in the class.

-- Truck Trend

What reviewers liked least about the GMC Canyon:

Less impressive is the overall design and quality of the interior, as it still wears the drab gray plastic panels of its predecessors.

-- Edmunds.com

Maximum towing is 4,000 pounds, much less than the Sonoma's 6,000.

-- New Car Test Drive

GMC Canyon Comparisons:

The Canyon and the Colorado are still a few inches smaller than the class-busting mid-size Dodge Dakota, which is why we still consider them compact pickups. And the new GM trucks don't offer a V-8 engine as the Dakota does.

-- Car and Driver

With 220 hp, the optional 3.5-liter engine gives the Colorado and Canyon the highest horsepower rating in the class, but like its six-cylinder cousin, the power is situated higher in the power band than on most truck engines.

-- Edmunds.com

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.

-- New Car Test Drive

Best one-liner about the GMC Canyon:

The dinosaurs of GM's lineup, the Chevy S-10 small pickup and its twin, the GMC Sonoma, are dying a slow death.

-- Car and Driver