2012 GMC Canyon Overview Change Vehicle

2012 GMC Canyon review with specifications, fuel economy data, safety information, reliability ratings, a photo gallery, and The Vehix View

The compact truck market is evaporating as full-size pickups improve their fuel economy, leaving the 2012 GMC Canyon to compete against its Chevy Colorado sibling, the Nissan Frontier, the Suzuki Equator, and the Toyota Tacoma. What distinguishes the Canyon (and the Colorado) from other compact trucks is its available V8 engine.

The GMC Canyon rolls into its ninth year on the market without the redesign that it desperately needs. Instead, GMC confuses last year’s simple lineup by splitting the SLE trim level into SLE-1 and SLE-2 trims, and reserving SLT trim for the 4WD Crew Cab. The SLT model is repackaged to include heated leather seats, a Z71 off-road suspension, and chrome 17-inch alloy wheels. Also new for 2012: Bluetooth is standard on all models, and the Crew Cab and all 4WD models get an automatic locking differential as standard equipment.

Wait. There’s more. A new Chrome Accessory Package adds a chrome fuel filler door and chrome exhaust tips, while a new Bodyguard Package installs bed rail protectors and splash guards. The 2012 Canyon can also be painted in new Red Orange or Dark Steel Gray Metallic paint colors, as last year’s Gray Green Metallic and Merlot Jewel Metallic hues have been retired. Also gone is the optional ZQ8 sport suspension and 18-inch wheel option.

Finally, it appears that the only way to get a manual transmission is to buy the Canyon Work Truck model in Regular Cab, two-wheel-drive format. A four-speed automatic is standard on every other configuration.

GMC sells the Canyon in Regular, Extended, and Crew Cab models with rear- or four-wheel drive. Trim levels are WT (Work Truck), SLE-1, SLE-2, and SLT, but they are not uniformly applied across the lineup. Regular Cabs and Extended Cabs with two-wheel drive are offered only in WT and SLE-1 format; Extended Cabs with four-wheel drive are available in WT, SLE-1, and SLE-2 trim; Crew Cabs with 2WD come in SLE-1 and SLE-2 trim; and Crew Cabs with 4WD are available in SLE-1, SLE-2, and SLT trim.

Let’s try to sort this mess out. Standard equipment on the Canyon WT includes a choice between vinyl and deluxe cloth seats, vinyl or carpeting on the floor, rubber floor mats, power steering, dual 12-volt power outlets, and an AM/FM stereo. The Canyon WT isn’t as sparingly equipped as it sounds, however, because air conditioning, a leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel, and cruise control are also standard, along with Bluetooth, chrome front and rear bumpers, and a bedliner. The Canyon WT also gets 16-inch steel wheels, a heavy-duty suspension, a 3.73 rear axle ratio, a 125-amp alternator, and a heavy-duty battery with 590 cold-cranking amps. OnStar telematics is included, too, complete with Automatic Crash Notification and other useful services. Add 4WD, and the Canyon WT includes a locking rear differential.

If you decide to upgrade to the Canyon SLE-1, your truck will be equipped with an automatic transmission, dark tinted rear glass, and fog lights. The SLE-1 also includes power side mirrors, power door locks, remote keyless entry, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass and outside temperature displays, while the stereo gains a CD/MP3 player as well as satellite radio. Both the Extended Cab and Crew Cab models are equipped with power windows, and the Crew Cab 2WD is equipped with a standard locking rear differential.

The new SLE-2 trim level can be applied to the Canyon Extended Cab with 4WD and all Crew Cab models. It includes a larger engine, a trailer-towing package, front bucket seats and a sliding rear window.

For 2012, SLT trim is reserved for Canyon 4WD Crew Cab models. It is equipped with heated leather seats, a power driver’s seat, a Z71 Off-Road Suspension Package, and 17-inch chrome wheels.

Depending on trim level selected, options include trailering equipment, an automatic locking rear differential, a tonneau cover for the bed, assist steps, splash guards, a toolbox for the bed, bigger wheels, a Z71 off-road suspension, and more.

A 2.9-liter four-cylinder engine is standard on the Canyon WT and SLE-1. It makes 185 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 190 pound-feet of torque at 2,800 rpm, and is paired with a five-speed manual transmission on the Regular Cab model with 2WD. All other Canyons have a four-speed automatic transmission. With 2WD, fuel economy is rated 18 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway, regardless of transmission choice. With 4WD, the automatic transmission returns 18-city/24-highway.

Optional on WT and SLE-1 models, and standard on the SLE-2 and SLT models, the Canyon’s 3.7-liter engine is an inline five-cylinder design. It generates 242 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 242 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm. A four-speed automatic is the only transmission choice, and in all except for the Canyon 4WD Crew Cab it delivers 17 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. The 4WD Crew Cab is rated 16-city/21-highway.

Exclusive to the compact truck class is the GMC Canyon’s optional 5.3-liter V8 engine with 300 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 320 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 rpm. Available only on Extended and Crew Cab models, the V8 produces dismal fuel economy ratings of 14-city/20-highway with 2WD and 14-city/19-highway with 4WD.

GMC includes six airbags, traction control, stability control, and four-wheel antilock brakes on every 2012 Canyon. OnStar telematics is also standard, and comes with six free months of the Directions and Connections plan, which includes Automatic Crash Notification service. This feature activates when the Canyon’s airbags deploy, putting a live operator in touch with the truck’s occupants to see if everyone is OK. Even if nobody can respond, the operator can send rescuers to the Canyon’s exact location to speed medical assistance.

With the Canyon, this is an important consideration, given the truck’s unimpressive crash-test scores. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Canyon’s frontal-impact rating is Acceptable, and the rollover resistance rating is 4 Stars based on evaluations performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). From here, things get ugly. The NHTSA hasn’t tested the 2012 Canyon for impact protection, but the IIHS gives GMC’s little truck a Poor rating for side-impact protection, a Marginal rating for rear-impact injury prevention, and a Marginal rating for roof strength in a rollover wreck.

The picture doesn’t improve when it comes to reliability. You’d think that after building a truck for nine years, the bugs would be worked out and it would prove indestructible. Not so with the GMC Canyon, which Consumer Reports thinks will return merely average reliability over time. Last year, J.D. Power and Associates predicted that the 2011 Canyon would prove slightly below average in terms of long-term dependability. J.D. Power has not provided guidance for the 2012 model as this review was written.

When it comes to towing and hauling, the Canyon Regular Cab can tow up to 4,000 pounds and carry up to 1,429 lbs. of payload. The Extended Cab bumps those ratings to 6,000 lbs. and 1,734 lbs., respectively. Crew Cab models max out at 6,000 lbs. and 1,216 lbs.

As for actual cargo volume, the Regular and Extended Cab models can hold 44 cubic-feet of stuff, measured to the top of the bed. The Canyon Crew Cab’s smaller bed measures 37 cu-ft.

The GMC Canyon is built in Shreveport, Louisiana.

In some parts of the country, the only dealership in town with a compact truck in the showroom has a Chevy/GMC sign out in front. The cheap, always discounted Canyon is appealing from that standpoint. But if there’s a Nissan or Toyota dealer nearby, or even a Suzuki dealer, why on earth would you even consider the mediocre, fuel swilling, poor-performing GMC Canyon?

By Christian Wardlaw