GMC Canyon: the compact pickup that replaced the Sonoma

The GMC Canyon is a pickup truck that General Motors introduced for 2004 to replace the GMC S-15 and Sonoma compact pickups. It shares its mechanical layout with the Chevrolet Colorado, and the two were jointly designed by GM’s North American and Brazilian operations together with Isuzu.

GMC Canyon at a glance

Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Chevrolet Colorado, which covers the Canyon as its GMC twin.

History of the GMC Canyon

Joint development

The Canyon and Colorado were jointly designed by GM’s North American operations, GM’s Brazil operations and Isuzu, which had begun selling its own version worldwide in 2002. Production started in October 2003. In late 2005 Isuzu offered a North American version called the i-series, which shared North American powertrains, styling and equipment with the Colorado and Canyon rather than with Isuzu’s worldwide truck. All Chevrolet, GMC and Isuzu versions are based on the GMT355, which also formed the basis of the Hummer H3. North American trucks were built at Shreveport Operations.

Bodies and equipment

The Canyon came in three cab styles: a two-door regular cab with a 6 ft box and room for two or three, a four-door extended cab with a 6 ft box and four or five seats, and a four-door crew cab with a shorter 5 ft box and five or six seats. Most models used the 2.8 L four-cylinder engine, while a 3.5 L five-cylinder came with the Z71 package on four-door versions and was optional elsewhere. Three suspension packages were offered: the comfortable Z85, the Z71 off-road set-up with a locking rear differential, heavier shock absorbers and a raised ride height, and the ZQ8 sport suspension, which sat lower and was available only on two-wheel-drive models. A ZQ8 edition with 17-inch wheels and colour-matched bumpers was offered, along with an Xtreme version on 18-inch wheels.

Changes and sales

For 2007 the Canyon was facelifted and given new engines, the 2.9 L four and 3.7 L five, along with new colours, tyres and wheels; the Canyon badges moved off the doors in favour of the GM corporate logo. For 2009 came another facelift and a new 5.3 L V8 with 300 hp and 320 lb-ft, and for 2010 the GM badges were phased out. In 2009 the trucks gained an optional Bluetooth hands-free phone system and lost the six-disc in-dash CD changer. US sales of the Colorado and Canyon peaked in 2005 at 163,204 units, almost 35 percent ahead of the Ford Ranger.

Trim levels

The Canyon was offered in three trim levels with different names from the Chevrolet range: Canyon, SLE and SLT. Top crew-cab versions could be ordered with leather-trimmed seats, dual power-adjustable heated front bucket seats with lumbar support, a six-disc in-dash CD changer, XM satellite radio and rear side-impact airbags.

Design and features

• Three cab styles: regular, extended and crew cab, with 6 ft or 5 ft cargo boxes.
• GMT355 chassis: shared with the Chevrolet Colorado, Isuzu i-series and Hummer H3.
• Z71 off-road package: locking rear differential, uprated shocks and raised ride height.
• ZQ8 sport and Xtreme: lowered suspension and larger wheels for two-wheel-drive trucks.
• Own trim names: Canyon, SLE and SLT instead of the Chevrolet Base, LS and LT.

GMC Canyon versions

• Regular cab: two-door body with a 6 ft box and two or three seats.
• Extended cab: four-door body with a 6 ft box and four or five seats.
• Crew cab: four-door body with a 5 ft box and five or six seats.
• Z71: off-road package with a locking differential and a taller ride.
• ZQ8 and Xtreme: lowered sport versions on 17- or 18-inch wheels.

The Canyon replaced the GMC Sonoma and sits below the GMC Sierra. More pickups are in the GMC collection.

Sources

• Chevrolet Colorado, English Wikipedia: development, chassis, engines, cab styles, trims, sales