3 hot deals to go — cash, finance or lease, it's your choice

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When the Unhaggle deals get hot, Driving.ca looks at the combined discounts, resale value, and overall ratings to find you the best deal for your money in new vehicles. Here we take a look at the best cash, finance and lease deals this month.

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This week, we’re looking at the 2021 GMC Sierra pickup, the 2021 Civic Sport sedan, and the 2021 Lexus RX 350 SUV.

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3 hot deals to go — cash, finance or lease, it's your choice Back to video

GMC Sierra

The GMC Sierra carries over into 2021 after a remake in 2019. Gone are the days of rubber mats and vinyl seats — the SLE brings a heated 10-way power driver’s seat and heated steering wheel along with six-months of OnStar and Teen Driver, which is a boon for parents. The SLE also features an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The back of the Crew Cab is spacious with 60/40 split-folding bench seat accommodating three adults.

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The featured 1500 SLE arrives with a Crew Cab and short-box with GMC’s clever MultiPro Tailgate. The six functions start with a conventional tailgate and goes on to include a load stop, which effectively extends the bed length, the middle section folds down to ease access, it becomes a step to climb into the bed and so the versatility goes.

The Sierra needs the Driver Alert package I ($1,095), as it includes blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert along with front and rear parking sensors.

The SLE arrives with a 2.7L turbo-four that makes 310 hp and 348 lb-ft of torque at 1,500 rpm. It drives all-four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission and a single-speed transfer case with 2WD High, 4WD Auto and 4WD high modes. The latter works with a Terrain mode to improved traction when off-road. It also features an Eaton Locker differential that automatically locks when there’s a wheel-speed difference of 100 rpm.

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The GMC Sierra SLE has a maximum towing capacity of 4,944-kg, a max payload rating of 991-kg and a posted average fuel economy of 12.3 L/100 km.

The Sierra has a cushioned ride and, for a truck, good accuracy, feel and feedback from the steering. The caveat is the rear leaf springs can make the Sierra feel as though the back-end is skipping out when rough pavement if encountered mid-corner.

The 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE 4WD has a solid pre-tax cash price of $47,528 after the $7,000 Unhaggle discount is applied.

Honda Civic

The Honda Civic has the best-selling car in Canada for 23 straight years. The 2021 Civic Sport sedan arrives with little change — the revamped 2022 model is ready to roll. The Sport has a comfortable cabin, classy materials and a healthy standard equipment list that includes a heated eight-way power driver’s seat, a seven-inch infotainment screen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a power moonroof.

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The Sport arrives with forward collision warning with auto braking, lane departure warning with keep assist, adaptive cruise control, high beam assist and Honda LaneWatch. The latter uses a camera on the right-side door mirror and displays the view in the central screen. It works for the right side, but not the left. Blind spot monitoring is not offered.

The Civic Sport arrives with a 2.0L four-cylinder that pushes 158 hp and 138 lb-ft of torque through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with paddle shifters and the front wheels. The combination brings decent performance, with the run to 100 km/h coming in at 8.6 seconds. The plus is the combination works to deliver excellent fuel economy — a posted average of 7.4 L/100 km.

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Where the Civic puts its best tire forward is the balance between ride comfort and handling. It has good highway ride quality, yet manages to get through a corner in an athletic fashion. When pushed the suspension controls body roll and the steering is nicely weighted and delivers above average feedback.

The 2021 Civic Sport is the best finance deal. With a pre-tax price of $26,800 it can be financed for 60 months at 0.99 percent for $536 per month including tax. No down payment required.

Lexus RX 350

Following its restyle last year, the 2021 Lexus RX 350 continues unchanged. The cabin is finished with top-notch materials and has the fit/finish to match. It is also feature rich — the list of amenities includes heated/cooled leather eight-way power front seats, heated steering wheel, power moonroof and an infotainment system that’s anchored by an eight-inch touchscreen. It works with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a 12-speaker sound system.

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In the back, there’s enough space for two adults to relax in the heated outboard positions. However, the expressive outward look does come at a cost — the cargo capacity is tight when compared to the competition. With the seats upright there’s 453L of cargo space and 924L with them folded flat.

The RX 350 arrives with the LSS+ (Lexus Safety System+) 2.0 package. It includes pre-collision with pedestrian and bicycle detection and automatic braking, radar-based cruise control and automatic high beams. Blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert is also standard.

The RX 350 comes with a 3.5L V6 that produces 295 hp and 267 lb-ft of torque. It drives an eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters and all four wheels. Under normal conditions the RX 350 drives the front wheels, however, the Active Torque system continually alters the torque distribution according to the grip and driving conditions.

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The combination runs to 100 km/h in 7.7 seconds, a tow capacity of 1,588-kg and it does so while returning a posted average fuel economy of 10.8 L/100 km.

While the RX 350 keys on delivering a luxurious ride, there is minimal body roll and the response to steering input is crisp. The Drive Mode Select gives improved acceleration and steering feel through three modes – Eco, Normal and Sport S. Normal is the preferred setting, as the other two are too soft and too aggressive, respectively.

The lease deal is the 2021 RX 350 Premium. It can be leased for 48 months at 1.4 percent for $768 per month. There is no down payment and an annual 20,000-km allowance.

Verdict

Transport Canada lists three recalls for the GMC Sierra 1500. The first (#2020-645) says, “On certain vehicles, the seat belts may have been installed with the wrong bolts. Dealers will replace the bolts as necessary. The second (#2020-624) states, “On certain trucks, the seat belt brackets for the front-row centre seat may not be properly attached to the seat frame.” Dealers will reassemble the brackets correctly, if necessary. The third (#2020-530) says, “Certain vehicles were built with tires that may have been cured too long.” Dealers will inspect the tires and replace the ones that have the DOT number and production mold number combinations identified by Continental.

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There are no recalls listed for the 2021 Honda Civic or Lexus RX 350.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gives the GMC 1500 Crew Cab Good scores in all crash tests except the small offset test on the passenger side where it has a Marginal rating. It has a Superior for forward collision avoidance with optional equipment, but a Poor rating for headlight performance.

The Honda Civic sedan has Good ratings in all crash tests and a Superior for forward collision avoidance without optional equipment. It has a Poor rating for the halogen headlight performance. The top Civic Touring is a Top Safety Pick thanks to the Good rating it gets for its better LED headlights.

The Lexus RX 350 is a Top Safety Pick with Good scores in all crash tests, a Superior for forward collision prevention without options and an Acceptable for headlight performance.

The projected resale value of these three vehicles in 2024, after being driven an average of 20,000 km/year, is $40,550 for the 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE 4WD, $15,900 for the 2021 Civic Sport CVT and $34,650 for the Lexus RX 350.