Made in Canada: Save up to $8,000 on these Canadian-built vehicles

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With the news that General Motors will, once again, begin building pickup trucks in Oshawa, Ontario next year (including the featured GMC Sierra), Driving.ca takes a look at this future Canadian model along with two other “made in Canada” rides. The Ford Edge is built in Oakville; while the Honda Civic rolls off the assembly line in Alliston. All arrive with attractive discounts.

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Ford Edge SEL

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Made in Canada: Save up to $8,000 on these Canadian-built vehicles Back to video

$40,299

$6,500

$1,000

$7,500

$2,030

$34,829

The 2020 Ford Edge stands pat ahead of some updates for 2021, including a larger 12-inch infotainment screen. The featured SEL’s cabin is well-finished and shows up for duty with everything from a heated 10-way power driver’s seat and Sync3, which supports a solid nine-speaker sound system, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto to eight cupholders (in a five-seater, no less!) and MyKey. The latter can mute the audio system until the seatbelts are buckled and it prevents key safety features from being turned off.

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The Edge has a generous back seat capable of accommodating three adults with surprising ease — the width and 1,030-millimetres of legroom certainly helps! It also delivers 1,111 litres of cargo space with the seat upright; and 2,079 L with them folded flat.

While Ford’s Co-Pilot360 is standard and includes things like pre-collision with auto-braking, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane keep assist and auto high-beams, it takes the $850 Assist+ package to add adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality and lane centering along with evasive steering assist.

The Edge SEL is powered by a 2.0-litre EcoBoost turbo-four making 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. While front-drive is standard, the featured SEL drives all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. The all-wheel drive setup features a disconnect system, automatically switching between front-drive for improved economy and all-wheel-drive for extra traction. It does so by monitoring everything from slippage and vehicle speed to outside temperature so it can deliver the most effective power split.

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This combination delivers a run to 100 kilometres an hour in 7.4 seconds and a posted average fuel economy of 10.0 litres per 100 kilometres. That’s just 0.2 L/100 km more than the front-drive model, which makes the $2,000 AWD option a no-brainer.

Edge is a comfortable highway cruiser that manages to deliver decent body control when running down a fast on-ramp. The steering is nicely weighted with the brake-based torque vectoring control sharpening the turn-in response. While it will never be mistaken for a sports car in anything other than ST guise, as crossovers go the SEL is well balanced.

The 2020 Ford Edge SEL AWD arrives with a combined Unhaggle discount of $7,500 and a pre-tax sticker of $34,829.

GMC Sierra 1500 SLE

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$52,098

$6,000

$2,000

$8,000

$2,030

$46,128

The GMC Sierra pretty much carries over into 2021 after its remake in 2019. The featured 1500 arrives with a Crew Cab, short-box, and four-wheel-drive. The SLE’s cabin is well-conceived with everything being readily accessed; in a full-sized truck, this is not always the case. The SLE (different than the trims shown here) 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 nit is the better Premium GMC Infotainment System with wireless connection for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is bundled up an option that bumps the price by $1,535. The back of the Crew Cab is spacious with 60/40 split-folding bench seat easily accommodating three adults.

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Out back is a short box and 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, a middle section that folds down to ease access, a step to climb into the bed – and so the versatility goes.

The Sierra’s Driver Alert package I ($1,095) includes blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and front/rear parking sensors. However, it also needs the Driver Alert package II ($1,200) to get forward collision warning with auto braking and pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning with keep assist, auto high-beams, and follow-distance indicator.

The SLE is equipped with a 2.7L turbo-four making 310 hp and 348 lb-ft of torque. 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 a locking differential that automatically locks when there’s a wheel-speed difference of 100 rpm.

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

The GMC Sierra 1500 SLE Crew Cab Short-box 4×4 arrives with a combined Unhaggle discount of $8,000 and a pre-tax sticker of $46,128.

Honda Civic EX

Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $25,400
Honda Canada Incentive*: $3,000 (applied after tax)
Unhaggle Savings: $250
Total Savings: $3,250
Mandatory Fees (Freight, Govt. Fees): $1,800
Total Before Tax: $24,296

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The Honda Civic has the distinction of being the best-selling car in a top ten list of Canadian best sellers that are primarily trucks and crossovers. The only other car on that list? The Toyota Corolla. This pair have been duking it out for compact car supremacy for years. The 2021 Civic EX sedan shows little change with the featured EX bridging a middle ground between entry-level LX and top-line Touring (shown above). The Sport rounds out the sedan lineup.

The Civic EX arrives with a comfortable, airy cabin ringed with decent 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, plus a power moonroof.

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It also has 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 to display the view in the central screen. It works to the right, but it’s a poor substitute for a proper blind-spot monitoring system.

Under the hood is a 2.0L four-cylinder pushing 158 hp and 138 lb-ft of torque through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) via the front wheels. The numbers, as they appear on paper, do not look overly exciting but they manage to deliver surprising performance. No, it is not like the 1.5L turbo-four in the top Touring, but it gets the job done running to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds. The combination works to deliver excellent fuel economy — a posted average of 7.1 L/100 km.

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Where the Civic shines is suspension balance. It delivers superior ride quality and the desired athleticism. As such, it is both a comfortable cruiser and a corner carver at the same time. When pushed the suspension limits body roll without being taut and the steering is nicely weighted as it delivers above average feedback. The balanced blend sees it rank at the top of the class, managing to rival the Mazda3.

The Honda Civic EX sedan arrives with a combined Unhaggle discount of $2,904 and a pre-tax price of $24,296.

Areas to Watch

Transport Canada list three recalls for the Ford Edge. The first (#2021-011) states, “On certain vehicles, the rear drive unit was not properly filled with oil.” Dealers will check the oil level top it up to the full level. If the oil is below the minimum level, the drive unit will be replaced. The second (#2020-454) says, “On certain vehicles, an electrical problem with the rearview camera could cause it not to work properly.” Dealers will replace the rearview camera. The third (#2020-434) states, “On a small number of vehicles, the start-stop accumulator in the transmission may have missing or loose bolts.” Dealers will replace the transmission start-stop accumulator. This recall only affects 13 vehicles.

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There are three recalls for the 2021 GMC Sierra. The first (#2020-624) states, “On certain trucks, the seatbelt 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 second 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 Tire. The third (#2020-645) says, “On certain vehicles, the seatbelts may have been installed with the wrong bolts.” Dealer will replace the seatbelt bolts, as necessary. There are 41 vehicles involved.

There are no recalls for the 2021 Honda Civic.

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The Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gives the 2020 Ford Edge SEL Good ratings for all crash tests and a Superior for forward crash prevention. However, the SEL gets a Poor for headlight performance. The 2021 GMC Sierra Crew Cab gets Good ratings for all tests except the small front passenger-side overlap test — it is rated as Marginal. While it gets a Superior for forward crash prevention with optional equipment aboard, it has a Poor rating for headlight performance.

Honda Civic sedan has Good crash test ratings across the board, a Superior for forward crash prevention, but again, a Poor rating for headlight performance. Ironically, the Ford Edge ST and Titanium – along with the Honda Civic Touring – are IIHS Top Safety Picks because each of these models has better headlights than lower trims.

The projected resale value of these three rides in 2024, after being driven an average of 20,000 km per year, is $17,950 for the Ford Edge SEL AWD, $30,050 for the GMC Sierra 1500 SLE Crew Cab Short-box 4×4, and $15,250 for the Honda Civic EX sedan.