Owner Review: 2021 GMC Canyon AT4 Diesel

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Blake Mitchell doesn’t believe bigger is always better. He pulls a trailer occasionally, but was tired of his large truck. When it was time to trade his 2011 Ford F-150, he opted for a 2021 GMC Canyon AT4 with 2.8L diesel engine.

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“I left full-size because it was ‘Too Friggin’ Big,”” Mitchell said, using a phrase popular at Driving.ca. “I had 200,000 kilometres on the F-150, and looking back at how I used it, I was only pulling a trailer for 10 to 15 per cent of those kilometres. The other 85 per cent, I was hauling an empty cab, an empty bed. I want manoeuvrability when I go to the city, or even the work parking lot.”

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Mitchell lives in Pembroke, Ont., and is an R&D technologist at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. He’s all about numbers, and made a spreadsheet of trucks under consideration.

“My choices got narrowed down quick, because all my trailers have a maximum capacity of 7,000 lbs. The Canyon AT4 with diesel gave me 7,600 lbs. My better half is into Western riding events, and I’ve got a two-horse tandem-axle trailer. I would have loved a GMC Yukon diesel, but I remember it being $10,000 or $15,000 more.” The family includes a two-year-old, and an 80-pound Alaskan Malamute dog. Their other vehicle is a 2007 Honda Accord.

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He chose the Canyon Crew Cab AT4 Leather, which comes only in 4×4. Its MSRP is $49,548, and Mitchell added a few items including a premium stereo, spray-in bedliner and all-weather floor mats. It came to $54,400 before taxes and financing – although that didn’t go as planned. There were incentives when he placed his order in March, but due to pandemic-related delays, the truck didn’t arrive until June. “The salesman said I was locked in at zero-per-cent, and I was okay with waiting if the terms were locked in. But when I picked it up, it was, ‘Whatever the financing rate is the day you buy it, that’s what you get.’ That’s a little sleazy.”

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For 2021, the AT4 is a new trim on the Canyon. Its standard gasoline engine is a 3.6L V6 making 308 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque. That has a 7,000-lb capacity on the crew cab, but Mitchell wanted the diesel’s extra pulling power. It’s a 2.8L four-cylinder, making 181 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, and mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

The AT4 package includes 17-inch wheels with 31-inch all-terrain tires, off-road suspension, transfer case skid plate, and an Eaton G80 rear automatic locking differential, which cemented Mitchell’s decision to choose the AT4 over the Elevation trim. The truck’s 4×4 system has an “Auto” setting. That’s available on most pickup trucks, at least on some trim levels, but one that doesn’t have that setting shouldn’t be driven in four-wheel on hard surfaces. “We live in Ontario, where you can be on a road with snow and two dry tire marks,” he said. “If you’ve got a part-time system like in my F-150 and you put it (in 4×4), you risk damaging the system if you hit dry road. What GM needs to advertise more is that automatic four-wheel setting.”

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Some people complain that the Canyon’s engine is noisy, but “I love the audio experience with the diesel,” Mitchell said. “It’s just like driving a big truck, with the diesel clatter, the diesel turbo whine. I used the diesel brake going down a hill, and it kept it to 70 km/h. I’ve only towed a small trailer and haven’t loaded it over 3,000 lbs yet, but I’m expecting it to be a better tow vehicle than my old Ford.”

Even so, it wasn’t his first choice. “I test-drove a gas Jeep Gladiator. The dealer didn’t have a diesel Gladiator but had the Wrangler diesel, and after driving that, no doubt in my mind, the EcoDiesel 3.0 is the engine to buy in a Gladiator. But it’s a $75,000 truck, and then if you cross-shop on simple dollars and eliminate other requirements, you’re into Porsche Macan or Land Rover Defender territory. I’ve owned three Jeeps in my life, and the Gladiator’s awesome, but that price…I’m sorry, Jeep.

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“A lot of people say the diesel engine (in the Canyon) is an expensive upgrade that doesn’t justify itself. They look at the estimated fuel mileage from NRCan (Natural Resources Canada) and say it’ll take ten years to pay for the engine. I say first, the diesel engine is always going to be worth more than gas in retained value. Number two, I’m getting way better than NRCan said. Over 2,000 km, I’m getting about 7.5 L/100 km.”

His biggest complaint about the Canyon is storage. “There are numerous tiny storage compartments, and they’re perfect if you want to store a pack of gum, but even the cupholders in the doors barely fit a standard 355-ml pop can. I don’t know what uses people have found for those cubbies yet. But I haven’t found anything else wrong with it. It’s an honest truck.”

Mitchell’s F-150 was an extended-cab with 5.0L V8, bench seat and cloth interior. “I’m getting twice the fuel mileage, roughly the same interior space but a little narrower. I lost the centre seat on the front bench, but I can still fit four adults. I have four real doors, and I can tow everything my license will let me tow. The future is electric and hybrid, but I take some comfort in buying proven technology. I kept my Ford for ten years. My goal is to try to make this Canyon last fifteen years, so my daughter can drive it. Fingers crossed.”