The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight was arguably the biggest sporting event this year and possibly even decade. Floyd Mayweather is undefeated in professional boxing and Pacquiao isn’t far behind. Both fighters are well into their 30’s and sort of came out of a respite for the big event.
With a few losses on their track record, the good ole boys at GM are similarly making a comeback to smaller-than-full-size trucks. I use that hyphenated description because gone are the days of the compact truck, and midsize trucks are nearing the mass of full-size trucks from 15 years ago.
The Canyon is big. So much so that it felt like I was approaching a Sierra at first glance. This version was a crew cab 4×4 with the 6 ft bed (in midsize trucks this is the longer of the two). The truck felt ample and roomy to my 5’10” frame and is probably a boon to those over 6ft when comparing directly to a Tacoma, the other middleweight in this fight.
What surprised me most about the Canyon was that it didn’t exactly deliver a knockout blow when you stepped on the accelerator. I expected a lot out of a claimed 305 ponies. When you give it the juice, the Canyon wants to tie you up and rest rather than throw a haymaker. Weighing in at 4500 lbs it’s a bit lame that the 1/4 mi time is 15.4 when the only slightly lighter (4200 lbs) Taco is running 14.7 with a claimed 236 hp! The tacoma does indeed feel stronger and even has 500 lbs on the Canyon in towing capacity.
But what about price? Surely GM knows it needs to undercut the Taco in order to make any headway. Well, maybe not. At $36k+, GM makes you wonder why you’d pay that much when for $34k you can get a TRD off-road Tacoma. For $36k the Taco gets a 1.75″ lift and custom exhaust among other cosmetics when you add the TRD Pro package. Plus a cool 110v outlet in the bed and an electronic rear locker!
Although the Canyon has gas struts to lift the hood, auto-down rear window switches, wifi, and lane departure warning, it’s hardly enough dancing to distract from the Tacoma, which had the best resale value of any vehicle last year.
Without making all this sound like a Toyota commercial, I will say that the Canyon overall does feel more plush and comfy. Hat tip to GM as well for the 4 USB ports I found- one in the dash, one in the center console, and two in the rear. If there’s one thing lacking from most modern cars it’s an appreciation for America’s fierce addition to smart phones and tablets. Another fun thought was the volume and radio present buttons located behind the steering wheel! Way cool. They feel like those mountain bike clicky shifters you use your thumbs and index fingers on. Nice touch.
The instruments overall are familiar and easy on the eyes. Although I’m not a big fan of the redundant speedometer. There’s a digital readout in addition to the gauge.
The Tl;dr (which means ‘too long, didn’t read’ for those not up to date on their internet speak) version is that Tacoma wins. Power you can feel, more towing, Mayweather-esque pedigree, and big value. With more power and a couple years’ experience in reliability testing, however, Canyon/Colorado could be a force to be reckoned with.
