New Colorado or Canyon?

[kjr6306]

Is anyone pulling their boat with the new GM Canyon or Chevy Colorado with the 2.7L Turbo? Contemplating picking one up. Towing capacity is supposed to 7000lbs. 300HP and 430 ft/lbs or torque is pretty amazing for a 4-cylinder. Coming out of a 2020 Ram 1500 and on the fence about going with a small truck vs. full size. It's just that the prices for new trucks are insane right now and the GM/Chevy midsize options are 10-12k less.....

 

[AlpharettaRK]

No problem with Ranger with 2.3 turbo. The 2.7T should be fine.

 

[Judge]

I had a 2018 GMC Canyon Denali but with the 2.8L Duramax Diesel (181HP / 369FT-LB and 7000LB Towing Capacity). I pulled a 21' Snowmobile Trailer that weighed ~4400 - 4800LBS fully loaded. It also has 4-wheel electric brakes.

That little diesel was a beast. I would get 12MPG if I kept it below 60MPH towing the trailer. I would get 28 - 29MPG Highway and over 20MPG City. It also rode and handled great.

I did add a Hellwig Sway Bar that helped with sway and body roll when towing. I towed thousands if miles without any issues

I would think the 2.7L Turbo would be ok given the specs compared to the diesel.

I now have a 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4 with the 3.0L Duramax and 9200LBS towing capacity. I can hardly tell the snowmobile trailer is back there. I did just tow my ‘22 275SD about 1200 miles to its permanent home in Florida. I could definitely feel the 275SD back there. It was probably about 8000lbs as loaded plus another 300 - 400lbs in the bed so I was at max weight.

 

[Michal]

I would say it all depends on how far you are planning on towing. Smaller truck may have the towing capacity, but does it have the payload capacity for your needs? Also, if you have never towed anything with a smaller truck, you'll see there is a world of difference in handling. It will tow in a straight line just fine, but think about stopping, how many people you are planning on having in the truck while towing and any other cargo you may load on the truck. For me, unless it's a short distance of a tow, I will not get a smaller truck. I have a 2019 Ram 1500.

 

[Ronnie]

I’m considering a newer ranger or Ridgeline. The ranger has a high tow capacity but the reviews aren’t great where interior space, ride comfort, etc. are concerned. Have you seen reviews reviews and comparisons on you tube? If not I suggest you check some out.

 

[@JC!]

Personally I'd stick with the Ram, you're going to be disappointed with the interior downgrade stepping into any other brand. The current big discounts on all the trims should help close the gap on mid-size pickups too.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Truck size for towing is like boat length on the ocean, no one says I wish I had a smaller ____________. Longer wheelbase, wider stance, more weight will almost always tow better. In real life, however, we are probably towing 5- 10% of the time in the truck, so it’s always a balance of what is best for ALL the activities we do with our trucks.

Is there something about your 2020 Ram that you don’t like or that you really do like? These things would likely be things to consider in your next truck. I know I plan to keep my Ram for a long as I got a great deal at the end of 2020 that I couldn’t find now on any model truck.

When we talk about trucks, we usually focus on towing and payload capacity. I, personally, like to be able to haul a lot of stuff in mine. LOL, that’s the reason I have a full size truck with a camper top.

I could see scenarios where there would be a downsize to a full size truck, however, like lot of driving (fuel costs) or lots of city drivin.

Jim

 

[BlkGS]

Gonna have to agree with Jim and JCI. The space downgrade is immense, and the price and efficiency differences are not. If you're wanting something other than the ram, that's one thing, but I wouldn't expect a night and day difference in fuel efficiency.

If you want a more efficient truck, the ecodiesel and baby duramax in Silverado are great options.

 

[Judge]

If you’re not hauling a ton of stuff or a bunch of people, don’t discount a midsize truck like a GMC Canyon. It can be a perfectly fine tow vehicle for the right application. And it can be a great daily driver.

It is just me and my wife and our ‘18 GMC Canyon Denali was more than adequate in terms of room and I had no issues towing 4800lbs over thousands of miles. The Denali package was laid out like a Cadillac and the truck rode and handled great.

The 2.8L baby Duramax got 12 - 14MPG towing the snowmobile trailer. The Silverado 5.3L V8 I had before it got 6 - 7 MPG towing the same trailer. When we would drive from FL to PA to see family, I would only have to stop once for diesel in 1200 miles with a 21 gallon tank.

Don’t get me wrong…. I love my ‘21 GMC 1500 AT4 w/ 3.0L Duramax. It’s a great truck with lots of room, loaded interior and good ride and handling. The fuel economy is also very good for a full size truck but its not as good as the Canyon. The power with the new 6 cylinder diesel is outstanding and big jump over the 4 cylinder. But at times I still miss the Canyon.

I bought both trucks as Certified Pre-Owned and the Canyon was significantly less expensive than the AT4.

 

[Billtex2000]

I've been looking at both of those myself. Tow capacity is actually 7700lbs. from what I've seen. The basic difference I can see is the fenders are wider and the appearance is a little more aggressive on the Canyon. I prefer the Colorado for that reason alone. The interiors are new and very nice if optioned right. They offer a Pro Grade trailering system for $665/$995 depending on trim level which includes a trailer brake controller.
We just leased a GMC Acadia for my wife and the dealer was very accomodating. We were able to get to a price that we were happy with fairly easily. They are definitely eager to move vehicles with 2024's coming and the uncertainty about the strike (according to them.) Got the acadia with the factory tow package, but it's only good for 4000lbs. Still good for the Waverunners and such.

 

[BlkGS]

The problem with midsized is cost. You build a canyon Denali and it's 60k basically (just under, like 59k). It's gonna be about as nice as an SLT sierra, with less space. The SLT Sierra is probably a little cheaper too (though maybe not nowdays, dunno).

I think the midsize trucks are just all priced like 10k too high vs the full sizes.

That said, of the midsize trucks, canyon/Colorado and Tacoma would be at the top of my list.

 

[oramac]

I tow my 2021 SX210 with our 2018 GMC Canyon and our 2019 Cheverolet Colorado. Both are crew cabs and have the 3.6 V6. I have towed ~350 miles from Terre Haute, IN to Dale Hollow Lake and back several times and had NO issues with hauling the boat at speed. I saw 12-13 mpg with both when towing. No complaints at all.

 

[oramac]

Oh, and the Canyon cost $29,000 when I bought it used in 2020 (SLE). The Colorado was loaded and cost $39,000 when I bought it last year (Z71)