2016 GMC Terrain Denali Review - Four Reasons A Refresh Isn't Enough, Four Reasons It Is

As a successor to the defunct Pontiac Torrent and fraternal twin of the second-generation Chevrolet Equinox, the GMC Terrain arrived in 2009 with blocky, eye-catching styling, a powerful V6 engine option, and an expansive rear seat.

As is typically the case in the United States – and periodically in Canada – the GMC version of the Chevrolet crossover didn't sell as often as the Chevrolet. But the Terrain is a popular vehicle: it's the 18th-best-selling utility vehicle in Canada and the U.S. so far this year. Combined, the Equinox and Terrain twins form a dynamic duo even in old age. U.S. sales through the first 11 months of 2015, at 355,143 units, are far in excess of the best-selling Honda CR-V's total, for instance.

THE GOOD • Huge second row • V6 availability in a turbo 4 world • Relaxed ride quality • Comfortable front perches • It does look expensive

THE BAD • 6-speed hangs on to gears too long • Not nearly as quick as figures suggest • Needs to go on a diet • Interior is from a prior era • $48,560?

"Old age" is nevertheless an apt descriptor. General Motors introduced the 2016 Terrain at the New York International Auto Show earlier this year. Yet even though 2016 will be the seventh model year for the first-generation Terrain, GM's press release included the word "new" 13 times, not including the New in New York.

For example, GM says the front and rear fascias are new. Can you tell? There are new wheel designs and a new chrome-trimmed shifter, too. 

Ooh, and indeed, la la.

GM is also careful to use the word, "revised." The Terrain's instrument panel centre stack, which needs to be new, is revised, and not noticeably. In the process of revising and making some minor items new, GM didn't make any meaningful changes to the powertrain, chassis, or interior configuration, where changes are overdue.

2016 GMC TERRAIN DENALI Base Price: $44,165 * As-Tested Price: $48,560 * Drive Type: all-wheel-drive Transmission: 6-speed automatic Engine: 3.6L DOHC 24-valve V6 Horsepower: 301 @ 6500 rpm Torque: 272 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm Curb Weight: 4204 pounds Length: 185.3 inches Width: 72.8 inches Height: 66.3 inches Wheelbase: 112.5 inches Tires: Michelin Latitude X-Ice Tire Size: 235/55R19 Passenger Volume: 2820 litres Cargo Volume: 895 litres Max. Cargo Volume: 1810 litres EPA City: 16 MPG EPA Highway: 23 MPG NRCAN OEE City: 14.9 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 10.1 L/100km Observed: 22.8 mpg Observed: 10.3 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1800 in fees

Rather than review the slightly updated 2016 GMC Terrain Denali V6 AWD which GM Canada delivered to GCBC Towers in mid-December – a vehicle we already reviewed before this minor MY2016 update – we'll keep it simple. Prior to a more significant revamp in the future, GMC will still sell tens of thousands of Terrains regardless of the vehicle's aged state. So here are four reasons why the Terrain will still be successful; why it's good enough as is, along with four reasons why the Terrain's old age causes the smallest GMC to feel so thoroughly outdated; why a refresh won't satisfy the discerning buyer.

GOOD ENOUGH?

#1: Rear Seat Space
For buyers who prioritize passenger space above all else, the Terrain (and its Equinox sibling) are unbeatable in their segment and challenge the most spacious SUVs and crossovers when it comes to rear seat legroom. The rear bench, which slides forward to maximize limited cargo volume, can be slid rearward to open up a cavernous footwell featuring cross-your-legs space and a flat floor.

#2: Ride Quality
The Terrain Denali features dual-stage dampers not available on other Terrains, so it's possible that the Terrain Denali's exceptional ride quality – the way occupants are isolated from imperfect roads – is unique in the Terrain/Equinox family. GM's focus on limiting the scope of the Terrain's athleticism in order to maximize ride comfort is a blessing to buyers who wouldn't care if the Terrain was slightly sharper in the corners.

#3: Horsepower
The Terrain Denali's optional 301-horsepower is a beast. No, it's not an unequivocally fast car, but power is abundant and torque is always present. The Terrain's 6-speed automatic is a dampener of fun, hanging on to gears annoyingly while upshifting yet never desirous of a kickdown. But overwhelming the relatively smooth 6-speed's is the horsepower on tap, the kind of horsepower you can't get in a Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, or Ford Escape.

#4: Right-Sized Exterior
Not too big, not too small? Think of it this way: the Ford Escape is more than seven inches shorter and more than three inches narrower, bumper to bumper, than the Terrain. But the Edge, Ford's larger two-row crossover, is nearly three inches longer and three inches wider than the Terrain. The Edge's dimensions, by no means the size of larger three-row crossovers like the Ford Explorer or GMC's own Acadia, serve to clarify the Terrain's tweener size: decently spacious inside without any exterior unwieldiness.

---

Historical Monthly & Yearly GMC Terrain Sales Figures
2013 GMC Terrain Denali Driven Review
2014 Audi SQ5 Driven Review
2015 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 SLT Crew Cab Driven Review
2016 Kia Sorento SX Turbo Driven Review
2014 Toyota Highlander XLE Driven Review

---

NOT GOOD ENOUGH?

#1: Fuel Economy
A week of mixed urban and city driving resulted in fuel economy of 13.4 L/100km in the 6.2L V8-powered, 7-seat 2016 Cadillac Escalade earlier this month. For every 100 kilometres of driving, this 2016 GMC Terrain Denali V6 consumed 13 litres of fuel. The list of vehicles we've tested with better observed fuel economy doesn't just include small utility vehicles like the Honda CR-V (9.9 L/100km) and Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic (8.5 L/100km), but larger three-row crossovers like the Honda Pilot (10.3 L/100km) and Toyota Highlander (12.7 L/100km), and more powerful performance-minded small utilities like the Audi SQ5 (12.6 L/100km) and Porsche Macan S (11.2 L/100km). 

#2: Missing Features
This 2016 GMC Terrain Denali stickers at $48,560, so you're bound to reap the benefits of bounteous luxury equipment, right? Yet the kind of equipment you'd expect in a small GMC SUV even at $40,000 is missing. There's no dual-zone climate control, no panoramic glass roof, and no four-position lumbar support. Worst of all, there's no proximity access – you need to blip the fob – and the Terrain demands that you insert a key to ignite the V6. 

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net
Click Any Image For A Larger View
Photo Location: Hartlen Point, Nova Scotia

#3: Dreadful Tech Execution
The lack of proximity access certainly causes the Terrain Denali to feel dreadfully behind the times, but that sensation is unfortunately worsened by poor tech interfaces. Yes, there's a backup camera, but the picture is grainy, mostly washed out in daylight and scarcely legible at night. GMC's IntelliLink infotainment unit isn't tremendously difficult to learn, but it's slow and not keen on comprehending voice commands. Indeed, the touchscreen's failings are exacerbated by its distant location, so very far away from the driver, which forces a long reach to access even the lower-left corner. More conventional buttons are arrayed beneath the touchscreen, but they are haphazardly sprayed across the dashboard.

#4: Small Cargo Area
Compromise is key, marital counsellors and realtors like to say. But small crossover buyers who want space for rear seat occupants and cargo capacity don't need to compromise on their demands in the Toyota RAV4 or Honda CR-V. GMC already did the compromising for you, however, by creating a vast rear seat at the expense of the cargo area. With five passengers in place, the 2016 Honda CR-V Touring AWD will swallow 1000 litres of stuff; the 2016 Toyota RAV4 XLE AWD will accept 1087 litres in the cargo area. With only 895 litres of space behind the rear seats, the 2016 GMC Terrain Denali V6 AWD provides 12% less space for stuff than the CR-V and 21% less space than the RAV4, a loss of capacity made all the more disastrous by the Terrain's inconveniently shaped cargo area.

Alas, there's no bigger Terrain deal breaker at GCBC than the Terrain's inability to hold a family's worth of luggage and assorted goods for a week's vacation. 

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The Terrain Denali was supplied by GM Canada's press office.

Auto News For Friday, December 18, 2015 - GM Isn’t Delivering Diesel Colorados And Canyons

Here are the six must-read, must-watch auto news stories and videos for Friday, December 18, 2015.

DIESEL
Why haven’t purchasers of diesel-powered Chevrolet Colorados and GMC Canyons received their pickup trucks yet?

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY
It’s been a strong December, and there’s reason to believe, maybe this year will definitely be better than the last. U.S. auto sales are surging once again in December, forecasters say, and the record set in 2000 of 17.4 million sales seems almost certain to be broken by around 100,000 vehicles. 

AUTOFOCUS
Canadian minivan sales are falling. But there are some vans that are selling a whole lot better this year than last.

TTAC
Over the course of the year, GCBC’s founder and editor has tested $2.2 million worth of new vehicles. In this post at The Truth About Cars, you’ll see the biggest surprises, the biggest disappointments, the best of the best, the worst of the worst, the most efficient, and the least efficient. And yes, a diesel-powered Volkswagen consumed less fuel than any other car we tested. The fact that, months later, a scandal erupted, doesn’t change the fact that the Jetta was in fact tested by GCBC and did in fact consume less fuel than any other car tested.

RECALL
Nissan is recalling 18 copies of the 2015 and 2016 Puerto Rico market GT-R because, "The affected vehicles have a Certification Label that is missing the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of 49 CFR Part 567, "Certification.”” In other words, the GT-Rs aren’t in any danger of, you know, blowing up. 

WATCH 
Motor Trend’s title asks if the 2017 Acura NSX is the slowest supercar in the world. And because you want to know if that’s true, or what they mean, you watch the video.

Auto News For Tuesday, December 15, 2015 - Hyundai's 2016 Global Auto Forecast Isn't Great

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories and videos for Tuesday, December 15, 2015.

FUTURE
"How can General Motors' truck brand not be in the fastest-growing segment in the industry, an SUV segment?" That's a line from GM's GMC boss, Duncan Aldred, who wants GMC to be a player in the subcompact crossover arena. Is the 2010 GMC Granite Concept, pictured above, a hint?

REVIEW
The increasingly more popular Toyota RAV4 is nothing of not unexciting. So can Toyota do to the RAV4 what it's done to the Camry: introduce a hint of sportiness via an SE model?

TTAC
U.S. sales of the Scion FR-S tumbled to an all-time low in November 2015 while sales of the Mazda MX-5 Miata increased for a sixth consecutive month; as the MX-5 outsold the FR-S for a fifth consecutive month.

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY
2015 is a boom year for the U.S. auto industry, but globally, Hyundai boss Chung Mong-koo is not particularly excited for 2016.

WATCH
Is there any chance that you'll want to take the Mercedes-Benz Metris commercial van, allow Mercedes-Benz to fill it with seats, and buy it instead of a Honda Odyssey? Consumer Reports is a fan of the space, but seems to think this is more of a hotel shuttle vehicle, less of a family ferry.

Auto News For Monday, November, 16, 2015 - Volkswagen Dealers Need More Cars

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories, recalls and videos for Monday, November 16, 2015.

VW
Against expectations, Volkswagen U.S. sales increased in October 2015, albeit modestly. Now, Volkswagen dealers have a new problem. They don’t have enough cars and Tiguans to sell. 

AUTOFOCUS
This list of Canada’s 25 best-selling passenger cars through the first ten months of 2015 is packed at the top end with vehicles that aren’t selling as often this year as they did in 2014.

REVIEW
It was only last night that we saw an old Land Rover Defender waiting at the Eastern Passage Autoport in Nova Scotia to be loaded onto a ship headed for who knows where. There’s nothing like a Defender, which North Americans haven’t been offered for sale in many years, to give a Land Rover fan a true case of the wants. But what if you could have a Defender, what if you had the money to actually buy your own? Would you - or would the driving experience be too off-putting?

TTAC
Five crossovers from Chevrolet and GMC are as old as the hills. But they’re selling better than ever.

WATCH 
Early reviews of the 2016 Nissan Titan XD are in, and the word from PickupTrucks.com’s Mark Williams is good. The Titan XD splits the difference between regular full-size trucks and their heavy-duty brethren, as Nissan attempts to find a larger niche to exploit in the booming truck market. So it’s good, but will anybody buy it?

Auto News For Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - Rolls-Royce Is Recalling One Ghost

Here are the six must-read, must-watch auto news stories, recalls and videos for Tuesday, November 10, 2015.

FUTURE
The Cadillac SRX is currently America’s second-best-selling premium brand utility vehicle,and 2015 is shaping up to be the crossover’s best sales year ever. Its replacement, the 2017 Cadillac XT5, is slightly longer, a little bit more spacious, and quite a bit lighter than the outgoing SRX. Standard power comes from a 3.6L V6 with 310 horsepower. When wearing 20-inch wheels, the XT5 will feature Cadillac’s Continuous Damping Control. 

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY
If TrueCar’s estimates are anything close to correct, the $3,104 average incentive spend per vehicle in October 2015 worked out to nearly 10% of the price of an average new car acquisition. Which explains why October sales were 14% higher in 2015 than they were in 2014.

MPG
In 4x4 form, the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon will, when equipped with the new 2.8L Duramax diesel, be rated at 20 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, tops among trucks. In Canada, the Office Of Energy Efficiency ratings for the 4x4 model will be 12 L/100km in the city; 8.2 L/100km on the highway. 

TTAC
There are nearly two months remaining in calendar year 2015, yet it’s already certain that a handful of vehicles will end 2015 as their categories’ respective best sellers, so great is their dominance.

RECALL
BMW is recalling one 2015 Rolls-Royce Ghost. Just the solitary Ghost. One lonely Ghost. The car apparently, “has thorax air bags fitted to both front seats that may fail to meet the side impact performance requirements for the front seat occupants.” 

WATCH 
All of Porsche’s 911s will now be turbocharged, not just the Turbo. Will Porsche buyers care about the loss of naturally-aspirated revs? That’s unlikely. Do auto writers? Evo finds out.

Auto News For Wednesday, June 24, 2015 - Ford Recalls 19,095 Mustang EcoBoosts

Here are the seven must-read, must-watch auto news stories, review and videos for Wednesday, June 24, 2015.

INSIDE A NICHE AUTO INDUSTRY
Mercedes-Benz's Unimog - you can call it the U-Class if you like - will return to Canada in non-road applications soon. But don't expect to see the incredibly capable beast sitting alongside C400 4Matics in Mercedes-Benz Canada's showrooms.

INSIDE THE PICKUP TRUCK INDUSTRY
Even with the new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins combining to outsell the segment-leading Toyota Tacoma, small/midsize pickup trucks only account for 7% of new pickup truck registrations in Canada. That figure was much, much higher in the relatively recent past. Canada's five best-selling trucks are all full-size models.

INSIDE FORMER AUTO EXECUTIVES MINDS
Is the Cadillac CT6 going to be a success? Not according to former GM product czar Bob Lutz, who believes it's a terrific car that won't sell. "Luxury" is becoming more and more difficult to define, Lutz writes for Road & Track, and the Lincoln Continental may stand a better chance than the CT6 and reigniting interest in American luxury. In terms of new car sales in the U.S., Cadillacs currently rank 67th, 68th, 76th, and 137th.

TTAC
Land Rover USA is surging, and the Discovery Sport hasn't yet ramped up. But the impact Land Rover has in North America still falls far short of what the brand does in its home market, where Land Rover's market share this year stands at 2.8%. Land Rover earns 0.4% of the U.S. market, where the brand's sales are up 25% this year.

REVIEW
"For an honest warm hatch experience, we’d look no further." So says evo's Sam Sheehan in regards to the Suzuki Swift Sport. Here's why Suzuki died in North America.

RECALL
Ford is recalling 19,095 Mustang EcoBoosts (model year 2015) because, "Prolonged exposure to elevated underbody temperatures can cause degradation of the fuel tank and/or fuel vapor lines, which may eventually result in a fuel leak. In addition, this condition could cause seals in the parking brake cable to degrade, potentially affecting parking brake function. The Mustang, you'll recall, is selling like mad.

WATCH
Koenigseggs have always been a little bit crazy. How does the Swedish supercar market then go about making them look even crazier? By accelerating to 300 kmh and coming to a complete stop with, basically, no hands on the steering wheel. Oh, and pay attention to the braking, which seems to only take an instant.

2015 GMC Canyon SLE Crew Cab 4x4 Review - Slightly More Likely To Fit In Your Garage

Pickup trucks rarely make their way to GCBC Towers. Since we began routine weekly testing of manufacturer-supplied press vehicles in 2012, only five different pickup trucks arrived and departed. 

All five – two six-cylinder Ram 1500 Crew Cabs, one GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab, one Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD Crew Cab, one Toyota Tundra Double Cab – were full-size models. 

Pickup trucks account for one-fifth of the Canadian auto industry's volume but less than 5% of the new vehicles delivered to us for testing. In a way, it makes sense. Just one year ago, pickup trucks accounted for less than 4% of the new vehicle nameplates available in Canada.

THE GOOD • Right sized outside • Right sized inside • Plenty of power • All-around refinement • Real world fuel economy

THE BAD • Almost as costly as full-size • Almost as big as full-size • Not as powerful as full-size • Almost as thirsty as full-size • Awkward long box proportions

The 2015 GMC Canyon, however, was reintroduced along with its Chevrolet Colorado twin as an all-new design last autumn. Besides the badge, there is no mechanical, architectural, or design link between this and the first-generation Canyon, which was a successor to the GMC Sonoma. 

A number of rivals that existed during the last GMC Canyon's tenure, from the Ford Ranger to the Dodge Dakota and Suzuki Equator, have vacated the North American market. GM now takes the "midsize" truck fight to the Nissan Frontier and the best-selling Toyota Tacoma.

To that fight, the GMC Canyon brings a level of horsepower and refinement that have never before been seen in the category. Yet statistically speaking, you're unlikely to buy one. The five best-selling trucks in Canada are full-size pickups. Those five trucks, along with the rare Nissan  Titan, account for 93% of all Canadian truck sales. 

For the remaining 7% of buyers, however, particularly those who demand a smaller truck not only to reduce their monthly cash outlay but because they simply don't want a bigger truck, the GMC Canyon (including its Chevrolet Colorado twin) is definitely the class leader. It's the midsize truck valedictorian, the student council president, the athlete of the year, and the summa cum laude graduate. If not the outright toughest truck in town. 

2015 GMC CANYON SLE CREW CAB 4x4 Base Price: $38,045 * As-Tested Price: $41,810 * Drive Type: four-wheel-drive Transmission: 6-speed automatic Engine: 3.6L DOHC 24-valve V6 Horsepower: 305 @ 6800 rpm Torque: 269 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm Curb Weight: 4540 pounds Length: 224.6 inches Width: 74.2 inches Height: 70.5 inches Wheelbase: 140.5 inches Tires: Goodyear Wrangler Tire Size: 255/65R17 Cargo Volume: 1414 litres EPA City: 17 MPG EPA Highway: 24 MPG NRCAN OEE City: 13.5 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 9.8 L/100km Observed: 21.4 mpg Observed: 11.0 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1695 in fees.

WHAT IS IT?
Like the Colorado, the Canyon is available with four and six-cylinder powerplants, rear or four-wheel-drive, and extended or crew cabs. Our test truck was a four-wheel-drive crew cab in mid-grade SLE trim. Instead of the short, five-foot-two-inch bed of ordinary four-door Canyons, ours had the longer 6'2" bed from the extended cab model. 

Thus, rather than the 128.3-inch wheelbase of other crew cabs and all extended cabs, the Canyon you see here sat atop a lengthy 140.5-inch wheelbase. 

Options on our Canyon included the $1440 All-Terrain package, the $550 convenience package, the $275 trailering package (towing capacity is 7000 pounds), $780 side steps, a $525 spray-on bed liner, and $245 worth of assorted baubles. 

The familiar 3.6L V6 generates 305 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque, 53% more power and 41% more torque than the basic 2.5L four-cylinder, which isn't available in crew cab Canyons. 

Canyon payload ranges from 1470 (in our tester) to 1620 pounds. Unlike many of the four-wheel-drive systems you'll find on the latest full-size pickups, there is no all-wheel-drive-aping Auto setting in the Canyon. 

HOW BIG IS IT?
"Small" is not a word one would use to describe a long-box crew cab Canyon, not after seeing it fill a driveway. ("Midsize" is also something of a misnomer given that there is no class of truck smaller than the Canyon/Colorado/Frontier/Tacoma in the U.S. or Canada.) 

The 2015 GMC Canyon Crew Cab stretches nearly four feet farther toward the back of your garage than Canada's best-selling utility vehicle, the Ford Escape, and Canada's best-selling car, the Honda Civic.

But the Canyon is noticeably smaller than a crew cab GMC Sierra with the Sierra's longer 6'5" bed option: 14.6 inches shorter from bumper to bumper, and more meaningfully, half a foot narrower from starboard to port. As for the four-door, long-box Toyota Tacoma, this long-box Canyon is 3.7 inches longer and a few tenths of an inch narrower. With a virtually identical wheelbase, the Canyon offers 3.2 inches of extra rear leg room. 

DOES IT WORK?
You better believe it works. It's a truck, so you assume it'll tow and haul and go over things. Indeed, the Canyon tows and hauls and goes over things, despite a front air dam that'll need removing if you want to go over more things. 

Yet that which separates the Canyon (and do we need to keep saying it, the Canyon's Colorado twin?) from its key rivals isn't its all-around traditional pickup truck capabilities but rather the Canyon's muted and comfortable interior, its excellent ride quality, its properly weighted and relatively precise steering, its surprisingly even-keeled handling, and its nicely modulated brakes. 

Don't let praise for the Canyon's car-likeness reduce its reputation for rugged toughness – it is in these venues that modern full-size pickup trucks have similarly made such rapid progress while also increasing towing capacity and payload, improving fuel economy, and adding power. 

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net
Click Any Image For A Larger View

The new Canyon is doing the same thing the F-150, Sierra, Silverado, and Ram have already done, only in a noticeably smaller package. Somewhat smaller. Moderately smaller. Okay, marginally smaller.

Undoubtedly, the Toyota Tacoma (and Nissan Frontier) will feel like the truckier truck, and it'll likely still feel that way after we drive the revamped 2016 model. Yet with so many of us now using our trucks as commuter cars, as minivans, and as primary vehicles, how can we ignore the Canyon's superior control layout, seats and seating position? Are we supposed to set aside the fact that the 3.6L is far happier to rev than the Tacoma's outgoing 4.0L V6 and that the reduction in cabin noise greatly reduces driver fatigue on longer journeys because the Canyon is too good at too many things?

From a daily driver's perspective, there is simply no comparison, not until Honda's next Ridgeline arrives. For truck users, the Tacoma's appeal relates as much to its capabilities as it does to the Toyota's legendary reliability, and that appeal is neither irrational nor without merit.

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
Yes, and no. In comparison to the GMC and Chevrolet brands' own full-size pickup trucks, Canadians buy just one Canyon and Colorado for every nine Sierras and Silverados. But with 4104 total sales in the first five months of 2015, the GM midsize twins aren't unheard-of, outselling common vehicles like the Nissan Pathfinder, Subaru XV Crosstrek, BMW 3-Series and, yes, the Tacoma, too. 

---

Historical Monthly & Yearly GMC Canyon Sales Figures
2014 GMC Sierra Crew Cab 4x4 SLT Driven Review
Complete May 2015 YTD Canadian Pickup Truck Sales Figures
Complete May 2015 YTD U.S. Pickup Truck Sales Figures

---

Supply remains an issue. General Motors is selling the trucks rather quickly once they arrive at dealers. That doesn't mean demand is necessarily high, as the much greater market share afforded to full-size trucks can attest. But it does mean demand is at least as great as supply, if not greater. Thus, a buyer's search to find the truck he or she wants can often be stymied, which either sends the buyer to Toyota, Nissan, the used market, or a new full-size truck.

SHOULD YOU BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
During the majority of our time with the Canyon, we drove around the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. For a large chunk of that time, we kept the Canyon in the downtown core. Halifax is one of North America's oldest cities. That means narrow streets; oddly-shaped parking lots; and hilly, low-visibility intersections. 

All Canyon Photos Were Shot At Fisherman's Cove In Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia

Of course, these geographic features could've been handled in a full-size pickup truck – look around, everybody's doin' it. But even with the full-size-like length of the Canyon, the GMC's more city friendly overall dimensions (and especially its narrower width) meant I didn't have to think about maneuvers in compact parking lots. I didn't have to think about squeezing between illegally parked cars on either side of a narrow one-way street.

Put it this way. The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor you want so badly because it reportedly counteracts the paltry circumference of your brachium? It's a full foot wider than the Canyon. Do the math: that's six inches of extra body on either side of the truck. 

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU PAY?
Still, it seems silly to leave a dealer having paid the same (or more!) for a Canyon than a Sierra or any other full-size truck, even if the Canyon has more options fitted, even if it is more maneuverable. It's not that much more efficient either. And a small pickup truck with leather seating and automatic climate control almost seems out of place, doesn't it? 

In our books, the ideal Canyon is an extended cab model. The crew cab simply doesn't offer enough space, and certainly not enough underseat storage, to justify the near-full-size length of the vehicle or to be used as a family vehicle in the way an F-150 SuperCrew can. This is the rear seat of a compact car: adequate but not expansive. 

Save a foot in length, realize that the Canyon is best when considered a two-seater with extra seats just in case, and save $1500. A 2015 GMC Canyon 4x4 Extended Cab with the $1365 V6, the $685 convenience package, a bed liner, and a soft tonneau cover currently lists for $33,000 in Canada. 

Pay a little less than that and you've got yourself an exceptional truck. This isn't the first time we've said so. We named the modestly more attractive Chevrolet Colorado version to our annual Good 12 this past Christmas, the only pickup truck to crack the list.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.

Auto News For Friday, May 29, 2015 - Abundant Miata Reviews

Here are the six must-read, must-watch auto news stories, reviews, and videos for Monday, June 1, 2015.

INSIDE THE AUTO BUSINESS
Ford doesn't have enough frames, so production of the new-for-2015, aluminum-intensive Ford F-150 has been curtailed. 

INSIDE THE LEASING BUSINESS
It's not like an iPhone contract. Nobody puts $2500 down to buy an iPhone. But Volkswagen dealers in the United States are trying to lock in customers with extremely cheap Jetta leases - $39/month in San Jose, according to Automotive News - in advance of an improved lineup in a few years. It's worth noting, of course, that any automaker could advertise any extraordinarily low monthly lease payment if the downpayment is increased to a sufficiently lofty figure. These Jetta leases, however, are incredibly inexpensive even when the downpayment is factored in.

TTAC
Since the GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado returned, midsize truck sales, as a percentage of the overall truck market, haven't risen above 15.4% in the United States.

REVIEW(S)
Complete reviews of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata dropped last night. Why should we link to one when many would be more fun? Here are Miata reviews from Car & Driver, Automobile, Driving.ca, Autoguide, and Road & Track.

AUTOFOCUS
The Canadian auto industry is set to break its annual sales record in 2015, yet the biggest auto brands are all losing market share.

REMINDER
Although today is June 1, auto sales figures for the U.S. and Canada won't be released by automobile manufacturers until tomorrow, Tuesday, June 2, 2015.

WATCH
Mazda doesn't redesign the Miata often. If you didn't read the lengthy list of reviews shown above, watch this video review from Consumer Reports.

Auto News For Thursday, May 28, 2015 - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Reducing Its Warranty

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories, reviews, and videos for Thursday, May 28, 2015.

INSIDE THE AUTO BUSINESS
Following GM’s move from a couple months ago, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will reduce its 5-year/100,000 U.S. powertrain warranty of in favour of a 5-year/60,000 mile warranty. The change applies to Chryslers, Jeeps, Dodges, and Rams. Fiat’s powertrain warranty stretches only to four years or 50,000 miles.

TTAC
Can Hyundai USA really sell 50,000 copies of the Santa Cruz per year if, in fact, they bother to build it? The case for and against.

REVIEW
It’s comically low to be considered anything but a car. But the Mazda CX-3, a Nissan Juke fighter that’s joining the Honda HR-V, Fiat 500X, and Jeep Renegade in challenging the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore and Subaru XV Crosstrek and the front-wheel-drive-only Kia Soul, will be labelled as an SUV or crossover by both observers and buyers. That’s essential if the CX-3 is going to be successful. Here’s CarAdvice’s thorough Aussie video review  and here’s the text version.

RECALL
GM is recalling 126 Chevrolet Impalas (model year 2014) because, “the electronic parking brake piston actuation arm may not fully retract causing the brake pads to stay partially engaged.”

GM is also recalling 40 Chevrolet Colorados and GMC Canyons (model year 2015) because, “the affected vehicles have a front driver air bag inflator that may be misaligned to the air bag module backplate.”

WATCH
CarBuyer.co.uk’s video reviews tread the middle ground between the typical brief-with-beauty-shots of many publications and Alex Dykes’ long but wonderfully detailed reviews. Here’s CarBuyer’s look at the 2015 Volvo XC90.

Chart Of The Day: The State Of Detroit's Full-Size SUVs - U.S. Sales 2005-2015

Full-size, truck-based SUVs from volume brands have seen their U.S. sales rise 15% to 85,544 units through the first one-third of 2015.

Those are big figures.

But they're not that big. 

To place the numbers in context - particularly after seeing that, last month, GM couldn't match the sales pace of April 2014 when their latest versions were being launched - we've charted the sales figures for all the remaining Detroit brand full-size SUV nameplates. (Click the chart for a larger view.) 

GM has six SUVs represented; Ford and Lincoln bring in another two. We skipped over the Excursion, which was extinguished in 2006. The Dodge Durango is no longer a truck-based SUV.

As the chart shows, Detroit's big brutes are on the upswing, rising much faster this year than the overall industry. But will that growth be sustained throughout 2015? Our projected estimates for this year are somewhat conservative to reflect the fact that growth through the first four months of 2015 is not likely to be matched as the year goes on. 

Moreover, it's abundantly clear that these vehicles, from the Chevrolet Tahoe to the Lincoln Navigator, simply do not sell with the frequency they once did. Blame crew cab pickup trucks. Blame roomy three-row crossovers. Blame the fact that these vehicles have rapidly moved upmarket. One way or another, they're popular. Just not that popular.

RECOMMENDED READING
April 2015 YTD U.S. Large SUV Sales Figures
April 2015 YTD U.S. Large Luxury SUV Sales Figures
All 92 SUVs & Crossovers Ranked By April 2015 YTD U.S. Sales
Yesterday's Chart Of The Day

November 2012 Top 5 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada

Now that we're six days into December, Ford Canada has surely sold its 100,000th F-Series pickup. Through the first eleven months Ford sold 99,331 F-Series trucks, 35,176 more than the second-ranked Ram's total.

Ram sales fell in November but are up substantially this year. GM will soon be replacing its trucks, and not surprisingly, sales are down despite hefty inventory and healthy incentives. 

Canada's two best-selling trucks also happen to be Canada's two best-selling vehicles, and by a healthy measure. Canada's best-selling car, the Honda Civic, was shown with its 19 closest rivals earlier this evening. The Ford Escape, Canada's top-ranked SUV, was profiled with the 19 next-best-selling SUVs and crossovers just minutes ago.

All 261 Vehicles Ranked By November 2012 YTD Canadian Sales

Find any GoodCarBadCar best seller list at this page. Historical monthly and yearly sales figures are available through GCBC's Sales Stats home page.

Rank	Best-Selling Truck	November 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Ford F-Series	7237	+ 6.4%	99,331	+ 12.4%
#2	Dodge Ram	5316	- 2.4%	64,155	+ 8.2%
#3	GMC Sierra	3396	- 16.3%	39,962	- 6.5%
#4	Chevrolet Silverado	2564	- 26.7%	33,591	- 8.6%
#5	Toyota Tacoma	897	+ 29.1%	9076	+ 29.2%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 13 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada - November 2013 YTD
Top 15 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada - December 2012
Top 5 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada - October 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada - October 2011
Canada Auto Sales Brand Rankings - November 2012
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In Canada - November 2012
Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In Canada - November 2012
Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada - November 2012

November 2012 Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In America

America's 20 top-selling SUVs and crossovers accounted for 219,682 of America's 1.14 million new vehicle sales in November 2012. The Ford Escape trailed the leading Honda CR-V by 1363 units, but was the highest-selling of four American brand SUVs in the top five. Year-to-date, the CR-V's 15,042-unit lead over the Escape is not something that can be overcome in December, particularly if CR-V sales continue to rise and Escape sales continue to fall.

The chief newcomer on November 2012's list of the 20 best-selling SUVs and crossovers in America is the Nissan Pathfinder. With 23% of its year-to-date sales coming in the eleventh month of the year, the Pathfinder nameplate owes much to the fourth-gen model that was recently introduced with more of a crossover angle. 

The best Pathfinder sales year in the last decade was 2005, when 76,156 were sold. It seems unlikely that Nissan could sell 8000 Pathfinders each month now, but if it did, that 96,000 annual rate would have a hugely negative impact on the Murano, or at least one would think. Ford is doing a fine job of selling a big crossover-that-used-to-be-a-truck, the Explorer, alongside the smaller Edge and the better-selling Escape. Perhaps Nissan can do the same with the Pathfinder, smaller Murano, and better-selling Rogue.

All 265 Vehicles Ranked By U.S. November 2012 YTD Sales
12 different auto brands are represented in this month's top 20 list, although they hail from just eight different auto manufacturing entities. The Lexus RX was the only premium brand vehicle to crack the top 20, although you will soon be seeing in this month's luxury SUV sales post that Cadillac SRX sales shot up 13% to 5340 and BMW had a great month with the X5 and X3. 

GoodCarBadCar makes all these sales figures readily available through the Sales Stats homepage where you can select any make, model, overarching manufacturer, or the total market. America's 20 best-selling cars have already been published along with brand-by-brand rankings and the country's five favourite trucks.

Rank	Best-Selling SUV	November 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Honda CR-V	22,333	+ 36.0%	255,919	+ 30.0%
#2	Ford Escape	20,970	- 3.9%	240,877	+ 5.3%
#3	Chevrolet Equinox	16,821	+ 12.6%	199,070	+ 13.7%
#4	Ford Explorer	14,940	+ 15.9%	146,963	+ 20.6%
#5	Jeep Grand Cherokee	13,619	+ 0.5%	137,613	+ 24.7%
#6	Nissan Rogue	12,662	+ 16.8%	130,861	+ 16.6%
#7	Toyota RAV4	12,423	+ 9.6%	157,526	+ 33.3%
#8	Kia Sorento	10,851	+ 12.2%	108,630	- 9.2%
#9	Jeep Wrangler	10,337	+ 12.1%	130,124	+ 17.2%
#10	Ford Edge	10,142	+ 4.7%	115,535	+ 5.4%
#11	Toyota Highlander	9474	+ 13.2%	108,864	+ 21.7%
#12	Honda Pilot	9366	- 10.7%	103,482	- 1.1%
#13	Lexus RX	8871	+ 17.0%	82,847	+ 16.5%
#14	GMC Terrain	8158	+ 44.3%	86,270	+ 14.3%
#15	Nissan Pathfinder	8097	+ 249%	34,682	+ 49.0%
#16	Hyundai Santa Fe	6754	+ 10.2%	63,737	- 8.0%
#17	Dodge Journey	6569	+ 77.0%	71,875	+ 42.5%
#18	Chevrolet Tahoe	5895	- 29.8%	60,302	- 16.4%
#19	Subaru Forester	5703	- 2.2%	67,583	- 0.02%
#20	Chevrolet Traverse	5697	- 20.3%	78,176	- 20.1%

Source: Manufacturers
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In America - November 2013
Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In America - December 2012
Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In America - October 2012
Top 10 Best-Selling SUVs In America - November 2011
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - November 2012
Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In America - November 2012
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - November 2012
Top 5 Best-Selling Trucks In America - November 2012