2016 GMC Canyon Duramax Review

Making it clean

The North American 2016 GMC Canyon diesel features a urea aftertreatment system, which must be checked and filled at each 7,500-mile service interval. The engine also has a diesel regeneration system, which means that when particulate soot accumulates upstream from the filter trap, a dedicated fuel injector sprays the accumulation with fuel so as to burn the soot off the catalyst. The North American 2.8-liter engines are built alongside the 2.5-liter fours at GM’s plant in Thailand.

What’s the efficiency payoff? We have to wait for that EPA certification. Fuel economy numbers aren’t out yet, though one of the other two Canyon Duramaxes driven north along the Hudson River to Beacon breached 30 mpg, as indicated on the dash. We only managed 26.7 mpg with our 4WD diesel crew cab. With the bigger Ram 1500 2WD diesel scoring 29 mpg highway, it’s clear GMC (and Chevy) expect 30-plus mpg, at least in two-wheel-drive form. (Four-cylinder Canyons are rated 19-20/26-27 mpg with 2WD; 19-25 with 4WD.) Don’t be surprised if the Duramax manages 32 or 33 mpg on the highway.

It’s all torque

The engine is sufficiently quiet, especially from inside the Canyon crew cab. Power application is smoother than many turbodiesels, though you’ll still feel a bit of a kick at 2,000 rpm, when the turbo boost kicks in (redline — actually, the highest number on the tachometer — is 5,000 rpm). This turbodiesel is neither an alt-fuel hot rod nor a slouch, and it delivers enough torque to take over many of the types of jobs that full-size pickups claim to do.

The Canyon Duramax comes with a nifty exhaust brake button, a midsize pickup take on the 18-wheeler “jake brake.” It uses backpressure to boost engine braking on steep downhill roads. It will be especially useful if you’re towing something, and GMC engineers have made “significant effort to make it smooth” while tuning out the loud engine braking noise that’s outlawed in some residential areas.

Acceptable V

The Duramax does reintroduce the V — vibration — in NVH, though it’s not by any means excessive. Rather, you mostly feel the steady diesel thrum come through the steering wheel and pedals when idling at a stoplight. The Duramax is only available with the 6L50 transmission, the gas-powered model’s six-speed automatic, but with a centrifugal pendulum vibration absorber added to reduce powertrain noise and vibration.

There’s also a bit of induction rattle at low rpm. None of this will concern a traditional pickup buyer, and it won’t turn off families who are trading in midsize four-cylinder sedans for this truck. Add the $3,700 diesel engine option to your GMC Canyon, and you’ll get a comfortable, smooth, modern pickup with fuel economy that might rival your old midsize sedan.

A $35k entry point

Ours was a 2016 GMC Canyon 4WD Crew Cab SLT. Base price with destination is $38,375, or $42,105 with just the Duramax option. The bottom line was $44,885 as tested. The cheapest ’16 Canyon Duramax, a long-box 2WD SLE crew cab, should start at $35,030.

GMC marketing execs are trying to push the brand into a “premium” truck space. At a design forum held in a hip Manhattan location the night before the drive, GMC pointed out that Denali models make up a full 26 percent of the brand’s volume, and distinguish themselves from “base” GMCs (and more so, from Chevy trucks) with use of real wood and aluminum interior trim; there are no “King Ranch”-style suburban cowboy leather trim packages. In essence, Denali is to GMC as Range Rover is to Land Rover.

Other models

We also spent some time in Beacon, New York, with 2016 models of the GMC Sierra, Sierra HD, and Terrain. Here are the significant updates:

Sierra HD: Real steering

GMC is offering a digital steering assist option on double- and crew-cab variants of the Heavy Duty Sierras (which leaves out fleet models and regular cabs). The system offers speed-variable power assist, road-crown compensation, tow-haul adjustment, and assisted self-centering. That last feature is most important, at least to those of us who don’t often drive heavy-duty pickups. It self-centers the hydraulic power steering after a turn, just like a regular car. We wouldn’t have noticed it had GMC not offered up a competitive truck that doesn’t have it: a 2015 Ford F-Series Super Duty, for which you have to shuffle the steering wheel back to the center after completing a turn, much like with a semi-truck. The Sierra HD’s self-centering feature is a lot easier on the arms and concentrating on other driving duties.