The 2008 GMC Canyon is a compact truck available with two- or four-wheel drive in three body style configurations: regular cab, extended cab (with short reverse-opening doors) or crew cab with four regular forward-swinging doors. Crew cabs come with a 5-foot cargo box while other Canyons feature a 6-footer.
After a power boost last year, both Canyon engines carry over in 2008: The standard 2.9-liter four-cylinder makes 185 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque, and an optional 3.7-liter inline five-cylinder produces 242 hp and 242 lb-ft of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is standard on most four-cylinder Canyons, while a four-speed automatic is standard on five-cylinder trucks and optional with the smaller engine.
Although their outputs are more than adequate, the Canyon's engines can't match the power and performance of the V6s and V8s offered by the competition. The news is better on the fuel economy front, ranging from 18 mpg/city and 24 mpg/highway on four-cylinder regular cabs down to 15 mpg/city and 20 mpg/highway on 4WD crew cabs. Four-wheel-drive models feature a two-speed transfer case with push-button controls and an optional locking rear differential. Maximum towing capacity is limited to 4,000 pounds, which is below average for this type of truck.
The 2008 GMC Canyon features standard antilock brakes and OnStar emergency communications, with optional head curtain side-impact airbags and traction control (on 2WD vehicles with automatic transmissions). In government front-impact crash tests, the GMC Canyon crew cab earned a perfect five stars for the protection of the driver and front passenger. Other Canyons earned four stars in those tests. Side-impact testing resulted in four stars out of five for front occupant protection, and five stars for rear passengers in crew cab models. In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety frontal-offset crash testing, the Canyon garnered a highest possible "Good" rating.
The 2008 GMC Canyon's inline four- and five-cylinder engines are reasonably smooth, though acceleration and hauling performance is lackluster compared to the larger V6s of its competitors. The four-speed automatic transmission doesn't offer as many gears as its rivals, but its shifts are smooth and well-timed. The Canyon's standard suspension is softly tuned for a comfortable ride, and when fitted with the available Z71 off-road suspension package, the Canyon performs well off-highway. GMC's small truck is relatively quiet around town, though wind noise around the doors picks up at highway speeds.
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