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tcrum · 06-08-2016, 09:01 PM

I don't have a gmc or canyon. I do have a 3.6l Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel that I tow my 31' airstream with. I would imagine the 2.7l would easily tow a small rv.

nrgtrakr · 06-08-2016, 11:24 PM

Interestingly strange comment since the GMC/Chevy is good for 7,700# and the Jeep is good for 7,400#.

nrgtrakr · 06-09-2016, 07:11 AM

Ooops! Sorry ... that's for the V8, Jeep says the V6 is only good for 5,000#. Be careful out there.

ricwallace · 06-09-2016, 10:03 AM

My TV before the Canyon was a 2007 Nissan NISMO (their Z71) and I towed my Bambi 12K miles with it. I felt very comfortable and confident with it. However My 2016 Canyon Diesel SLT is a much smoother feeling ride and I actually find it easier to back up. I took the USAA price with me to the dealer and they matched it. I'm quite happy with it. Besides at my age I'm afraid I'd fall asleep if it felt like an Audi, hehe.

nrgtrakr · 06-09-2016, 03:55 PM

Thanks!

rmkrum · 06-09-2016, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrgtrakr

I've had a couple of dealers cringe when I say USAA ... Hahahaa!!!!

Usually I get the dealer cringe reaction when I pointedly tell them they are selling the vehicle to my wife, not me. 3,000 years of superb haggling skill runs in her veins--she's ethnic Chinese, from Hong Kong, and absolutely relentless. Our local Toyota dealer simply came up with their best and final price when asked. And we never play the "Quad chart" ripoff game. We always get the price we want, beat the Internet or buying services every time.

It's so much fun watching the sales droid start sweating bullets in the first 10 minutes....

Sent from my pocket Internet using Airstream Forums

tcrum · 06-09-2016, 08:14 PM

Diesel grand Cherokee 4 x 4 is 7,200. The numbers really don't mean much if you don't have the hitch set up, ball height, brakes etc.

nrgtrakr · 06-10-2016, 07:02 AM

Okay ... so the GMC/Chevy with factory stock set up is good for 500#s more. Just think of the possibilities with hitch tricks.

ricwallace · 06-12-2016, 12:38 PM

We just got back from a weekend trip and on Louisiana roads averaged 19.5 mpg pulling a 20' Bambi. Not too shabby and the ride was great.

nrgtrakr · 06-12-2016, 08:01 PM

Wow ...

kd7trx · 06-13-2016, 11:53 AM

We've had our 2016, 2.8L diesel, GMC Canyon All Terrain since the end of February, towing our 2007 19' Winick Custom. We've done several weekend trips, and recently returned from our first extended tow; an 1800 mile, two week road trip from our Oregon base into California and back. This trip included many mountain passes, and probably even worse, included the Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts on Hwy 1, which involves near continuous curves, descents, and climbs. We were loaded to the max with our long bed truck, including a pretty large quantity of firewood, and the Canyon handled the load and trailer extremely well. Until this new Canyon, we were towing our 19' Bambi with a 2007 Nissan Frontier Nismo. Going over Siskiyou Pass in that 4.0L V-6, the Nissan would pull it at about 5000rpm and maybe 50 mph. In the 2.8L diesel Canyon, it pulled that pass at about 2800 rpm and between 60 and 65 mph.

Over the full 1800 mile trip, we averaged exactly 16.5 mpg, and a couple tanks of fuel averaged 17.5 mpg when on flatter and straighter highway sections. The exhaust brake was amazing, holding the speed on the long and steep mountain pass descents, and saving the brakes on the extremely winding descents of California Hwy 1.

GMC and Chevrolet don't offer tow mirrors for these trucks, but am happy to report that Clearview out of Australia has finished development of mirrors for these Canyon and Colorado "Twins". They have installed a pre-production set on a GMC Canyon in Ventura, CA, and are now in production and expect to be ready to purchase in about 6 weeks. If anyone is interested, I have photos and contact info. There are quite a few Twins owners here in the US anxiously waiting to order, and Clearview is also currently looking for a US partner to stock the mirrors here.

We now have 4500 miles on the truck, and absolutely loving it. I've heard it before, about why spend so much on a "little puppy truck" when I could have purchased a full size for the same price. First of all, that's a myth, but more important, I don't need a full size, nor want a full size. I want a comfortable daily driver that fits in my garage, and that also easily pulls the best Airstream we could ever find or want, so don't have the "one foot-itis" that infects so many Airstreamers.

ricwallace · 06-13-2016, 12:16 PM

Wow, kd7trx sounds like we're twins but I live on flat ground. We pulled out to Las Vegas with our Nissan and had Very similar results as your Nissan. I really loved my little 2007 NISMO but some thief the upgrade decision for me. I 100% concur with your comments about the Canyon and hope we get the same results out west as you. Good looking rig. Cheers!

Old TV and new, we recovered the Nissan but it was totaled and waiting for the salvage crew.

subfan1 · 06-13-2016, 12:38 PM

Great feedback guys, thanks for your real world experiences. Can you tell me what your coolant temperatures while pulling grades? Do these trucks have a display maybe using the "DIC" of the Transmission temperatures?
BTW, great looking combinations. I'm going to wait for the Denali trim level and see what they look like.

kd7trx · 06-13-2016, 02:57 PM

Ric - What a coincidence, and mine was white as well. I did like my Nissan, and if I stayed close to home and only towed over our lower passes at around 3500', it wasn't too bad. But heading north on US 395 from Bishop to Mammoth Lakes was another story. There we'd be in the right lane, going 45 and the flashers warning other traffic. I can't wait to get down there again to try the turbo diesel on that climb, and bet it'll pull it close to 60 and at a nice quiet 2800-3000 rpm vs the screaming 5000 rpm's in the Nissan.

Below is a photo of the Nissan and Bambi, just off US 395 near June Lake, back in about 2012.

Regarding the engine and transmission temps in the GMC Canyon, I do remember the transmission seemed to be range from about 195 to 205 when doing the long climbs or working it hard on CA Hwy 1. Otherwise, I'd say it probably ran about 180 to 185 if I remember right. I generally only checked it when climbing steeper passes and occasionally on Hwy 1. If the engine coolant temp is one of the options on the DIC, I missed it, but the needle never went out of a very narrow range on the center cluster gauge, probably never varied the whole trip by more than 5 degrees, and we had around 100 degree outside temps when heading back north on I-5 from Sacramento to Redding.

Speaking of the DIC, it has a very nice trailer brake readout window option on the DIC, and the brake control was very easy to set. I rarely used that window, but coming from an aftermarket controller on the Nissan, this was a huge step up.

subfan1 · 06-13-2016, 03:04 PM

Thanks again for the additional feed back. That's great to read about your temps. We are driving up to the Mammoth area leaving on Monday so I'm familiar with climbing Sherwin summit in the heat.

ricwallace · 06-13-2016, 04:56 PM

Yes you can monitor transmission temp on the DIC.

ricwallace · 06-13-2016, 05:56 PM

kd7trx

What a great picture of your Nissan rig. Where is the location, I'd love to get a picture of my rig there.

73 Ric

subfan1 · 06-13-2016, 06:39 PM

I hope it's ok with me responding to your question, it's Hwy 158 otherwise known as The June Lake Loop
We'll be going up there again next week. It looks like he just passed Silver Lake going north.

kd7trx · 06-13-2016, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subfan1

I hope it's ok with me responding to your question, it's Hwy 158 otherwise known as The June Lake Loop
We'll be going up there again next week. It looks like he just passed Silver Lake going north.

Subfan knows the place well. Yes, it's just north of the Silver Lake Resort, and we were heading towards US 395. I remember that moment well as I looked in my side mirror and saw the view looking south. It looked like a great backdrop for the truck and trailer own tow, so pulled to the side of the road.

Regarding the DIC, I do have my transmission temp as one of the windows, but with the question about engine coolant temperature, I wondered if we had the option to display that as well, which would be more informative than the small temp gauge. My truck is at my local shop getting a set of Eibach ride height adjustable shocks put on the front, and picking it up tomorrow, so can't go down to the garage and see if engine temp is an option. I set up a number of optional windows, and if I missed engine temp, will definitely add it.

Sorry to the OP, didn't mean to hijack this thread. But I think my second paragraph is more on topic.

wbrisett · 06-16-2016, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Usnroberts

With most 1/2 tons selling a good 10k off msrp I have to wonder how the demands stays so high for these puppies. Bang for the buck is certainly not there.

Which is why Ford said they wouldn't bring out a small pickup anymore. They said for about the same price folks could get the F150 and they didn't see the economic sense in it. Fast forward almost two years and now Ford is saying they are bringing a small truck to market in the next two years. They answer is pretty simple... not everybody needs a full size pickup and they are willing to pay the same price for something that's not quite a bulky as a full size ½ ton.

For smaller AS units I see something like the Canyon/Colorado being a pretty good fit, add the diesel option and it makes a bit more sense. But it all has to be the right mix of terrain and AS to make it work.