Make Way for the GMC Canyon
The GMC Canyon is a compact pickup. This vehicle shares its basic design and powertrain with the Chevrolet Colorado. Offered in three body styles, the GMC Canyon is a pickup to consider. This vehicle looks impressive. It also brags about a lot of power as well as a spacious interior. The cargo space is also very accommodating.
The body styles comprise of the regular cab body style, the extended cab body style, and the Crew cab body style. For regular cabs, the maximum capacity of passengers it can take in its cabin is three. The extended cab has a rear hinged back door and has the capacity to take in a maximum passenger capacity of five due to two rear jump seats. As per the Crew cab, this body style holds four doors and has a maximum capacity of welcoming in six people because of its folding rear bench. The GMC Canyon is very much suited for personal use as well as light duty use. Even if it is a pickup it probably would not be able to work well for commercial use, heavy hauling, as well as for towing functions.
The GMC Canyon has a couple of engine choices for interested parties. There is the standard 2.9 liter Vortec inline engine which has four cylinders. This engine can produce some 175 horsepower and 185 pound feet of torque. The optional 3.5 liter Vortec engine has five cylinders and it can make 200 units of horsepower and 225 pound feet of torque. Both of these engines come with an electronic throttle control, variable valve timing, and coil on plug ignition. The vehicle also comes with an all new five speed manual transmission system.
The interior of the GMC Canyon holds 60/40 bench seats in cloth of vinyl. Made available for this vehicle are reclining bucket seats. The other features also include two forward facing rear seats with under-seat storage and a flat-load floor. There also is a driver information center with system readouts, an electrochromic rearview mirror with compass and outside temperature gauge, heated leather bucket seats, an AM/FM stereo with an optional in-dash six CD changer, the OnStar system, and the XM satellite radio. The GMC Canyon also has a six foot cargo box, a two tier loading, as well as a locking tailgate. For safety, the GMC Canyon has dual stage front air bags, optional head curtain side air bags, a reinforced safety cage and side guard door beams, high intensity halogen headlamps, fog lamps, an all-steel body, three point lap shoulder belts, and the LATCH system.
By Joe Thompson.
Visit the Blog about gmc dealerGMC Collectible Motorhome
In the 1970's, General Motors entered the RV market. Drawing on the exuberance of the times, the company set out to create the ultimate American Motor home. Their aim was to produce a top-of the-line vehicle with cutting-edge design and construction, not just another competitor in the already crowded vacation vehicle market. The common design in this era was a boxy, ungainly and top-heavy unit on a truck chassis. The GMC vehicle was intended to be a completely new design in every way. Design work began in 1970, with the market introduction planned for 1973. "Doesn't look like a box or ride like a truck" was the GMC ad slogan.
The new vehicle would be unusual for this era in several ways. First of all, it was to have a front wheel drive, a rare concept in cars of that day and unheard-of in mobile homes. The drive train and suspension were taken from the design of the Oldsmobile Toronado. The 265 horsepower 455 cubic inch Oldsmobile engine was attached to a Turbohydramatic 425 transmission with torsion bar suspension. The rear suspension was a product of GM's bus design, using dual swing arms, one leading and one trailing, with a single air spring on each side. Instead of a autobody steel, the body was to be made of lightweight aluminum and molded fiberglass-reinforced plastic such as was used in the Chevrolet Corvette.
The front wheel drive and independent swing arm rear suspension brought great improvement to the standard motorhome design. The lack of drive shafts and axles underneath the coach allowed a very low floor height, leading in turn to a low overall vehicle height and lower center of gravity. Aside from easier entry and exit, this reduced rollover risk and wind resistance and made the vehicle much safer and easier to operate for buyers accustomed only to car driving. A six-wheel braking system, with disc brakes on the front and drum brakes on all four rear wheels, further enhanced drivability.
Previous motorhome design focused mainly on the use of the vehicle as a temporary home once it had reached its destination, an extended stay in a mobile home park or a camping spot. Ease of getting to the destination was of secondary concern, and cumbersome handling on the road was taken for granted. GMC made a special point of targeting this feature for improvement by adding visibility from the driver's seat with a panoramic expanse of glass.
The motorhome was featured in 23 foot and 26 foot lengths, fairly small even for this era. Nowadays, much larger models are common. The motorhome's interior design was compact, with no permanent sleeping areas in the original design. All beds were converted from seating areas when required.
Hot water was provided by water heaters using engine coolant loops, which produced water so hot it could actually present a scalding hazard since coolant temperatures usually exceed 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The refrigerator was powered by a standard automotive battery, adequate only for overnight use before recharging.
By J Shipper.
