Have The Test Drive Delivered To You For Free, Get $1,500 In Average Savings on 2040-cars

Auto blog

GMC Canyon Denali Interior Review: THE luxury midsize truck

Over the past couple of years, GMC has been getting serious about being more than just a rebrand of Chevy trucks and SUVs. The same goes for the luxury Denali line. Among the beneficiaries of this push for differentiation is the latest Canyon. On top of only being available with the wide-track layout and the most powerful engines, it gets a Denali trim that is unequivocally the most luxurious midsize truck in the segment. The GMC Canyon Denali could even be described as a luxury midsize truck, of which there are no others. And it all comes down to what GMC has done with the interior. Open the door, and the upgrades are immediately obvious. There's leather everywhere. It's on the dash, the door panels, center console and doors. And it has nice details with the perforation and quilted stitching. The seatbacks get embroidered Denali logos and contrasting leather panels, too. The feel is more rugged than supple, but it is a truck after all, and the materials feel like they'll wear nicely.  Then you notice the wood trim. The real wood trim. It's subtle, just adorning a strip along the top of the dash and the front door panels, but the light brown color stands out against the black leather and plastic elsewhere. It's got a natural, open-pore finish that highlights the material, and the strip in the dash gets extra laser-cut details. The branding consisting of DENALI, some stylish strakes and the coordinates of Denali, the mountain, are crisp and clear. Throw in plenty of shiny chrome, and the same quality-feeling buttons and knobs (the knurling details on the knobs are particularly nice), and just on trimmings alone, it's obvious the Denali is the most plush little truck. The seats themselves are solid, though not particularly exceptional. The front seats are a bit flat, but they're also very roomy. On the Denali, the driver's seat has eight-way power adjustability with memory, and the passenger has six-way power adjustability. Heating and ventilation are included, too. Leg, head and shoulder room are also all excellent up front. The rear seat, like the rest of the segment, has enough room for adults, though legroom is a tad tight, with knees likely brushing the front seat backs. The seat bases in the rear are split with storage underneath, although it's not particularly useful. Besides its meager volume and awkward shape, much of it is taken up with the jack.

2023 GMC Acadia prices reportedly up $1,700 thanks mostly to OnStar

Earlier this month, GM Authority reported that GM was making OnStar Connected Services mandatory across the GMC and Buick lineups. The inclusion would increase MSRPs by anywhere from $905 to $1,675, GM's rationale being a better customer experience over time. A spokesperson said, "This offering provides our owners with a full suite of OnStar and Connected Services for three years, providing them with more time to enjoy services such as remote key fob, Wi-Fi data and OnStar safety services. By including this plan as standard equipment on the vehicle, it provides more customer value and a more seamless onboarding experience." Although some GMC models are already priced with OnStar included, seems the rollout is still in progress. GMA said it got pricing for the 2023 GMC Acadia, the three-row midsize SUV costing at least $1,700 more than in 2022. While $200 of that is a price bump, the remainder pays for Connected Services. The entry-level 2023 Acadia SLE in front-wheel drive is said to start at $37,895. Adding all-wheel drive adds the same $2,300 in 2023 that it does now. At the other end, the Denali AWD with the 3.6-liter V6 caps the range at $51,695. The Acadia has been spared the increases of so many other models, GM only lifting its price by around $200 since it announced pricing for the 2022 model last summer. The Acadia gets minor changes for the coming year. Three new colors are Sterling Metallic, Ultra Blue Metallic, and Volcanic Red Tintcoat, all of which are cost options. They replace Cayenne Red Tintcoat, Midnight Blue Metallic, and Satin Steel Metallic. The SLT, AT4, and Denali also get a revised steering wheel with audio and cruise controls.

GM diesel pickups first to undergo extra EPA, CARB testing

The effects of Volkswagen's long-running diesel emissions evasion are starting to spill over to other automakers, but General Motors is taking things in stride. The 2.8-liter, four-cylinder Duramax in the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon is the first engine to get extra scrutiny by the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, Automotive News reports. Rather than just the usual in-lab test, it's also being checked on the road. However, the extra evaluation shouldn't have any impact on when the trucks with his mill hit dealers later this fall. "We're in our final stages of the EPA certification, and our launch is on track," Chevy spokesperson Otie McKinley tells Autoblog. The four-cylinder diesel in the trucks makes 181 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and the automaker is touting low NOx production. In the announcement for the Colorado's specs, the company calls it "the cleanest diesel truck engine ever produced by General Motors." The tech includes exhaust gas recirculation to lower combustion temperatures and improve emissions. There's also a urea tank like on the bigger diesels for full-size trucks, and it gets refilled in time with oil changes. An indication on the instrument panel lets drivers know when that's needed, too. Even with the more demanding testing, the company doesn't seem too worried about the four-cylinder passing. "Part of our development process is on-road and off-road [laboratory] testing," Scott Yackley, Chevy Trucks assistant chief engineer, said to Automotive News. In the wake of the VW scandal, the EPA has pledged more rigorous testing. Before, on-road emissions evaluations were largely limited to heavy-duty vehicles, but the agency has decided to apply the checks more often to other models. There's also now greater cooperation with Canadian authorities.