2015 Gmc Sierra 3500 on 2040-cars

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2014 GMC Sierra [w/video]

Big And Boxy Might Be Best
As immense fans of the Back to the Future trilogy, we sometimes like to envision an alternate timeline in which General Motors had killed off GMC and kept Pontiac instead. The G8 GXP would still be on the road handily beating German sport sedans costing twice as much, while the lowly G3 would morph into a true subcompact-killer based on what is now the Chevrolet Sonic RS. While we're at it, let's go ahead and imagine the G6 has become the best-selling car in the US and the Torrent crossover is selling 20,000+ units per month. Far-fetched, we know.
The thing is, these fanciful statements would have to be true to make the case against keeping GMC. Pontiac may have offered more excitement than GMC, but money talks, and a full line of trucks, crossovers and SUVs have made a lot more money for GM than the arrowhead brand ever did. How much? As we learned last month, about two-thirds of GM's global profits came from its fullsize trucks, and GMC's trucks typically have thicker margins than their Chevrolet counterparts.

Son surprises his dad by restoring his 1949 pickup for Christmas

Norman Meal, an 83-year-old retired farmer from Rushville, IN, nearly missed his big Christmas gift when his son, Kyle, first presented it to him. Norman was oblivious and was looking all over the garage floor until Kyle pointed out a satin black pickup with a bow on it parked inside. This wasn't just another case of a child buying a parent a dream vehicle; the '49 GMC sitting there was Norman's very first truck that was restored and ready to drive. According to Fox 59 WXIN, Norman's father purchased the GMC in 1949, and Norman bought it from him in the mid '50s to use on the farm. However, for about the past 13 years, the truck had been rotting away in the garage of one of Kyle's friends. As a perfect gift to his dad, Kyle took the pickup to a restoration shop to make the old vehicle roadworthy again. Practically everything was replaced – except for the horn. Thankfully, Kyle filmed his dad's reaction to getting the GMC. Check it out and watch them take a drive in the heartwarming video above.

2023 GMC Canyon revealed with new ZR2-based AT4X trim

Following up on the reveal of its twin, the Chevy Colorado, the 2023 GMC Canyon has made its appearance. Naturally, it shares much with the Chevy pickup, but GMC has gone to greater lengths to differentiate the truck. It comes standard with the high-output engine, all versions feature the wide-track suspension setup, and in addition to the now more luxurious Denali, there's a ZR2-based AT4X trim. As with the new Colorado, the Canyon gets an overhaul of the design. It's down to one bed and cab configuration (short-bed, crew cab), and it features a longer wheelbase with the front axle pushed forward. The Canyon does get a variety of unique design features, though. It has its own front fascia with a tall, rectangular grille. LED lighting is standard on all Canyon models all the way around. That includes the unique fender lights like those found on the Sierra HD. All Canyons also feature the wide-track off-road suspension like the Colorado Z71 and Trail Boss. There are no narrow-track, narrow-body versions, even on the base two-wheel-drive Elevation. That suspension also means all Canyons have a roughly two-inch lift over base Chevy Colorados. The GMCs also get standard 32-inch tires, and they don't feature a front air dam in order to provide better approach angles. The bed, while only available in one trim, is available with a unique storage bin in the tailgate. On the topic of suspension specs, the Elevation and AT4 trim levels have 9.6 inches of ground clearance. The Denali increases that to 10.5 inches, and the AT4X features 10.6 inches. It also picks up the Multimatic spool-valve shocks from the ZR2. But we'll talk more about what comes on the AT4X in a bit. Under the hood of the Canyon is just one engine. It gets the highest-output version of the 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. The engine makes 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. The only transmission is an eight-speed automatic. Two-wheel drive comes standard on Elevation, and other trims come standard with four-wheel drive. The inside of the Canyon is very similar to the Colorado, but it has some unique cues. It has air vents that are more integrated into the squared-off dashboard design, rather than the Chevy's round vents. It has a differently shaped dash pad and trim surrounds, too. The really big differences come on the Denali and AT4X trims, though. The Denali features real wood trim with laser etchings. It also gets lots of real leather and fancy stitching.