Midsize trucks have traditionally been built as “minimalist” vehicles – enough truck to move the occasional piece of furniture around and cheap enough to be affordable for the everyman. The drawback to this has always been the interior and the options list. While full size trucks and sedans come with plush luxury interiors and an options list that stretches into next year, mid-size trucks offer bare-bones interiors and lack most of the options available on their bigger brothers. What is a buyer to do when they want a small but capable vehicle with a nice interior and innovative features?
GM thinks they have the answer with the all new 2015 GMC Canyon. Manufactured for the first time since 2012, the GMC Canyon brings safety firsts to the midsize truck market that GM hopes will give them a unique market niche. These include lane departure warning and forward collision alert, features also found on the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra. Lane departure warning alerts the driver when they are drifting out of their lane and forward collision alert is able to detect an impending collision and apply the brakes as necessary to try and prevent the crash.
The most unique safety innovation that the GMC Canyon offers is the patent-pending child restraint safety feature. Built for the extended cab models, this feature is intended to help keep kids in child restraints safer in a collision.
Many child restraint manufacturers recommend that at least 80 percent of the child restraint base fit on the seat cushion. Because extended cab models of midsize trucks do not satisfy this requirement, GMC came up with a way to circumvent the lack of space. On the passenger side of the truck, the head rest can be removed and added to the base of the seat, extending the length of the base and allowing the 80% requirement to be satisfied.
Below is a simulation of how to utilize the new feature:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obA8gz_SCjc
Also, check out this TFL Truck insider video, where you can learn everything you need to know about the 2015 GMC Canyon.
