From Canyon Denali to Tacoma... Impressions?

Two weeks into my first Tacoma... fourth truck overall. '98 F-150 to '08 Frontier to '17 GMC Canyon Denali to '21 Tacoma Limited.

Thought I would say hello, and share my thoughts on the latest switch. Flame away, but I hope this is somewhat interesting and an illuminating dialogue.

I bought a one-year old 2017 Canyon Denali in Feb. of 2018. I really liked that truck. Fun to drive, plush interior, lots of bells and whistles, towed great and could get 26mpg on the freeway pretty consistently. I did have to take it back to GMC fairly often for little annoying odds and ends but the dealer was 2 miles away and they had a loaner fleet so it was always easy.

Then... the LGZ V6 broke a rod bolt and grenaded the block. At 24,800 miles. I got a new long block, and after 73 days at the dealer I got my truck back with a 0 mile motor.

Long story short, after all that there was an ignition lock issue and recently an oil cooler fitting failed on a towing trip to Birmingham for national motorcycle races - and it very nearly cost me my trip. That was October 23. I had enough. On October 31 I bought the Tacoma on a fluke visit to just look at one up close and in person.

So... how does it compare?

Well... meh. I was never blown away to begin with but I am notoriously hard to impress.

The good - it seems like a very competent and proficient machine. Drives nicely and it handles bumps much better than the Canyon. Although the interior feels a little cheap compared to the Denali, the seats are quite comfy. The moonroof is awesome, and most of the functionality is fairly well handled. The headlights are fantastic and I like the smaller form factor with the shorter bed and the bed utilities in it.

The bad - it lacks ANY excitement factor. The styling is like boring wallpaper. The technology feels like it was current in 2009. The backup camera is an absolute joke, looks like 480p on a good day. Fuel economy is utterly abysmal. If I knew it was going to be this bad I would have bought a Tundra. I'm also a little annoyed like a lot of you over the remote start shutoff once you open the door. Kinda defeats the purpose. The GMC had this figured out. The drivers side mirror makes this crazy whistle north of 40mph. It's bizarre. That will hopefully get addressed next week.

So I characterized my situation like this: It's like being married to a supermodel. Then a couple years in you realize she's been stealing your money the whole time you've been together. You know you gotta get rid of her, but you also know that the next thing that comes along will probably be a lot more dependable but also a lot less exciting. And that's pretty much where I ended up.

Don't get me wrong, it seems to be a perfectly good truck. And the resale is absurd. I hope the reliability is as advertised. Do I kind of miss the Canyon? Yeah, a little. But I need something that won't blow up on me and with the GMC unconditional warranty (That I got extended another year due to the inconvenience of the engine failure) expiring, I didn't trust it anymore. I don't mind spinning wrenches, but that's what my bikes are for. I need my 4-wheel transportation to be effortless so I can focus on the two-wheel stuff.

Anyway that was a novel, but I thought it might be useful to tell the whole story. I hope it was entertaining. Let me know what you all think. Am I crazy? Is there something I am not taking into account? Am I judging too early? Hit me with it.

Have a great one, everybody!

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld

 

Thanks for the comparison. I just got my Tacoma at the end of October and it's my first truck (but not my first 4x4). I considered the GMC Canyon but wasn't a fan of the interior, which with that center stack feels very old school (and I guess trucklike, coming from at VW GTI most recently) and I like the Tacoma interior a lot better, so go figure. I don't have the LED lights and the standard headlights are really poor on the Tacoma (I mean, I think they approach unsafe)--I've ordered replacement bulbs that I'm installing this weekend. I'm glad to have the power seat because when I considered one ten years ago without the power seat I didn't fit: I'm 6'5". No problem now. And I love the look of the Tacoma more than the other trucks. In the eye of the beholder and all that. Gas mileage is a drag, though, to be sure. It really doesn't make sense.

All of which is to say: welcome! (And also, share a larger photo of your rig.)

 

All the aesthetic stuff is subjective for sure... some people prefer that more functional look. I just think the climate controls and touchscreen look way behind the curve. I really hope the motor is as bulletproof as I have heard, because I am trying to figure out exactly where all the $43k went.

I attribute a lot of that to Japanese production philosophy. Make it work, make it work well, and if we have some time left over we'll try to make it.... not ugly. Whereas Italians would be like "make it beautiful and then we'll try to make it work." They won't, but they will try, LOL.

Combined with a very conservative approach to UI tech and engine tech I am feeling a little uninspired. I guess that's ok.

I'm a little stupefied by a V6 with DI and VVT that doesn't bother to employ MDS or AFM and eats as much gas as this does. Nothing I am losing sleep over, just a wild deviation from my expectations.

I haven't taken many pics, but I can link the full size version of my avatar pic for starters.

 

Well I think she's a beauty, though I admit I like the grill and wheels of the TRD Off-Road a bit more.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

You might be right about that. Getting the *exact* combo of things I wanted would have been almost impossible. I do like certain parts of the TRD models better, but I moved on this one because it was the last day of the month and I threw out a number I thought they'd laugh at and they beat it... so I was like "welp... guess I am buying it!" And I needed to move off the Canyon as I had only a month of warranty left.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Its kind of funny to hear someone say they prefer the styling of the canyon.

Personally I can't get over the design language of any GM car. I can see where it is clad in nice materials and probably feels great to the touch. All the reviews say it has better road feel. But for some reason I find that interior inconsolably hideous, and I cant tell you why exactly. ...Actually I can. The oblong center bezel, the push-button shifter, the tall inset vents, they all scream early 1990's bubble-era design to me, and I can't see the modern vehicle that is clearly overlain on those elements. I know I'm the odd guy out, but I'm visual by nature and there is no way in hell I would enjoy piloting a helm that looks like that.

By contrast the Tacoma is funky and playful in its design. Sure, it went cliche' with the chiseled high skirt look that almost everybody is doing now, but at least thats a modern look. The interior has a weird mix of hard edges with an excess of circles. It's different, and the endless mix of colors available in both stock and aftermarket parts make it customizable and fun. I went a little overboard in adding cartoonish red accents throughout the interior I admit, but driving something so outrageously garish brings a level of enjoyment that no other vehicle has managed to do.


Anyways, its cool to see other perspectives and why people would prefer the canyon. Enjoy the new ride!

 

Appreciate the info. When I bought my current Taco in mid 2017, I was almost ready to pull the trigger on the Canyon. When I found a low mileage two year old DCSB with 22000 miles and full maintenance history for 28.5 OTD I scrapped the GMC plans. Hopefully this Toyota is as reliable as my 2005 GMC Duramax and not like my previous Toyota FJ (POS).

 

<---- Architect here, so yeah I hear you on the visual thing.

I totally agree - I really enjoyed that take on the interior styling.

To that point, I actually agree with you on a lot of that. I didn't love the Canyon interior geometry. I think what I connected to -- in the Denali trim a lot of the finishes were pretty nice and I am a sucker for materials. Your critiques of the shapes and layout are not off base, I have a hard time refuting that. Even in Limited trim, the Tacoma comes off "cheaper" in comparison. I think I would easily look past that if the backup camera was higher res and there was a little less plastic.

But clearly - I don't off-road I just tow a small trailer and carry stuff in the back. And I only keep one 4-wheel vehicle so I want a luxury car grocery-getter experience in a midsize truck package that gets reasonable fuel economy and can pull 5,000 pounds without having to white knuckle it.


What....? Is that too much to ask?

 

Welcome!

The Tacoma isn't the best off road. That's the gladiator.
The Tacoma isn't the best at towing. That's the ranger.
The Tacoma isn't the best interior. That's the GM Trucks (this is up for argument, that's fair, but one thing is for sure: It's not the Tacoma)
The Tacoma isn't the best in payload, but that's a wash among the mid size even with the ridgeline.
The Tacoma isn't the best in a comfortable ride, that's the Ridgeline
The Tacoma isn't the best in cost, that's the Frontier (as of 2019 at least)
The Tacoma isn't the best in rear leg room, that's the Ranger
The Tacoma isn't the best in MPG, that's the ranger (for gas, Gladiator/Ranger have a diesel)
The Tacoma isn't the best in excitement, that's the ranger (Turbo baby!) (Also up for debate)
The Tacoma isn't the best in technology, that's the ranger or canyon

The only thing the Tacoma is best in class for is turning radius. It has the Canyon beat by like 4 inches. In googling this actually, here's an article that measures them:
https://tfltruck.com/2019/05/asktfl...verability-midsize-truck-expert-buyers-guide/

Aftermarket support WAS the Tacoma's wheelhouse but now the gladiator is probably equal and will take that trophy too.

You don't buy a Tacoma for best in class in anything. That's not the point of them. The point is that the tacoma with 250k on the clock still goes to and from work/hits the trails.

edit to add: It is not best in class anywhere, but does everything very well. Just not the best.

 

Jokes aside, this probably ticks all your boxes the best of anything. At least the 21 has a facelift.

 

Great post.

Yeah somewhere buried up there I alluded to that very point. As much as I liked the bells and whistles of the GMC, I need something that just works, day in and day out and doesn't force me to make lots of trips to the dealer and worry about what's coming next.

 

You're totally right, other than it's horrible looking and I feel like I should be taking the kids I don't have to soccer games they don't play.

I tried to keep it in the option pool but I can't get past the exterior.

And I don't think I would feel good towing my trailer with that. Maybe I am being paranoid, but that 5,000 pound tow rating isn't something I would personally test beyond 50%-60%.

 

Honestly, I'd trust the ridgeline to 5k lbs, I wouldn't trust the tacoma up to 6.5k, I would limit it closer to 5-5.5, so realistically towing and payload (other than the ranger with the turbo, and the diesel options) are both kinda a wash in the entire class.


Yeah for me it was - I have always wanted a tacoma. Not just a pickup, but a tacoma specifically. if I got anything else, I'd always say "well yeah but....I still want the tacoma" and trade in for one within a few years anyway, so I figure bite the bullet early. I have some build plans for using it for road trips/camping, but honestly I can see myself having this for 20 years. The only "regret" is that I wish I got a '19 without power seats. (Oh and maybe in voodoo blue, I got a boring white )

edit: ridgeline styling, the 2021 actually looks a LOT better. The bar was really damn low, but yeah it's finally looking decent.



For what I need, at least, that was probably the more sensible option. Whatever, I'm happy with what I have.

 

That is definitely an improvement. That bar was indeed so very low, LOL.

I agree BTW, I tow about 4,000 pounds (worst case) and if I get a (even a marginally) bigger trailer, I will probably have to turn the Taco in for a full size. I typically treat a tow "rating" as a starting number and then my real life number is about 2/3 of that.

 

When I got my first taco (my 2016) I thought I was driving a futuristic rocketship. It had a backup camera! It had a moon roof! It had heated seats! You can press the buttons right on the heads up display?!? And what's this NASA engineered dual climate control!

So ya the vehicles I'd owned in the past were decidedly low tech.

I've driven some new diesel pickups, and they're pretty posh inside. Tacoma has just about everything need and not a lot of extra I wouldn't bother with. My '20 has the power drivers seat (definite upgrade) and the auto high beams, lane departure, and adaptive cruise. Adaptive cruise works ok, but I don't use the auto beams or the lane departure.

Tacoma get's about an 8/10 from me. I did buy two of them.

 

I think that Tacoma is a jack of all bests, best of none. Does it all without “passion or prejudice”.

 

Sup! Welcome to tacomaworld. I think you hit the nail on the head with the supermodel analogy and it's a damn shame that your GMC came standard with self-destruct installed.