gmc canyon /chevy colorado towing question

[flyingscott]

I am looking at buying a 2005/6 canyon/colorado. The truck has the I5 3.5 litre crew cab. What I want to know is are these a good tow vehicle would prefer to here from people who own and tow with them thanks.

 

[Water logged]

I have a 2011 extended cab, I5, 3.7Ltr, 4X4 Colorado. The engine and chassis are well suited to tow my Regency, but the auto transmission does not allow enough control to do it well. With a stick tranny it would be no problem.

Glenn

 

[flyingscott]

Thank you your engine is more powerful than the 3.5 litre and a stick shift is out of the question to many bad boat landings.Thank you that does help

 

[thumpar]

What are you trying to tow?

 

[drrpm]

There are better choices than those poorly regarded GM small pick ups.

 

[Scott Danforth]

what are you trying to tow. an auto is better at retrieval than a manual trans due to the nature of the torque converter. the 3.5 will have plenty of power for 1800# with the manual or about 3900# with the auto (towing ratings)

 

[flyingscott]

What I am going to tow will be within the trucks specs. I want to know how good the truck is at towing and am looking for those experiences. I only have 3 choices in those years the tacoma which i don't really like the nissan and the chevy.. I like the colorado so I want owners opinions on them. As far as not being well regarded seems to be the critics more than the owners.

 

[keith2k455]

Personally, I think they're ugly unless they have the off road package. Past that, I would think they would be typical to that size truck. Opinions will be skewed and most likEly you'll be told to buy a full size.

If there's one in particular you're looking at, take it on a test drive and hook up your trailer to make your own opinion.

 

[thumpar]

You need to give info on what you are towing to get any advise. A 200lbs tinny no problem. A 4500lbs loaded trailer not so much.

 

[Frank Acampora]

I don't know if it directly relates but I used to tow 3200 pounds with a 4.3 S10 Capacity 4500 pounds tow weight . Trailering was not a problem but the truck was so light that on medium steep ramps the boat would pull the truck backwards with all four brakes on. I took to carrying a set of wheel chocks. Since the Colorado is about the same weight, I would (as said above) not tow a heavy boat at or near the truck's capacity.

 

[flyingscott]

This question is about the truck. I tow a lot of different weights I don't have just one. I need to know about the trucks themselves I am replacing my s10. I appreciate all the opinions but unless you own one you can't help me I am really looking for owners opinions of the trucks themselves.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Ok to clarify. What is the heaviest trailer you expect to tow and the heaviest boat you expect to launch/ retrieve with the truck?

That is REALLY important info for ANYONE to be able to answer your question.

Further, is it good compared to what?....

Compared to my diesel dually no it isn't good but compared to my BMW convertible it's amazing....

Without qualifying information your question is not possible to accurately answer...

Lastly, as indicated above, try it for yourself... Tell the dealer that you need to tow your boat with it and tow the same boat with the other trucks you are considering.... Your own direct comparison will be much more helpful than some random stranger in the internet who is towing a different load and comparing it to different vehicles.

Fwiw I have driven and towed with them and have friends who own them.
I'm not particularly impressed but then my expectations and needs are bound to be far different than your own.

 

[bonz_d]

I have a 2004 Canyon with the I5 and auto trans. Tows well, rides good, more space than an S10, gets decent gas mileage. Problems; this one is rusting badly and with only 124000mi on it I've already had to replace the catalytic converter because it exploded. New part was $700.00 installed. Constant problem with ABS Warning lights, have replaced 2 heater fan switches already and now is having a problem with the fuel sensor and injection throttle body that I've been told is going to be another $800-$1000.00 to fix. These trucks, 2004 - 2008 have horrific electrical problems.

I'm ready to go back to a V6 Ford Ranger or possibly a Dodge Dakota.

 

[flyingscott]

Thank you very much for that that helps me a lot. I don't know why this question is confusing. If I hear from a bunch of different owners I will have a bunch of different information to pull from. I am looking for long term experience with them that's why I only want owners or former owners to answer. I can find all the specs I want on the internet I need real world information. I am not asking for a truck comparison and most dealers/private owners will not let you tow with them. Post #13 is phenomenal he has one and told me about it.

 

[naturelover]

Buy a new one with the mini Duramax in it...

Best of both worlds.

 

[flyingscott]

I am not going to buy new I have a 2 year old duramax hd 2500. My full size is fine until I get into more cramped boat landings or camping areas. Looking for a smaller truck to replace my s10 for those reasons.

 

[Silvertip]

Regardless what you buy, small engines require that you make a wise choice with axle ratio and the smaller the engine the more important this is. I had a couple of S10's with 4.3 V6 and 3.73 gears and they tow like mules. I even had a 1985 S10 Blazer with the 2.8 V6 but with 4.11 gears that towed my 19 foot Century with no problem. As for the Colorado/Canyon, the I5 lost about 24 foot pounds of torque and about about the same amount of HP from the S10 and they also had rear drum brakes whereas my S10's had rear discs. Ask for the service records on Colorado/Canyons to make sure the engine didn't have an issue with a valve seat becoming dislodged. Most were fixed under warranty and some never had the problem. If you look hard enough, GMC offered the Canyon with a V8 in the crew cab version.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Replacing an S-10 with a Colorado/Canyon is like replacing wrangler jeans with a grass skirt... IMHO

With the maintenance nightmares and lackluster performance these things have given my friends I'd sure rather be shopping for a nice clean low mileage S-10.

My 99 S-10 ZR-2 was twice the truck these things are.
4.3 4l-60 3.73 gears.... I often wish I'd never gotten rid of that one.

 

[flyingscott]

THank you actually the I5 has 30 more hp and 15 lb ft of torque less than the 4.3. I need the 4 dr crew cab and a low mileage s10 will cost me as much as a colorado/canyon

 

[smokeonthewater]

well there ya go... win win... better truck and no more money

there's a reason the S-10's hold their value