Every truck comes with a lot of options and trims for customers to choose from. GMC offers the Denali trim for the GMC Canyon, and MotorTrend did a review of it. Here’s what MotorTrend had to say about the Canyon Denali.

A balanced engine

The Canyon Denali that MotorTrend tested had a 3.6-liter V6 gas-powered engine. MotorTrend described this engine as a great balance between power and practicality. A 2.8-liter diesel engine is less powerful but more practical than the V6 is, but the V6 wasn’t that far behind. 

The V6 on the Canyon Denali generates 308-hp and 275 lb-ft of torque. MotorTrend said that this made the Canyon Denali the most powerful truck in its class. However, when MotorTrend tested the Canyon Denali against other mid-sized pickup trucks, the Canyon Denali’s powerful engine didn’t get it to first place.

The Canyon Denali accelerated from 0 to 60 MPH in 6.8 seconds, which was the second-fastest truck in the race. The fastest truck was the Honda Ridgeline, which MotorTrend said accelerated from 0 to 60 MPH in 6.4 seconds. 

But while the Canyon Denali’s V6 was powerful and pretty fast, it also was relatively economical. MotorTrend said that the V6 gets about 18 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on highways. The diesel engine, in comparison, gets 22 MPG in the city and 30 MPG on highways.

Comfortable but lacking in features

Regardless of the engine choice, MotorTrend praised the ride comfort and interior comfort of the Canyon Denali. Not only did the truck provide a quiet and smooth ride, but the seats were also very spacious and comfortable. 

That said, although the Canyon Denali had a lot of standard interior features, for a $40,000 truck, MotorTrend found it lacking. An 8-inch touchscreen, heated leather seats, and a 4G WiFi hotspot come standard on the Canyon Denali. But in terms of smart features, the Canyon Denali doesn’t have much going for it. 

MotorTrend listed an assortment of features that it wanted for the Canyon Denali, but GMC wasn’t offering any of them for the Canyon Denali. These features include: a moonroof, a blind-spot warning system, and a 360-degree camera system. Furthermore, MotorTrend said that the Canyon Denali that it tested was valued at over $44,000. For that same price, MotorTrend realized that it could’ve bought a well-equipped GMC Sierra instead.

Is it worth it?

Ultimately, the answer to this question depends on how much money you’re willing to spend on the Canyon Denali and which aspects of the truck that you’re looking for. The Canyon Denali is a luxury trim of a mid-sized truck, so it’s going to be cheaper than the luxury trim of a full-sized truck. 

As MotorTrend said, the big reason why people want a mid-sized truck in the first place is to more easily navigate urban areas. It’s not impossible to drive around a Ford F-150 or a Chevy Silverado in the city, but the smaller sized trucks will have an easier time with it.

The luxurious Denali trim turns a work truck into a truck into something more comfortable. And with either the V6 engine or the diesel engine, the Canyon Denali’s also a pretty powerful and practical truck. MotorTrend prefers the V6 for its power, but the diesel would be the ideal engine for commuting in a city.

But that said, no matter how it’s phrased, the Canyon Denali is still a relatively expensive pickup truck. MotorTrend thinks that despite the lack of some features, the Canyon Denali, when equipped with the V6 or diesel engine, is worth its price. But if $40,000 is too expensive for a mid-sized truck, then there are cheaper options available.