The GMC Canyon has been around a few years in the pickup market and it seems to gain some ground each year it continues to get produced. As other mid-size pickups get upgrades for the incoming year models, the Canyon stays pretty simple in its offerings.

It takes on new features every year, but they offer most of them as upgrades and only a select few end up as standard pieces for the base trim levels. Most of those items are technological-based and safety or driver’s assist features. Here are what Car and Driver lists for tech and safety items in the new Canyon.

Technology features

For the base level trims, it comes standard with a 7-inch touchscreen. But, if you upgrade to one of the higher trims, like the SLE, you’ll get the 8-inch display that comes with Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay capabilities. The infotainment system has Bluetooth connectivity and navigation and smartphone technology that allows for hands-free calling when you need it.

The Canyon also offers 4G LTE connectivity with WIFI hotspot compatibility so that your passengers can connect their tablets or other devices while you’re on the go. Other standard features include USB ports and a 12V charging outlet. A new feature you’ll find with this truck is the tire-fill alert system. When you air up your tires, you’ll get an alert when you’ve reached the proper air pressure within the tires. So you don’t have to play the guessing game anymore.

Safety features

The Canyon doesn’t offer much for driver-assist features, especially at the base trim levels. There are a few items that are available if you want to add them as options. GMC reports what their Canyon upgrade options are, one of them being the forward collision alert. It will alert you if a collision is imminent and you need to take action. Another is the rear park assistance that will detect objects within a specified range behind the truck, so you can avoid backing into anything.

The last driver’s assist feature is the lane departure warning to help let you know when you’re veering out of your lane of traffic without having the signal activated for a standard turn. The Canyon does offer a safety system for parents with teen drivers. By activating the teen driving mode, the truck will collect data on their driving habits and let the parents know how well their teen is doing as they gain experience. It also has a feature that will not allow the driver to take off in the truck unless the safety buckle is in its proper place.

How does it compare to its competitors?

The GMC Canyon competes with the Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, Nissan Frontier, and the Toyota Tacoma in the pickup market. While it holds its own in the mid-size category, it doesn’t quite reach the levels that the Frontier and the Tacoma are at as far as technologies are concerned.

At the base level trim, Canyon doesn’t have much in the way of standard features, but it offers some nice ones as upgrades if you want to spend more out of pocket to get them. The Tacoma and the Frontier have more to offer for a more reasonable price.

Still, the GMC Canyon is a more affordable option in the mid-size market if you don’t necessarily need too many features in your purchase. Choosing only the bare necessities for much less than some of its competitors allows for a more customizable experience so you can get the pickup with what you want and not get stuck with items you don’t need.