I drove my brother's GM Canyon, a midsize PU this weekend.

[Ilsa]

It was as sweet ride. It "feels" solid, like it won't blow off the road, unlike a Mitsubishi Raider (similar, but smaller), which felt like it was bouncing all over the place when I test drove it. The GM Canyon handled well. Everything felt convenient in managing the temp, etc.

I've had too other GM vehicles and liked them both. But, the mileage isn't as good as we'd like. I've done just fine on minimal repairs, although my friends with Toyotas tell me "no repairs", which is awesome.

I'd rather see Ford fail. Hubby's ford is a rough ride. Very uncomfortable.

[ogneopasno]

1. Ford has great family cars, though. We've got a 2001 F-250 diesel. It's a beast.

I liked the Dodge trucks m'self. The only GM pickup we ever had was a 1992 (?) S-10. Got a lot out of that one; kinda wish we still had it, even though it was a death trap.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. My '93 Toyota 4x4 has had no repairs.

It's just unbreakable and will likely outlive me.

[EOTE]

3. Isn't the Raider larger and heavier than the Canyon?

I know they're both midsize pickups, as they don't really seem to make compact pickups anymore. But as far as I know, the Raider is pretty much a rebadged Dodge Dakota and the Dakota has both V6 and V8 engine options while the Canyon/Colorado offers inline 4 and 5 cylinder engines. From what I've heard, the 2.8 four cylinder in the Canyon is pretty much the first decent 4 banger offered in a pick up. I think GM has always made the best pickups, with the Silverado/Sierra being the most dominant. I'm glad they've put a larger investment towards smaller trucks in the recent years though, the S-10 was aging pretty poorly.

[Fumesucker]

4. I had a compact Nissan PU with the 2.4 12 valve four cylinder engine..

That was a great engine, lots of power and efficient as well, 28 mpg on the highway.

[EOTE]

8. Yeah, that 2.4 was pretty decent.

My grandma had a "Nissan Truck" I believe it was called and that thing moved pretty well for a 4 banger auto. Keep in mind they were very light vehicles (about 2800lbs) so there wasn't much bulk to move around and they really couldn't tow very much at all. I believe that 4 (Z2.4) was a slightly modified version of the engine appearing in the 240sx, so given their similar weight, it's not a surprise those trucks were sprightly.

[snooper2]

9. I've got an S-10 with the 4.3L V6

shitty gas mileage ( 18 average ) but I can smoke the tires for 50 feet :)


Toyota has been making the best 4 banger for a long time...runs forever,

Originally in the 80's it was called the 22R- some time, in the mid 90's they came out with minor changes and called it the 22RE


22R



22RE

[EOTE]

12. Toyota also has a 2.7L 4 banger.

I think they started offering it in the mid-90s and it offered up a fair bit more torque than the 2.4. I still think that GM's latest inline offerings are probably the best small truck engines offered now. The 3.5 5 cylinder is even used in the fairly heavy and hulking H3. There are a couple 4s, a 2.8 and a 2.9, the latter making just shy of 200 lb/ft of torque (V6 territory for trucks not so long ago). Seeing how good GM has been at milking every last bit available out of OHV engines, I was really surprised when they started making really good OHC engines as well this decade. The 4.2L I6 found in the Trailblazer/Envoy has even been on Ward's 10 best engines 3 or 4 times.

[Ilsa]

13. My bro has the 2.8 L. Very perky.

The Raider felt lighter to me. I don't remember the specs. Raider was fun to drive, but it felt lighter to me.

[flvegan]

5. I'd rather not see GM nor Ford fail.

Sue me for caring about American jobs.

[Gold Metal Flake]

6. Bleeding heart.

"If the ride jiggles my back, the workers we must sack"

[Ilsa]

17. I don't want to see either or any of them fail either. I'm just making

a choice based on my experience since 1974. I've done better with GM.

[GoCubsGo]

7. I would like to see Ford stick around...

My current Ford is 13 years old. Nice ride, very comfortable. I would like to replace it with another Ford, but since I got laid off and no new job is in sight, that isn't going to happen any time soon. I hope they're still around when I get a new job. I wouldn't want to be left with the choice of a GM or a foreign car. At my old job, we had Chevy trucks as some of our field vehicles. All of them had the odor of coolant coming through the heating and air conditioning systems. Yuk! I don't want to see any of our auto manufacturers fail. Even GM, despite my being vastly unimpressed with their vehicles.

[Ilsa]

18. I don't want to see any of them fail either. I was making my choice, if I had to choose one to go. n

[CatholicEdHead]

10. Raider is just a Dodge Dakota with a new grill

[Schema Thing]

11. I'm glad the fates of the various auto companies don't hinge on

one anecdotal test drive of one product.

[Ilsa]

14. I'm not suggesting they should.

I'm just chatting autos. Apparently, others like to, too. And I agree, I wouldn't want the auto cos' fate to hinge on one car or driver. I'd rather they all succeed.

[SmileyRose]

15. You'd rather see Ford fail? Er.... um... ahem .......... WTF??????

30000 Ford workers
500000 workers at suppliers
1 Million workers at small businesses near Ford factories and offices.



All losing their jobs, their homes, their access to medical care, their pension benefits ---- all because you don't like your husband's truck??????


I hope you just misspoke, didn't think it through, something, anything. Please tell me you don't actually WANT Ford to fail...........

[Ilsa]

16. Let me restate to clarify:

I don't want any of the auto companies to fail. But if I had to chose, I pick to Ford to fail over GM. That's always been my experience with my vehicles. I've been driving since 1974.