The 2015 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado are both loaded with active safety features, like Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning as part of a “Driver Alert Package.” But as The Car Connection reports, these features aren’t necessarily indicative of structural safety to match.
The New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) has awarded both the 2015 GMC Canyon and the Chevrolet Colorado a four-star crash safety rating in their Extended Cab layouts. They each earn four out of five stars with regard to frontal impact, five stars in side impact, but only three stars each for the rollover category due to their high centers of mass.
The NCAP estimates that the Extended Cab body style will prove more popular in the marketplace than the larger Crew Cab layout, but the latter adds space for rear seat occupants, and full-size, front-hinging doors, which could affect scores.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has yet to publish its findings in their own crash test ratings, but it’s worth noting that while not perfect, a four-star overall crash safety warning is still very good.
Comments
Sorry 4 star is no longer very good.
I have had GM marketing people tell me point blank that anything less than 5 anymore is unacceptable.
The key here is this was only the extended cab and the lack of the center pillar makes for a weakness that hurts in testing The crew and standard cabs should see 5 star ratings.
After spending time with both the extended cab and crew. I have changed my mind to a crew. The extended cab is useless. The seats are not any good even for short trips unless you are a kid or double amputee. Even with the seats folded up the bins under them would be an issue for my dog.
I had enough twist with my Sonoma Extended Cab so I think I will move to the crew this time.
I wanted to like the Colorado or Canyon. But I didn’t want the crew cab because the back was useless also except for passengers. Cab was definitely too narrow… I felt cramped and I am a 5’4″ woman. But my big objection was that for a “mid-Size” it was too high off the ground… I measured and 1.5″ higher than several Silverados on the same lot. So it comes as no surprise that they rollover due to a too high center of Gravity. If they ever get the center of gravity normal and safe and make the interior not only more spacious and useful but more luxury… I still have it on my list for next time. They must make the back of both extended cab and crew cab super flexible for people who have “stuff” and animals etc. I bought a 2015 Silverado LTZ and I like it a lot.
@ Frances
In the past, I got to drive a Honda Ridgeline and I liked how the backseat folded up and had a lot of usable space, like the 1/2 tons, the Tacoma, Frontier and now Colorado come with that “hump” under the rear seat that just takes up space. I know the RL is more of a uni-body, giving it the advantage for more space, but GM should use its engineers to figure something out, something similar or better.
Ridgeline backseat:
http://image.motortrend.com/f/roadtests/trucks/1312_2014_honda_ridgeline_first_test/58618974/2014-honda-ridgeline-rtl-back-seats-folded-up.jpg
The “hump” you speak of is where the driveshaft runs to the rear axle (down the middle – they just raised the sides to match the middle height). There are limited ways to get rid of that and each would have people complain about it. One way would to have them have to run a much smaller diameter driveshaft (which would cause a lot more powertrain issues and towing/hauling limitations) or lift the body higher off the frame so they could flatten the floor and some people are already complaining the truck is too high. They could also lower the powertrain system closer to the ground but you give up ground clearance which a lot of people are already saying is too low compared to the Tacoma. Another option would be to raise the lower foot wells to the same height as the rest of the floor and hump but they your knees would be up around your ears when you sat in the back. (That is why the F150 has such a long cab – so people can stretch their legs out straight instead of having their knees around their ears, but then it is like a car where you butt is on the floor and legs out straight).
Another outside the box option would to have computer controlled electric motors at each wheel and just have the engine as a generator and make a truck that was electrically driven but have that electricity produced by the generator/engine. That would require an extra battery pack for the electricity which would have to also be mounted somewhere. The problem is that technology like this is so expensive ($40,000 CAN Volt, $35,000 CAN Pruis) that it would likely make a truck priced completely out of the comfort range for most people.
The RL is based off the Odyssey Van platform with some added u-channel framework welded to it, which is why they have a flat floor. But is also comes with some limitations (5000 lbs max tow rating versus 6500 – 7000+ for the other brands).
@ dpach
Yeah, I know there’s a reason behind the “hump,” I still don’t like it.