GMC Lands Two on US News & World Report's List of 13 Most Powerful Diesel Trucks

GMC Sierra 1500 -- standing strong in 2021.

Making lists -- whether Top 10 Video Games or Top 100 Album Covers -- seems to be one of those things we never weary of. Top 10 state colleges. Top 5 investments for coming out of the pandemic. Billboard Top 100 for any year. Forbes' Top 400 Billionaires always grabs a lot of eyeballs. And the subject of this blog post, U.S. News & World Reports' Most Powerful Light-Duty Pickup Trucks of 2021.

My first thought in reading this list is to ask, "Why 13?" The answer that comes readily to mind is that by making the list longer, it can be more inclusive. Thus, U.S. News & World Report is able to include Nissan, Toyota and Honda offerings, in addition to the major U.S. manufacturers' offerings. 

In this post I want to introduce the two GMC trucks, then close by listing the top five on USN&WR's powerful trucks list.  Number 8 on the list is the 2021 GMC Canyon AT4 Off Road Performance Edition. The GMC Sierra 1500 muscled its way into the Number 3 slot.

GMC Sierra 1500
The truck division of General Motors covers a lot of territory. GMC makes military vehicles, motorhomes, SUVs, vans, buses, and trucks--heavy duty, medium-duty and light duty. This year's Sierra is available with five engine options, out favorite being the Duramax 3.0-liter Turbo-Diesel. This engine produces 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. 

If you know your Spanish, you might be aware that the word sierra means saw. We've come to associate it with mountains, but those High Sierras and Sierra Madres obtained their names from their ragged sawtooth appearance. GMC adopted the name to no doubt correspond to the rugged requirements for vehicles in this kind of terrain.

In addition to the engine options, the Sierra comes with three different drivetrain options that correspond with engine selection. GMC also offers buyers three different can configurations as well. Just looking at this truck, with is expansive grille and staunch design, gives you the impression that it's ready and able to go to work. 

2021 GMC Canyon

2021 GMC Canyon 

Like the Sierra, the Canyon also has a name that speaks of ruggedness. The GMC Canyon took a respectable 8th place on the USN&WR top 13 list. This truck has three engine options. It's Duramax Turbo-Diesel is a four-cylinder power plant that puts out 181 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. This is a more compact machine that one can dress up with trim options.  

Car & Driver summed up its take on the Canyon with this verdict: "The Canyon has fancier styling than its Chevy sibling, but they both have tremendous capabilities."

The Top 5 
Here are the five USN&WR selected as their highest rated favorites, though all of these trucks have been turning heads and pulling strong reviews. 

(5) 2021 Nissan Titan

(4) 2021 Silverado 1500 

(3) 2021 GMC Sierra

(2) 2021 Ford F-150

Numero Uno: 2021 Ram 1500

GMC liked seeing both these trucks make the USN&WR Top 13 Powerful Light Duty Trucks list. This blog post was inspired by a story highlighted on The News Wheel website.

For a full account of the 13 trucks selected by U.S. News & World Report, visit Jim Gorzelaney's May 27 story here.

Photos: GMC

A Conversation Among Friends About Choosing Your First Pickup

The 2020 Chevrolet Colorado mid-size pickup.

Here's a creative way to dig into the pros and cons of an issue, an article at The Globe and Mail in which Petrina Gentile and Mark Richardson discuss ins and outs of buying a new pickup truck for the first time. There are many issues to consider and the article is a creative way to unearth the various facets of these issues. 

The article is titled, "I'm looking to buy my first pickup, preferably a diesel. What should I buy?"

What a great title. It's not clickbait, but is certainly effective. It tells you what the article will be about and pulls you in.

A reader named John has written in to say that after driving cars for years (currently a Ford Escape) he wants to purchase a pickup. Because he may also be buying a boat in the near future he wants to get something that tows well, and is leaning toward a diesel. What size should he get though? 

These were his thoughts and the authors. dive right in.

Richardson begins by letting John know that as soon as he gets a pickup he will be "everybody's friend" as they will come to him to help them move and bring things to the dump. Gentile concurs, noting that this has also increased their popularity. Seven companies, he adds, are working on bringing electric pickups to market, though Richardson quickly notes that these will be expensive.

The two digress to debate whether these EVs are simply status symbols or really worth the extra cost. Then they return to the discussion. Because trucks are heavier are they counterproductive as a commuter vehicle? Richardson then notes that he knows people who would never consider driving something that wasn't a truck, so the question is moot.

One of the bigger issues is brand. Pickup owners are exceedingly brand loyal. "I can’t recall a single pickup-truck driver among my friends who’s switched brands in the last decade," Richardson said. 

Gentile shared that his dad drove a Ford F-150 for 50 years and never once considered trying a Silverado.

As for size, Richardson says that John only needs a full-sized pickup if he's planning to get a full-sized boat. The mid-size will be more than satisfactory and, because it is lighter, will give better fuel economy.

Gentile replies, "Not so fast." The Dodge Ram 1500 is powerful and fuel efficient. Richardson agrees here, saying he'd driven a Ram diesel that gave better fuel economy than his Toyota Rav4.

There are a number of additional details, but when all is said and done what do you think they recommended? Well, since there is no right answer and you don't want to offend anyone too badly, many brands catch some strokes. I'm impressed, though, at how many positive things we've been hearing about the diesel-powered mid-sized Chevy Colorado on so many forums. Its cousin the GMC Canyon gets cited as well as the Ford Ranger with a 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine, though this latter has no diesel option.

The friends close out the discussion with a reminder that there are options with all these choices which can add additional costs, so there is a lot to consider. 

The article is a fun read, and an intriguing way to present information. Follow this link for the full story.