Car and Driver: Would you rather? Gladiator vs GMC Canyon

[Chunky White]

Back to post #1, it's a weird choice to throw the diesel Gladiator in the ring against the gas Canyon.
Apples to apples seems a bit more fair.
The Canyon is a great looking truck on the outside, but I am underwhelmed by the interior.
It's still on my maybe list, as well as the Frontier, Tacoma, and Ranger.
The Ranger has been looking very interesting lately. The Frontier's power plant has been around a while and seems to have a solid track record.

I looked at the AT4x and AT4x AEV and both are really nice inside. I haven't looked at a regular Canyon or Colorado. Other than leg room the inside is better than a Gladiator in my opinion. I never realized how Jeep like the Gladiator was until driving a Canyon which is as quiet as a car as highways speeds. I can barely hold a conversation with anyone in my JTR with Falken MT's as 70 plus mph without raising my voice. I am not knocking the Gladiator just expressing my opinion on the differences.

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[Chunky White]

2025 Frontier

Nissan has really dropped the ball on powertrain in their vehicles in the past 10+ years other than the GTR. Hopefully they step up there game. The Frontier trucks are a bargain compared to the competition. The local dealers are advertising them for like $499 per month with little down

 

[Sweetums]

How so? The 3.8 V6 puts out 310 bhp (same as the Colorado) without the complexity of turbos or needing a high strung I-4. It was between the Frontier and the Jeep for me, I went with Jeep because I've been driving a Nissan for the last 15 years; I liked the Nissan engine more than the Pentastar, but not the transmission. If the Nissan had a manual option, Id probably be driving it today.

2025 Frontier

I will eat my left shoe is Nissan actually facelifts their still new Frontier to be that in the next year. The last Frontier was largely unchanged from 2005 to 2022, and now that Nissan is financially shaky they are going to facelift it after only three years?

No chance in hell.

 

[Janster]

I didn’t read the whole thread….. I just traded a 2016 Canyon for a 2024 Mojave.

Back in 2016, , I traded a 2007 Tacoma to buy the 2016 Canyon (w/ V6). The Canyon was a nice truck all around. It had more features & more options than the Tacoma (at that time). Drives nice & quiet, tows smooth. My only complaint….. was the shifting/programming. The 2016 had the 6speed transmission. It always upshifted too early and didn’t know how to downshift when you needed it. So, you’d get the infamous ’chuggle - stutter’. Under warranty, they did several computer updates & changed out my torque converter. Nothing fixed it. I believed it was all in the programming. If you put it in tow/haul mode - it shifted as you’d expect (no chuggle stutter). These trucks had what they call “Adaptive Learning” where the transmission programming would adjust to your driving habits. That chugge stutter only really affected those with a ‘light foot’. It wasn’t an issue if you had a heavy right foot (or put it in tow/haul mode). Google Chutter / Stutter - and you’ll see it.

Even the 8 speed transmissions are having similar issues. Hence, why I believe its all in their transmission programming.

My husband and I were looking at the new 2023 GMC Canyon redesign. Waited A year before considering buying One (But didn’t). My husband wasn‘t a fan of the 4cyl turbo, and GM seems to have one issue after another. It took them forever before the new 2023 trucks came out (mid 2023 I think).

My 2016 Canyon treated me really well over the years. No regrets.
I work from home fulltime, so whatever vehicle we bought could be more of a ‘pleasure vehicle’ than a daily driver. So, we bought a JT a couple weeks ago. Being able to tow & haul, and do other ‘truck’ things as well as being a convertible, an offroader, and the fun Jeep community. YOu just can’t get all that in a Canyon.

 

[redriderjf87]

Loved my 2015 Colorado. But no manual, no thanks.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

How so? The 3.8 V6 puts out 310 bhp (same as the Colorado) without the complexity of turbos or needing a high strung I-4. It was between the Frontier and the Jeep for me, I went with Jeep because I've been driving a Nissan for the last 15 years; I liked the Nissan engine more than the Pentastar, but not the transmission. If the Nissan had a manual option, Id probably be driving it today.


I will eat my left shoe is Nissan actually facelifts their still new Frontier to be that in the next year. The last Frontier was largely unchanged from 2005 to 2022, and now that Nissan is financially shaky they are going to facelift it after only three years?

No chance in hell.

I'm not here to trash Nissan - as I've never owned or driven one, but a couple of years ago the guy we've started hiring for odds and ends remodeling and construction jobs now beyond my desires to do myself got rid of his Ford and bought a brand new Nissan truck. I didn't say much at first because he hadn't owned it very long but now he's had it over a year so I started asking him "so how do you like it now that you've owned it a while?
He'll never buy another one. Leaks, problems with the transmission shifting (some stupid sensor went bad and he figured out how to bypass it to get it to go or some dumb thing), not happy with the engine (diesel) and other things. He's a truck sort of guy - he hauls his equipment around, and a nicely equipped enclosed trailer with compressor, work areas and more - so he tows and drives it all over, and he's a hunter, outdoors type of guy like a number of Jeep people here.

He's been fascinated by our Jeeps - but I told him - not for his work truck and hauling what he does daily. He needs to stick with a truck made for hauling his stuff. He's talked about one for his wife - which I'm sure would end up being his hunting rig if he did go that route.

He had a list of complaints about the Nissan truck, mostly quality and reliability things, not "the cup holders are in the wrong place" like some people consider to be quality issues. His truck wasn't that old but had a list of problems and he wasn't fond of the engine or transmission (not to mention the leaks - he won't park on people's driveways with it due to the leaks!)
With their marketing and advertising, I had to wonder where the company was at - always seemed to be aimed wrong - just my OPINION.

 

[Sweetums]

I'm not here to trash Nissan - as I've never owned or driven one, but a couple of years ago the guy we've started hiring for odds and ends remodeling and construction jobs now beyond my desires to do myself got rid of his Ford and bought a brand new Nissan truck. I didn't say much at first because he hadn't owned it very long but now he's had it over a year so I started asking him "so how do you like it now that you've owned it a while?
He'll never buy another one. Leaks, problems with the transmission shifting (some stupid sensor went bad and he figured out how to bypass it to get it to go or some dumb thing), not happy with the engine (diesel) and other things. He's a truck sort of guy - he hauls his equipment around, and a nicely equipped enclosed trailer with compressor, work areas and more - so he tows and drives it all over, and he's a hunter, outdoors type of guy like a number of Jeep people here.

He's been fascinated by our Jeeps - but I told him - not for his work truck and hauling what he does daily. He needs to stick with a truck made for hauling his stuff. He's talked about one for his wife - which I'm sure would end up being his hunting rig if he did go that route.

He had a list of complaints about the Nissan truck, mostly quality and reliability things, not "the cup holders are in the wrong place" like some people consider to be quality issues. His truck wasn't that old but had a list of problems and he wasn't fond of the engine or transmission (not to mention the leaks - he won't park on people's driveways with it due to the leaks!)
With their marketing and advertising, I had to wonder where the company was at - always seemed to be aimed wrong - just my OPINION.

Sounds like he bought the Titan XD diesel, Nissan didn't make the engine or transmission in that truck. The engine was Cummins and the transmission was an Aisin AS69RC, the same one in Ram trucks with Cummins engines.

 

[Minty JL]

HA.....I have a '23 JTM and a '04 first gen Colorado.........I choose both

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Sounds like he bought the Titan XD diesel, Nissan didn't make the engine or transmission in that truck. The engine was Cummins and the transmission was an Aisin AS69RC, the same one in Ram trucks with Cummins engines.

Could be, I'll have to take a closer look next time he's out here.
All I know for dead-sure is that it leaks - a lot, he's not happy with it (truck, engine or transmission controls)

He was complaining about some electronics that controlled something about starting or shifting into gear and it was crazy expensive from Nissan and he found a way to get by - forgot the details and he's not a real "car guy" who knows any of the details anyway - former meteorologist who got out of that because of the crazy long hours and piss-poor pay. Math and science- he'll blow you away, car technology, no.

 

[Artsifrtsi]

The AT4X was $56k fully loaded and they had a AT4X AEV for $67k. Both are cheaper than the 2024 Gladiator Rubicon and Mojave with leather and color matched fender and top which are $70k

I think the ability to drive the Jeep completely open more than makes up for that $3k difference... look at the price differential between a convertible and a hardtop of an otherwise same model of a car...

 

[NC_Overland]

I'm not here to trash Nissan - as I've never owned or driven one, but a couple of years ago the guy we've started hiring for odds and ends remodeling and construction jobs now beyond my desires to do myself got rid of his Ford and bought a brand new Nissan truck. I didn't say much at first because he hadn't owned it very long but now he's had it over a year so I started asking him "so how do you like it now that you've owned it a while?
He'll never buy another one. Leaks, problems with the transmission shifting (some stupid sensor went bad and he figured out how to bypass it to get it to go or some dumb thing), not happy with the engine (diesel) and other things. He's a truck sort of guy - he hauls his equipment around, and a nicely equipped enclosed trailer with compressor, work areas and more - so he tows and drives it all over, and he's a hunter, outdoors type of guy like a number of Jeep people here.

He's been fascinated by our Jeeps - but I told him - not for his work truck and hauling what he does daily. He needs to stick with a truck made for hauling his stuff. He's talked about one for his wife - which I'm sure would end up being his hunting rig if he did go that route.

He had a list of complaints about the Nissan truck, mostly quality and reliability things, not "the cup holders are in the wrong place" like some people consider to be quality issues. His truck wasn't that old but had a list of problems and he wasn't fond of the engine or transmission (not to mention the leaks - he won't park on people's driveways with it due to the leaks!)
With their marketing and advertising, I had to wonder where the company was at - always seemed to be aimed wrong - just my OPINION.

Nissan Frontiers have been extremely reliable for decades. The last gen was completely bulletproof because they used the same platform and drivetrain for almost 20 yrs

 

[Sweetums]

Nissan Frontiers have been extremely reliable for decades. The last gen was completely bulletproof because they used the same platform and drivetrain for almost 20 yrs

Can confirm, I beat my Xterra (same platform) like a rented mule for 15 years and it was reliable to a fault. The 2009+ models of the Frontier addressed the radiator and timing chain guide problems on the early models, they were rock-solid trucks that swung way outside their price-point. The F-Alpha chassis was so overbuilt it's kind of stupid, so good that Toyota finally copied Nissan's homework and developed a chassis to underpin the Tundra that will also go under the Tacoma and Hilux.

Maybe Toyota finally figured out how to make a midsize chassis that isn't manufactured from Jell-O or some kind of warm cheese. It will give the marketing guys a break too; I remember when the last gen Taco was released and you could see the chassis flexing in press photos. When asked about it, Toyota's marketing guys tried to say that was a feature, not a bug, and the soft chassis was there to give more articulation. ?

 

[NC_Overland]

Can confirm, I beat my Xterra (same platform) like a rented mule for 15 years and it was reliable to a fault. The 2009+ models of the Frontier addressed the radiator and timing chain guide problems on the early models, they were rock-solid trucks that swung way outside their price-point. The F-Alpha chassis was so overbuilt it's kind of stupid, so good that Toyota finally copied Nissan's homework and developed a chassis to underpin the Tundra that will also go under the Tacoma and Hilux.

Maybe Toyota finally figured out how to make a midsize chassis that isn't manufactured from Jell-O or some kind of warm cheese. It will give the marketing guys a break too; I remember when the last gen Taco was released and you could see the chassis flexing in press photos. When asked about it, Toyota's marketing guys tried to say that was a feature, not a bug, and the soft chassis was there to give more articulation. ?

Yeah those tundra tweaking videos are funny.

I had an 09 Frontier and a 10 Xterra. Both were great vehicles and flawless. I wheeled the 10 Xterra a lot in CO and it was surprisingly capable. My ‘08 JKU Rubicon was better, but it was a POS that was a buy back lemon. The Xterra always did the job just had to exert more effort sometimes.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Nissan Frontiers have been extremely reliable for decades. The last gen was completely bulletproof because they used the same platform and drivetrain for almost 20 yrs

Could be - like i said, never owned one, never really followed them, so can't trash them. I can only say his has been bad news from the word go.
Leaks, electronics issues, transmission not letting him change gears - some sort of thing he had to access to release some lever? I'll ask him again but he said he went online or something and found a similar issue and how to bypass some safety thing that wouldn't let him put it in gear.

Either the year/model he got is problematic or he got one of those lemons that exist around the whole ranges of cars and trucks.
He said "never again".

 

[Lunentucker]

He'll never buy another one. Leaks, problems with the transmission shifting (some stupid sensor went bad and he figured out how to bypass it to get it to go or some dumb thing), not happy with the engine (diesel) and other things.

Take away the context and it sounds quite familiar ?

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