From L.A. to Phoenix on Five Turbocharged Cylinders
The GM performance division built this '04 GMC Canyon midsize pickup to support the land-speed record attempt of a Saturn Ion. The ION, while not a traditional big-bore supercharged V-8-powered saltshaker, set the record, and then this trick turbocharged five-cylinder Canyon was just hanging out with nothing to do but look pretty. Not being fans of trailer queens, we challenged the guys in the GM performance division to let us drive it, thinking they'd never really let us have it for an open-road adventure. How wrong we were.
No sooner had we asked when our factory connect was asking, "When do you want to drive it? We've got a program going down in Phoenix. How about blasting L.A. to Phoenix with Dave Bolanio? He was the project manager for the Cadillac Sixteen."
Let's see, we get to cut across the desert with 350 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque wrapped in one the coolest-looking midsize sport trucks on the market. How could we refuse?
When the Canyon finally arrived, we had Dave Bolognino, said project manager and all-around vehicle design and styling talent, as well as Charlotte Grimm, our performance division media contact and chief agitator of this high-speed pursuit. She was very up front: "GM is not responsible for any speeding tickets. Please sign here, and by the way all our conversations are off the record."
Fair enough. Let's get to it.
We reviewed this platform in our Sport Truck of the Year competition and it acquitted itself extremely well, except in acceleration, mainly because it was pitted against some tough V-8 competition. If this turbocharged version of the Canyon's I-5 engine was a factory option, that event would've had a totally different outcome. This engine rocks.
The road between Los Angeles and Phoenix is all freeway, but it cuts across some desolate pieces of real estate with no traffic. For most of the trip we'd just cruise along at the speed limit, or drop down to 20 or 30 mph just to hear the turbo spool up and feel the sensation of the truck's blistering acceleration back up to the legal limit. But at least once, we had to let the machine run all the way to the speed limiter. It just pulled and pulled; not even a hint of the power rolling off. The wind noise, the turbo whine, the racing fuel pump grinding as the truck rolls past 100 mph, then suddenly it's like someone tapped the brakes - speed limiter. Oh, man, it kicks in way too soon.
As fun as it was to give it a full run to the speed-limited top speed, to truly appreciate this turbocharged machine we'd have to defeat the speed limiter and put it on a racetrack.
 1. With 350 hp and 350 lb-ft...  1. With 350 hp and 350 lb-ft torque on tap, the GM Performance Division's Canyon push truck was quick and fast. This truck will run mid-13-second e.t.'s at just less than 100 mph in the quarter. Top speed is artificially limited by the engine management system |  2. The turbo Canyon was surprisingly...  2. The turbo Canyon was surprisingly thrifty with fuel, when we stayed out of the boost. Of course, spooling up the turbo was the main attraction for this road trip, so the rule was he with the heaviest foot fueled the truck. By the way, that's Dave Bolognino gassin' her up. |  Saturn's new ION Red Line...  Saturn's new ION Red Line quad coupe raced into the record book at the Bonneville Salt Flats on October 17, 2003, establishing a new mark in the G/Blown Fuel Altered class at 212.684 mph. The record-setting Saturn, which is based on the new factory-built ION Red Line sport compact and powered by a turbocharged 2.0L Ecotec four-cylinder engine, eclipsed the previous 183.086 mph record set in 2001 by a Honda Civic by nearly 30 mph. |
 Ever wondered how factories...  Ever wondered how factories tune the exhaust note? Well here's one of the devices they use. It's a muffler that allows you to dial in the sound. |  It's the cool details that...  It's the cool details that separate average builds from truly great ones. Check out the slick retro gauge face. |  The prototype turbocharger...  The prototype turbocharger system fits perfectly to the side of the inline engine. It generates nearly 12 psi of boost pumping out 350 ponies from only 3.5 liters. |
 Because of the high percentage...  Because of the high percentage increase of horsepower compared with the stock engine, the team had a custom large-diameter driveshaft built. |  | |
GMC Canyon Push Truck Specifications
Chassis: welded steel-ladder type
Body: steel
Height: 64.8"/1,646 mm
Length: 207"/5,258 mm
Width: 67.6"/1,717 mm
Wheelbase: 125.9"/3,198 mm
Track: 57.5"/1,460 mm front; 57.5"/1,460 mm rear
Engine: Vortec 3500 3.5L I-5
Displacement: 211 ci/3,460 cc
Horsepower: 350 @ 5,200 rpm
Torque: 350 lb-ft @ 2,000-5,200rpm
Compression ratio: 8.5:1
Boost: 11.6 psi
Transmission: Hydra-Matic 4L60-E four-speed automatic
Suspension: lowered independent with coil springs front; lowered live axle with leaf springs rear
Wheels: cast-aluminum six-spoke
Tires: front, 245/45R18; rear, 255/45R19
Brakes: disc front, drum rear, four-wheel antilock
 Here's The pair of turbocharged...  Here's The pair of turbocharged terrors caught on the salt the day before the record-setting run. |  The front ride height was...  The front ride height was tuned by fitting coilover spring perches to the front shocks. There's still B-ville salt on the undercarriage from the land-speed record effort. |  When you have a turbocharged...  When you have a turbocharged engine you need to manage the oil getting to and from the turbocharger. Here's a detail of the oil return line. Notice the lip of the oil pan near the block skirt. This allows the oil to drain back without restriction. |