GMC Canyon vs Nissan Titan: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the GMC Canyon burns about $2,800 of fuel annually against $3,400 for the Nissan Titan. That $600 yearly gap compounds to roughly $3,000 over five years and $4,800 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City and highway economy: the GMC Canyon leads in both cycles — 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway against 16 and 22 mpg — so its fuel-efficiency advantage holds whether you commute in traffic or cover long highway miles.

Powertrain choice: the GMC Canyon is recorded with 2 distinct engine configurations (SIDI, 2.8), the Nissan Titan with 3 (SIDI, 5.6, FFV). Across 74 recorded GMC Canyon configurations and 28 for the Nissan Titan, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the GMC Canyon is offered with 4-Wheel Drive, Rear-Wheel Drive, the Nissan Titan with Rear-Wheel Drive, Part-time 4-Wheel Drive, 4-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Small Pickup Trucks 2WD and Standard Pickup Trucks 4WD respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the GMC Canyon emits 396 g/mile of CO2 versus 490 g/mile for the Nissan Titan. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.