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2018 GMC Canyon Denali isn't worth the money

In the GMC lineup, Denali is the top dog. It's the trim with all the bells and whistles, and often provides an experience comparable to Cadillac. Unfortunately that's not the case in the GMC Canyon Denali we drove recently. In the Canyon's case, the Denali trim isn't worth the price premium because it isn't luxurious enough and doesn't distinguish itself from the midlevel SLT trim. While the outside maintains the Denali look with a unique chrome grille, chrome door handles, 20-inch wheels, and big Denali badges (which a guy at a car wash immediately noticed when this editor drove past), the interior and feature set don't rise to meet the borderline Cadillac image of Denali. All GMC did to spruce up the already drab, gray, plasticky interior of the Canyon was give it black leather, some real aluminum trim, some fake wood trim, and stitched soft-touch surfaces. The aluminum and leather are nice touches, but they don't look much different from the black and aluminum-look plastic in lower trim models. The fake wood also looks really fake. They're also exactly the same upgrades as what you'll find in an SLT. But the SLT offers a dark brown color scheme as an option, which would help alleviate the dinginess, and the SLT, equipped exactly like a base Denali, costs $2,690 less at $41,575. The same issue comes up with equipment. The Denali has heated seats and steering wheel, navigation, automatic climate and navigation, but so does the SLT. The big problem here is that Denali is supposed to indicate the best, most luxurious vehicle GMC has to offer, but there's not enough differentiation — or specialness, even — to separate it from a well-optioned SLT. GMC needs to give the Denali something more. It needs some real wood trim, or perhaps some interior schemes with contrasting materials you can't find in other Canyons. It should have some other special luxury features included that can't be added to lower trim GMCs such as a heads-up display, automatic windshield wipers, push-button keyless entry and starting, things like that. The real reason to buy the Canyon Denali is really to get the prestige that the Denali badge brings, rather than the specific equipment it has — the Denali name has some value, after all. But if you can look past the badge and focus on practicality, the SLT is the runaway winner, offering the exact same experience for a notably lower price.

Hummer EV to be sold at only about half of GMC dealerships

The new 1,000-horsepower Hummer EV will be sold under the GMC brand, but you won't find it in every GMC showroom. Currently, just about half of GMC's dealers have agreed to take on the electric truck, Buick GMC VP Duncan Aldred told investors on a conference call last week. According to Muscle Cars and Trucks, there are a number of reasons for the irregular availability. For one, there's the cost of upgrading dealerships to sell and service a fully electric vehicle. Stores would need to be upgraded with charging stations, and service centers would require new tools and training to work on an EV. Then there's the customer experience. At $112,595, the initial Hummer EV Edition 1 caters to a different clientele than the traditional GMC truck. The planned EV3X trim level that arrives in late 2022 and EV2X arriving in spring 2023 will start at just below $100,000 and $90,000, respectively. Some sellers believe that customers paying six figures for a vehicle will expect certain niceties that will necessitate showroom upgrades as well. Complimentary doughnuts, at least. Furthermore, not all GMC dealerships are located in areas with customers willing to shell out that much cabbage for a new vehicle, especially an EV. An $80,000 base trim will be available in 2024, so perhaps more dealers will be willing to take on the truck by then. Finally, there's the Hummer EV's no-haggle pricing. Aldred was adamant on the call that customers see the same price on the internet as they do on the paperwork. It's part of the premium dealership experience that GMC wants to provide for its well-heeled clientele. Still, GMC appears to have no problem moving all the Hummer EVs it can build. Even with its lofty price tag, all Edition 1 trucks were sold out 10 minutes after GMC's announcement. Related Video:

REWIND: Watch the GMC Hummer EV live reveal right here

It has been a long wait to see the GMC Hummer electric pickup truck, which was teased way back at the Super Bowl in February of this year. And that wait ends tonight at 8 p.m. eastern time when GM pulls the covers off the truck. You can see the whole reveal right here, or during the World Series on Fox or "The Voice" on NBC. For everything we know about the truck, go to our reveal post here. The truck should be impressive. GMC has previously announced it will have up to 1,000 horsepower, and it will have a variety of fun features such as removable roof panels and four-wheel steering that can move the truck sort of sideways with "Crab Mode." The GMC Hummer will also be available in pickup and SUV forms. So be sure to tune in tonight for one of the biggest (figuratively and literally) vehicle reveals of the year. And keep an eye on Autoblog for all the latest on the Hummer and other vehicles.