Standard turbocharged engine and off-road suspension
Next-generation infotainment and new safety technologies
Kicks off the third Canyon generation
What is the Canyon?
The GMC Canyon midsize pickup gets a full redesign for 2023 and succeeds the previous-generation Canyon that made its debut nearly a decade ago. While we were impressed with the old truck's handling, powertrains and towing capabilities, its technology features, interior design and off-road capabilities were in need of improvement. Thankfully, this latest Canyon builds off of the previous-gen's strengths and improves everything else.
The new Canyon features a new turbocharged engine, GMC's latest in-car tech, a wide array of driver aids and some impressive off-road capabilities. We had an opportunity to drive all four of the 2023 Canyon's trims, including some time off-roading in the new Canyon AT4X, a truck that's essentially a GMC-badged version of the impressive Chevrolet Colorado ZR2. Are the changes enough to move the needle and make the Canyon a superior pick over the Toyota Tacoma? We got real seat time to find out.
What's under the Canyon's hood?
All Canyons are powered by a turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine. This is the same engine that made its debut in GM's light-duty full-size trucks a few years back. That means no more V6 or turbodiesel engine options for the Canyon. Unlike the related Chevrolet Colorado, which features three different power ratings for the 2.7-liter, the Canyon gets the high-output version of this engine in all trims. It makes 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. This is a stout amount of power for a midsize truck and tops the outputs of the current Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma. Four-wheel drive is standard on all but the base Elevation trim.
What other hardware changes does the Canyon get?
There's a wider track than before as well as a taller ride height. The Canyon's base ground clearance is now 9.6 inches and just a bit shy of the Tacoma's 9.7 inches of clearance. Opting for the off-road-focused AT4X takes things up another inch, raising ground clearance to 10.7 inches. Additionally, the AT4X, as the new GMC version of the Colorado ZR2, features Multimatic DSSV dampers, electronic locking front and rear differentials, 33-inch all-terrain tires, rock rails and heavy-duty skid plates. The Multimatic dampers are particularly noteworthy, as they improve the truck's off-road capabilities without significantly sacrificing on-road comfort.
An Edition 1 package that will only be available for the redesigned Canyon's first year of production adds on front- and rear-facing underbody cameras, an off-road front bumper with safari bar, a front 30-inch light bar, a winch, a unique front skid plate and 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels. The front bumper, safari bar, light bar and winch will only be offered on the Edition 1 at launch but will be available as a factory or dealer accessory for 2024.
How does the Canyon drive?
We didn't have any significant complaints about the previous Canyon's ride, handling and overall performance, so it's no surprise that the new truck is still a solid performer. The new engine provides plenty of power, with lots of low- and mid-range torque to help it feel quick around town. There's more than enough power for merging or passing on the highway too. The eight-speed automatic is quick and smooth, though on our initial drive we noticed that it occasionally shifted unexpectedly, as if it wasn't sure what gear it needed to be in.
The steering is responsive and provides more feedback from the road surface than the systems in other midsize trucks. These qualities give the Canyon a more refined feel; the whole truck seems tighter and more buttoned-down than before. The suspension, be it the standard setup or the AT4X's Multimatic DSSV dampers, is well balanced between on-road comfort and off-road compliance. While rivals like the Tacoma, Ford Ranger and Jeep Gladiator feature suspensions that allow for compliance and clearance on rough roads but can feel soft and wallowy on pavement, the Canyon seems well tuned for both.
What about off-roading?
We drove on some trails that would have been too tight for a Sierra 1500. The Canyon's midsize proportions and direct steering gave us the confidence to thread the needle between some nasty-looking logs without puckering up too badly. Front and rear electronically locking differentials are standard on the AT4X, and the rear diff can be activated on-the-fly.
Other than some mud and narrow clearances, the trails GMC took us on weren't overly taxing for a truck as capable as the AT4X. We think the regular AT4 with its standard four-wheel drive, all-terrain tires, hill descent control and two-speed transfer case would have made it through the same areas just as unscathed.
The Canyon features multiple drive modes, with three (Off-Road, Terrain and Baja) aimed at improving performance on loose surfaces. Off-Road is the most mild and intended for grass, mud or gravel. Terrain mode adjusts things like throttle response and transmission tuning to help improve low-speed maneuverability. Think steep hills and rock crawling. Baja mode — exclusive to the AT4X — is intended for high-speed driving on sand or dirt, though we didn't have an opportunity to put it to the test.
How comfortable is the Canyon?
The Canyon has decent on-road manners, especially for a truck. It's not pillowy soft, but it generally soaks up bumps without bouncing about or being too stiff. All 2023 Canyons are crew cabs, with four real doors and a full bench seat in the rear. Seats in both rows are decently padded and offer a more supportive shape than the outgoing Canyon's rather flat seats. There's more than enough space for four adults inside this truck. The driver's seat position is excellent and much preferred over the splay-legged position required by the awkward seat placement in the Toyota Tacoma.
How's the Canyon's interior?
The Canyon's interior design and feel are better than the outgoing Canyon's. The last Canyon drove well, but the interior was drab to look at and cheap to the touch. Stiff seats and hard plastics undercut the truck's generally comfortable ride. The new interior, while not necessarily luxurious, offers a more refined and premium feel than the old truck's cabin. That's especially true in the Denali trim, which features interior upgrades over the other variants with wood trim and additional leather on surfaces like the door panels.
This all makes the Canyon feel much more grown-up than before. GMC and General Motors as a whole have been making a concerted effort to improve their interiors as evidenced by models like the refreshed GMC Sierra and fully redesigned models like the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Trax. GM interiors have generally lagged behind the competition, so we're pleased that the new Canyon doesn't suffer from the same middling design as its predecessor.
How's the Canyon's tech?
Along with the new interior comes new in-car tech, including an 11.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that will be standard on all trims. It features GM's latest user interface and comes standard with wireless connectivity for both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. If you prefer to use the Canyon's system rather than stream from your phone, the new infotainment is straightforward and easy to use. The Google-backed system uses Google Maps as its native navigation system, so it's easy to use.
The Elevation and AT4 both come with 8-inch digital instrument clusters, while the AT4X and Denali get slightly larger 11-inch digital instrument clusters. Additionally, the AT4X and Denali get a head-up display; it's optional on the standard AT4.
But it's not just in-cabin tech that gets a bump. The Canyon is available with a number of other features that help it stand out. Some of those features include an available 10 exterior cameras, including one underneath the truck so you can see just how close those rocks are to bashing the underside of your truck. That camera even has a washer nozzle to spray the lens, useful for when the entire underside gets caked in mud.
There are a handful of standard and available driver's aids too. Standard equipment includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, automatic high beams and lane keeping assistance. Additionally, features like adaptive cruise control and blind-spot warning are available with certain packages. In practice, it all works well. The adaptive cruise helped maintain good gaps, and all of those cameras were helpful when navigating tight trails.
How are the Canyon's towing and hauling?
Towing and hauling have always been among the Canyon's strengths, and the 2023 model is no different. Payload ratings vary from just over 1,000 pounds in the AT4X Edition 1 to over 1,600 pounds in the two-wheel-drive Canyon Elevation. All trucks feature the same bed length. At 61.7 inches, it's slightly longer than the beds on the Tacoma, Ranger and Gladiator, but it's slightly smaller than the Honda Ridgeline's bed.
The Elevation, AT4 and Denali all have a 7,700-pound towing capacity, right there with the best midsize trucks. The AT4X is rated at a lower but still impressive 6,000 pounds, and the AT4X Edition 1 is rated at 5,500 pounds.
How economical is the Canyon?
All Canyons use the same turbocharged 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine, but fuel economy ratings vary slightly. The two-wheel-drive Elevation gets an EPA-estimated 20 mpg in combined city/highway driving. Four-wheel-drive models are rated at 19 mpg combined except for the AT4X (18 mpg). Overall, the Canyon's EPA numbers are a bit worse than the class average. Most rivals average at least 20 mpg combined, even with four-wheel drive.
What are the Canyon's trim levels?
The 2023 GMC Canyon is available in four trim levels: Elevation, AT4, AT4X and Denali. All four are powered by a 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-four (310 hp, 410 lb-ft) paired exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Elevation comes standard with two-wheel drive; four-wheel drive with a true low range is optional on that trim and standard on the AT4, AT4X and Denali.
Elevation Standard feature highlights on the Canyon include:
LED headlights
18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires
Keyless entry with push-button start
Tilt-only steering wheel
8-inch digital instrument cluster
11.3-inch touchscreen display
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration (wireless connectivity for both)
Six-speaker audio system
Standard driver aids on all Canyons include:
Forward collision warning with automatic braking (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios)
Lane keeping assistance (steers the Canyon back into its lane if it begins to drift over the lane marker)
Optional equipment includes:
Convenience package
Rear window defogger
Sliding rear window
LED foglights
Dual-zone automatic climate control
Tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel
120-volt outlet on rear console and in bed
Auto-dimming rearview mirror
Upgraded tailgate (EZ-Lift)
Preferred package
Power-adjustable driver's seat
Heated front seats
Technology package
Adaptive cruise control (maintains a driver-set distance between the GMC and the car in front)
Surround-view camera system (gives you a top-down view of the truck and its surroundings in tight parking situations)
Canyon Safety Plus package
Rear parking sensors
Blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic warning (alerts you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse)
Blind-spot intervention (automatically steers the car back into its lane if you try to change lanes while a car is in the vehicle's blind spot)
AT4 The AT4 includes all of the Elevation's equipment, adding:
Standard Convenience and Preferred package features
Hill descent control
Standard four-wheel drive with two-speed transfer case
Additional USB ports
Options include:
Seven-speaker Bose audio system
Technology and Canyon Safety Plus packages
AT4 Premium package
Leather upholstery
Power-adjustable passenger seat
Rear armrest
Wireless charging pad
Heated steering wheel
Heated and ventilated front seats
AT4X The AT4X builds off the AT4 with additional changes to enhance the Canyon's off-road performance. Changes include:
Standard Technology, Canyon Safety Plus and AT4 Premium packages
17-inch wheels with more aggressive all-terrain tires
Additional skid plates
11-inch digital instrument cluster
Head-up display
All-weather floor mats
Rock rails
Retuned suspension with 1-inch additional lift and Multimatic DSSV dampers
Locking front and rear differentials
Bose audio system
Spray-in bedliner
Trailering package (see below)
For the first year, the AT4X is available with the Edition 1 package. It includes:
Configurable bed rails
30-inch front LED light bar
Revised front bumper with brush guard
Factory winch from ComeUp
17-inch beadlock-capable wheels
Underbody cameras
Accessory switch kit
Denali The Denali sits atop the Canyon lineup. While not as off-road capable as the AT4X, it has the same set of convenience and technology features. It also has:
Chrome exterior trim
20-inch wheels
Special interior trim
An optional Trailering package is available for the Canyon. It includes a trailer hitch and an integrated trailer brake controller (allows adjustment of a trailer's brakes from the cab).
Edmunds says
The midsize pickup truck segment has competitors from GMC, Jeep, Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet, Honda and Nissan all contending for your attention. With a new powertrain, a significantly improved interior, lots of available tech and some real off-road credibility, the new GMC Canyon is a big improvement and should be a prime pick in 2023.
RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.
At first sight, the new Canyons are slick & beautiful. Interior design is updated & eye catching. I purchased the Denali 4 wheel drive, 2.7L 4 cylinder turbo charged 310HP high output engine with 430lbs torque, 20" mags, a 2" factory lift, spray in bed liner, Sunroof, heated/ cooled leather seats, updated radio system (infotainment system) 11" screen, included side steps, etc.
The … engine output is great, good p/u & power. Surprisingly strong for a 4 cylinder engine. But I wonder if GM overthought or prematurely relied on 'too much too soon' on the reliability of the placing all your controls in the infotainment screen. Almost everything you do within the vehicle is controlled at the infotainment or radio screen. Your headlights, fog lights, HUD, radio, cameras, system checks, trip meters, system over the air updates, etc.
Ok, what's wrong with the system. After driving the vehicle for a few days, the infotainment system went black while driving. So no control over the radio, or some vital parts of the system which runs the vehicle. No access to my headlight controls (safety issue). It was near the beginning of early evening. But fortunately, I had set the headlights on automatic. So even though it got dark, the automatic headlights kicked on. So if I had the lights set on manual, no lights. I would have been stuck somewhere on the side of the road. Luckily, later I was able to go onto the forums and find reset solutions for this problem. But the problems vary and the reset solutions don't always work. I have only owned the Denali for 2 1/2 weeks and had 3 (to date) infotainment glitches that are quite concerning. 1. black screen 2. frozen screen (in app mode) 3. flickering screen which also caused the instrument cluster to go from bright to dim and back several times. But over the last week, nothing has happened, The vehicle is running fine with no safety issues. But one never knows when the glitches will start up again. The vehicle will be serviced in a few days for a complete system check. According to the forums, this seems to be a problem for both Chevy Colorado's as well as GMC Canyons. Note: there are no switches on the dash for turning on your headlights. The infotainment system screen is where most of your controls are located. Until this problem is fixed for all, you are relying on reset procedures which eventually will work until the next incident. But what happens when it just goes dead. We aren't even talking about the early buyers who were victims of dead batteries that were drained by a computer glitch in Detroit that was pinging the vehicles for software updates when there were no updates. Kept the vehicle systems on until their batteries went dead. Supposedly has been addressed & fixed. I haven't experienced that, but worries me that it could happen again or who knows if an outsider hacked the system which caused the glitch. Even GM doesn't know how it happened. This could be a great vehicle for those looking to downsize from a big truck, but there is way too much that relies on the electronic brain put into this vehicle. Check the GM forums to see if these problems are prevalent in their other lines of vehicles.
*Update: While driving on the freeway, (2:30am - luckily no traffic) infotainment system goes out, shutting off my headlights. No way to get them back on, I was close by an off-ramp and was able to exit with no incident. I had to pull over and shut down the system. Fortunately the reset procedure worked and I was on my way again. Could have been a very dangerous situation if any traffic was present.
The latest glitch involved excessive wind noise coming from the front windshield. Apparently, the noise is coming from the top corners of the windshield.and is prevalent when you are on the freeway at speeds over 50mph. Dealer would not help unless they can duplicate the problem. Although they told me to tape off the corners of the windshield to see if that stopped the noise. Well that tells me they are aware of the problem, but won't address it? Well, taping off the corners did stop the problem which GM has to replace the entire windshield and molding, but won't do it until they have time to go on the freeway and duplicate the problem. Wasn't getting any help with this. The another problem showed up. Two large rubber pads or grommets that cushion the hood near the windshield will start flapping loudly with excessive noise when you are driving into the wind on the freeway at speeds in excess of 65mph. And again, dealer is no help. All of these problems are on the GNC Canyon forum.
After 6 months of ownership, I got tired of all this and decided I had enough and traded the Canyon in at a minimal loss. No more GM vehicles in my future. By the way, I had an extended warranty and it was pretty tough getting my refund. I had to contact GMC several times to report the dealer. They had my refund in hand for over a month. It took GMC corp to push them to get the refund issued.
Spent a year deciding on what truck I wanted to spend my hard earned money on and decided it would be the Canton AT4. Unfortunately I owned the truck 6 months and only have 5k miles on it when I got a power steering failure warning. Truck has been at the dealer for 30 days. No Parts!! No idea on a time frame. Won’t give me a rental. Extremely poor customer service! Will never … purchase a GMC product again.
I ordered a new 2023 canyon AT4,when it came in I was excited.When the sales person was explaining some of the new electronics at the dealership, we couldn't get my i-phone to sync with some of the electronics.Salesman no problem, same thing happened recently to same vehicle,guick fix.That was a month and a half ago.Factory says because it is a new production, they have not made any new … parts for them.They said it might take a couple of weeks to get the part.That didn't happen.I have called the G M C factory several times and nobody will give me a time frame for the part production.Seems like General Motors has a serious problem.Very disappointed, if anyone is thinking about a new Canyon I hope you have better luck.
My new GMC Canyon AT4 is simply brilliant. After owning 2 consecutive Chevrolet Colorado Z71s (2016 with the V6 and 2018 with the baby Duramax) which I both loved, I decided to get fancy and go with the 2023 GMC Canyon AT4 in Volcanic Red. Let's just say that my new truck is unbelievably comfortable and capable. It might not just be the prettiest truck I have ever owned, it might be the … prettiest truck I have ever seen. The exterior couldn't look better if they tried. The interior is incredibly well appointed and it is overflowing with technology. People literally stop and stare at it when they see it. I am also optimistic that it will function fabulously. This mid-sized truck fits perfectly in my garage, on city streets, on on Utah mountain dirt roads. I couldn't be happier.
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