2023 GMC Canyon Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The latest round of redesigns has seen automakers try to make their pickup trucks look as tough as possible, but few vehicles look as angry as the 2023 Canyon. With its headlights and daytime running lights scrunched up along the sides of a broad grille, with a jutting lip of a front bumper below, the Canyon looks like it wants to punch you. The theme continues along the body sides, which have sprouted bulges and creases that bring to mind tensed muscles.

The 2023 Canyon shares most dimensions with the redesigned Chevy Colorado, which means a longer wheelbase than the equivalent 2022 model. All Canyon models also get the "Ultra Wide Track" stance only available on certain Colorado models, with front and rear tracks measuring a little under 168 centimetres, as well as a standard factory lift kit. Elevation, AT4, and Denali models get a 5 cm lift for 24.4 cm of ground clearance, while the new-for-2023 Canyon AT4X gets a 7.6 cm lift that creates 27.2 cm of ground clearance.

To mark the redesigned Canyon's launch, GMC is also offering an AT4X Edition 1 model that adds a front safari bar, light bar, and winch, plus a standard bed rail system. The Canyon Denali gets a splash of brightwork, including a chrome grille, mirror accents, and side steps, as well as 20-inch wheels.

The Denali also gets the nicest interior, with laser-etched open pore wood trim and leather upholstery. In this way the Denali remains a unique offering, as the posh trim levels from other automakers' full-size trucks haven't really trickled down to their midsize models. While the Denali is an appreciable upgrade, the materials in the base Canyon Elevation weren't exactly lacking, especially compared to the aging Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma interiors. It's also hard to compete with the drama of the Canyon AT4X interior which, with its available red-and-white upholstery and red dashboard trim, is the antidote to boring monochrome car interiors.

Like the related Chevy Colorado, the 2023 GMC Canyon is available with only one powertrain, ditching the previous gasoline four-cylinder engine, turbodiesel inline-four, and gasoline V6 in favour of a 2.7-litre gasoline turbocharged four-cylinder from the full-size GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevy Silverado 1500 pickups. The turbo-four got a refresh for this latest application, including a strengthened block.

This engine gets multiple tunes for the Colorado, but every version of the Canyon gets the high-output version with power specs of 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque, which Chevy offers on only the Colorado ZR2 off-roader. An 8-speed automatic transmission is common to both trucks.

In Canada, GMC skips over the rear-wheel drive (RWD) version offered in the U.S. and goes straight to four-wheel drive (4WD). This system comes with a single-speed transfer case on the Elevation and a two-speed transfer case on all other models. The AT4X adds features for serious off-roading, including front and rear electronic lockers, skid plates, and 33-inch mud terrain tires, plus the Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers and Baja drive mode from the Colorado ZR2.

The Canyon delivers a good balance of on-road livability and off-road capability. We started out in Elevation and AT4 models, both of which boasted quiet cabs (the loudest thing we heard some turbo whistle) and a feeling of solidity rare in body-on-frame vehicles. Steering was slow and imprecise, but not unusually so for a pickup, and the engine and transmission worked well together. Acceleration while unloaded was more than adequate, but we didn't have a chance to test the Canyon with a payload or trailer.

Switching to the AT4X didn't degrade road manners much, despite the off-road model's bigger mud terrain tires. The AT4X also lived up to its billing as the most hardcore off-road Canyon yet, handling a variety of obstacles without breaking a sweat. Whether it was blasting down a narrow dirt-and-gravel track in Baja mode or slow-speed rock crawling in the Off-Road and Terrain drive modes, the AT4X showed an impressive breadth of capability.

Unlike the previous-generation truck, the 2023 Canyon is available in only one configuration: a crew cab with a 5.2-foot bed. Bed size is comparable to other crew-cab midsize trucks, but GMC no longer offers a longer bed option, or a regular cab or extended cab. That's also the case with the related 2023 Chevy Colorado.

Despite a wheelbase stretch, the crew cab's dimensions are fairly close to the previous-generation Canyon's, but that does yield a fair amount of interior space for a midsize truck. The Canyon has more first-row legroom than any other midsize model except the dimensionally identical Colorado. Second-row legroom is only surpassed by the Honda Ridgeline and Jeep Gladiator, both of which are based on SUV platforms. Headroom in both rows is also comparable to other conventional midsize pickups.

Minimal secure storage space is a drawback of pickups, and something GMC aims to address with the new-for-2023 MultiStow tailgate, which houses a waterproof storage compartment in the tailgate. The compartment is long and narrow, limiting its actual utility, but you won't find anything similar in a Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, or Toyota Tacoma.

What GMC doesn't include, however, are a standard telescoping steering wheel or power-adjustable front seats. It's one area where old school pickup simplicity still shines through, but is questionable given GMC's positioning as a premium brand.

Truck owners missing the grunt of the discontinued diesel can take solace in the fact that the new gasoline turbo-four has the same 3,492-kilogram (7,700-pound) maximum towing capacity. That applies to the Elevation, AT4, and Denali trims. The AT4X has a 2,721-kilogram (6,000-pound) tow rating in standard form, and 2,494 kilograms (5,500 pounds) with the Edition 1 package.

The redesigned Canyon also has a 716-kilogram (1,580-pound) maximum payload capacity, which is higher than any version of the previous-generation Canyon. It's a bit lower than rivals, however, and far off the Ford Ranger's class-leading 864-kilogram (1,905-pound) payload capacity.

The 2023 GMC Canyon's standard infotainment system includes an 11.3-inch touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, plus an available Wi-Fi hotspot and Bluetooth streaming audio (for certain phones). Every trim level also gets a digital instrument cluster, measuring 8 inches on Elevation and AT4 models and 11 inches on Denali and AT4X models. A 6.3-inch head-up display is also standard on the Denali and AT4X grades, along with wireless phone charging. A Bose premium audio system is standard on Denali and AT4X.

The infotainment system features the same Google Built-In functionality as the full-size GMC Sierra 1500 and GMC Hummer EV. It defaults to Google apps for main functions, with Google Maps serving as the navigation system, for example, so Android users get a similar experience without even having to connect their phones. As noted above, Apple CarPlay is still included, meaning the Canyon will likely be one of the last GM vehicles on sale with that feature as the automaker shifts to an all-Google infotainment strategy for future EVs.

Fans of old-school, no-frills trucks need not apply, but tech-savvy buyers will find a lot to like. The central touchscreen's graphics are gorgeous, particularly the images displayed for the different drive modes, which are desktop-display worthy. We also appreciate that menus default to a dark background, which is a little less jarring than the white background of most other infotainment systems. Google stuff still appears the way it does on your phone, however.

An available Off-Road Performance Display menu for the central touchscreen adds readouts for pitch and roll, g-forces, wheel slip, and an altimeter so you can see just how gnarly your off-road adventure is getting. It also includes shortcuts to view tire pressure and transfer-case status without having to dig through menus. Again, everything is rendered sublimely.

One tech feature that has nothing to do with screens is the available surround-view camera system, which includes an underbody camera view similar to the Hummer EV. These cameras can be massively helpful when off-roading by allowing you to see what's right in front of the truck and what the front wheels are doing—views that would otherwise be blocked by the tall hood. This makes it easier to avoid sharp rocks that could cut or puncture a tire, as well as more precisely place the truck so you're always following the correct line. The camera system also includes a hitch view for hooking up trailers.

Crash-test ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) weren't available for the freshly redesigned Canyon at the time of publication. Unlike pickup trucks of old, the new Canyon is at least available with the same driver-assist features that have become the norm for cars—but some key features aren't standard.

The standard Canyon Pro Safety Package includes automatic emergency braking (including front pedestrian braking and cyclist detection), automatic high beams, a following distance indicator, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, and forward collision warning.

An optional Safety Plus Package for the Elevation and AT4 models adds rear cross-traffic alert with automatic braking, blind-zone steering assist, and rear park assist. To get adaptive cruise control on a Canyon Elevation or AT4, you'll need the Technology Package, which also includes a rear pedestrian alert feature and surround-view camera system. The features from these two packages are standard on the higher-level Canyon Denali and AT4X, along with a Safety Alert Seat that vibrates when any of the various driver alerts are triggered.

The Canyon achieves Natural Resources Canada-rated fuel economy of 12.4 litres per 100 kilometres combined (13.5 city, 11.0 highway) in its standard 4WD form. The GMC Canyon AT4X lifts those numbers to 14.3 L/100 km combined (14.3 L/100 km city, 14.3 L/100 km highway).

GMC gives the Canyon the same warranty coverage as its Chevy Colorado cousin. That includes a three-year, 60,000-kilometre, basic warranty and five-year, 100,000-kilometre powertrain warranty.

Pricing in Canada for Canyon trims starts at $48,529 for the Elevation model (all prices include a $2,095 destination charge and other fees). That's roughly $15,000 more than the 2022-model-year base price, but that model was offered with RWD. Factor in 4WD and the 2023 Canyon is roughly $3,000 more than the outgoing version. The Canyon Denali starts at $62,529, while the Canyon AT4 and AT4X start at $53,229 and $67,829, respectively.

The 2023 Canyon isn't a great value, then, but that isn't its mission. GMC is leaving Chevy to take care of buyers looking for a more basic truck, allowing it to focus on the high end of the market, fulfilling its role as a premium brand while selling greater numbers of pricier trucks to generate higher profits. It's a strategy more relevant to shareholders than customers, but one that's also produced an impressive midsize pickup—one that's perfect for buyers who want all the bells and whistles.

Note: Images show a US model.