General Motors’ pair of midsize pickups — the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon — are retooled for 2023, and beyond a few common features, carve out separate roles.
The Colorado offers more powertrain choices and, with a lower base price, remains GM’s mainstream midsize truck.
The Canyon is a more posh professional grade truck that adds more off-road chops. It is available only as a crew cab, like the Colorado, with rear- or four-wheel drive available. For off-road use, the 2023 Canyon is available in four trims, starting with Elevation, AT4 and Denali, that provide progressively increased ground clearance and capability, culminating in the new AT4X.
Riding on a new chassis, with what GMC bills as extra-wide track width, the Canyon’s wheelbase has been stretched by 3.1 inches compared with the outgoing short bed crew cab. The reduced front overhang helps improve the truck’s ability to approach steep inclines in off-road settings. The length remains about the same.
Three versions of the Canyon come with an off-road suspension package that provides 9.6 inches of ground clearance.
A 2-inch factory lift is standard on Elevation, AT4 and Denali trims. On the AT4X, it’s 3 inches. The AT4X has a new off-road mode, more premium appointments, advanced technology and 10.7 inches of ground clearance.
GMC has dropped the Canyon’s V-6 and diesel engines and only packs a high-output version of GM’s 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 310 hp and 430 pound-feet of torque. It is paired with an eight-speed transmission.
The Canyon comes standard with an 11-inch infotainment screen, with related apps for off-roading and trailering. And for the first time on Canyon, a powered moonroof is available.
Pricing starts at $38,395 including shipping for the Elevation trim and climbs to $56,995 for the AT4X. GMC expects half of Canyon buyers will choose the AT4 or AT4X trims.
We’ve rounded up some early reviews from the automotive press.
“With scooped-out bumper corners for wheel clearance and a squared-off grille, the 2023 GMC Canyon appears ready for a bar fight. However, because this is still a midsize truck, it doesn’t have the frontal area of a Peterbilt, meaning you won’t risk running Miata drivers over since the forward blind spot isn’t comically large. There’s something nice about that. While I’m not a huge fan of the prominent fender swage lines that just die before they reach the doors, I adore how prominently the fenders bulge out from the bodywork, and that strong set of horizontal lower character lines that run through the doors really works for me. The overall visual package is properly tough yet unique, owing surprisingly little to its Sierra big brother.
“Another area in which GMC hopes to distinguish the Canyon from its Colorado sibling is interior comfort. While the predominant door card material in the Canyon is still hardwearing plastic, GMC’s spruced things up nicely with softer dashboard trim, plush door inserts, more mature HVAC vents, and everyone’s least-favorite smudge-prone material: piano black plastic. While these don’t sound like huge changes, they make a remarkable difference. A Chevrolet Colorado LT feels noticeably cheaper by comparison, so the GMC’s interior goes a way to justifying its price premium.”
— Thomas Hundel, The Autopian
“You might not realize GMC no longer sells the Canyon with its diesel option, given how the new 2.7-liter I-4 gas engine behaves. Adapted from the larger Chevy Silverado 1500, this meaty four-cylinder is large — and it lopes like a diesel. Stir in the mighty torque it produces, which is spread over what feels like a wide rpm range, and memories of the previous-generation Canyon’s 2.8-liter turbodiesel grumble to the surface from the second you press the 2023 Canyon’s ignition button and hang around during nearly every acceleration event.
“The growling never rises too high in volume, so it’s generally agreeable, but your right foot will feel the vibes through the throttle pedal. And why grumble about the, um, grumbly engine when perhaps its best attribute is that it’s included on every Canyon? The available torque is mighty useful for passing or scooting away from stop lights, and we think this new truck will be quicker than the old V-6-powered one.
“As before, the GM 8L80 automatic tends to race to the highest gear ratio possible, but there’s so much twist available from the turbo engine that downshifts are only given for firm bootfuls of throttle or when climbing a steep grade. It would also be nice if GMC included a proper manual gear selection mode — as it is, the truck’s shift lever sports a tiny thumb switch for shifting up and down, provided the lever itself is in L, not D. There’s a readout in the digital gauge cluster for the current gear, which is nice, but some paddles or a dedicated shift gate would invite more use.
“We didn’t note many differences in behaviors of the various other Canyons we sampled outside of Asheville, N.C. Every non-AT4X-grade Canyon drives more or less the same, with a controlled ride, minimal rear axle jiggle even over cratered forest roads, and seemingly tight build quality. Even beating the daylights out of several Canyons never elicited so much as a squeak or a rattle from anywhere inside the cabin, and the frame feels robust.”
— Alexandra Stoklosa, Motor Trend
“In practice, the four-pot performs very well. The Canyon is a truck, not a sports car. So the torque comes on more gradually; think more robust reservoir you can tap for a highway pass than rocketing off the line. The eight-speed automatic transmission is smooth, delivering an intuitive power build and low cruising revs on the highway. And the non-AT4X Canyons can all tow up to 7,700 pounds ( though the AT4X still pulls a solid 6,000 lbs).
“The one quibble with the new engine — and one the anti-four-cylinder peanut gallery will harp on — is that it doesn’t sound perfect. It doesn’t sound quite as strained as it does lugging around a full-size truck, but it doesn’t have the rumble and growl you’d get with a V-6 — and that’s something you’ll notice every time you travel uphill or deploy the gas with any zest.
“The AT4X trucks we drove had big 33-inch mud-terrain tires. That makes the truck marginally noisier on the highway. But the counterpoint is that the AT4X has the Multimatic DSSV dampers, which deliver a sublime on-road ride quality and add off-road capability. Cruising on the highway was smooth sailing, something seldom said by even the most cultish Tacoma enthusiasts.”
— Tyler Duffy, Gear Patrol
“While the Colorado’s most off-road-ready ZR2 trim level was previously a Chevy exclusive, GMC now offers an equivalent: the Canyon AT4X. It has the same Multimatic spool-valve dampers, 33-inch tires, skid plates, and locking front and rear differentials. Like the ZR2, its rear dampers have been relocated outboard the frame rails and tight up against the wheels for better protection. We found it to be a highly capable 4×4 on the off-road trails GMC planned out for us, with plenty of ground clearance for larger obstacles and loads of low-end torque from the turbo four for getting unstuck. The AT4X also comes standard with all manner of off-road display screens and underbody cameras to keep you informed about your surroundings.
“We like how the Canyon drives on the road, too. Its tight suspension tuning combines with nicely weighted steering and a firm brake pedal to give it a remarkably solid and composed feel for a body-on-frame truck as capable as this. We already liked the way the old Colorado and Canyon drove, calling the Colorado ‘the best-driving body-on-frame vehicle on sale today’ in 2019, and this new generation ups the refinement factor further. The turbo four is a bit grainy, and by GM’s own admission it’s tuned to feel somewhat like a diesel, but we like the shove of torque and we expect it to deliver 60-mph sprint times in the low- to mid-6.0-second range. The AT4X’s only real on-road compromise is the extra noise from its chunky tires.”
— Joey Capparella, Car and Driver
” … the base Canyon Elevation is just better put together. The cabin’s quality is excellent: There’s no flex when you jostle the panels, every touch point feels opulent and the layout of the infotainment system is straightforward. The center screen is generously sized, but not comically big like that of some new trucks. The Canyon is still well-equipped in this department, featuring an 11.3-inch center screen standard on all trims. The Denali and AT4X get an 11-inch driver display, as well, while Elevation and AT4 have a smaller 8-inch digital gauge cluster.
“The road manners of the Canyon keep the luxe theme going; compared to the Colorado, the GMC is just quieter and more comfortable overall. The Chevy impressed me with its agility on twisty roads, and the Canyon is no different. The GMC is free of body roll and will easily trace its line through a tight turn.
“The Canyon Denali really drives the luxury theme home, with its upscale interior. The Denali is one rung below the top-trim AT4X and priced relatively close, but it takes on a slightly more understated (or demure) appearance and the cabin rivals that of a luxury car. I’m not a fan of padded panels, which don’t usually age gracefully, but the Denali’s cabin is undeniably plush.”
— Jose Rodriguez Jr., Jalopnik
“While the small Duramax diesel is missed because of how interesting it made previous-generation trucks, it’s hard to mourn the departed 3.6-liter V-6. While the V-6 had a more natural throttle progression, the turbocharged 2.7-liter mill under the hood of the ’23 Canyon has noticeably more power when the turbocharger spools up.
“Even though the peak torque is at 3,000 rpm, you will notice that surge while rolling onto the throttle. If you’re a fan of induction or turbocharger noise, you’ll find that, too. The Canyon doesn’t hide the induction noise and lets the driver know when the turbo starts force-feeding the engine.
“On the road, the wide track Canyon feels, well, wide. The truck’s narrowest available 66-inch track width is wider than the base-model Colorado. You’ll find the widest track (66.3 inches) on the off-road focused AT4X model, with the regular AT4 still sporting a 66.1-inch track width. That wide track gives the Canyon a solid footprint on gravel and mud but also might make it challenging in narrow passes. More importantly, on the road, the wider and taller AT4 and AT4X models feel larger than even their numbers suggest.
“Despite feeling large on the road, the Canyon drives well. The steering is light and the only major hiccup stems from an odd decision from General Motors. Instead of having a standalone headlight switch, which has been a feature on most cars since the dawn of electric light, the design team integrated the Canyon’s headlight switch into the central media touchscreen.
“If you’re wondering, yes, it is annoying. Though most will leave the switch set to automatic mode, you’ll become aware of the light sensor lag when heading into unlit tunnels. The system likely works better in the slower transition from night to day, but it doesn’t work well in tunnels. Inside, the Canyon’s cabin is comfortable. The upmarket Denali might not be as posh as some might expect, but it’s a big step up from its GMC Sonoma origins. Ahead of the driver, base Elevation and AT4 owners will see an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster, which is flanked by a standard 11.3-inch touchscreen.”
— Wesley Wren, Autoweek