GMC Canyon

The midsize Canyon is GMC’s smallest truck, measuring about 20 inches shorter than the full-size Sierra 1500. It comes in two cab sizes – a two-door, four-seat Extended Cab and a four-door, five-seat Crew Cab – as well as two bed sizes – a 5.2-foot Short Box and a 6.2-foot Long Box. The Canyon’s maximum payload is 1,620 pounds, and it can tow up to 7,700 pounds when properly equipped. It shares a platform and many components with the Chevrolet Colorado, which is built by GMC’s sister company.

Trims on the midsize pickup include the bare-bones SL, the base Canyon, the mid-level SLE, the rugged All Terrain, the well-appointed SLT, and the range-topping Denali. Starting in 2021, GMC pared the non-Denali trims down to three: the entry-level Elevation Standard, the mid-tier Elevation, and the off-road-ready AT4. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration first became available in 2016 and was made standard in 2019. Some active safety features, including forward collision warning and lane-departure warning, are available on higher trims; however, adaptive cruise control isn’t offered.

The Canyon utilizes one of three available engines. Standard is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 200 horsepower. Higher trims offer a 3.6-liter V6 with just over 300 ponies. In 2016, GMC added an optional turbodiesel four-cylinder that generates 181 hp and a stout 369 lb-ft of torque. Most employ an automatic transmission, but through 2019 a manual gearbox was also available with the base four-cylinder. Buyers also have a choice of rear- or four-wheel drive; the latter comes standard on the AT4 trim but is otherwise optional. No electric or hybrid variants have yet been produced.