GMC Canyon 2024

The third generation of the GMC Canyon and its near twin, the Chevrolet Colorado, entered the market right on time in 2023 to tackle a competition that’s been largely rekindled in recent years. GM is now focusing on the segment’s most popular configuration, which pairs a four-door cab with a five-foot bed. All Canyons now come with four-wheel drive and the same number of cylinders in a turbo engine.

Until then, six-cylinder enthusiasts can still turn to the Nissan Frontier, which is limited to the PRO-4X version this year, or else to the more marginal Honda Ridgeline and Jeep Gladiator.

There’s no doubt about it, the era of low-cost pickup trucks is a thing of the past: practically all of the models listed above retail for around $50,000 for their entry-level versions. The bill can even exceed $80,000 for an off-road variant such as GMC’s AT4X.

Apart from the Ranger, whose price range starts at $43,490, the only salvation comes from the very same maker as the Canyon. Indeed, the Chevrolet division has kept the exclusivity of a stripped-down entry-level trim and a deflated version of the turbocharged four-cylinder. As such, one can obtain a Colorado WT (short for work truck) for around $9000 less than the most affordable Canyon. This means having to cope with steel rims and doing without accessories such as cruise control, on top of leaving the power equivalent of a few dozen horses back at the stable. Nevertheless, we acknowledge GM’s efforts to further distinguish its truck brands.

The manufacturer assembles both models in Missouri. (Video in French only)

In redesigning the Canyon/Colorado duo, GM has retained many of the strengths of its mid-size pickups: comfort, stability of handling and ease of use, among others. Unfortunately, the switch from a V6 to a turbocharged four-cylinder is less than convincing, both in terms of performance and refinement. The quality of the assembly and certain materials also left us wanting more, especially for a version that merrily exceeded $60,000.

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Safety

Safety features

• Antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist
• Stability and traction control
• Hill start assist
• Hill descent control (standard on AT4 and AT4X, not available on Elevation and Denali)
• Front airbags
• Front side airbags
• Side curtain airbags
• Five adjustable headrests, with the front ones designed to reduce the effect of whiplash in rear impacts
• Rear-seat passenger presence alert
• Tire pressure monitoring system with proper pressure signal
• Backup camera
• Automatic high beam
• Forward collision warning
• Automatic front emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Lane departure alert with automatic steering assist
• Blind-spot monitoring system with automatic steering assist, rear cross-traffic alert with automatic braking, rear parking sensors, rear pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control and surround-view camera system (standard on Denali and AT4X, optional on Elevation and AT4)

Crash test results

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Insurance Institute For Highway Safety