All-New 2023 GMC Canyon Goes All-Out With Powerful Engine, Wide Stance
The internet has been abuzz since Chevy introduced the all-new 2023 Colorado just a few short weeks ago. With that pickup joining a new Ford Ranger (and likely a new Toyota Tacoma) next year, the midsize segment is heating up. And surprise, surprise, with a new Colorado in the offing, it was only going to be a matter of time before GMC's turn came to pull back the sheets that pickup's mechanically related, brother-from-another-mother: The 2023 GMC Canyon.
Billed by GMC as the "official vehicle of nowhere," though it is definitely a machine that at any given time will be somewhere, the 2023 Canyon boasts a fully redesigned exterior with a lineup-wide taller stance and widened track than its Chevy counterpart. Like the Colorado, the Canyon has been reimagined from the ground up with a greater focus on off-road capability and style. The 2023 Canyon also features a new premium suite of advanced technology, an all-new interior design, a new powertrain, and a new top-tier AT4X trim. Simply put… this should be the most advanced and capable Canyon ever.
It also is much more differentiated from the Colorado than before, both visually and pricewise. GMC has adopted an even wilder take on the newest Sierra's squinty-eyed, beefy-grille look here, weaving body-color sections throughout the nose to break up the forward lighting and give it a technical, aggressive mein. Compared to the relatively tamely styled Canyon of yore, the 2023 model is altogether hunkier, with deeply chamfered body creases above blistered fenders to go with a more aggro suspension setup. It's a good thing there's so much outward separation between the GMC and its Chevy sibling, too, because the Canyon now starts at about $40,000.
Lifted Suspension And Wide Stance… For Everyone
In a bold move for GM's more upscale truck brand, GMC has decided that all 2023 Canyon models will ride on same lifted, wide stance, suspension that's available only on the off-road-focused versions of the Colorado. GMC says that the Elevation, AT4, and Denali models will receive a 2.0-inch suspension lift while the AT4X will ride on a 3.0-inch lift. With no "base" model Canyon to directly compare to, these figures are in reference to the 78.8-inch maximum height of the entry-level 2023 Colorado Work Truck (WT); on the Colorado, only the Trail Boss (2.0-inch lift) and ZR2 (3.0-inch lift) lineup with those suspension heights. Elevation and AT4 check in at 79.8 inches tall while Denali lands at 80.4 inches and AT4/AT4X hit at 81.7 inches tall.
The same rings true for the Canyon's track width. All Canyon models will arrive with a track width of about 66 inches front and rear, with the only variation being due to wheel offset. By comparison, the 2023 Colorado WT, LT, and Z71 will all arrive with a 3.0-inch-narrower 62.8-inch track width; only the Colorado Trail Boss and ZR2 off-road models carry the wider tracks. Generally speaking, we approve of the high and wide approach, however, we find it a touch peculiar that the luxurious, ostensibly street-truck focused Denali trim has followed this same path… but we digress.
Extended Cab, Long Bed and Base Model Are Dead
First went the manual crank windows. Then it was our beloved third pedal and standard cabs. Now, for 2023, GMC is pulling the rug out from under pickup buyers' choices by offering the all-new Canyon in pretty much a single cab and bed configuration. You'll now only be able to purchase a Canyon in four-door crew-cab, short-bed (5-foot 2-inch) configuration. While this eliminates both the stubbier extended cab and long-bed (6-foot 2-inch) options from the order sheet, it aims to simplify the production process for GMC by focusing on the models most buyers want.
That same process of elimination ensnared the Canyon's least-expensive trim level, the Elevation Standard. A little bit of history: When GMC launched the previous generation of Canyon in 2015, that truck was available in three trims: Base, SLE, and SLT, with an All-Terrain package available for SLE. By 2020 the lineup had grown to include SL, Canyon, SLE, All-Terrain, SLT, and Denali. In 2021, the lineup changed again, and this time reduced to just four trims: Elevation Standard, Elevation, AT4, and Denali.
At launch, the now Elevation-Standard-less 2023 GMC Canyon will be available in the premium AT4 and Denali trims along with the new AT4X. This move doesn't come as a huge surprise given that the AT4 and Denali trims currently make up the vast majority of not only Canyon sales but GMC sales as a whole. While not available right at launch, the (non-Standard) midlevel Elevation trim will be returning later in 2023.
A New Interior With Modern Technology
The 2023 Canyon's interior comes packed with GM's latest suite of in-car tech, including a high-resolution 11.0-inch infotainment screen and a fully digital driver information display (11.0 inches on Denali and AT4X, 8.0 inches on Elevation and AT4). These new screens enable the truck to provide drivers with up to 10 different camera views, including HD Surround Vision and waterproof underbody cameras with a washing system. Also available is a class-exclusive 6.3-inch head-up display.
All 2023 Canyon models will come fitted with automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian braking with cyclist alert, IntelliBeam automatic high beams, following distance indicator, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, and forward collision alert. An available Canyon Safety Plus Package adds rear cross traffic braking and blind zone steering assist. The available Technology Package offers rear pedestrian alert, adaptive cruise control, and HD Surround Vision. GMC's vibrating Safety Alert Seat is standard on Denali and AT4X.
Each of the 2023 GMC Canyon's four trims will come fitted with a unique interior identity, each an upgrade over the outgoing truck's inner duds. For example, Denalis get laser-etched wood décor and leather appointments. The flagship, off-road-focused AT4X will arrive with trim-exclusive Ceramic White and Obsidian Rush color treatments, both with vibrant red-colored seat belts. Every Canyon's dashboard, while clearly related to the newest Colorado, does sport GMC-specific touches, including angular outboard air vents instead of round pieces, plus a different primary dashboard design ahead of the passenger.
A New Turbocharged 2.7-Liter I-4 Engine
At the height of its popularity, the outgoing GMC Canyon came with the choice of three different engines and transmissions. You could get an entry-level 2.5-liter I-4 with either a six-speed manual or automatic, an optional 2.8-liter Duramax Diesel I-4 with a six-speed automatic, or the standard 3.6-liter V-6 with an eight-speed automatic transmission. For 2023, GMC has tossed all of the former powertrains in favor of a turbocharged 2.7-liter I-4 sourced from the larger full-size Sierra 1500 and new second-generation eight-speed automatic transmission.
If you've been paying attention to GM-related truck news, you'll note that the 2023 Chevy Colorado also made the switch to the same 2.7-liter engine. However, in the Chevy, three power levels are available, ranging from 237 hp to 310, and from 259 lb-ft of torque to 430. GMC deploys only the hottest version of the 2.7-liter engine across the Canyon lineup, meaning every 2023 Canyon gets 310 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. This ties the V-6 in Nissan's Frontier for horsepower and smashes it in torque; GMC (and Chevy) likewise crush all comers in the torque department, out-twisting the 2.3-liter turbo I-4 in Ford's Ranger (which produces 310 lb-ft) by an astonishing amount. Even the Canyon's outgoing 2.8-liter Duramax diesel engine managed to produce "just" 369 lb-ft.
While fuel economy is still unknown, and likely will be for some time, GMC officials have been quoted as saying that the new 2.7-liter engine is expected to return figures better than the outgoing 2.5-liter engine. While your mileage will certainly vary, the outgoing base engine was rated as high as 26 mpg highway. And with the 2.7-liter-powered GMC Sierra 1500 sporting a highway rating as high as 22 mpg, we don't think 26 is out of the question.
Where capability is concerned, the new 2.7-liter engine has that covered as well. The 2023 GMC Canyon will have a maximum payload rating of 1,640 pounds in the two-wheel drive Elevation version. Selecting an AT4 drops that to 1,550 pounds while the upscale Denali carries a payload rating of 1,360 pounds. AT4X chews through its payload with its off-road extras, limiting its hauling capability to 1,250 pounds; the even more kitted-out AT4X Edition 1 Package drops that figure to 1,010 pounds. To put that last figure into perspective, with all five seats filled with some average joes, you'll be left with just enough payload reserve to toss a cooler in the bed.
Trailer towing prowess remains respectable, with Elevation, AT4, and Denali all carrying a 7,700-pound maximum rating. The top towing spec drops to 6,000 pounds for AT4X models and 5,500 pounds for the heavier AT4X Edition 1 Package.
Introducing The Rugged AT4X
In really what should come as a surprise to no one, GMC is expanding the popular AT4 trim to include a new, higher-performance AT4X off-road model. Building on the lessons learned from the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, the new 2023 Canyon AT4X will feature an impressive slate of off-road hardware, starting with the latest generation of Multimatic's Dynamic Spool Valve (DSSV) frequency selective dampers. The truck is also equipped with unique cast iron control arms and 17-inch aluminum wheels with 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires.
Fun fact, the Canyon AT4X's tires are a 285/70R17, which measures a touch taller and a full inch wider than the 265/70R18 Wrangler DuraTrac tires that come on the one-size-up 2022 Sierra 1500 AT4X. The Canyon AT4X also comes fitted with front and rear electronically locking differentials, a modified rear axle for increased durability, and 3.42:1 axle gears. Keeping rock rash at bay are aluminum skid plates below the radiator, engine oil pan, and transfercase. The truck also comes fitted with steel rock rails. No, we can't wait to line this up with Ford's Ranger Raptor, a Colorado ZR2, and a Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro and hit the dirt.
Hurry Up, the AT4X Edition 1 Package Is Limited
For those customers looking for the ultimate midsize off-roader with all the bells and whistles, GMC is going to be offering an extremely limited run of 2023 Canyon AT4X First Edition pickups. In addition to all of the gear that comes standard on the new Canyon AT4X, the First Edition adds 17-inch beadlock capable wheels and a unique off-road bumper to the front of the truck complete with an LED light bar. Most interesting, however is the standard 10,000-pound recovery winch, which comes integrated behind the front bumper. The hardware is being sourced from a relative newcomer to the U.S. market, COMEUP, and is fitted with synthetic rope. The truck will also receive unique First Edition badging.
Get Your 2023 Canyon Now!
The all-new 2023 GMC Canyon is slated to begin production at GM's Wentzville assembly plant in the spring of 2023 and will kick off with the AT4X model. Starting today, reservations are open for the exclusive 2023 GMC Canyon AT4X Edition 1 package, which comes with a starting MSRP of $63,350, not including destination and delivery. The rest of the Canyon lineup will follow, with the Elevation trim starting at $40,000. Though pricing for the 2023 Colorado is forthcoming, forty grand is big money for the midsize truck segment—the GMC's entry-level MSRP sits in the upper realm of most of its competitors' price ladders. Again, though, given it only comes in high-output, up-market forms, the sub-AT4X GMCs might end up costing only slightly more than equivalent Colorados.
2023 GMC Canyon Specifications BASE PRICE $40,000-$63,350 LAYOUT Front engine, 2WD or 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door truck ENGINE 2.7L/310-hp/430-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 TRANSMISSION 8-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 4,400-5,200 lbs WHEELBASE 131.4 in L x W x H 213.2-217.9 x 84.4 x 79.8-81.7 in 0-60 7.0 - 7.5 (MT est) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON TBD ON SALE Spring 2023 Show All
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The first thing to know about the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado electric pickup truck is that it shares next to nothing with its combustion-powered Silverado brethren. Neither does it share any body panels or glass with its GM Ultium platform stablemate, the 2022 GMC Hummer EV pickup. These facts distinguish it from its chief competitor, the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, which is simply an F-150 crew cab converted to electric power. The more familiar Ford may be an easier sell to conservative old-school truckers, but Chevy's clean-sheet approach allows for better packaging and greater innovation.Chevy Could've Called It the AvalanchE 2.0The GM Ultium platform is rigid—rigid enough to allow Chevy to revive the notion of a unitized cab and box with an open bed that can expand into the truck's interior by folding down a midgate, as popularized on the Chevy Suburban-based 2002-2013 Chevrolet Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade EXT. The bespoke electric architecture allows the front seats to move closer to the front axle and farther away from the rear seats, while still leaving room for a 5-foot-11-inch box. That bests the combustion Silverado's by an inch and the Ford F-150 Lightning's by 4 inches. Fold the midgate down, and you get 9 feet of floor space to the closed tailgate—10 inches more than on a regular-cab, long-box pickup.Open the optional Multi-Flex tailgate and pop up its load limiter, and the floor measures 10-foot-10. As on the original Avalanche, the midgate can fold down, with the rear window and optional tonneau cover sealing the cabin from the elements. Or doff the tonneau, pop the rear glass out, stow it on the lowered midgate, and fully open the cab to the bed. One major difference between the Silverado EV and the Avalanche: The midgate and seat are split 60/40, and everything folds forward into the cab either 60 or 100 percent. The original Avalanche midgate folded backward to stow in the bed floor.Sizing Up the Chevy Silverado Electric TruckThe 2024 Chevrolet Silverado electric truck is roughly the same size outside as its crew-cab/short-box combustion-powered counterpart, but it's considerably larger inside. Substantial differences in width and length between the Silverado electric and the GMC Hummer EV serve to illustrate the GM Ultium platform's range of adjustability. The Silverado EV's 145.7-inch wheelbase is 10.1 inches longer than the Hummer pickup's and 1.7 inches shorter than a comparable crew-cab, short-box Silverado—while sharing the costly-to-develop crash safety structures. Varying the width of the suspension crossmembers and length of the control arms alters the track width affordably.Frunk SpaceThe F-150 Lightning's frunk is way bigger—like V-8 big. Chevy shrunk the Silverado EV's nose and then moved the HVAC componentry out of the dash and into the nose to free up cabin stowage space. 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In First Edition RST models set to Chevy's Wide-Open Watts (WOW) mode, they'll be tuned to produce "up to 664 hp and 780 lb-ft of torque."Relative to the Hummer's Watts to Freedom (WTF) mode, WOW does without the sound-effects fanfare, and it propels the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV to 60 mph in a claimed 4.5 seconds. The more basic AWD commercial-fleet work trucks will produce "up to 510 hp and 615 ft-lb of torque." (Fleet managers are rightfully reluctant to arm employees with 600-plus-horsepower trucks.) Lower-powered and single-motor two-wheel-drive model variants are expected in the coming years.The GM Ultium platform's 800-volt system can accept 350-kW DC fast charging. We're told this will add 100 miles of range in 10 minutes. RST owners will have access to Ultium Charge 360, GM's holistic EV charging plan, which is designed to simplify the overall charging experience, providing access to more than 100,000 publicly available charging points across the U.S. and Canada. WT customers get access to a similar fleet service plan.Plugging Into the Silverado EVIt will be possible to plug devices into 10 AC plugs found in the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV electric pickup. There are four 120-volt outlets in the pickup box plus one each in the frunk and center console. There's a single 240-volt outlet in the pickup box, and an accessory "Power Bar" that plugs into the CCS charge port will provide two additional 120-volt outlets and one 240-volt socket. The Power Bar also enables buddy-charging of another EV, with the charging rate approaching that of a Level 2 home charger.In total, the system can export 10.2 kW of electric power, and the driver can specify a minimum remaining state of charge or driving range to stop exporting power to ensure safe return to a charging station. Probably not coincidentally, that just eclipses the 9.6-kW power-export limit of Ford's F-150 Lightning. All of this means it should be just as easy to power your house during an electricity outage with an electric Silverado EV as it is with an F-150 Lightning.Payload and TowingThe 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST First Edition models will be rated for 10,000 pounds of towing and 1,300 pounds of payload. For comparison, the F-150 Lightning is rated for 10,000 and 2,000. Commercial work truck variants will initially be rated for 8,000 and 1,200 pounds, respectively. But a special towing-focused fleet model Silverado EV variant arriving for the 2025 model year will be rated to tow a whopping 20,000 pounds. This model will also get four-wheel steering like the GMC Hummer EV's to ease trailer maneuverability. And speaking of towing, initial Silverado EV RST models will feature the latest Super Cruise system, which supports trailer towing.Best-in-Class Drag CoefficientThe super-smooth nose, flush glass, flat underbelly, rear diffuser, an available tonneau cover, sail panels, and roof spoiler combine to give the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV what the manufacturer claims is the lowest drag coefficient of any production full-size pickup truck (with the Tesla Cybertruck an unknown for now). Frontal area should be similar to that of the combustion Silverado, but credit for several of those 400 miles of range surely goes to the wind-tunnel tuning team. The 24-inch wheels that come standard on top RST models are exceptionally smooth and fully closed except for five narrow slots to route cooling air to the brakes (the wheels are not directional). Chevy even claims the fixed running boards that come standard on the RST help manage airflow between the tires.Chassis DetailsThe 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV's basic suspension design is quite similar to the Hummer EV's, featuring upper and lower control arms front and rear, and at least on First Edition RST models, standard rear steering adapted from the Hummer EV. And if you're wondering, Chevy hasn't decided whether the Silverado EV will offer Crab Walk functionality as the Hummer EV does. Automatic adaptive air suspension provides 2 inches of height adjustment up or down (Extract mode lifts the GMC Hummer 5.8 inches), and Continuous Damping Control shocks fine-tune the ride and handling characteristics on a millisecond basis on top RST models. 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Additionally, it features a 14.0-inch head-up display and a 17.0-inch "free-form" landscape-oriented infotainment screen; a volume knob is glued to the screen as in some Ford and Land Rover products, but this one is positioned at the top left instead of the bottom center. Hard buttons for frequently accessed features promise to make the system easy to master.We're told visibility over the lower cowl and shorter hood is greatly improved. All interior materials are "vegan," with initial RST production featuring handsome high-contrast charcoal and light gray PVC pleather seating surfaces accented with red piping and blue stitching. A completely flat floor leaves room for a deep, two-level front center console with 1 cubic foot of storage space. Moving the speakers up a bit on the doors allows stowage pockets to span each door's entire length. 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Cargo loading height matches the combustion Silverado's.Next-Level UpgradabilityThe Silverado EV will use GM's in-house-developed Linux-based software platform known as Ultifi (which should underpin all Ultium EVs). This platform is said to separate the vehicle's software from its hardware, enabling easier and more rapid software updates and feature upgrades. Described more broadly as a "customer experience (CX) platform," Ultifi gives owners a digital ID number and vehicle profile that eases access to various cloud services in pursuit of a "frictionless EV ecosystem."Availability and How Much Will It Cost?You'll start seeing commercial 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EVs on steelies roaming the streets in the second quarter of 2023. You can't have one of these unless you're a preferred commercial-fleet customer already negotiating with Chevrolet. Orders for civilian 2024 Silverado EVs opened January 5 to reserve an unspecified number of Chevy Silverado EV First Edition RST models priced at $105,000 plus an as-yet unspecified destination charge, which should match the Hummer EV pickup's $1,695. Delivery of these trucks will begin in the fall of 2023. Only after those reservations are filled will the system begin taking orders for other variants, the least expensive of which will start at $41,595 if we've guessed the destination charge correctly. And we probably have because that figure just undercuts the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning's $41,669.2024 Chevrolet Silverado (EV) Specifications BASE PRICE $41,500-$106,500 (est) LAYOUT Front- and rear-motor, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door truck MOTORS 2x 255-332-hp (est)/307-390-lb-ft (est) permanent-magnet-type electric, 510-664 hp/615-780 lb-ft (comb, est) TRANSMISSION 1-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 7,500-8,000 lb (est) WHEELBASE 145.7 in L x W x H 232.0 x 81.2 x 75.5 in (est) 0-60 MPH 4.5-5.0 sec (mfr est) EPA FUEL ECON (CITY/HWY/COMB) Not yet rated EPA RANGE (COMB) 400 miles (est) ON SALE Spring 2023 (commercial), fall 2023 (retail) Show All
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