Driven! The Ferrari Daytona SP3 Isn’t Rational—and That’s the Point
The tach needle breezes past 8,000 rpm and keeps going. There's a keening edge to the metallic yowl filling the open cockpit, and the acceleration isn't letting up. Suddenly, I'm a wide-eyed 13-year-old at the movies again, riding along with Erich Stahler as he hammers his Ferrari 512 S flat-out down the Mulsanne Straight in Steve McQueen's epic film Le Mans.
This is what that sounded like. And this is what I always imagined it felt like. A mid-engine Ferrari V-12 at nearly 9,000 rpm.
Blue lights flicker across the top of the steering wheel. The 828 horses behind me are stampeding toward the engine's 9,500-rpm rev limit. I keep my right foot buried and tug the right-hand paddle, and there's a hard, clean crack from the exhaust, like a .30-06 fired deep in the woods. The tach needle drops to just below the 8,000 mark, and the banshee-mad rush continues unabated as the big, red roadster storms through the French countryside.
Wrapped in jaw-dropping bodywork that controversially combines classic '60s curves with 21st century aero brutalism, the Ferrari Daytona SP3 is pure theater on wheels. This car unashamedly celebrates why you'd spend more than $2.2 million on an open-top Ferrari; the sound, the fury, the wanton magnificence of an engine format that's powered some of Maranello's greatest racing cars.
A Cordial Missile
But you don't have to suffer for its art. Once you get used to the width of the rear fenders and the low clearance up front—using the standard nose lift system is essential when negotiating driveways or speedbumps—the Daytona SP3 is as benign and easy to use as a Ferrari 296 GTB. You could easily drive this thing every day.
The Daytona SP3 is the latest in Ferrari's Icona series, a range of limited-edition cars handbuilt at Maranello using key components borrowed from previous Ferrari production cars. Just 599 will be built, and all have been sold despite that stratospheric price tag. The first of around 150 total cars for U.S. Ferrari enthusiasts arrives stateside in the second quarter of 2023.
Although Ferrari engineers say about 70 percent of the Daytona SP3's components are new, the chassis is a modified version of the LaFerrari Aperta hypercar's carbon-fiber monocoque. The suspension layout and geometry are identical, as are the giant 15.7-inch front and 15.0-inch rear brakes.
Like the LaFerrari, the Daytona SP3 is fitted with 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels, though the Pirelli P Zero Corsas, 265/30 at the front and 345/30 at the rear, have been specifically developed for the car to maximize stability in low grip conditions.
That Engine—That Glorious Engine
The Daytona SP3's 6.5-liter V-12 is a modified version of the front-engine 812 Competizione coupe's powerplant. Codenamed F140HC, it is the most powerful internal combustion road car engine ever built by Ferrari.
The F140HC makes its 828 horsepower at a dizzying 9,250 rpm and pumps out 514 lb-ft of torque at 7,250 rpm. That 9,500-rpm top end comes courtesy of new titanium connecting rods, which are 40 percent lighter than equivalent steel items, as well as new pistons, a lighter and rebalanced crankshaft, and sliding finger cam followers, a low-mass/low-friction technology borrowed from Ferrari's F1 engines.
The first two Icona cars, the Monza SP1 and Monza SP2, evoked the spirit of front-engine Ferrari barchettas from the 1950s. The wasp-waisted Daytona SP3's voluptuous haunches and close-coupled cockpit channels mid-engine V-12 Ferrari race cars from the late '60s and early '70s.
The Daytona SP3 is not as pretty as any of those cars, especially the gorgeous 330 P3 and P4, or the 512 S, but Ferrari design chief Flavio Manzoni says it's not meant to be a simple homage, a retro car. It's meant to be a modern interpretation of the spirit of those classic Ferraris, built in a modern way, using modern materials and modern technologies. That's why 2020s aerodynamic theory has played just as much a part in shaping the Daytona SP3 as 1960s nostalgia.
The flics underneath the hooded headlights increase downforce at the front axle, for example, and surfaces on the front fenders and doors control airflow along the side of the car. Chimneys bring air from underneath and direct it past the rear haunches, over the top surface of the engine cover, and toward the subtle rear spoiler.
It's clever stuff: Ferrari says the Daytona SP3 generates just over 500 pounds of downforce at 125 mph without any active aerodynamic devices.
Interfacing With the Machine
You sit low in the Daytona SP3 and toward the center of the car, just as you would in a sports prototype racer. The seats are fixed, their basic shape integrated into the composite central tub and covered with foam. Tugging on a nylon strap at the front of the seat, between your legs, allows the pedal box to move fore and aft, and the steering wheel is also adjustable for reach and rake. Ferrari says the fixed seating reduces weight and helps keep the car's overall height to just 45 inches, which also helps minimize drag.
The Daytona SP3's steering wheel features the same Human-Machine Interface (HMI) concept used in the 296 GTB, among others. Touch controls allow drivers to operate 80 percent of the Daytona SP3's functions without moving their hands off the steering wheel. Controls to switch the lights on and off, adjust the exterior rearview mirrors, and change the air conditioning settings are on haptic touch pads on the dash.
The Manettino switch on the steering wheel activates four drive modes under the watchful aegis of an upgraded version of Ferrari's ingenious Side Slip Control system dubbed SSC6.1. Wet is for conditions when traction is at a premium. Sport is the default drive mode, and Race sharpens engine, transmission, and chassis responses. GT-Off gives the driver total control.
The Daytona SP3 is the first mid-engine V-12 Ferrari to have the Ferrari Dynamic Enhancer (FDE) system that will allow drivers to drift the car if they want, automatically keeping the maximum yaw angle under control by adjusting the brake pressure at each wheel. FDE can be activated with the Manettino switched to Race and GT-Off modes.
Even with the roof removed and the scissor door wide open, you need a snake-hipped wriggle to get past the protruding corner of the dash and into the driver's seat without kneecapping yourself. As you settle in and push the pedal box into the correct position, you'll notice the front tire right there, just past your left knee. Your feet are just behind the front axle centerline in a car with a 104.3-inch wheelbase.
Cabs don't come much more forward than this.
The Alcantara on the driver's seat spills over the vestigial center console and onto the passenger seat, almost giving the impression you've settled into a fancy bench seat. Two slim headrests wrap around like wings, ready to cradle a crash helmet. There's Alcantara on the padding on the doors and on the dash, and small mats on the floors. Pretty much everything else is naked carbon fiber.
The SP3 Experience
Thumb the Engine Start-Stop logo on the steering wheel, and there's none of the turbine-like wind-up so typical of a V-12 start: The F140HC simply crackles into life and settles to a brisk idle. Even before you touch the throttle, it feels like an engine with low reciprocating masses.
With the Manettino set to Sport and the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission left to its own devices, the Daytona SP3 will happily amble around all day at low to middling speeds, requiring little more effort to drive than a Toyota.
The fixed seats are surprisingly comfy, and the ride is surprisingly supple despite the tight rein on the body motions and the contour-hugging low-profile tires. If the tarmac gets too gnarly, a quick press on the Manettino activates the Bumpy Road mode to further soften the ride.
The bulging front fenders frame your view ahead, just as they do in a Le Mans sports prototype. The external rearview mirrors are mounted on them, right at the front axle line. They work brilliantly, providing an excellent view past the Daytona SP3's voluptuous hips.
As there's no rear window, the internal mirror displays an image from a rear-facing camera. On a sunny day, with the roof off, it's useless, reflections obscuring everything. But as Raúl Julia said in The Gumball Rally as he ripped the rearview mirror off his Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider: "What's behind me is not important."
Maybe it's an open-top Daytona thing…
With all that power and torque moving barely 3,500 pounds, the Daytona SP3 feels impressively fast and light on its feet. Then you flick the Manettino to Race and the transmission to manual and … oh, lordy!
It's Certainly Performant
Ferrari claims the Daytona SP3 will sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 2.9 seconds (they say 2.85, but we round up) and hit 124 mph in 7.4 seconds on the way to a top speed of 211 mph. There are cars that are quicker through their gears and cars that are faster at the top end. But there's nothing that feels like this Ferrari on a full-throttle run.
The rush of power from the screaming F140HC simply keeps building and building and building, right to the rev limiter. The Daytona SP3 feels like it will accelerate forever.
Smooth and free-spinning and wonderfully tractable from little more than idle speeds, the F140HC is a masterclass in the art and science of the naturally aspirated V-12 engine. Its throttle response above 7,000 rpm is simply stunning, as crisp and sparkling as vintage champagne. It barks like a hot-rodded superbike engine on downshifts, the revs snapping so fast it's hard to believe it displaces 6.5 liters.
It makes most big-horsepower V-8s feel as clumsy as barroom brawlers 15 beers in, punching the walls.
It's not all about the engine, though. Maybe it's because you expect the extravagantly proportioned, extravagantly priced Daytona SP3 to be little more than a rich man's plaything, more for show than serious go, it comes as a genuine surprise to discover than when driven as hard as you dare, it stops and steers and goes around corners with the casual aplomb that's fast becoming a Ferrari trademark.
Underneath the aural and visual theatrics is a serious, fully sorted car, with a chassis that's been set up to help you make the most of that extraordinary engine.
The braking is strong and progressive, and the steering is precise and well weighted and delivers great feedback. The SSC6.1 system delivers a ton of traction out of the corners, even in Race mode, without compromising front-end grip when you go to power.
It intimidates at first, this Ferrari, not the least because it's big and wide and powerful and costs nearly as much as a Manhattan condo. But after a couple miles it shrinks around you, and before long you're pinballing it from apex to apex like an old Mazda Miata, marveling at its acuity on changes of direction, exalting in the adrenalin rush of acceleration along the straights, and laughing out loud at the unholy mashup of Pavarotti and the Sex Pistols that is the F140HC's manic soundtrack.
The Ferrari Daytona SP3 is the very antithesis of a rational automobile. But that's the whole point. It hasn't been designed to set new performance benchmarks, to showcase new technologies, to rewrite the supercar rulebook. It's been created to exhilarate and entertain, to deliver an intoxicating rush every time you punch the gas. To make you feel spine-tinglingly alive when you drive it fast.
It's time to hand the Daytona SP3 back. But I just can't resist one more run through the gears. 8,000 … 8,500 … 9,000 … 9,500 rpm. Oh, yes, mission accomplished.
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Does the world need a Cadillac Escalade V, a high-performance version of the iconic full-size SUV? That question is moot, because the company—in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it deleted tweet (that we screenshot, see below) paired to a press release saying something huge is coming soon—has left very little to the imagination about what this exciting Cadillac is. What the Escalade V can do, and how much power it'll pack, however … those questions have our imagination fired up.The Escalade V has been rumored and spied in prototype guise, but always shrouded in some degree of mystery. Would it be a true V or something more like the regular, non-Blackwing V cars (née V-Sport)? Would it be track-capable, as Cadillac claims V-series cars should be, or merely a high-horsepower variant with sporty styling?Given the wonderful absurdity of the latest ultimate Cadillac, the CT5-V Blackwing, we presume Cadillac will take no half-measures with the Escalade. That means the top-dog Escalade engine right now, the 6.2-liter V-8 making 420 hp, would be transplanted for a supercharged LT4. In the CT5-V Blackwing, it makes 668 hp and 659 lb-ft of torque, numbers that may be altered in order to provide sufficient lower-end motivation to a massive SUV like the Escalade. That is to say, it might be slightly detuned, but perhaps torquier.Whatever's under the hood, it's almost certainly a V-8, judging by the sound. And it'll shift quick, too—just listen to those gearchanges snap in the audio we embedded above.It won't be long until we know everything. Cadillac promises all will be revealed tomorrow, January 21. Until then, enjoy what Cadillac calls "the roar of luxury" and ponder whether 2022 will be the year you plunk down some coin on the ultimate Escalade.
No filter. That's the best way to describe what it's like to drive the Morgan Super 3. In most modern vehicles, from a Porsche 911 GT3 to a Tesla Model 3 to a Ford F-150, you're protected by an invisible electronic army, digital shape shifters that seem to warp the laws of physics, changing not just your perception of the road, but also of your talent behind the wheel.Not in the Morgan Super 3. Driving the Super 3 is, essentially, driving the way it used to be, before stability control and lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control established their guardrails of ones and zeros, when the wind streamed through your hair and your elbows stuck out over the bodywork as you wrestled with the steering wheel through turns. It's raw, and it's real.Make the perfect heel-and-toe downshift in the Morgan Super 3, carve the perfect corner, and you know it's all down to you. Make a mistake, and you own it. No filter. And that's what makes the Morgan Super 3 such an irresistible little sports car.The three-wheeled Super 3 takes Morgan back to its roots. The first car this eccentric English automaker built 113 years ago was a three-wheeler, a single driven wheel at the back, and two up front for better steering and stability. Indeed, Morgan built nothing but three-wheelers until 1936 and didn't end full-time production of three-wheeled cars until 1952.The three-wheeler concept was revived in 2012 with the determinedly retro Three-Wheeler, which was powered by an air-cooled, American-made S&S V-twin motorcycle engine mounted transversely across the nose of the car, echoing the powertrain format and layout of Morgan three-wheelers built until 1939.The Super 3 might channel Morgan's origins, but it's anything but a retro car. Look past the number of wheels and lack of electronic frippery, and the rest of it is a thoroughly modern machine.The chassis is a superformed aluminum monocoque, Morgan's first ever. Bolted to the front of it is a large cast aluminum structure that cradles the engine and provides all the pickup points for the multilink front suspension. The single rear wheel is located by a twin-beam swingarm with coil-over shocks on either side, and the beetle-backed bodywork enveloping it is, yes, also superformed aluminum.The floorpan is a non-structural aluminium piece that allows for future powertrain upgrades, including full electric drive.Speaking of drive, the Super 3 rekindles a relationship with Ford Motor Company and Morgan three-wheelers dating back to the F-Series Three-Wheeler built between 1933 and 1952 that was powered by Ford side-valve engines. Under the stubby hood of the Super 3 is a naturally aspirated version of Ford's light and compact 1.5-liter, three-cylinder Dragon engine, used in turbocharged form in the Ford Bronco Sport, as well as the European-spec Ford Focus and Fiesta hatchbacks.The Ford engine drives the Super 3's single rear wheel through a Mazda Miata five-speed manual transmission connected to a bevel box and carbon-fiber-reinforced drive belt. The engine produces 118 hp at 6,500 rpm and 110 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm, which makes the Morgan Super 3 the second-least-powerful car we've driven since the 89-hp Smart ForTwo. (The other car? The 2020 Toyota Yaris XLE, which pumps out 106 hp.) None holds a feeble candle in the wind to Mitsubishi's Mirage, the least powerful new car for sale in America today, which is equipped with a 78-hp 1.2-liter triple.But the headline output numbers don't tell the full story. Because the Morgan weighs little more than 1,400 pounds, those modest outputs deliver spritely performance. The company claims the Super 3 will scoot to 60 mph in about 7.0 seconds and hit a top speed of 130 mph.It feels much faster. That's because the Morgan Super 3 delivers such an elemental, visceral, almost heroic driving experience. It rides so low, you can simply reach over the side and touch the tarmac with your fingertips. It has no roof, no doors, and only vestigial aero screens to keep the bugs out of your teeth.You see the front wheels shimmy and shake and swivel and feel the feedback through the non-assisted steering. You sense millimetric lateral motions through your butt as the single rear tire rides the bumps and cambers the front wheels straddle.The little Ford triple pulls smoothly from low revs, but it really starts percolating from about 3,000 rpm and spins happily to 6,900 rpm, emitting a throaty bark from the optional sport exhaust that exits just past your right ear. The Mazda five-speed transmission is as snickety-snick quick and crisp through the ratios as ever, and the bottom-hinged pedals are beautifully weighted and aligned, perfect dancing partners for your feet.There's a lovely economy about the Morgan Super 3's controls, from the quick throw of the shifter and the short arc of the clutch pedal to the meaty feel of the brake pedal and the lively throttle response. The expressive steering initially feels low geared even though it's only 2.5 turns lock-to-lock. It's then you realize the Super 3 doesn't have a particularly tight turning circle—no bad thing when there are only three wheels on your wagon.It feels a little odd to drive quickly at first, the Morgan Super 3. But you quickly learn that's all part of the three-wheeler experience. The default handling mode is mild understeer, the bespoke, vintage-profile 130/90 Avon Speedmaster tires on the modernist 20-inch alloy wheels hardly offering the footprint to promote instant turn-in responsenor overcome the thrust from the rear wheel.That said, the Super 3 is unlike any four-wheel car when you do get on the power. You don't get the same sensations of roll and squat across the rear axle as you do in a four-wheel car because, obviously, there isn't one. Also, there's no differential, so the drive you do get is instant and unfettered. Get aggressive with the throttle, and you can easily spin up the rear wheel in slower corners—the 15-inch rim is shod with a 195/65 all-season tire—and the Super 3's tail will swing wide, but it all happens progressively.What's so bewitching about the Morgan Super 3 is that from 40 mph to 70 mph on any winding two-lane, you're totally engaged with the art and science of driving. It's a sports car, in the truest sense of the term.Yes, it's minimalist, but cleverly so. You learn to step over the side of the cockpit and brace your feet on an aluminum crossbar in front of the seat before sliding down behind the reach and rake steering wheel. The fixed seats are surprisingly comfortable, and the adjustable pedal box means even those over 6 feet can get comfortable behind the wheel.The interior has been designed to cope with the elements. The seats can be trimmed in water-resistant leather or a vegan technical fabric that's 100 percent waterproof and can be cleaned with bleach. The digital instruments, housed in cast aluminum pods at the center of the dash, along with all the switchgear, will withstand a quick blast from a jet wash.The rectangular "barge boards" along the side of the car that manage the airflow through the cooling radiators on either side of the engine can be fitted with a patented clip system—Morgan's first ever patent—that allows specially designed hard cases, waterproofed soft bags, or racks to be attached to them. The clips, and the hardware that attaches to them, will carry up to 44 pounds. A CNC-machined luggage rack that sits atop the Super 3's bug-tail is also available as an option.We can't buy any of the current four-wheeled Morgans in the U.S. The Super 3, however, is being homologated for sale here, and the first cars are scheduled to arrive stateside in January 2023, priced from $54,000 plus destination and taxes.That sounds pricey when you consider you can buy a well-specified Mazda Miata or one of the Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ twins for under $40,000, cars that are more practical, sensible daily drivers. But the Morgan Super 3 doesn't play in that territory; it's a sports car that can steal the limelight from noisy, mega-horsepower supercars that are only marginally more practical, can't legally be driven any faster, and cost a whole lot more money.Ferraris and Lambos and Porsches are dime a dozen in places like Beverly Hills and South Beach and Houston and Long Island. But a Morgan Super 3? Now that'll turn heads.2023 Morgan Super 3 Specifications PRICE $55,500 (MT est) LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 0-door roadster ENGINE 1.5L/118-hp/110-lb-ft DOHC 12-valve I-3 TRANSMISSION 5-speed manual CURB WEIGHT 1430lb (MT est) WHEELBASE 99.7in L x W x H 141.0 x 72.8 x 44.6 in 0-60 MPH 7.0 sec (mfr) EPA FUEL ECON, CITY/HWY/COMB Not yet rated EPA RANGE (COMB) N/A ON SALE Now Show All
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 EveryoneIn 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 DeadFirst 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 TechnologyThe 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 EngineAt 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 AT4XIn 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 LimitedFor 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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