Used 2022 GMC Canyon Extended Cab

The GMC Canyon offers something a little different in midsize pickup trucks. It’s mechanically identical to the more common Chevrolet Colorado, but the Canyon has its own distinct personality. It has a premium look and feel, especially in the range-topping Denali trim. It’s still a great truck in the more affordable lower trims, and the rugged AT4 model has serious off-road chops with style to match.

The Canyon competes directly with the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma. All of these trucks are impressive in their own way, but the Canyon excels as a well-rounded truck that’s good for work, play, the daily commute, and everything in-between. This is thanks to its comfortable, SUV-like ride quality and impressive capabilities, especially from the available Duramax diesel engine. The diesel can tow up to 7,700 pounds and achieves highway fuel economy of up to 30 mpg.

Although the GMC Canyon has the body-on-frame architecture of a traditional pickup truck, it drives more like a modern crossover. Thanks to a well-engineered chassis and an excellent range of engines, the Canyon is comfortable in everyday driving without sacrificing capability. If you want or need a pickup but don’t want the bouncy ride commonly associated with trucks, then you’ll like how the Canyon drives.

Off-road capability can get pretty impressive when the Canyon is equipped with 4-wheel drive. This is especially true if you opt for the rugged AT4 model. With standard 4WD plus features like off-road suspension, hill descent control, and all-terrain tires, the Canyon AT4 is ready for adventure while still being an agreeable daily driver.

The personality of the GMC Canyon can change a bit depending on which engine you go with. The base inline-4 engine is adequately powerful and pretty good on gas. Upgrading to the available V6 is worth it if your budget allows since it brings a significant boost in power and doubles the towing capacity while returning a similar fuel economy rating as the base engine.

The most expensive engine option is the Duramax turbodiesel, which delivers plentiful torque translating to up to 7,700 lbs of towing capacity. It’s also the most efficient engine of the bunch, returning up to 30 mpg on the highway.

The GMC Canyon has a practical and functional interior, but the quality of the interior materials is just okay for this class. Most truck enthusiasts won’t have many complaints about this interior, but some rivals are nicer on the inside, particularly the Honda Ridgeline.

The seating space is roomy in the front row on all Canyon models. The extended cab has tight back seats, and that space is better suited for carrying supplies and toolboxes. There’s a reasonably roomy back seat area in the crew cab models, making the Canyon useable as a family vehicle.

The interior quality is so-so in the lower trims, but it gets pretty luxurious if you have the means to upgrade to the Denali model. It’s not quite as sumptuous as more expensive GMC Denali models like the Sierra and the Yukon, but the Canyon Denali is quite upscale for its class.

On top of premium leather seats, the interior of the Denali trim has Bose 7-speaker premium audio and ventilated front seats. It’s also the only trim of the Canyon that comes standard with the upgraded 8-inch infotainment system with navigation.

The exterior of the GMC Canyon is similar to the mechanically identical Chevy Colorado, but it’s different enough to have its own personality. The front end was recently revised to look a bit more like the bigger, more upscale GMC Sierra, and it works well on the Canyon. Overall, the Canyon has a more premium look than the average midsize truck.

Standard on all but the base trim is the EZ-Lift and Lower tailgate. It uses a torsion bar and a rotary damper to take a lot of effort out of lowering and lifting the tailgate. It’s also easily removable without tools. We would love to see the unique MultiPro 6-function tailgate — or something like it — on the Canyon, but for now, that’s exclusive to the full-size Sierra.

As for sizing, the Canyon is in line with the rest of the midsize pickup truck class, with dimensions very similar to the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma.

DURAMAX DIESEL
The available Duramax turbodiesel engine gives this truck an outstanding towing rating of up to 7,700 lbs and returns up to 30 mpg on the highway.

RUGGED AT4 MODEL
The AT4 trim not only makes the Canyon a competent off-roader, but it has a rugged aesthetic that looks good on and off the street.

The base trim of the GMC Canyon is called Elevation Standard. That’s not to be confused with the Elevation trim, which is the mid-range model. The Elevation Standard model is primarily a work truck but still has some nice creature comforts.

Standard equipment includes a 7-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a backup camera, air conditioning, Teen Driver mode, power door locks, power windows, rear bumper corner steps, and a locking tailgate.

Upgrading to the Elevation trim adds some excellent features while keeping the pricing pretty affordable. A few standard features on the Elevation model include automatic climate control, an 8-inch infotainment system, rear USB ports, an overhead console, cruise control, an auto-dimming mirror, Wi-Fi hotspot capability, remote start, a power driver’s seat, and some nicer interior materials like aluminum trim and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Next up in the model range is the rugged AT4, the most off-road-oriented trim in the Canyon lineup. Four-wheel drive comes standard, of course, and it adds extra outdoorsy features like an off-road-tuned suspension, hill descent control, all-terrain tires, and a rugged appearance package that adds skid plates and red front recovery hooks. The AT4 model also adds heated front seats, power lumbar control for the driver’s seat, and the V6 engine as standard.

Finally, there’s the luxurious Denali model at the top of the model range of the GMC Canyon. The Denali brings a distinct appearance package that gives it the presence of a luxury vehicle with 20-inch diamond-cut wheels, tasteful chrome exterior trim, and a unique grille. Also standard on the Denali model is leather seating, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, an enhanced driver information center with a color screen, a power front passenger seat, Bose 7-speaker premium audio, a spray-on bed liner, and more.

There are a few option packages available on the Elevation and AT4 trims, but standard on Denali. One of them is the Driver Alert Package that adds forward collision alert and lane-departure warning. There’s also an upgraded audio system that takes the 8-inch infotainment system and adds navigation, HD Radio, and an HD backup camera.

New for 2022 is the Denali Black Edition. It’s an appearance package for the Denali trim that replaces much of the chrome with blacked-out trim for a darker aesthetic.

One of our favorite things about the Canyon is the diversity under the hood. It has three available engines: the base inline-4, the more powerful V6, and an awesome Duramax 4-cylinder turbodiesel.

The base 4-cylinder only comes standard on the 2WD variants of the Elevation Standard and Elevation trims. All other 2022 Canyon models come standard with the V6. The diesel is optional on the Elevation, AT4, and 4WD Denali models.

The standard engine is sufficient for most truck drivers with a max towing capacity of up to 3,500 lbs. If you want to do some more towing and have some extra room in your budget, upgrade to the more robust V6 with up to 7,000 lbs of towing capacity. Finally, the Duramax has tons of torque and good fuel economy with a max tow rating of 7,700 lbs.

Rear-wheel drive comes standard, and 4-wheel drive is optional. The off-road-oriented AT4 model is the only trim with standard 4WD. The base engine and the Duramax come with a 6-speed automatic transmission, and the V6 has an 8-speed.

2.5-liter inline-4

200 horsepower @ 6,300 rpm

191 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm

EPA city/highway fuel economy, est.: 19/25 mpg (2WD)

3.6-liter V6

308 horsepower @ 6,800 rpm

275 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm

EPA city/highway fuel economy, est.: 18/25 mpg (2WD), 17/24 mpg (4WD)

2.8-liter turbodiesel inline-4

181 horsepower @ 3,400 rpm

369 lb-ft of torque @ 2,000 rpm

EPA city/highway fuel economy, est.: 20/30 mpg (2WD), 19/28 mpg (4WD)