A midsize pickup truck can be a versatile alternative to a sedan, hatch, or SUV for most things you’d need a vehicle to do for you in and around Yellowknife, which is why they have been growing in popularity in recent years. The all-new 2023 GMC Canyon goes even further by delivering incredible off-road capability and best-in-class towing and hauling capacities that full-size trucks were boasting about offering not too long ago. Unless you need full-size or heavy-duty levels pickup truck towing and hauling capability, it’s hard to think of a role the new canyon couldn’t fill.
You’ve probably heard people say that you can have too much choice, which can undoubtedly be the case with pickup trucks offering almost unlimited configurations and specifications. The truth is that most buyers gravitate to a handful of popular configurations, so GMC has concentrated on those for the 2023 Canyon. Instead of a plethora of cabs, beds, and powerplant options that few people want, the 2023 GMC Canyon is a crew cab model with a 5-foot-2 bed and one engine across the lineup. The base model is a standard rear-drive offering with four-wheel-drive optional, but the rest of the lineup gets four-wheel-drive as part of the standard specification.
The base model is the Elevation; from there, the range goes to the AT4, AT4X, and the range-topping Denali. However, the Denali shouldn’t necessarily hold that “top-of-the-range” crown this year as a limited edition could top it in the shape of the AT4X Edition 1 package. GMC insists it will be subject to “extremely limited availability,” but GMC hasn’t said how few or how many it will produce.
Choosing a compact or midsize pickup truck over a full-size model used to mean considerable compromise when it comes to capability, but the all-new 2023 GMC Canyon pushes midsize capability to new levels. All models get the same engine, but instead of three different tunings like we see in the Canyon’s closely-related GM cousin, every Canyon gets the most capable High Output version. The engine in question is the 2.7-litre turbo-four you might recognize from GM’s light-duty trucks, and in the Canyon, it develops 310 horsepower and 430 lb.-ft. of torque that goes to the rear or all four wheels through a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission.
When correctly configured and specified, the 2023 Canyon can tow up to 3,493 kg (7,700 pounds), and the maximum payload is an equally impressive 744 kg (1,640 pounds). And despite those impressive ratings, the main focus of the new Canyon is actually off-road capability. The AT4 was already a seriously capable truck for when the pavement ran out, but the AT4X puts the Canyon in another league entirely.
If you’re looking for a chink in the armour of the 2023 GMC Canyon, you’ll be looking for quite some time. You already know about the engine, the towing and hauling capability, and how it takes midsize truck off-road credentials to another level. But if a pickup is to rival sedans, hatches, SUVs, and other vehicles, it needs more, and the Canyon has lots more. Standard and available features include underbody cameras, a Head-Up Display, a fully digital driver information centre, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and even Google Built-in.
Safety is another area of excellence for the Canyon too. Every model comes with the standard Canyon Pro Safety Package, which includes Automatic Emergency Braking, Front Pedestrian Braking with Bicyclist Detection, IntelliBeam auto high beams, Following Distance Indicator, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, and Forward Collision Alert.
The 2023 GMC Canyon is much more than an updated version of its predecessor. This model doesn’t just improve on what it was previously; it takes the midsize truck into new areas of the auto market to appeal to an ever wider audience. The only way to appreciate this exciting new model is on a test drive with Yellowknife Motors Chevrolet Buick GMC here at 360 Old Airport Rd, Yellowknife, NWT, or call us at (867)-766-5000 for more information and arrange a test drive for a time that’s suitable.
