Hot on the heels of the much-anticipated 2023 Chevrolet Colorado's unveiling, complete with three impressive off-road trims, it's time for GMC's moment in the limelight. Although the entire 2023 GMC Canyon lineup is new, it's the flagship AT4X model that is turning heads. The AT4X is hitting the ground with massive 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory mud-terrain tires, impressive Multimatic DSSV dampers, widened suspension and bodywork, increased wheel travel and ground clearance, electronic locking differentials, and so much more. To get a small taste for what this truck has to offer, GMC invited us out to the company's Desert Proving Grounds complex outside of Yuma, Arizona, for an exclusive (only three outlets were included) opportunity to jump into the passenger seat of the first-ever Canyon AT4X development truck. We spent the day making laps around the infamous Saguaro Trail, crawling around Dynamite Hill, and tearing around the facility's impressive ride and handling road.
A full review and test numbers will need to wait until GMC is ready to toss us the keys to a 2023 Canyon, but we were able to learn enough during our short time in the passenger seat to be able to confidently say that GMC has hit a home run with the new Canyon. Read on for all the juicy details.
GMC's all-new Canyon, including the AT4X trim, will be motivated by a single powertrain: a 2.7-liter turbocharged I-4 backed by GM's second-generation eight-speed automatic transmission. Previously found in the full-size Sierra 1500, this engine churns out a best-in-class 310 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. Unlike the 2023 Colorado, the Canyon will use the same high-output variant of the 2.7-liter engine across its entire lineup.
While we weren't yet allowed to commandeer the controls for ourselves, there was quite a bit that we could learn about this new drivetrain from the right seat. The outgoing 3.6-liter V-6 engine produced a paltry 275 lb-ft, which means a bump of 155 lb-ft for the 2023 Canyon. Off the line, that immense torque is immediately noticeable, and the engine pulls hard through all of the gears with the kind of force that pins you back in the seat. In testing, the 2021 GMC Canyon AT4 ran from 0 to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds. If we were to venture a guess, we'd put money on the new 2023 GMC Canyon cracking into the mid 5-second range. The transmission shifted quickly and confidently, holding gears appropriately when needed. Color us impressed.
It wasn't all roses and unicorn glitter, however. When riding in the development truck, an AT4X Edition 1, we were blown away by how good the turbocharged four-banger sounded through the exhaust. Then it hit us … it sounded too good. That's right—GMC has fallen into the same trap so many others have recently: using augmented engine sounds through the truck's stereo to "fill-in" the sound. And it gets more aggressive when running in off-road drive modes, such as Baja Mode. Personally, we'd love to see this practice end, or, at the very least, for owners to have the option of fully disabling it.
Professional driver … closed course … do not attempt … blah, blah, blah. With that out of the way, let's get to the fun stuff. One of the development courses that GMC uses is a 6-mile-long off-road trail that has been specially groomed to simulate almost every desert terrain type that can be encountered. Along the route, the team at the proving grounds has incorporated a 10-inch "ramp" and a rather large tabletop jump, neither of which you'd really want to meet at any speed with a personally owned truck.
Our first encounter was with the "ramp." We use the term "ramp" loosely, because it was more like hitting a nearly foot-tall curb at 60 mph. This element is used by the engineers to tune for full-bump to full-droop to full-bump situations; the suspension is fully compressed, the truck goes airborne, then it lands flat. It's brutal, and something that anyone who drives desert trails has had happen (looking at you, rain ruts). We can say with certainty that the new Canyon AT4X handled the hit with more composure than we've seen from a factory midsize pickup, ever. The position-sensitive Multimatic DSSV dampers absorb the initial shock well enough—removing the harsh bottom-out feeling normally associated with full-compression events—that it feels like the truck is sporting auxiliary hydraulic bumpstops. The rear dampers are tuned in such a way that they easily control the compression and rebound events, and almost entirely eliminate rear-end rise, more commonly referred to as "bucking." Where the competition would have the driver staring down at the ground and pinching leather with the full force of their sphincter, the GMC Canyon AT4X flies, and lands, nearly level.
Moving over to the tabletop jump, which would normally be found on a motocross track, the Canyon AT4X was similarly composed on takeoff. With a longer but steeper lead-in, the truck's suspension didn't compress as much or as fast as on the "ramp" jump. The truck also launched higher and flew farther, leading to the real "wow" moment. GMC and Multimatic have tuned the DSSV dampers' rebound control so that secondary motions are almost eliminated. If you've ever seen a vehicle land from a jump, you've likely noted that on landing, initial compression is followed by a secondary rebound event that launches the vehicle back into the air. The bad ones will do this multiple times before settling. The Canyon AT4X managed both landings with incredible poise, compressing smoothly and then rebounding to a normal ride height. Trust us, this is an impressive amount of damping control.
The jumps were just a small, albeit exciting, portion of the larger off-road trail. There were plenty of whoops of all sizes, from small to truck-swallowing, along with washboard roads, sweeping turns, deep sand, washes, ruts, massive rolling rises, and so much more. As impressive as the truck's high-flying abilities was its handling on washboard roads. Typically, this type of road has a tendency to cause the rear of pickups to "skate" back and forth. GMC worked with Multimatic to tune this out, allowing the Canyon AT4X to run down graded and washboard roads without the driver needing to chase the rear end.
Small to medium-size desert whoops were no challenge for the Canyon AT4X. However, large desert whoops still get the best of the truck, which wasn't unexpected given the relatively limited suspension travel and tire size (you just can't compare it to, say, a Raptor on 37s). A long section of large, rolling bumps gave another great demonstration of the truck's ability to comfortably absorb full compression suspension events without upsetting the chassis.
Speaking of the chassis, the GMC Canyon AT4X was able to maneuver through both tight and sweeping turns almost completely flat. Body roll felt almost nonexistent, and the truck had no issue sliding the rear end around on demand. Despite not having tested the brakes and steering ourselves, we can say with some level of confidence that this will rank among the best off-road chassis that we've tested in some time.
Much like the Colorado ZR2 that came before, one of the things that makes the 2023 GMC Canyon AT4X so impressive is the truck's ability to seamlessly switch terrain from high-speed desert-running to technical rockcrawling. Thanks to the combination of front and rear locking differentials, steel rock rails, decent ground clearance, and new larger 33-inch tires, the Canyon AT4X has no issues traversing moderately sized rock gardens. Of course, larger rocks will provide a challenge, as long wheelbase IFS pickups typically don't make great rock buggies. Perhaps most notable is, again, the suspension tuning; we experienced almost no head-toss while walking through the rocks, which is a testament to the adaptability of Multimatic's spool-valve dampers.
With tons of torque on tap, locking differentials at both ends, and Goodyear mud-terrain tires, it should surprise no one that the new Canyon AT4X is proficient when it comes to the art of hill-climbing. With full street pressure in the tires, the Canyon AT4X was pointed up an extremely loose and rocky trail on the side of a large hill. In four-wheel drive, with the differentials unlocked, the truck struggled but made decent progress with copious amounts of throttle applied. Engaging the front and rear locking differentials allowed the truck to easily climb the nasty hill with poise and grace. Impressively, both locking differentials engaged and disengaged quickly (which, as anyone who's driven other vehicles with a front locking differential will know, can sometimes be a challenge).
Coming back down the hill was a complete non-event as well, thanks in part to GMC's addition of Terrain Mode to the Canyon AT4X. Terrain Mode, which is also found on the GMC Hummer EV, Sierra AT4X, and several other GM pickups, allows for one-pedal driving by taking control of the vehicle's braking. When engaged, the driver can set the system to one of three levels, which correspond with the aggressiveness of the braking action and, when going downhill, speed as well. As you press on the throttle, power is gently applied, and when letting off the throttle, braking is applied, making for very smooth transitions once you've become accustomed to operating the system. This means that descending very steep, loose, and rocky hills quickly becomes anticlimactic. And for those not quite comfortable with the one-pedal driving style of Terrain Mode, the Canyon AT4X still has traditional hill descent control as well.
It can be tough to really gauge build quality from these early prototype trucks. However, we'd be remiss if we didn't at least mention the 2023 GMC Canyon AT4X's new interior. GMC's new Canyon interior takes the truck from aging to modern in a snap, and each of the three trims gets its own specific interior color scheme. We found the seats to be quite comfortable for our off-roading journey—even the rear seat—and, surprisingly enough, we don't dislike the truck's red seat belts.
The truck's new 11.3-inch infotainment screen is packed with features, incorporating off-road pages with Overlanding (altitude and GPS guidance), Terrain (pitch, roll, and tire pressure), and Baja (G-force, wheel slip, and transfercase status) options to choose from. GMC's engineers have also added a new function for airing-down tires, which, when the user-desired pressure is achieved, will sound the truck's horn (much like the air-up function they've offered previously). The Canyon AT4X comes with five selectable drive modes—Normal, Tow/Haul, Off-Road, Terrain, and Baja—which are activated by a console-mounted selector. The truck also has a "fun" mode that allows nearly all of the driver-assist features to be disabled for a more hands-on driving experience.
While our time with the all-new 2023 GMC Canyon AT4X was relatively brief, it was incredibly illuminating. It's abundantly clear that GMC set out to create the best midsize off-road truck, and at first glance it would appear that they have succeeded. The truck's exterior styling is rugged, the interior is loaded with the latest technology, it packs a potent powertrain, and its list of off-road hardware will make even the most seasoned 'wheeler proud. Off-road, the Canyon AT4X is the real deal. It works remarkably well in the rocks, sand, and while driving high-speed over rough terrain, and it's smooth, quiet, and compliant on the pavement—truly a truck that can tackle the wilds on the weekend and then commute to work on Monday. We're beyond excited to see this truck come to life and cannot wait to get more time behind the wheel.