Starts at $38,400
Rank
Pros
Cons
What's New for 2025?
The Canyon carries over unchanged, but its prices get significant hikes, exacerbating what was already a notable value gap versus the virtually identical Chevy Colorado.
FAST FACTS
"We like the Canyon a lot, but its value proposition versus the virtually identical Chevy Colorado has become problematic. The downright awesome Colorado Trail Boss is the best comp here, as its $40k-ish starting price blows away anything the Canyon can offer. In fact, the cheapest Canyon 4x4 — the Elevation trim — costs more than the Trail Boss and doesn't even come with low-range gearing. It's always worth checking with your GMC dealer on market pricing, but just going by the MSRPs, it appears that GMC has put too much of a premium on the Canyon. That's unfortunate, because we dig the Canyon's styling, performance, features, looks — pretty much everything about it."—Ranked #4 out of 7 Midsize Trucks
MotorDonkey's proprietary vehicle data identifies every significant version of each model so that you can compare and decide. Ordered by price from low to high, here are the versions of the 2025 GMC Canyon that you need to be aware of, along with our expert analysis and recommendations.
Scroll to:
Here's the problem with the rear-wheel-drive Canyon's $38,400 starting price — you can get a Colorado Trail Boss with the same engine plus dual-range four-wheel drive and other trail-ready kit for not much more coin. We just don't see the value on the GMC side in this case. Grab a Trail Boss and don't look back, unless you really don't want 4WD for some reason.
A key fact about the base four-wheel drive Canyon Elevation trim, which is the Canyon 4x4 offered at the starting price listed here, is that it comes with a single-speed transfer case. That means you only have 4-Hi, not 4-Lo. Why do we bring this up? Because for less money, you can have the Colorado Trail Boss with its two-speed transfer case, giving you the 4-Lo functionality you'd expect in an off-roader. If you want 4-Lo in a Canyon, you'll have to step up to the AT4 trim, which starts at an eye-popping $45,700.
Although the AT4 version of the base Canyon Elevation 4x4 is a highly capable off-roader with low-range gearing for many thousands less, perhaps it leaves you wanting more. If so, the AT4X gives you GMC's take on the Colorado ZR2 formula, including larger mud-terrain tires, locking rear and front differentials, an extra inch of suspension lift, Multimatic DSSV dampers and various other off-road-oriented upgrades.
Publisher and Donkey-in-Chief
Josh has been reviewing cars professionally since joining Edmunds.com fresh out of grad school in 2008, personally driving most new cars on the market every year since. He also served as the project manager for Edmunds' expert vehicle rankings from their inception in 2018, building the product out from the back end to the front end. Josh is a card-carrying member of the Motor Press Guild and a lifelong car nut who has tested, compared and critiqued a ridiculous number of cars in his career.
Latest Reviews
Let's make it official!Be a good donkey and we'll deliver delicious car news straight to your inbox, spam-free forever.
