GMC Canyon AT4

Off-Road Game GMC gives the off-road AT4 treatment to the 2021 Canyon mid-size pickup

Story and photos by Stephen Elmer, additional photos courtesy of GM Canada

GM refreshed its midsize pickup trucks for 2021 with brand new styling, giving both the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon a new face to keep them looking fresh on dealer lots. And while the off-road focused Colorado ZR2 lives on with its equipment unchanged, GMC has upped the Canyon’s off-road game with the new AT4 model.

Checking the AT4 box on the Canyon means that the truck arrives with a set of 31-inch Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires, standard four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case, an automatic locking rear differential (the famous Eaton G80), off-road tuned suspension, leather seats with Kalahari accents and embroidered AT4 logos, LED fog lamps and a standard V6 engine. That is a 3.6-litre unit making 308 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque, sent through an eight-speed automatic transmission. For those that want more torque, a 2.8-litre Duramax diesel is available, packing 369 lb-ft.

This package does not go as far as the Colorado ZR2 with its Multimatic suspension system, front and rear lockers and body protection, but it does upgrade the truck in all the right areas to make it a step above stock. However, our test truck arrived with a single piece of equipment that suggests it’s not a real off-roader: a front plastic air dam. In all the promotional photos of the AT4, the air dam is removed, and yet our tester arrived with a big piece of plastic hanging off its chin, meant to improve fuel economy at highway speeds, but impeding any sort of off-road ability. Looking at photos online of AT4 models sitting on dealer lots, it looks like GMC doesn’t do the removal for you, so take our advice and take the front spoiler off before you go off-road. Otherwise, a rock is going to take it off for you.

We put the AT4 to work with a trailer, payload and an off-road test, and as an overall package, this truck delivers. With a 5,000-lb trailer hooked behind it, the 3.6-litre V6 pulls strongly, though it does seem to have a power dip in the mid-range before the real horsepower is delivered high in the rev range. Luckily it revs willingly, and dynamically stays solid with weight behind it. Unlike the ZR2, the AT4 keeps its tow rating at up to 7,000 pounds with the gas engine and 7,600 with the diesel, so you don’t

give anything up opting for this package. The seating position in the Canyon, like in all of GM’s mid-sizers, is fairly deep in the truck, providing a ton of comfort even for those standing above six-feet tall.

With 1,000 pounds in the bed of the truck, the suspension also stays nicely damped, keeping the truck feeling solid and confident through gravel corners or sharp bends.

Inside, the Canyon still works well, and the cabin is simply appointed. It is starting to feel a little old considering this interior was introduced in 2015, and AT4 stitching and a few accent pieces don’t change that. But the truck offers everything you need for work and play: tow/haul mode, an available trailer brake controller, an easy-to-access storage cubby on the dash, navigation, a full suite of connectivity features and an upgraded Bose stereo system. Rubbercoated buttons on the steering wheel feel great under thumb and provide easy navigation through all of the truck’s information, while buttons mounted on the back of the wheel offer a convenient place for volume and preset controls.

When you do hit the muddy, sandy or dusty trail, the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac is a solid choice for an all-terrain tire, proving strong traction in all situations, though the trade-off is pronounced noise on the road. There are quieter all-terrains out there, but it’s hard to knock these tires on off-road performance. The suspension upgrades help the Canyon absorb some harder hits off-road, but the truck remains fairly stiff in

order to take on payload, so don’t expect to be hitting obstacles at high speeds in this rig. Hill descent control is part of this package as well, helping to control the braking duties on steep off-road hills for you, while that G80 rear locker does work as advertised, locking up when one of the wheels begins to spin. The tires are the driving factor behind the AT4’s upgraded off-road performance, while the rest of the package is mostly paint and plastic to show others that yours is the off-road truck. Granted, the AT4 does look great in our opinion with its new grille, red tow hooks and stylized wheels, and that has to be a consideration, just don’t look at this like the ultimate in off-road performance. If that’s what you want from General Motors, visit the Chevrolet dealership. Pricing for the Canyon AT4 starts at $41,898 in Canada when equipped with gas engine and climbs to $49,198 with the diesel. This truck arrives as the Colorado Trail Runner leaves the Chevy stable, and that makes sense, as the two basically offered the exact same thing: a budget ZR2. Except that with standard rock rails, the

Trail Runner actually came a littler better protected. But for 2021, the Trail Runner package has disappeared from Chevy order books, leaving the Canyon AT4 as the next best option below the ZR2 when it comes to off-road packages for GM midsize pickups.

Opting for the 2021 GMC Canyon AT4 gets you a stylish off-road truck with a great set of tires and a couple of meaningful upgrades, performing well in all situations. Don’t expect it to climb like a mountain goat, but it will deliver above-average performance off-road and strong towing and payload hauling capability.