2022 GMC Canyon Pros vs Cons. Should You Buy?

As popular as the full-size truck is in America, it isn't something that everyone needs. There are many situations where a small or mid-size pickup truck better suits the owner. The boom in SUV and large-truck sales caused many automakers to ditch their smaller trucks for awhile. Thankfully, the market seems to be course-correcting this mistake. There are now a number of great smaller trucks available such as GMC's 2022 Canyon.

The latest GMC Canyon is an attractive truck with a variety of body styles and powertrain options. It has great towing capabilities in a smaller, more maneuverable package. Here are some of the best reasons to buy a new Canyon, along with some reasons why it may not be your best choice.

What's New for 2022?

There isn't much difference between the new 2022 Canyons and last-year's models. One new addition is the Denali Black Edition. This package switches out a lot of the chrome for a blacked-out look. There are low-gloss, black-aluminum 20-inch wheels. The exhaust tips, assist steps and trim get the same blacked-out treatment as well.

 

Top 10 Reasons to Buy a 2022 GMC Canyon – The Pros

1. Strong Engines Including a Diesel Option

GMC offers a couple of strong engine choices for its 2022 Canyon pickup truck. There's a 3.6-liter V6 that offers 308 horsepower with 275 pound-feet of torque. This power plant uses a dual overhead camshaft design. It also uses direct fuel injection and variable valve timing for both power and efficiency.

The Canyon can even be equipped with a powerful 2.8-liter Duramax Turbo-Diesel 4-cylinder. This engine cranks out 181 horsepower with an impressive 369 pound-feet of torque for exceptional performance.

2. Hauling and Towing Capabilities

Hauling and towing capabilities are among the most important specs for a pickup truck. The 2022 GMC Canyon may not be a full-sized truck, but it can do large amounts of work. This is mostly thanks to those aforementioned powerful engines. With the right setup, the GMC Canyon can tow up to 7,700 pounds. The Canyon can haul a payload of up to 1,584 pounds in its cargo bed.

3. Well-Mannered Steering and Handling

The 2022 GMC Canyon has unusually good steering and handling for a mid-size pickup truck. This is one of the real highlights of this truck that helps to set it apart from its competitors. Being a smaller truck also means that the Canyon is inherently easier to maneuver and to find parking spaces for. The Canyon offers tight and accurate steering with a turning radius of 43.1 feet.

4. A Comfortable Ride

In addition to the excellent steering dynamics and handling, the 2022 GMC Canyon also offers a smooth ride. There's an independent coil front suspension paired with a dual-stage multi-leaf rear suspension on every model. The Canyon does a good job of mitigating any bumps in the road. It even provides a smoother ride over off-road terrain than what one might expect.

5. The Stylish Exterior

The latest GMC Canyon is a striking vehicle. It has the rugged and tough look of a pickup truck, but still with an amount of class and elegance to its design. It's an attractive truck that is sure to turn heads at the office, on the road or at an obscure off-road camping site. The Canyon is both stylish and at home pretty much anywhere.

6. The Comfortable and Well-Equipped Interior

The interior is nice at every trim level for the 2022 GMC Canyon. It's especially luxurious when moving up to the Denali trim. Here, buyers will get a 6-way power-adjustable driver's seat and a 4-way power-adjustable front-passenger seat. The driver's seat also offers power-operated lumbar control.

The seats have both heating and ventilation. The steering wheel offers a heating feature as well. Perforated, leather-appointed upholstery is available for the seats while the steering wheel comes wrapped in fine leather. The Denali also has a 4.2-inch Driver Information Center.

7. A Top Tier Infotainment System

Another great interior feature of the Canyon is its infotainment system. Most trim levels get a six-speaker audio system. This also comes with an AM/FM stereo and an 8-inch touchscreen display. Bluetooth is available for streaming and there are numerous USB ports.

This infotainment system offers a WiFi Hotspot for easy connectivity for all of the passengers. Wireless charging is available on the Denali. The Denali also offers a Bose Premium audio system with seven speakers.

8. Legit Off-Road Capabilities

The 2022 GMC Canyon has legitimate off-road capabilities. Every trim level is available with 4-wheel drive. The AtT4 trim level, in particular, was designed with off-road adventuring in mind. An AT4 Off-Road Performance Edition Package adds on even more features to increase the Canyon's terrain-crawling capabilities.

Some of the off-road package's top features include performance skid plates for the front and middle of the underbody. There's an added front-leveling kit. There's off-road rocker protection. The front air dam gets removed, and a spray-in bed liner is thrown in for good measure.

9. Numerous Body Styles to Choose From

GMC provides a lot of options for configuring a 2022 Canyon to the buyer's liking. There are 2WD and 4WD versions of most trim levels. There's an Extended Cab version of the Canyon. There's also a Crew Cab variation with four full-sized doors for easy entering and exiting. The truck bed is also available in both short and long length variations.

10. It's Designed for Safety

GMC always takes great care to provide safe vehicles. This should always be a priority for new-truck buyers. There are six airbags in every model of the 2022 GMC Canyon. There are front and side-mounted side-impact bags for the driver and front passenger. There are also head-curtain airbags to add protection up front and for the rear passengers.

An HD rear-vision camera makes it easy for the driver to see what's behind them. The Lane-Departure Warning gives them notice if they should veer too far out of their lane. GMC's StabiliTrak technology adds both electronic stability control and traction control.

Reasons Not to Buy a 2022 GMC Canyon – The Cons

1. An Under-Powered Base Engine

The Elevation Standard is the base trim level of the 2022 GMC Canyon. It offers good value, but the base engine is somewhat under-powered. The engine is a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder that produces around 200 horsepower and 191 pound-feet of torque. Thankfully, GMC also offers their 3.6-liter V6 and the 2.8-liter Duramax Turbo-Diesel.

2. Minimal Driver-Assist Technology

The amount of driver-assist technology is lacking on the 2022 GMC Canyon. This is an area of automobile tech that has seen a lot of advancement in recent years. These features are becoming common in all vehicles, even budget vehicles. The Canyon seems stuck in the past here. It even lacks some of the more common driver-assist features that most of the competition offers.

3. Small Front Seats

The front seats may be a bit on the small side for some. This is something that every potential buyer will need to decide for themselves. It might pay to take a test drive before blindly buying a GMC Canyon, just to make sure it's a good fit.

4. Not Enough In-Cab Storage

This is a minor nitpick, but there is a noticeable lack of small-item storage spaces throughout the cabin. This is another area in which some of GMC's competitors do it better. The next version of the Canyon could use more pockets, cubby holes and cup holders.

 

How It Stacks Up to the Competition:

2022 GMC Canyon vs 2022 Ford Maverick

Ford is on a roll with smaller trucks lately. They recently revived their mid-sized Ford Ranger and now have debuted the Maverick, a more compact pickup truck. The Maverick is an interesting alternative to the 2022 GMC Canyon. It's smaller, lighter and a whole lot cheaper. For those who don't need the extra size and towing power, it could be a serious contender.

With all of that said, the GMC Canyon does perform better when it comes to towing and hauling. The Maverick can't tow more than 2,000 pounds, nor can it haul much more than 1,512 pounds. If you need a truck for even modest work duties, the Maverick struggles to keep up. Still, it's an interesting budget buy. It even has plenty of standard convenience features and a nice infotainment system. It's just not quite as much or as nice as the GMC Canyon.

2022 GMC Canyon vs 2022 Nissan Frontier

The Nissan Frontier offers another possible alternative to the 2022 GMC Canyon. Its base price is a bit higher, but not significantly higher. It does better than the Maverick at towing and hauling, but still doesn't stack up to the GMC Canyon. It can't keep up with the Canyon when it comes to off-road capabilities either. It does have a more powerful base engine than the Canyon, but this is quickly negated when you move up a trim level or two.

Even if the plan is to stay on the road and do little work, the GMC still wins out here. It has a more comfortable, premium interior. This is especially true when moving up to the Denali model. The Nissan does offer more modern driver-assist tech. It can still be a good choice for a road truck if the buyer plans to stay towards the base trim levels.

Conclusion

The 2022 GMC Canyon beats out its competitors in the categories that matter the most. It's a more compact, easier-to-maneuver truck, but it can still gets some serious work done. If the buyer is looking for something more luxurious for long periods on the road, the Denali beats out the competition here too. Unless there are price considerations, the GMC Canyon usually ends up on top when compared to others in its class.