2025 GMC Canyon vs. the Competition

Over fifty years ago, Ford offered a rebadged Mazda truck known as the Courier as its small truck. Ford began producing its own small Ranger about the same year GMC launched its S-15 small truck, later to be known as the Sonoma. For 10 years, the Ranger went through generations of Rangers before being put on a seven-year hiatus. The model returned in 2019 and was recently redesigned for 2024. Most models are powered by a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4. A 2.7-liter V6 is available in some trims, and the ZR2-competing Raptor is powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6.

• Canyon’s standard 310-horsepower engine is more powerful than the Ranger’s 270-horsepower base engine, which is the standard engine of the Ranger Lariat 4×4 and roughly comparable in price to the Canyon AT4.
• At 430 lb-ft, the Canyon engine also has considerably more torque than the base Ranger engine (310), and the optional 2.7-liter turbocharged V6 engine (400).
• Canyon AT4 has a slight edge in ground clearance vs the Ranger Lariat 4×4 (9.6 inches vs. 9.3).
• Canyon AT4 and Ranger Lariat 4×4 are very close regarding their maximum towing capacity, but Canyon has the edge, with 7,700 pounds compared to 7,500.
• Canyon’s bed length is longer at 5’ 2” compared to 5’ 0” for the Ranger.
• Canyon has a noticeably larger fuel tank (21.4 gallons vs. 18.8).
• Canyon offers 1.5 inches more rear legroom than the Ranger. Shoulder, hip, and head room are all within an inch of each other.
• All Canyons have a standard 11.3-inch screen. Rangers have a 10-inch screen until they reach the Lariat and Raptor levels, which have 12-inch screens.
• Canyon offers the convenience of Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto on all models, while all Rangers require wired smartphone compatibility.

Branded as a Datsun at the time, the first Nissan pickup arrived in the U.S. in 1959 to become the first modern compact pickup truck sold in this country. The truck was named Frontier in 1997 when it became classified as a mid-size truck. The Frontier is powered by a 310-hp 3.8-liter V6 on all trims. It is available with both extended King Cab and 4-door Crew Cabs, the former with a 6-foot bed and the latter with a choice of either a 5- or 6-foot bed. The Frontier SL 4×4 with the 5-foot bed is a price-comparable model to the Canyon AT4.

• The Frontier’s V6 and Canyon’s 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-4 both produce the same horsepower, but Canyon significantly outpowers the Frontier in torque. (430 lb-ft vs. 281).
• Canyon’s greater torque also peaks at a lower rpm than the Frontier (3,000 rpm vs. 4,400). The Frontier
• Canyon AT4 EPA-estimated city / highway fuel mileage of 18 / 22 has an edge over the Frontier SL 4×4 of 17 / 21.
• The maximum towing ability for Canyon significantly exceeds that of the Frontier (7,700 lb. vs. 6,810).
• Canyon AT4 also has a higher maximum payload than the Frontier SL 4×4 (1,570 lb. vs. 1,150).
• Rear passengers enjoy more legroom (34.7 inches vs. 33.2 inches) in Canyon.
• When comparing 5-foot beds, Canyon’s is slightly longer (61.7 inches vs. 59.5) and wider between the wheel wells (45.5 inches vs. 44.5).
• In contrast to the Frontier, Canyon’s rear cross-traffic alert system includes automatic braking.
• Canyon’s brake discs are significantly larger than the Frontier’s. Front discs: 13.4 vs 11.7 inches. Rear discs: 13.3 vs 11.3.

The Toyota Tacoma turns 30 years old in 2025, although Toyota introduced its first compact pickup to the U.S. in 1968. Four-wheel drive was added in the truck’s third generation in 1979, along with an automatic transmission, fuel injection, independent front suspension, an optional V6 engine, and the XtraCab body style. With the launch of the 1995 Tacoma, the truck transitioned to a midsize classification, offering both XtraCab and 4-door DoubleCab configurations, with V6 engines becoming the primary powertrain. The latest fourth-generation model for 2024 features 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-4 engines, including enhancements to the i-FORCE and hybrid i-FORCE MAX performance levels. The hybrid engine is designed more for power than fuel efficiency. The Tacoma offers an XtraCab option paired with a 6-foot bed and a 4-door DoubleCab option with the choice of 5- or 6-foot beds. The default comparison model to the Canyon AT4 is the Tacoma TRD Off-Road.

• All Canyons have more horsepower than Tacoma models with the i-FORCE engine (310 vs. 278) and more torque (430 lb-ft vs. 317).
• All Canyons also have more torque than Tacoma models with the i-FORCE engine (430 lb-ft vs. 317).
• Both the Colorado and Tacoma use 8-speed shiftable automatic transmissions.
• Canyon AT4 has a maximum towing capacity of 7,700 lb., compared to 6,400 lb. for Tacoma TRD Off-Road.
• Rear passengers in Canyon have more legroom than in Tacoma (34.7 inches vs. 33.7).
• Canyon’s 5-foot cargo box is larger than Tacoma’s (61.7 x 58.8 x 21.1 inches vs. 60.3 x 53.0 x 21.2 inches).
• The standard touchscreen on Canyon is significantly larger than the standard screen on Tacoma TRD Off-road (11.3 inches vs. 8.0).
• Rear parking sensors are standard on Canyon AT4 but optional on Tacoma TRD Off-Road.
• Canyon has a noticeably larger fuel tank (21.4 gallons vs. 18.2).
• Regarding Roadside Assistance services, Canyon comes with 5-year / 60,000-mile roadside assistance compared to 2-year / 25,000 miles for Tacoma.