We had a chance to test the 2024 GMC Canyon AT4X off-road midsized pickup and were surprised by its on-road capabilities.
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2024 GM Canyon AT4X AEV Edition - What Is It?
The GMC Canyon is the brand’s midsized pickup option. Within the model line, the AT4X was the top pick for off-road adventures. The AEV Edition takes the Canyon to 11, so to speak. This truck is fully equipped for hardcore offroading. AEV stands for American Expedition Vehicles, and it is a brand of off-roading accessories from which GMC has had a shopping spree.
The biggest standout of the AEV Edition is the bed-mounted spare tire with a quick disconnect for lightning-fast tire changes when doing timed baja runs. It has the look of a competition vehicle. Since I am a spare tire fanatic, I love that the vehicle has a full-size matching spare. However, seeing out the rear window is also handy in real life. For a reason we cannot fathom, this GM vehicle is the only one without GM’s rear-view camera we have tested in years. Odd.
The AEV Edition also sports massive 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler tires on special beadlock-capable rims. Special front fascia and underbody steel skidplates help make the most of a 4.5-inch lift. The minimum (not maximum) ground clearance of the AEV Edition is 12.2 inches.
2024 GM Canyon AT4X AEV Edition - Powertrain, MPG, Fuel Type
The Canyon AT4X features a gas engine with 430 lb-ft of torque. This works with GM’s 8-speed automatic transmission and a 4x4 system with multiple drive modes including Baja. There are power locking differentials. Hill descent control is also part of the many drivetrain features. Our observed MPG in a week of traffic-free driving was 18.8 MPG. The EPA rating is 16 MPG, so our observed MPG exceeded that. The vehicle uses regular unleaded fuel.
The shocking thing about the Canyon AT4X AEV Edition is how well it handles on pavement. Whether wet or dry, the vehicle is not sloppy, doesn't feel particularly tippy, and it is as quiet as many Subarus we have tested. The vehicle is downright livable in day-to-day and highway driving. On lonely back roads in the mountains of New Hampshire, it was very enjoyable in spirited (but always controlled and safe) driving. Looking at the truck, one would assume it would be a hot mess to drive. Not at all.
In addition to its off-road gear, the infotainment system wowed us. The 2024 Canyon has an example of GM’s new Google-built-in infotainment package. However, in this GM vehicle, Android Auto worked, and worked great. It was super easy to connect. One simply accepts the prompt on one’s phone. It was also wireless after the initial pairing. The center screen display is just right. Really big, but not silly big. The driver information display, a.k.a. gauge cluster, is super easy to customize to one’s preference. Our preference was to display a close-in view of Google Maps and leave the venter display showing a wide view of the route. This, coupled with an outstanding head-up display with next-turn indication made navigating the best we have ever experienced in over ten years of vehicle testing. What GM has here is the best system in the industry today.
Our apps, like Pandora, Audible, and Google Maps, all loaded immediately from our phone, with no need to sign into the GM/Google system at all. Since it used our data plan (unlimited), if we owned the truck, we would not have to subscribe to any data plan.
Our understanding is that some new GM models will require an in-vehicle data plan to work. Whether paid for by GM for a period or not, we’d much rather use our own plan and never need to sign into the vehicle with our apps.
2024 GM Canyon AT4X AEV Edition - Price
The AEV package adds over $10K to the price of a loaded Canyon AT4X. With all of its accessories, ours had a price including the Destination and Freight Charge, but less dealer doc fees of $67,530. This price also did not include the vertical bed-mounted spare since we could not find it in the build list.
2024 GM Canyon AT4X AEV Edition - Screen Blank Event
In six days of testing, the infotainment screen was perfect. However, during one day, the infotainment screen went blank and the audio ceased. A restart did not turn it back on, nor did using the brightness thumb wheel on the dash or any available menus. We tried in vain to make the screen return. A second restart didn't make the screen return. However, many hours later, a third start brought the screen back as if nothing had happened. Let’s chalk this up to the vehicle being literally brand new with under 2,000 miles on the odometer. Perhaps it was doing a software update? We are not sure. All we know is that we’ve owned four new vehicles from Mazda, Subaru, Ford, and Toyota of model years 2016, 2018, 2023, and 2024, and over eight years of ownership none of them displayed a blank screen even one time.
Temporary blank screens happen about once in every ten new vehicles we test, but again, many are fresh off a delivery truck and may be doing updates. We felt it was only fair to mention this event because we are not alone. We found many instances of this happening online convincing us the problem is not specific to our individual vehicle. Here’s a quick list of some reports of this issue:
2024 GM Canyon AT4X AEV Edition - Conclusion
Please read a better review of the Canyon’s off-road performance than this one. Although we searched for one to add as a link, all we could find were first drive reports. We were not able to take the Canyon AT4X AEV edition off-road to test its capabilities in its intended environment during our scheduled week with it. However, we did do some important testing, and did experience some things we think shoppers should know. This is an amazing truck that couples capability with livability that should not be missed. Watch Torque News for an upcoming test of the Chevy Colorado Bison.
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John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on Linkedin and follow his work at our X channel. Please note that stories carrying John's by-line are never AI-generated, but he does employ Grammarly grammar and punctuation software when proofreading.
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