2023 GMC Canyon vs 2023 RAM 1500

Do you remember when pickup trucks were used only by construction workers and gardeners? They were work machines, meant to have scratched beds, a cab full of McDonald’s wrappers, and a big dent on the tailgate from an unfortunate run-in with a telephone pole.

Not anymore. Today’s trucks give luxury vehicles a run for their money, with fancy features and ridiculous amounts of technology. Today we’re looking at the 2023 Ram 1500. This truck hasn’t gotten a major update since 2019, and while it still holds its own next to the offerings from Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota, the others are catching up quickly.

2023 marks the third generation of GMC's midsize pickup truck. The first-generation Canyon arrived for the 2004 model year as a replacement for the compact GMC Sonoma, and after a short hiatus a second-generation Canyon was introduced as a 2015 model. Throughout, the Canyon has been a twin of the Chevrolet Colorado, with only a few differences to distinguish the ostensibly upscale GMC from its working-class sibling. That changes for 2023.

The new Canyon is once again based on the Colorado, sharing the Chevy's body-on-frame platform, powertrain, and tech features. This time around, though, the Canyon is further distinguished from the Colorado by skipping some of the Chevy's entry-level features. That will raise the out-the-door price of a 2023 Canyon, but it's in keeping with the truck's positioning above the Colorado.

The Canyon is once again available in the base Elevation, luxury Denali, and off-road-oriented AT4 grades familiar to owners of the outgoing model. For 2023, GMC also adds a Canyon AT4X model that dials up the off-road capability. We drove it, as well as the Elevation and AT4 models, to see if this redesign is really an improvement.