2024 GMC Canyon AT4X AEV ready to hit the trails with 35-inch tires

GMC redesigned the Canyon for 2023, and for 2024 the mid-size pickup truck gets a Canyon AT4X AEV Edition aimed at serious off-roaders.

GMC’s Sierra 1500 and Sierra HD already offer the AT4X AEV treatment, but this is the first time the Canyon gets it.

As the name suggests, the 2024 Canyon AT4X AEV Edition is based on the already capable Canyon AT4X and features enhancements developed in partnership with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), a company that specializes in off-road gear.

Like the pickup truck’s corporate cousin, the 2024 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison, the Canyon AT4X AEV Edition benefits from additional underbody protection and a new front bumper with winch capability. The rear bumper also features removable corners that can be taken off and replaced easily when hitting trails.

2024 GMC Canyon AT4X AEV

The underbody protection, consisting of hot-stamped boron-steel skid plates, covers the radiator, steering gear, transmission and transfer case, fuel tank, and rear differential.

The pickup truck also wears flared wheel arches designed to fit chunky 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires. The tires wrap around AEV’s 17-inch beadlock-capable Salta wheels.

The new tires and the 4.5-inch factory lift kit bring ground clearance up to 12.2 inches, or 1.5 inches higher than the Canyon AT4X, which rides on 33-inch tires. The result is impressive approach, breakover, and departure angles of 38.2, 26.9, and 26.0 degrees, respectively.

No change has been made to the powertrain. It means under the hood sits a 2.7-liter turbo-4 rated at 310 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. The engine is standard across the Canyon lineup and comes mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Drive goes to all four wheels.

2024 GMC Canyon AT4X AEV

The Canyon AT4X AEV Edition will be available to order later this year. Pricing information will be announced closer to the market launch.

For 2024, both the Canyon AT4X and AT4X AEV Edition feature a new launch control function when in their Baja drive mode. The launch control is able to detect the surface conditions and adjust engine speed and torque to optimize traction and as a result improve acceleration, GMC said.

All 2024 Canyons also adopt General Motors’ Ultifi software platform that enables over-the-air updates.

Production of the Canyon is handled at a GM plant in Wentzville, Missouri.