Today, GMC has pulled the wraps off the latest fruit of its labour with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV): the 2024 GMC Canyon AEV.
Like its Sierra bigger sibling, the transition to AEV spec has given the Canyon AT4X larger tires – in this case, a set of 35-inch Goodyear Territory MTs, with a bed-mounted spare, all wrapped around beadlock-capable Salta wheels – a 4.5” factory lift, added underbody protection courtesy of boron plates under the rad, transmission transfer case, rear diff and fuel tank, and stamped heavy duty front and rear bumpers.
That’s the nitty gritty; on the surface, we find larger fender flares and wider front and rear tracks as well as specialized AEV branding on the bumpers, floor liners and headrests.
It should come as no surprise that this particular Canyon is no “look-at me” joke, but a proper off-roader with better approach, departure and breakover angles to the tune of 38.2 degrees, 26 degrees and 26.9 degrees, respectively. In additions to looking the part, the front bumper has also been given recovery points for winch mounting and the rear bumper gets corners that can be easily removed for better off-road progress.
Like the rest of the Canyon line-up, the AEV gets a single engine choice: a 2.7-litre turbo four-cylinder making 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque, fed to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. It will be available only as a crew cab with five-foot box.
Like the standard AT4X, meanwhile, the AEV also gets a Baja drive mode for faster off-road work as well as a launch control feature that encourages drivers to make use of brake stands as opposed to the opposite. The launch control feature will even read the road surface and adjust accordingly.
Seems like a truckload of fun – but we’ll have to wait until late summer to find out for sure, as that’s when production is scheduled to begin at GM assembly in Wentzville, MO.