It’s a great time to be fans of burly midsize trucks: the simultaneous existence of Ranger Raptor, Tacoma TRD Pro (plus Trailhunter), and the ZR2/AT4X duo at The General means there is ample choice on the market for shoppers in this segment.

Chevy went one step further by ‘roiding their already ‘roided Colorado ZR2 and creating the ZR2 Bison. Now, GMC dealers get a variant of their own in the new Canyon AT4X AEV Edition.

Building on the AT4X, a rig we’ve sampled in off-road environs and found to be more than capable thanks in no small part to its excellent Multimatic DSSV dampers, the AEV Edition adds a 1.5-Inch lift plus 35-inch tires and some extra hardware. In other words, it isn’t just a simple paint and wallpaper job. That 1.5-inch stretch is in addition to the standard AT4X’s 3-inch factory lift, by the way, meaning the AEV has some serious chops when it comes to tiptoeing over the landscape. Off-road angles now check in at 38.2-degree front, 26.9-degree break over, and 26.0-degree departure. 

The new 35-inch meats are courtesy of Goodyear, showing up for the party with a set of Wrangler Territory MT rubber. An in-bed spare tire mount is on tap, pushing the narrative that this truck operates solely as a transportation device for its own spare wheel. These tires and that lift conspire to provide over a full foot of ground clearance (12.2 inches, to be exact), a sum very nearly equal to that found on a few pricey dedicated UTV off-roaders.

You’ll have noticed the stamped-steel bumper by now, along with the winch provision upfront. Slung underneath are five skid plates to protect expensive bits, though there’s no mention of the AT4X’s surprisingly useful underbody camera. Let’s hope the new protection doesn’t cover and scupper that feature. They also baked a launch control feature in the truck’s Baja Mode, a detail sure to delight gearheads both on and off the trail. Someone with a clue also added a trio of auxiliary control switches to enable the integration of off-road and overland accessories.

GM’s tie-up with American Expedition Vehicles stems from a conversation they had with AEV boss Dave Harriton, a man who was asked to take a last-gen Colorado ZR2 and equip it with the type of aftermarket gear from which he thought the truck could further benefit. After last year’s redesign, The General continued the relationship which resulted in the truck you see here plus its Chevrolet counterpart.

The 2024 Canyon AT4X AEV Edition is expected to be available for customer orders later this year.

[Images: GMC]

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