BCRR26
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This year I traded my 2024 Canyon AT4X for a 2026 Ranger Raptor and I wanted to share my thoughts. The short version is that I'm happy with my decision and I feel I'm getting better value for the money I spent with the Ranger Raptor.
Things the Canyon AT4X has that the RR doesn't: Ventilated seats, HUD, physical locker switches, rock sliders, jounce dampers, optional sunroof but I didn't have one.
Things the Ranger Raptor has that the AT4X doesn't: More HP and Ford tune available, Forscan available, adjustable steering, suspension, and exhaust, physical traction control button, steel front bumper, 4.27 gearing, rear recovery points.
These are the main points I think are worth mentioning quickly.
There is a lot more to it than that and Ive tried to cover it all in this write up so on to the long version we go.
2026 Ranger Raptor vs 2024 Canyon AT4X
I have found myself fortunate enough to own both a brand new 2024 GMC Canyon AT4X and a brand new 2026 Ford Ranger Raptor less than two years apart and I'm sure I'm not the only person who has debated between these two trucks when considering a purchase so I just wanted to share my experience. Ive been a Chevy guy most of my life and been in GM midsized trucks since 2018 but the Ranger Raptor called me over and to make a long story short, I do not have any regrets. I'm going to break down the pros and cons of each, because neither one is perfect, so if there is a specific feature anyone else might be looking for, this could help them decide. This is going to be long winded, there is a lot to unpack to do a fair comparison.
Just the background first, skip this paragraph if you just want to get to the vs, this is how I ended up in my Ranger Raptor. In 2018 I bought a brand new Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 for 47k CDN. I loved the DSSV dampers, they were my first taste of a performance off road suspension. By 2024 with the markets doing their thing it ended up my 2018 ZR2 was still worth 39k on a dealer trade in so worth approx. 44k with the tax savings. I figured I'd never get the opportunity again with that truck and decided to trade it in for a 24 GMC Canyon AT4X which I paid MSRP for at 71k CDN and took delivery in October 2024. I was going to get another Colorado ZR2 but GM doesn't offer a power passenger seat in any trim level of Colorado so I went with the Canyon for the power seat and I preferred the exterior styling anyway. The only thing I didn't really like about the Canyon was the white interior, the only option on the AT4X trim level, but I thought I would get used to it or I could possibly swap it. I ended up getting a smoking deal on the Multimatic jounce damper kit so I put that on the truck and it dramatically improved handling and really made the truck feel like it could take anything you could throw at the suspension. I had a couple of things I really wanted to change though, I really wanted to get rid of the white in the interior, and I really wanted the AEV front bumper. The bumper was 5500 CDN plus tax and shipping and the interior was going to cost me 2000 minimum. I started realizing that by the time I spent the money to get the Canyon exactly how I wanted it I was going to spend as much as I would on a Ranger Raptor and there was nothing I wanted to change on the Ranger. It already had steel bumpers, I loved the interior, so it started to make sense to me. In 24 when I got the Canyon I considered a Ranger Raptor but I told myself they were too expensive and there was availability issues at that time as well. When I talked to my Ford guy in 2026 I was able to get a good deal at 3k below MSRP at 80700 CDN so I decided that instead of spending more money on the Canyon I was going to make the switch and I put in the order for a Ranger Raptor which was delivered at the end of June 2026.
Lets start with comparing the engines. The GMC is powered by the 4 cyl 2.7L Turbomax engine making 310hp/430lbft, the Ford is powered by the V6 3.0 Ecoboost making 405hp/430lbft. Both of these motors have been around for many years already, 2019 and 2016 respectively. Both have proven to be quite stout honestly. The fact that the 2.7 was a 4 cylinder didn't hamper it at all. It was purpose built to go into a truck so it was a large displacement for 4 cylinders and built undersquare so it made a lot of torque low in the rpm range. GM had it in the full size trucks where it was rated to tow 9000lbs. I saw it happily lug up a grade at hiway speed below 2000rpm and I still got 13L/100km(18mpg) while driving spirited through the rocky mountains. It accomplished all that with 28psi peak boost pressure. The 3.0 Ecoboost is also just undersquare and also makes lots of low rpm torque. I have also seen it climb hills under 2000 rpm. Its a parallel twin turbo setup so its a bit more complicated than the 2.7 but it only runs about 17psi peak boost in stock form. Obviously the 95 more horsepower that the 3.0 produces makes it a much faster powerplant and if speed and power are your main concerns then it is the obvious choice, however, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 2.7 motor if you're not worried about top speed, it is in no way underpowered in the midsize truck. Both motors make the same amount of torque so the jump off the line feels very similar. The AT4X is also about 500lbs lighter than the RR, 4800 vs 5300 lbs. There is no denying that the RR is faster, but I wouldn't hesitate to put either of these motors in a vehicle I own in full honesty. The one last advantage that the Ford gets though is the Procal tune. It is a tune from Ford that you can buy and have installed for around 1200 CDN that bumps the output numbers to 455hp and 530lbft. It is a huge advantage to the 3.0 that you can get such large gains straight from Ford and backed with a warranty. Not to even mention the multiple aftermarket tunes that are available. The only way to get any proper tune on the 2.7 is to get the ECU unlocked and there is not really many options and certainly there is nothing coming from GMC to get any kind of performance gains out of that motor. If your plan is to just stick with the stock tune and you don't want any more performance then maybe that suits your needs better. The 3.0 gets a little bit less gas mileage than the 2.7 so that might be another deciding factor. In my opinion its a fair trade for the extra power, still gets about the same mileage as the old 3.6 V6 in my 2018 at around 15L/100km(15mpg) and I feel like since I just got the truck that number will still improve a little. Both motors run on 87 octane in stock form, the 3.0 needs 91 if you tune it. They are both direct injection only motors and they both have cylinder deactivation through slightly different methods.
The transmissions and drivetrains are next. The Canyon has the 8 speed and the Ranger has the 10 speed. The 8 speed has a somewhat deserved bad reputation. I had the shudder in my 2018, it was bad. The new 8 speed in the 2023+ trucks does seem greatly improved and also the high torque of the 2.7 helps it behave better. I never had any issues with the transmission in my 24 Canyon and when its working properly it does shift fast and smooth. So far the 10 speed in the Ranger has been very good. It is tuned to be very smooth, it also shifts very quickly when needed. Its worth noting that the Ranger has a 4.27 gear ratio in the rear end vs the 3.43 ratio used in the GM trucks. This makes the Ranger feel like its got more torque off the line compared to the Canyon. Lots of people end up re gearing their Colorado/Canyon, no need in the Ranger Raptor. The AT4X had a manual mode you could put the transmission in and then two buttons on the side of the center console shifter to change the gear range as needed. The Ranger Raptor also has a manual mode you can put the transmission into with a button on the center console shifter and then paddle shifters behind the steering wheel to change the gear range as needed. One feature that I really like about the Ford transmission is that you don't HAVE to be in manual mode for the paddle shifters to work. If you pull the down paddle in any mode, the transmission will drop a gear as long as it deems it safe to do so. Then the transmission stays in a temporary manual mode for about 5 or 6 seconds and then if you don't touch either paddle again it goes back to normal mode. I really like that I don't have to push an extra button if I want a quick downshift, I can just tap the paddle and it works. In the Canyon the two buttons to change the gear range don't do anything unless you push the manual mode button first. Its just one extra step to think about, if you are wanting a quick downshift, that I don't have to do in the Ranger. The Ranger is also very responsive to suggestions to shift up especially in the sport and off road modes where sometimes it will hold a gear in anticipation of you hitting the gas again, you can hit the + paddle and most of the time it will listen and go up a gear. Its still just a range limiter but Ford has done of good job of making it listen to the driver more and making it more useful. I almost never used it in the Canyon and I find myself using the paddles a lot in the Ranger. Both of these trucks have 4H+4L+4A transfer cases that are controlled electronically with buttons. Both trucks also have front and rear axle lockers. The Canyon has two physical toggle switches on the dash for the lockers and the Ranger Raptor put the controls for the lockers on the infotainment screen. Ford did however put a physical button just below the shifter that takes you straight to the off road screen where the locker buttons are, so at least you're not going through menus to get to the controls but I still definitely prefer physical buttons for the lockers. Since its part of the mechanical operation of the vehicle I feel like it shouldn't depend on the center screen being operational. Although its not enough of a problem to be a deal breaker it is definitely one of my bigger gripes with the Ranger Raptor and a definite win for the Canyon AT4X.
Since we got away from the drivetrain and into the interior controls I figure we should get deeper into that because there is some back and forth there too. The Canyon has the physical locker switches and it also has physical buttons for the heated and ventilated seats. The Ranger has heated seats only but the controls are on the screen. I would prefer a switch but its just a comfort feature so I don't mind too much. The Ranger does come with a physical headlight and fog light switch, which the Canyon does not have, GM put all the lighting controls on the infotainment screen. The Ranger also has a physical traction control button and the Canyon has it on the screen. The Ranger still has two steering column stalks while the Canyon is reduced down to just one. Another really nice touch on the Ranger Raptor is 6 AUX switches are installed at the factory and all wired up with wiring distributed throughout the vehicle that you can tap into. The Canyon had AUX switches available as an option from the factory but you could only get them in overpriced packages that included lights. If you didn't get that package you had one AUX switch on the dash that didn't include a relay so you have to wire that up for it to work, or you can buy the 3 switch setup as parts yourself for around $1000 and that doesn't even include the relays and you still have to install it yourself. That one is a big win for the Ranger. There is some back and forth on the physical controls but overall I think the Ford has more physical controls still. GM really started cutting back on them and I appreciate that they left toggles for the lockers but they took away too many others and made their aux switch setup too expensive.
One feature I couldn't believe is missing on the Ranger is memory mirrors. It has memory setting buttons for the drivers seat but the position of the mirrors is not saved. In the Canyon the position of the mirrors is saved along with the position of the seat. The side mirrors on the Ranger do fold in with a button or when you park, the Canyon does not have that feature. The Ranger has rain sensitive wipers and the Canyon does not. The Canyon had a HUD which the Ranger doesn't and was kind of nice to have. I also mentioned before the Canyon has ventilated seats which are not even an option on the Ranger Raptor, in the summertime I will miss them very much. Another small feature but one I happen to like is folding rear headrests so they don't block your view when no one is sitting in the back. The Canyon has them but the Ranger does not. The rear seat bottom lifts up in both trucks but in the Canyon it is split 60/40 so you can access one side without unloading everything. In the Ranger the seat is not split and you must remove everything to lift it. The rear seat back folds forward in the Ranger though and there is storage for small items, in the Canyon the seat back does not fold forward. Both of these trucks come with a sliding glass panel in the rear window but in the Canyon it is a manual sliding window and Ive always found it useless because I don't usually have back seat passengers. In the Ranger it is a power sliding window controlled with a switch on the overhead console. Both trucks offer different drive modes controlled with a dial by the shifter, Normal, Tow, Sport, Slippery, Off Road, Baja, I think the options are identical between the two. But the Ranger Raptor also features buttons on the steering wheel to adjust steering feel, suspension performance, and the exhaust sound. 3 different modes for each. They definitely change the way the truck performs and set the Ranger apart from anyone else.
That seems like a good place to talk about the suspension. I am a big fan of Multimatic DSSV dampers as I mentioned. For a factory damper they really are very good. Soft when you want them to be and then stiffening up right when you need them to. The 3rd gen Colorado/Canyons are running the 2nd generation of those shocks. Even on a truck with leaf springs in the rear end, they make it handle surprisingly well for a pickup truck. Another thing I touched on in the intro was that I also installed the Mulitmatic Jounce Damper kit on my Canyon AT4X, if you are unfamiliar they are big hydraulic bump stops essentially. They were an expensive option from the factory that I passed on but I had the opportunity to buy a brand new kit for less than half of what it cost to add them at the factory and I installed them myself. GM has the mounts for them pre installed on all of the frames so they are just a bolt on item. The front jounce dampers are also set up about 1/2" above the control arms in the neutral position so they do more than just soak up big bumps, they also come into play with heavy cornering on or off road. They took the handling of the midsized Canyon up to a whole new level. It is absolutely planted to the road with them installed. It corners even better on the pavement and off road they help keep the front tires on the ground when its bumpy, giving more control in corners. It also made me feel like I would never have to worry about hitting the suspension too hard. They absolutely eat up all of the rough stuff. There is a few things I will miss from my Canyon and this is the biggest one. My biggest worry when switching platforms was how well the Raptor suspension would perform because I knew how good the suspension on the Canyon AT4X was. Ford did not disappoint me. They have been in the off road truck market since the 2010's and the Fox Live Valve dampers are also pretty impressive to me so far. Ive done some spirited on and off road driving and a little bit of rock crawling with them now. The way they can constantly adjust the valving regardless of the position of the shock is impressive. I feel like the DSSV dampers are just slightly more plush in the neutral position, even when the live valve dampers are in the off road mode where they should work the most like the DSSVs. However when things are getting rough but you are still wanting to go fast is when the Fox shock really start to shine. The DSSVs are position sensitive so the valving changes based on the physical position of the cylinder inside the shock. As it compresses more, the valving gets stiffer. Its a neat trick that performs very well but this means that as the shock travels through its full range of motion you are still going through each set of valving. The Fox Live Valve dampers feel like they are better at soaking up the back to back large hits at high speed and feels like they have more control when doing that type of activity. The Watts Link rear end on the Ranger Raptor is another big advantage that it has over the Canyon AT4X. The leaf springs in the Canyon are good enough, sure, but the Watts link makes the Ranger feel extremely composed when comparing the two. Ive gotten used to the side to side wiggle in the read end after driving a leaf spring truck since 2018. Now when the rear end is bouncing up and down there is none of that side to side wiggle. It feels very car like and stable in the rear now. And the difference in towing capacity between these two trucks is only 500lbs. The Canyon AT4X has a tow rating of 6000lbs while the Ranger Raptor has a tow rating of 5500lbs. That 500lbs of towing capacity will never make a difference to me and seems like a perfectly fine trade off for the stability of the rear end with a Watts link and coil springs. There is another trade off there however because the Canyon has a slightly higher tow rating but a slightly lower payload rating. The payload capacity of my AT4X was 1101 lbs and the payload capacity of my Ranger Raptor is 1340 lbs. 239 lbs of more gear in the truck seems like a lot. Even though the Canyon can technically tow more, it also runs out of tongue weight capacity faster. The Ranger Raptor has one more trick up its sleeve as well, the suspension is adjustable with a button on the steering wheel. Normal mode, Sport mode, and Off Road mode. Normal mode acts like a regular damper, sport mode stiffens everything up a bit for spirited on road driving, and off road mode makes it feel plush in the neutral position to help smooth out small bumps when going slow or just driving normal, and then stiffening up when needed. Is is necessary to be able to switch modes? No, but it is super cool that you can. This is a very close category to pick a winner. There is something beautifully simple about the DSSVs in that they are mechanically position sensitive so no electronics needed for different valve rates but they work so well and with the jounce dampers added, they basically feel indestructible. The Fox Live Valve dampers are quite high tech and use electronics to control valve rates but when the speeds get higher they really seem to start to shine. The 3 different drive modes of the Fox dampers are also nice because you can tell them to behave a little different, depending what kind of driving you are doing, where as the Multimatic is just a "do it all" type of damper. Only time will tell me if the Fox dampers are built tough but Ford and Fox have been in this game for a while now so Im not too worried. Due to the high techness of the Fox Live Valve dampers I think they just sneak away with the win here but its honestly very close and I do still wish Ford had some type of upgraded bump stop setup available.
I think by now its pretty obvious that if going fast is all you care about doing, the Ranger Raptor is the choice. It is its specialty. Its got the power advantage, it can be tuned for even more power from Ford, the Fox shocks really start to shine at high speed both on and off road, its got the Watts link rear end, its obvious speed was the main focus when the truck was being designed. If you don't care about going fast though and you spend a lot of time rock crawling then the Canyon AT4X might suit your needs better. Credit where its due, GM definitely put some thought into rock crawling when designing their truck. If you check the factory specs, both trucks state 10.7" of ground clearance. Full disclosure, the jounce damper kit also adds a 1/2" spacer lift to the front and rear on the Canyon so mine technically had 11.2" of ground clearance. And although the factory specs might be true for the minimum ground clearance, the Canyon has a lot more room underneath and to the sides of the truck than the Ranger Raptor does. The leaf spring rear in the Canyon makes the rear end much taller than the Ranger. The Canyon also comes with rock sliders instead of running boards so there is a lot more room on the side of the truck when navigating rocks. There are midship cross members on the frame of the Ranger that hang lower than the frame of the Canyon does at that point, as well as the gas tank hanging below the frame at the rear of the Ranger. I think this is due to the frame bending upwards to accommodate the coil springs. This is not to say the Ranger cant rock crawl. There is still a good amount of ground clearance underneath it, but I definitely had to be more picky about what line I was going to take where in the Canyon I felt like I had a lot more space to climb over stuff that was in my way instead of having to try to go around it. A small simple lift and some sliders to replace the running boards on the Raptor will go a long way to help it be a rock crawler too if that's what you want but when comparing stock vs stock the Canyon AT4X does come out the winner.
I told you from the start that I don't regret making the switch so that makes it obvious which I think is the better truck. I don't want to sound like a fanboy but there is a few other things that I think set the Raptor ahead of the AT4X that I want to mention as well. Being a fanboy doesn't help anyone by the way. I was in a GM product for 8 years but I saw the value Ford was offering so I made the switch. Competition is a good thing because it pushes manufactures to improve.
Both trucks come with 285/70/17 Load C tires. One small thing for me though, since I live in Canada and we get snow in the winter, from the factory the Ranger Raptor has 3 Peak rated tires which are a much better snow rating than the M+S tires that come on the Canyon. Yes that stands for Mud+Snow but the rating means much less than the 3 Peak rating does. The worst part is that GM took a tire that should have the 3 Peak rating but used a (assume cheaper) different compound that got the M+S rating.
I mentioned at the start I wanted the steel front bumper for the Canyon but the Ranger Raptor comes with a steel front bumper along with 2 front and 2 rear recovery points where the Canyon AT4X only comes with the 2 front points from the factory.
Another big one for me actually is a program called Forscan. Its a tool provided by Ford that allows the user to connect a computer to their vehicle to adjust settings inside different modules and do things like recalibrate the ride height sensors when adding a lift. This is an amazing tool for DIYers, and enthusiasts, and anyone who likes digging into their vehicle to get it set up just the way they like it. You can download and use this for free or for very cheap. I still enjoy doing as much work as I can to my vehicles and a tool like this helps me do that. GM provides nothing like this at all to their customers.
The following is all completely subjective and nothing more than my opinion but they were the finishing touches on what was my ultimate decision here. As far as looks are concerned I always thought the Canyon has the best looking front end of all the midsized trucks since it was announced for 2023, specifically when it has the AEV front bumper installed on it, and I still think that's true. Its slightly more square looking, the grill is slightly taller, and I'm a fan of the side marker lights on all four wheel wells. I definitely do not like the giant FORD that they plastered across the front grill of the Ranger, its way too oversized in my opinion. Other than that its not a bad looking truck at all though. I love that its a widebody version of the regular Ranger. The Canyon AT4X looks almost identical to any other Canyon because they all got the same width axles. Its a great looking truck but you're paying top dollar for the top trim level and it doesn't feel any more special than any other 23+ Canyon. The Ranger Raptor does a much better job setting itself apart from the other Rangers and makes you feel like you're getting something for that extra dough. For me that gives the Raptor the win for "cool factor". In 2018 the Deepwoods Green Metallic color is actually what caught my eye about the Colorado at first and what led me down the rabbit hole of learning about the ZR2 and eventually buying one. I was slightly disappointed there was no more green in 2024 when I got my Canyon although the Deep Bronze Metallic was still a nice color and not a terrible replacement. I absolutely love the Shelter Green Metallic on the Raptor though. It goes through a wide range of shades depending on the lighting and absolutely sparkles in full sunlight. Its beautiful and I'm very happy to be in a green truck again. Shelter Green is even an exclusive Raptor color, again adding some more cool factor in there.
I am also very happy to no longer have white leather in the interior of my truck. It was a bold choice by GM to make white the only color option on the AT4X interior. Its not all white, just a handful of white panels, so I told myself maybe it would grow on me or I would get used to it. It did not grow on me. I also though I might be able to replace it because after all, the AT4 had a tan/brown interior with all of the same parts, just in brown. I tried looking into this and GM made it more difficult by not selling the panels separately but rather as part of a full door panel. I actually placed an order for all of the parts which I was told may be backordered but after 3 months of waiting the order was cancelled completely. That only left expensive aftermarket or custom options if I really wanted to get rid of the white. By contrast I really like the black and code orange interior in the Ranger Raptor. There is only small highlights of Orange and some orange stitching so its not overwhelming, I think it looks amazing. There is lots of black in the Ranger interior but Ford breaks it up with different material types and textures. There is also some pretty cool ambient lighting at night in the Raptor. The leather on the seats of the Ranger just FEELS like a higher quality product than what is in the Canyon. There is some pretty significant bolstering on the Raptor seats that definitely helps hold you in place, other than that I would say both trucks are equal in comfort. One thing the Canyon AT4X has as an option that the Ranger Raptor does not is a sunroof. I did not bother to order one on my Canyon but that might sway some people. Looks wise though the Ranger Raptor interior wins hands down over the Canyon AT4X. I am also a big fan of the vertical screen layout in the Ranger.
As far as the infotainment systems are concerned I feel like the Ford system (Sync 4) is slightly smoother/crisper/faster than the GM system. I'm an android owner but I'm not really an android auto user. I'm 41 years old so all of my music is ripped CDs that I still keep on a USB drive. The Ford system is actually nicer when I use that because it allows me to explore the folder like I'm browsing on a computer as opposed to trying to categorize everything like GM does. If files don't have the right information it doesn't know what to do with them. I prefer the built in navigation systems too and GM just uses google maps where Ford has their own navigation software. I prefer the way Google Maps works but the Ford one does ok, although I think it will stop working when the free trial period ends. I guess at that point I may be forced to use Android Auto. I wish Ford would have put some type of vehicle information pages on the center screen though. GM has more detailed vehicle info available on the center screen that can be accessed through an app. Ford did do a better job of making the info available on the drivers dash though. GM offers 3 different styles of gauges you can choose from the steering wheel but some vehicle info could only be accessed on the center screen and then "added" to the driver screen from there, making it very clunky to find information while you are driving some times. The Ford fuel mileage info specifically in the Ranger Raptor is a little sparse. There is only a bar for instant mileage with no number displayed other than an average which doesn't specify exactly what distance the number is averaged over. The GM had several averages saved that you could toggle between, along with an instant readout. The Canyon has no boost gauge at all which I think is crazy in the age of digital dashes, the Ford allows you to toggle on a few different gauges including boost pressure and inlet air temp. Overall though both systems function well and provide a lot of information. One thing that happened to me in the GMC that I didn't like was when my truck never did any auto updates for over a year my entire camera system stopped working at one point. I had to go to the dealer and get 10 updates (3 hours) done and then the cameras started working again. Seemed odd to me that the cameras stopped working just because of a missing update. The vast majority of issues people have with the Colorado/Canyons is electronic and/or infotainment related. I already said it but I like the vertical layout for the center screen. Your eyes don't have to travel as far to the left or right when glancing at the screen while driving, at least that's how it feels to me. And even though some climate controls are on the screen in the Ranger, that part of the screen never changes so those controls are always there. The Canyon has full climate controls with physical buttons and also on the screen. Both manufacturers managed to put one ridiculous physical button that nobody asked for at all. The GMC Canyon has a button on the center console that will roll down all 4 windows at the same time, but will not roll them back up. No one ever asked for that ever. The Ford Ranger has a physical button for the parking sensors just below the shifter, only it doesn't actually turn the parking sensors on and off, it just takes you to the screen where you have to push another button to actually turn them off. Just make the button turn them on and off!
Things I will miss from the Canyon AT4X: Physical switches for the lockers, although this is offset by the physical traction control and lighting switches in the Ranger. Ventilated front seats and a HUD are both really nice features and I will miss them but neither are enough to make the difference of which vehicle to buy and you could consider the adjustable steering, suspension, and exhaust on the RR as the offset to those two features. The rock sliders on the Canyon were much more practical for me but the biggest loss is jounce dampers. None of these things are really a deal breaker. For each loss in from the GMC there is something gained in the Ford to counter it. The only thing I would really like to keep from my Canyon AT4X that there is no answer for on the Ranger Raptor is the jounce damper kit.
Yes the Canyon AT4X is about 8k CDN cheaper than the Ranger Raptor so if you don't care about the extra horsepower and you are happy with the way it looks stock then you can save a few bucks vs the Raptor and still be able to do all the same things off road. But if you spend the extra money on the Ford you are not getting nothing for it. Extra horsepower, steel bumpers, better gearing, aux switches ready to go, adjustable vehicle functions on the fly, factory tunes available, higher payload rating. Yes the Ranger Raptor is a more expensive truck but in my opinion you are getting more value for the money spent.
Bottom line is that they are both very capable and very nice midsized trucks. If you don't care about max horsepower or tuning, if there is a specific feature on the Canyon AT4X that is what you really want in your vehicle, or you are just trying to be budget conscious and you don't want to spend the extra, the Canyon AT4X is a great truck and you wont be disappointed. It is still plenty fast enough for a truck that size, can still tow a good amount, and has lots of nice features. The Canyon even has things like extra sound deadening that the Colorado doesn't get and that was very apparent to me when I first got the Ranger. But if you're like me and there is things you would change on the Canyon, it really doesn't take many more parts to start spending the same amount of money that you would on a Ranger Raptor, and when you do step up to the Raptor you are getting some features that just aren't available in anything else. There is value there for the money spent. With all that combined with the fact that I liked the color choices used on the Ford way better I am very happy that I decided to make the switch over to the Ranger Raptor.
This was a long read because I wanted to try to cover everything fully. Its a tough comparison to make and not everyone will get the chance to own both and try them out in different situations. I just wanted to share my experience so hopefully I can help someone else pick which truck is right for them. I have tried to be as thorough as possible and I will be happy to answer any questions. If you made it all the way here, thank you for reading!
Things the Canyon AT4X has that the RR doesn't: Ventilated seats, HUD, physical locker switches, rock sliders, jounce dampers, optional sunroof but I didn't have one.
Things the Ranger Raptor has that the AT4X doesn't: More HP and Ford tune available, Forscan available, adjustable steering, suspension, and exhaust, physical traction control button, steel front bumper, 4.27 gearing, rear recovery points.
These are the main points I think are worth mentioning quickly.
There is a lot more to it than that and Ive tried to cover it all in this write up so on to the long version we go.
2026 Ranger Raptor vs 2024 Canyon AT4X
I have found myself fortunate enough to own both a brand new 2024 GMC Canyon AT4X and a brand new 2026 Ford Ranger Raptor less than two years apart and I'm sure I'm not the only person who has debated between these two trucks when considering a purchase so I just wanted to share my experience. Ive been a Chevy guy most of my life and been in GM midsized trucks since 2018 but the Ranger Raptor called me over and to make a long story short, I do not have any regrets. I'm going to break down the pros and cons of each, because neither one is perfect, so if there is a specific feature anyone else might be looking for, this could help them decide. This is going to be long winded, there is a lot to unpack to do a fair comparison.
Just the background first, skip this paragraph if you just want to get to the vs, this is how I ended up in my Ranger Raptor. In 2018 I bought a brand new Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 for 47k CDN. I loved the DSSV dampers, they were my first taste of a performance off road suspension. By 2024 with the markets doing their thing it ended up my 2018 ZR2 was still worth 39k on a dealer trade in so worth approx. 44k with the tax savings. I figured I'd never get the opportunity again with that truck and decided to trade it in for a 24 GMC Canyon AT4X which I paid MSRP for at 71k CDN and took delivery in October 2024. I was going to get another Colorado ZR2 but GM doesn't offer a power passenger seat in any trim level of Colorado so I went with the Canyon for the power seat and I preferred the exterior styling anyway. The only thing I didn't really like about the Canyon was the white interior, the only option on the AT4X trim level, but I thought I would get used to it or I could possibly swap it. I ended up getting a smoking deal on the Multimatic jounce damper kit so I put that on the truck and it dramatically improved handling and really made the truck feel like it could take anything you could throw at the suspension. I had a couple of things I really wanted to change though, I really wanted to get rid of the white in the interior, and I really wanted the AEV front bumper. The bumper was 5500 CDN plus tax and shipping and the interior was going to cost me 2000 minimum. I started realizing that by the time I spent the money to get the Canyon exactly how I wanted it I was going to spend as much as I would on a Ranger Raptor and there was nothing I wanted to change on the Ranger. It already had steel bumpers, I loved the interior, so it started to make sense to me. In 24 when I got the Canyon I considered a Ranger Raptor but I told myself they were too expensive and there was availability issues at that time as well. When I talked to my Ford guy in 2026 I was able to get a good deal at 3k below MSRP at 80700 CDN so I decided that instead of spending more money on the Canyon I was going to make the switch and I put in the order for a Ranger Raptor which was delivered at the end of June 2026.
Lets start with comparing the engines. The GMC is powered by the 4 cyl 2.7L Turbomax engine making 310hp/430lbft, the Ford is powered by the V6 3.0 Ecoboost making 405hp/430lbft. Both of these motors have been around for many years already, 2019 and 2016 respectively. Both have proven to be quite stout honestly. The fact that the 2.7 was a 4 cylinder didn't hamper it at all. It was purpose built to go into a truck so it was a large displacement for 4 cylinders and built undersquare so it made a lot of torque low in the rpm range. GM had it in the full size trucks where it was rated to tow 9000lbs. I saw it happily lug up a grade at hiway speed below 2000rpm and I still got 13L/100km(18mpg) while driving spirited through the rocky mountains. It accomplished all that with 28psi peak boost pressure. The 3.0 Ecoboost is also just undersquare and also makes lots of low rpm torque. I have also seen it climb hills under 2000 rpm. Its a parallel twin turbo setup so its a bit more complicated than the 2.7 but it only runs about 17psi peak boost in stock form. Obviously the 95 more horsepower that the 3.0 produces makes it a much faster powerplant and if speed and power are your main concerns then it is the obvious choice, however, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 2.7 motor if you're not worried about top speed, it is in no way underpowered in the midsize truck. Both motors make the same amount of torque so the jump off the line feels very similar. The AT4X is also about 500lbs lighter than the RR, 4800 vs 5300 lbs. There is no denying that the RR is faster, but I wouldn't hesitate to put either of these motors in a vehicle I own in full honesty. The one last advantage that the Ford gets though is the Procal tune. It is a tune from Ford that you can buy and have installed for around 1200 CDN that bumps the output numbers to 455hp and 530lbft. It is a huge advantage to the 3.0 that you can get such large gains straight from Ford and backed with a warranty. Not to even mention the multiple aftermarket tunes that are available. The only way to get any proper tune on the 2.7 is to get the ECU unlocked and there is not really many options and certainly there is nothing coming from GMC to get any kind of performance gains out of that motor. If your plan is to just stick with the stock tune and you don't want any more performance then maybe that suits your needs better. The 3.0 gets a little bit less gas mileage than the 2.7 so that might be another deciding factor. In my opinion its a fair trade for the extra power, still gets about the same mileage as the old 3.6 V6 in my 2018 at around 15L/100km(15mpg) and I feel like since I just got the truck that number will still improve a little. Both motors run on 87 octane in stock form, the 3.0 needs 91 if you tune it. They are both direct injection only motors and they both have cylinder deactivation through slightly different methods.
The transmissions and drivetrains are next. The Canyon has the 8 speed and the Ranger has the 10 speed. The 8 speed has a somewhat deserved bad reputation. I had the shudder in my 2018, it was bad. The new 8 speed in the 2023+ trucks does seem greatly improved and also the high torque of the 2.7 helps it behave better. I never had any issues with the transmission in my 24 Canyon and when its working properly it does shift fast and smooth. So far the 10 speed in the Ranger has been very good. It is tuned to be very smooth, it also shifts very quickly when needed. Its worth noting that the Ranger has a 4.27 gear ratio in the rear end vs the 3.43 ratio used in the GM trucks. This makes the Ranger feel like its got more torque off the line compared to the Canyon. Lots of people end up re gearing their Colorado/Canyon, no need in the Ranger Raptor. The AT4X had a manual mode you could put the transmission in and then two buttons on the side of the center console shifter to change the gear range as needed. The Ranger Raptor also has a manual mode you can put the transmission into with a button on the center console shifter and then paddle shifters behind the steering wheel to change the gear range as needed. One feature that I really like about the Ford transmission is that you don't HAVE to be in manual mode for the paddle shifters to work. If you pull the down paddle in any mode, the transmission will drop a gear as long as it deems it safe to do so. Then the transmission stays in a temporary manual mode for about 5 or 6 seconds and then if you don't touch either paddle again it goes back to normal mode. I really like that I don't have to push an extra button if I want a quick downshift, I can just tap the paddle and it works. In the Canyon the two buttons to change the gear range don't do anything unless you push the manual mode button first. Its just one extra step to think about, if you are wanting a quick downshift, that I don't have to do in the Ranger. The Ranger is also very responsive to suggestions to shift up especially in the sport and off road modes where sometimes it will hold a gear in anticipation of you hitting the gas again, you can hit the + paddle and most of the time it will listen and go up a gear. Its still just a range limiter but Ford has done of good job of making it listen to the driver more and making it more useful. I almost never used it in the Canyon and I find myself using the paddles a lot in the Ranger. Both of these trucks have 4H+4L+4A transfer cases that are controlled electronically with buttons. Both trucks also have front and rear axle lockers. The Canyon has two physical toggle switches on the dash for the lockers and the Ranger Raptor put the controls for the lockers on the infotainment screen. Ford did however put a physical button just below the shifter that takes you straight to the off road screen where the locker buttons are, so at least you're not going through menus to get to the controls but I still definitely prefer physical buttons for the lockers. Since its part of the mechanical operation of the vehicle I feel like it shouldn't depend on the center screen being operational. Although its not enough of a problem to be a deal breaker it is definitely one of my bigger gripes with the Ranger Raptor and a definite win for the Canyon AT4X.
Since we got away from the drivetrain and into the interior controls I figure we should get deeper into that because there is some back and forth there too. The Canyon has the physical locker switches and it also has physical buttons for the heated and ventilated seats. The Ranger has heated seats only but the controls are on the screen. I would prefer a switch but its just a comfort feature so I don't mind too much. The Ranger does come with a physical headlight and fog light switch, which the Canyon does not have, GM put all the lighting controls on the infotainment screen. The Ranger also has a physical traction control button and the Canyon has it on the screen. The Ranger still has two steering column stalks while the Canyon is reduced down to just one. Another really nice touch on the Ranger Raptor is 6 AUX switches are installed at the factory and all wired up with wiring distributed throughout the vehicle that you can tap into. The Canyon had AUX switches available as an option from the factory but you could only get them in overpriced packages that included lights. If you didn't get that package you had one AUX switch on the dash that didn't include a relay so you have to wire that up for it to work, or you can buy the 3 switch setup as parts yourself for around $1000 and that doesn't even include the relays and you still have to install it yourself. That one is a big win for the Ranger. There is some back and forth on the physical controls but overall I think the Ford has more physical controls still. GM really started cutting back on them and I appreciate that they left toggles for the lockers but they took away too many others and made their aux switch setup too expensive.
One feature I couldn't believe is missing on the Ranger is memory mirrors. It has memory setting buttons for the drivers seat but the position of the mirrors is not saved. In the Canyon the position of the mirrors is saved along with the position of the seat. The side mirrors on the Ranger do fold in with a button or when you park, the Canyon does not have that feature. The Ranger has rain sensitive wipers and the Canyon does not. The Canyon had a HUD which the Ranger doesn't and was kind of nice to have. I also mentioned before the Canyon has ventilated seats which are not even an option on the Ranger Raptor, in the summertime I will miss them very much. Another small feature but one I happen to like is folding rear headrests so they don't block your view when no one is sitting in the back. The Canyon has them but the Ranger does not. The rear seat bottom lifts up in both trucks but in the Canyon it is split 60/40 so you can access one side without unloading everything. In the Ranger the seat is not split and you must remove everything to lift it. The rear seat back folds forward in the Ranger though and there is storage for small items, in the Canyon the seat back does not fold forward. Both of these trucks come with a sliding glass panel in the rear window but in the Canyon it is a manual sliding window and Ive always found it useless because I don't usually have back seat passengers. In the Ranger it is a power sliding window controlled with a switch on the overhead console. Both trucks offer different drive modes controlled with a dial by the shifter, Normal, Tow, Sport, Slippery, Off Road, Baja, I think the options are identical between the two. But the Ranger Raptor also features buttons on the steering wheel to adjust steering feel, suspension performance, and the exhaust sound. 3 different modes for each. They definitely change the way the truck performs and set the Ranger apart from anyone else.
That seems like a good place to talk about the suspension. I am a big fan of Multimatic DSSV dampers as I mentioned. For a factory damper they really are very good. Soft when you want them to be and then stiffening up right when you need them to. The 3rd gen Colorado/Canyons are running the 2nd generation of those shocks. Even on a truck with leaf springs in the rear end, they make it handle surprisingly well for a pickup truck. Another thing I touched on in the intro was that I also installed the Mulitmatic Jounce Damper kit on my Canyon AT4X, if you are unfamiliar they are big hydraulic bump stops essentially. They were an expensive option from the factory that I passed on but I had the opportunity to buy a brand new kit for less than half of what it cost to add them at the factory and I installed them myself. GM has the mounts for them pre installed on all of the frames so they are just a bolt on item. The front jounce dampers are also set up about 1/2" above the control arms in the neutral position so they do more than just soak up big bumps, they also come into play with heavy cornering on or off road. They took the handling of the midsized Canyon up to a whole new level. It is absolutely planted to the road with them installed. It corners even better on the pavement and off road they help keep the front tires on the ground when its bumpy, giving more control in corners. It also made me feel like I would never have to worry about hitting the suspension too hard. They absolutely eat up all of the rough stuff. There is a few things I will miss from my Canyon and this is the biggest one. My biggest worry when switching platforms was how well the Raptor suspension would perform because I knew how good the suspension on the Canyon AT4X was. Ford did not disappoint me. They have been in the off road truck market since the 2010's and the Fox Live Valve dampers are also pretty impressive to me so far. Ive done some spirited on and off road driving and a little bit of rock crawling with them now. The way they can constantly adjust the valving regardless of the position of the shock is impressive. I feel like the DSSV dampers are just slightly more plush in the neutral position, even when the live valve dampers are in the off road mode where they should work the most like the DSSVs. However when things are getting rough but you are still wanting to go fast is when the Fox shock really start to shine. The DSSVs are position sensitive so the valving changes based on the physical position of the cylinder inside the shock. As it compresses more, the valving gets stiffer. Its a neat trick that performs very well but this means that as the shock travels through its full range of motion you are still going through each set of valving. The Fox Live Valve dampers feel like they are better at soaking up the back to back large hits at high speed and feels like they have more control when doing that type of activity. The Watts Link rear end on the Ranger Raptor is another big advantage that it has over the Canyon AT4X. The leaf springs in the Canyon are good enough, sure, but the Watts link makes the Ranger feel extremely composed when comparing the two. Ive gotten used to the side to side wiggle in the read end after driving a leaf spring truck since 2018. Now when the rear end is bouncing up and down there is none of that side to side wiggle. It feels very car like and stable in the rear now. And the difference in towing capacity between these two trucks is only 500lbs. The Canyon AT4X has a tow rating of 6000lbs while the Ranger Raptor has a tow rating of 5500lbs. That 500lbs of towing capacity will never make a difference to me and seems like a perfectly fine trade off for the stability of the rear end with a Watts link and coil springs. There is another trade off there however because the Canyon has a slightly higher tow rating but a slightly lower payload rating. The payload capacity of my AT4X was 1101 lbs and the payload capacity of my Ranger Raptor is 1340 lbs. 239 lbs of more gear in the truck seems like a lot. Even though the Canyon can technically tow more, it also runs out of tongue weight capacity faster. The Ranger Raptor has one more trick up its sleeve as well, the suspension is adjustable with a button on the steering wheel. Normal mode, Sport mode, and Off Road mode. Normal mode acts like a regular damper, sport mode stiffens everything up a bit for spirited on road driving, and off road mode makes it feel plush in the neutral position to help smooth out small bumps when going slow or just driving normal, and then stiffening up when needed. Is is necessary to be able to switch modes? No, but it is super cool that you can. This is a very close category to pick a winner. There is something beautifully simple about the DSSVs in that they are mechanically position sensitive so no electronics needed for different valve rates but they work so well and with the jounce dampers added, they basically feel indestructible. The Fox Live Valve dampers are quite high tech and use electronics to control valve rates but when the speeds get higher they really seem to start to shine. The 3 different drive modes of the Fox dampers are also nice because you can tell them to behave a little different, depending what kind of driving you are doing, where as the Multimatic is just a "do it all" type of damper. Only time will tell me if the Fox dampers are built tough but Ford and Fox have been in this game for a while now so Im not too worried. Due to the high techness of the Fox Live Valve dampers I think they just sneak away with the win here but its honestly very close and I do still wish Ford had some type of upgraded bump stop setup available.
I think by now its pretty obvious that if going fast is all you care about doing, the Ranger Raptor is the choice. It is its specialty. Its got the power advantage, it can be tuned for even more power from Ford, the Fox shocks really start to shine at high speed both on and off road, its got the Watts link rear end, its obvious speed was the main focus when the truck was being designed. If you don't care about going fast though and you spend a lot of time rock crawling then the Canyon AT4X might suit your needs better. Credit where its due, GM definitely put some thought into rock crawling when designing their truck. If you check the factory specs, both trucks state 10.7" of ground clearance. Full disclosure, the jounce damper kit also adds a 1/2" spacer lift to the front and rear on the Canyon so mine technically had 11.2" of ground clearance. And although the factory specs might be true for the minimum ground clearance, the Canyon has a lot more room underneath and to the sides of the truck than the Ranger Raptor does. The leaf spring rear in the Canyon makes the rear end much taller than the Ranger. The Canyon also comes with rock sliders instead of running boards so there is a lot more room on the side of the truck when navigating rocks. There are midship cross members on the frame of the Ranger that hang lower than the frame of the Canyon does at that point, as well as the gas tank hanging below the frame at the rear of the Ranger. I think this is due to the frame bending upwards to accommodate the coil springs. This is not to say the Ranger cant rock crawl. There is still a good amount of ground clearance underneath it, but I definitely had to be more picky about what line I was going to take where in the Canyon I felt like I had a lot more space to climb over stuff that was in my way instead of having to try to go around it. A small simple lift and some sliders to replace the running boards on the Raptor will go a long way to help it be a rock crawler too if that's what you want but when comparing stock vs stock the Canyon AT4X does come out the winner.
I told you from the start that I don't regret making the switch so that makes it obvious which I think is the better truck. I don't want to sound like a fanboy but there is a few other things that I think set the Raptor ahead of the AT4X that I want to mention as well. Being a fanboy doesn't help anyone by the way. I was in a GM product for 8 years but I saw the value Ford was offering so I made the switch. Competition is a good thing because it pushes manufactures to improve.
Both trucks come with 285/70/17 Load C tires. One small thing for me though, since I live in Canada and we get snow in the winter, from the factory the Ranger Raptor has 3 Peak rated tires which are a much better snow rating than the M+S tires that come on the Canyon. Yes that stands for Mud+Snow but the rating means much less than the 3 Peak rating does. The worst part is that GM took a tire that should have the 3 Peak rating but used a (assume cheaper) different compound that got the M+S rating.
I mentioned at the start I wanted the steel front bumper for the Canyon but the Ranger Raptor comes with a steel front bumper along with 2 front and 2 rear recovery points where the Canyon AT4X only comes with the 2 front points from the factory.
Another big one for me actually is a program called Forscan. Its a tool provided by Ford that allows the user to connect a computer to their vehicle to adjust settings inside different modules and do things like recalibrate the ride height sensors when adding a lift. This is an amazing tool for DIYers, and enthusiasts, and anyone who likes digging into their vehicle to get it set up just the way they like it. You can download and use this for free or for very cheap. I still enjoy doing as much work as I can to my vehicles and a tool like this helps me do that. GM provides nothing like this at all to their customers.
The following is all completely subjective and nothing more than my opinion but they were the finishing touches on what was my ultimate decision here. As far as looks are concerned I always thought the Canyon has the best looking front end of all the midsized trucks since it was announced for 2023, specifically when it has the AEV front bumper installed on it, and I still think that's true. Its slightly more square looking, the grill is slightly taller, and I'm a fan of the side marker lights on all four wheel wells. I definitely do not like the giant FORD that they plastered across the front grill of the Ranger, its way too oversized in my opinion. Other than that its not a bad looking truck at all though. I love that its a widebody version of the regular Ranger. The Canyon AT4X looks almost identical to any other Canyon because they all got the same width axles. Its a great looking truck but you're paying top dollar for the top trim level and it doesn't feel any more special than any other 23+ Canyon. The Ranger Raptor does a much better job setting itself apart from the other Rangers and makes you feel like you're getting something for that extra dough. For me that gives the Raptor the win for "cool factor". In 2018 the Deepwoods Green Metallic color is actually what caught my eye about the Colorado at first and what led me down the rabbit hole of learning about the ZR2 and eventually buying one. I was slightly disappointed there was no more green in 2024 when I got my Canyon although the Deep Bronze Metallic was still a nice color and not a terrible replacement. I absolutely love the Shelter Green Metallic on the Raptor though. It goes through a wide range of shades depending on the lighting and absolutely sparkles in full sunlight. Its beautiful and I'm very happy to be in a green truck again. Shelter Green is even an exclusive Raptor color, again adding some more cool factor in there.
I am also very happy to no longer have white leather in the interior of my truck. It was a bold choice by GM to make white the only color option on the AT4X interior. Its not all white, just a handful of white panels, so I told myself maybe it would grow on me or I would get used to it. It did not grow on me. I also though I might be able to replace it because after all, the AT4 had a tan/brown interior with all of the same parts, just in brown. I tried looking into this and GM made it more difficult by not selling the panels separately but rather as part of a full door panel. I actually placed an order for all of the parts which I was told may be backordered but after 3 months of waiting the order was cancelled completely. That only left expensive aftermarket or custom options if I really wanted to get rid of the white. By contrast I really like the black and code orange interior in the Ranger Raptor. There is only small highlights of Orange and some orange stitching so its not overwhelming, I think it looks amazing. There is lots of black in the Ranger interior but Ford breaks it up with different material types and textures. There is also some pretty cool ambient lighting at night in the Raptor. The leather on the seats of the Ranger just FEELS like a higher quality product than what is in the Canyon. There is some pretty significant bolstering on the Raptor seats that definitely helps hold you in place, other than that I would say both trucks are equal in comfort. One thing the Canyon AT4X has as an option that the Ranger Raptor does not is a sunroof. I did not bother to order one on my Canyon but that might sway some people. Looks wise though the Ranger Raptor interior wins hands down over the Canyon AT4X. I am also a big fan of the vertical screen layout in the Ranger.
As far as the infotainment systems are concerned I feel like the Ford system (Sync 4) is slightly smoother/crisper/faster than the GM system. I'm an android owner but I'm not really an android auto user. I'm 41 years old so all of my music is ripped CDs that I still keep on a USB drive. The Ford system is actually nicer when I use that because it allows me to explore the folder like I'm browsing on a computer as opposed to trying to categorize everything like GM does. If files don't have the right information it doesn't know what to do with them. I prefer the built in navigation systems too and GM just uses google maps where Ford has their own navigation software. I prefer the way Google Maps works but the Ford one does ok, although I think it will stop working when the free trial period ends. I guess at that point I may be forced to use Android Auto. I wish Ford would have put some type of vehicle information pages on the center screen though. GM has more detailed vehicle info available on the center screen that can be accessed through an app. Ford did do a better job of making the info available on the drivers dash though. GM offers 3 different styles of gauges you can choose from the steering wheel but some vehicle info could only be accessed on the center screen and then "added" to the driver screen from there, making it very clunky to find information while you are driving some times. The Ford fuel mileage info specifically in the Ranger Raptor is a little sparse. There is only a bar for instant mileage with no number displayed other than an average which doesn't specify exactly what distance the number is averaged over. The GM had several averages saved that you could toggle between, along with an instant readout. The Canyon has no boost gauge at all which I think is crazy in the age of digital dashes, the Ford allows you to toggle on a few different gauges including boost pressure and inlet air temp. Overall though both systems function well and provide a lot of information. One thing that happened to me in the GMC that I didn't like was when my truck never did any auto updates for over a year my entire camera system stopped working at one point. I had to go to the dealer and get 10 updates (3 hours) done and then the cameras started working again. Seemed odd to me that the cameras stopped working just because of a missing update. The vast majority of issues people have with the Colorado/Canyons is electronic and/or infotainment related. I already said it but I like the vertical layout for the center screen. Your eyes don't have to travel as far to the left or right when glancing at the screen while driving, at least that's how it feels to me. And even though some climate controls are on the screen in the Ranger, that part of the screen never changes so those controls are always there. The Canyon has full climate controls with physical buttons and also on the screen. Both manufacturers managed to put one ridiculous physical button that nobody asked for at all. The GMC Canyon has a button on the center console that will roll down all 4 windows at the same time, but will not roll them back up. No one ever asked for that ever. The Ford Ranger has a physical button for the parking sensors just below the shifter, only it doesn't actually turn the parking sensors on and off, it just takes you to the screen where you have to push another button to actually turn them off. Just make the button turn them on and off!
Things I will miss from the Canyon AT4X: Physical switches for the lockers, although this is offset by the physical traction control and lighting switches in the Ranger. Ventilated front seats and a HUD are both really nice features and I will miss them but neither are enough to make the difference of which vehicle to buy and you could consider the adjustable steering, suspension, and exhaust on the RR as the offset to those two features. The rock sliders on the Canyon were much more practical for me but the biggest loss is jounce dampers. None of these things are really a deal breaker. For each loss in from the GMC there is something gained in the Ford to counter it. The only thing I would really like to keep from my Canyon AT4X that there is no answer for on the Ranger Raptor is the jounce damper kit.
Yes the Canyon AT4X is about 8k CDN cheaper than the Ranger Raptor so if you don't care about the extra horsepower and you are happy with the way it looks stock then you can save a few bucks vs the Raptor and still be able to do all the same things off road. But if you spend the extra money on the Ford you are not getting nothing for it. Extra horsepower, steel bumpers, better gearing, aux switches ready to go, adjustable vehicle functions on the fly, factory tunes available, higher payload rating. Yes the Ranger Raptor is a more expensive truck but in my opinion you are getting more value for the money spent.
Bottom line is that they are both very capable and very nice midsized trucks. If you don't care about max horsepower or tuning, if there is a specific feature on the Canyon AT4X that is what you really want in your vehicle, or you are just trying to be budget conscious and you don't want to spend the extra, the Canyon AT4X is a great truck and you wont be disappointed. It is still plenty fast enough for a truck that size, can still tow a good amount, and has lots of nice features. The Canyon even has things like extra sound deadening that the Colorado doesn't get and that was very apparent to me when I first got the Ranger. But if you're like me and there is things you would change on the Canyon, it really doesn't take many more parts to start spending the same amount of money that you would on a Ranger Raptor, and when you do step up to the Raptor you are getting some features that just aren't available in anything else. There is value there for the money spent. With all that combined with the fact that I liked the color choices used on the Ford way better I am very happy that I decided to make the switch over to the Ranger Raptor.
This was a long read because I wanted to try to cover everything fully. Its a tough comparison to make and not everyone will get the chance to own both and try them out in different situations. I just wanted to share my experience so hopefully I can help someone else pick which truck is right for them. I have tried to be as thorough as possible and I will be happy to answer any questions. If you made it all the way here, thank you for reading!
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