Compare the2023 Nissan FrontierVS 2022 GMC Canyon

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Frontier have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The GMC Canyon doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Nissan Frontier has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Canyon doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Frontier has standard Automatic Emergency Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The Canyon offers an available collision warning system without the automated brake feature that would prevent or reduce the collision if the driver fails to react.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Frontier offers optional Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Canyon doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Frontier PRO-X/PRO-4X offers an optional Around View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Canyon only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Frontier’s optional rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Canyon doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Frontier’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Canyon doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Frontier and the Canyon have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available four-wheel drive, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and blind spot warning systems.

The Frontier’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Canyon’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Frontier’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Canyon’s camshafts. If the Canyon’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 3 places higher in reliability than GMC.

The Frontier’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 110 more horsepower (310 vs. 200) and 90 lbs.-ft. more torque (281 vs. 191) than the Canyon’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Frontier’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 2 more horsepower (310 vs. 308) and 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (281 vs. 275) than the Canyon’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Nissan Frontier, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Canyon.

The Frontier’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Canyon are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Frontier has larger tires than the Canyon (265/70R16 vs. 255/55R20).

The Frontier has a standard full size spare so a flat doesn’t interrupt your work or a trip. A full size spare costs extra on the Canyon. Without the option you must depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Frontier has a standard front stabilizer bar, which help keep the Frontier flat and controlled during cornering. The Canyon’s suspension doesn’t offer a stabilizer bar

For greater off-road capability the Frontier LWB SV Crew Cab has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Canyon Long Box Crew Cab (8.9 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Frontier to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Frontier PRO-4X Crew Cab’s minimum ground clearance is 1.5 inches higher than on the Canyon Extended Cab (9.8 vs. 8.3 inches).

The Frontier is shorter than the Canyon, making the Frontier easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces:

The Frontier Crew Cab has .7 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, .4 inches more rear hip room and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Canyon Crew Cab.

A low lift-over bed design makes loading and unloading the Frontier easier. The Frontier King Cab’s bed lift-over height is 32 inches, while the Canyon Extended Cab’s liftover is 34.2 inches. The Frontier Crew Cab’s bed lift-over height is 33.4 inches, while the Canyon Crew Cab’s liftover is 34.5 inches.

An optional locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Frontier (except S/Midnight). The Canyon doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Nissan Frontier has a standard tailgate assist feature, which prevents the heavy tailgate from falling with a crash and causing injury. It allows adults and children to easily open and close the tailgate with one hand to better facilitate loading and unloading. Tailgate assist costs extra on the GMC Canyon.

The Frontier’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Canyon’s (6260 vs. 3500 pounds).

The Frontier King Cab has a higher optional payload capacity than the Canyon Extended Cab (1610 vs. 1560 lbs.).

The Push Button Start standard on the Frontier allows you to start the engine without removing a key from pocket or purse (optional Intelligent Key will also allow unlocking the driver’s door without taking your keys out). The GMC Canyon doesn’t offer an advanced key system.

The Frontier’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Canyon’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Frontier’s optional LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Canyon’s projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors available for the Frontier detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Canyon doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

The Frontier (except S/Midnight)’s optional dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Canyon doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Frontier offers an optional Intelligent Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Canyon doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

The Frontier SV/PRO-X/PRO-4X offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Canyon doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Frontier second among midsize pickups in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Canyon isn’t in the top three.

The Nissan Frontier outsold the GMC Canyon by almost three to one during the 2022 model year.