Compare the2023 GMC CanyonVS 2023 Honda Ridgeline

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Canyon are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Canyon’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the front seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Canyon AT4/AT4X’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Canyon offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Ridgeline only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Canyon and Ridgeline offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Canyon with Rear Cross Traffic Alert also has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Ridgeline’s Cross Traffic Monitor doesn’t automatically brake.

The Canyon has standard OnStar®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the GMC Canyon is safer than the Honda Ridgeline:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Canyon’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Ridgeline’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 56 percent more GMC dealers than there are Honda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Canyon’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Canyon has a standard 170-amp alternator (220-amp - Canyon optional). The Ridgeline’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Canyon has a standard 800-amp battery. The Ridgeline’s 650-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 23 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 38 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks GMC higher than Honda.

The Canyon’s 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder produces 30 more horsepower (310 vs. 280) and 168 lbs.-ft. more torque (430 vs. 262) than the Ridgeline’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

The Canyon has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Ridgeline (21.4 vs. 19.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Canyon’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Ridgeline:

The Canyon stops shorter than the Ridgeline:

For better traction, the Canyon has larger standard tires than the Ridgeline (265/65R18 vs. 245/60R18). The Canyon AT4X’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Ridgeline (285/70R17 vs. 245/60R18).

The Canyon Denali’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Ridgeline’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Canyon Denali offers optional 22-inch wheels. The Ridgeline’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

The GMC Canyon’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Honda Ridgeline only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Canyon has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Ridgeline’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Canyon’s wheelbase is 6.2 inches longer than on the Ridgeline (131.4 inches vs. 125.2 inches).

The Canyon’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the Ridgeline’s (57.1% to 42.9%). This gives the Canyon more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the Canyon has a 1.96 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Ridgeline (9.6 vs. 7.64 inches), allowing the Canyon to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Canyon AT4X’s minimum ground clearance is 3.06 inches higher than on the Ridgeline (10.7 vs. 7.64 inches).

The Canyon is 6.2 inches narrower than the Ridgeline, making the Canyon easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The front grille of the Canyon uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Canyon has .2 inches more front headroom and 4.3 inches more front legroom than the Ridgeline.

The Canyon has a much larger cargo box than the Ridgeline (41.9 vs. 33.9 cubic feet).

The GMC Canyon offers an optional EZ-Lift and Lower, 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. The Honda Ridgeline doesn’t offer a tailgate assist.

The GMC Canyon has a standard CornerStep, which allows for much easier access to the cargo area. The Honda Ridgeline doesn’t offer a rear cargo step.

The Canyon has bed indentations that accommodate 2x4s for two-tiered loading to help accommodate diverse loads; the Ridgeline doesn’t offer two-tiered loading. The Canyon also has indentations to separate the cargo box into three different sections length-wise.

The Canyon has stake postholes, to allow the containment of tall, light loads. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer stake postholes.

The Canyon’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Ridgeline’s (7700 vs. 5000 pounds).

The Canyon AT4 can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Canyon can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Ridgeline can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Canyon has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Ridgeline (1640 vs. 1583 lbs.).

The engine in the Canyon is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Ridgeline. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

The Canyon’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Ridgeline does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Canyon offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Canyon’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Ridgeline’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Canyon and the Ridgeline have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Canyon is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Ridgeline prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Canyon’s front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Ridgeline’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

The Canyon’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Ridgeline’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Canyon (except Elevation) keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Canyon is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Ridgeline doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Canyon will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Canyon will retain 64.6% to 68.35% of its original price after five years, while the Ridgeline only retains 61.2% to 62.22%.