Compare the2024 Ford RangerVS 2023 GMC Canyon

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Ranger 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 Ranger has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Canyon doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Ranger XLT/Lariat has a standard Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Canyon doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Ranger XLT/Lariat’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 Ranger 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available four-wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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

There are over 79 percent more Ford dealers than there are GMC dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Ranger’s warranty.

The Ranger has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Canyon doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in long-term dependability. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, GMC is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 2 places higher in reliability than GMC.

The Ranger’s optional 2.7 turbo V6 produces 5 more horsepower (315 vs. 310) than the Canyon’s 2.7 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Ranger gets better mileage than the Canyon:

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Ranger, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Canyon.

The Ranger’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.

The Ford Ranger may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 600 pounds less than the GMC Canyon.

The Ranger is 7.3 inches shorter than the Canyon AT4X Edition 1, making the Ranger easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Ranger has .7 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear hip room and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Canyon.

The Ranger has a much larger cargo box than the Canyon shortbed (43.5 vs. 41.9 cubic feet).

The Ranger’s cargo box is larger than the Canyon’s in almost every dimension:

The Ford Ranger 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.

While the Canyon AT4X can only tow 6000, any Ranger can tow a minimum of 7500 pounds.

The Ranger has a higher standard payload capacity than the Canyon:

The Ranger has a higher maximum payload capacity than the Canyon (1805 vs. 1640 lbs.).

If the windows are left open on the Ranger the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Canyon can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Ranger’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Canyon doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Ranger Lariat’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Canyon’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Ranger (except XL)’s optional Enhanced Active Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling the transmission and speed with the brake pedal. With its available fully controlled system, the driver just activates it and it parks autonomously, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Canyon doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Ford Ranger outsold the GMC Canyon by over two to one during 2022.