The 2021 GMC Canyon delivers a handful of changes, including a restyled grille, the addition of the new off-road-oriented AT4 trim level to replace the All Terrain model, and a few other minor changes. There are also major changes to the trim level structure, which we have outlined in the following GM Authority exclusive.
According to our dealer sources, the 2021 GMC Canyon trim level structure replaces several of the available trim levels and even deletes one outright, moving away from the traditional SL-SLE-SLT-Denali GMC trim level structure seen previously. The Canyon Trim is replaced by Elevation Standard, the SLE Trim is replaced by Elevation, and the All Terrain Trim is replaced by the AT4. Meanwhile, the SLT Trim is deleted, and won’t have a replacement.
For the trims that were replaced, the content is pretty much identical. However, content for the deleted SLT trim is deleted as well.
For reference, we’ve included a breakdown of the 2020 Canyon trim level structure and 2021 Canyon trim level structure below:
| Trim level: | SL | Canyon 2WD | Canyon 4WD | SLE 2WD | SLE 4WD | All Terrain 4WD | SLT 2WD | SLT 4WD | Denali 2WD | Denali 4WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment group: | 2SA | 2VL | 4VL | 2LE | 4LE | 4SB | 2LT | 4LT | 2SD | 4SD |
| Trim level: | Elevation Standard 2WD | Elevation Standard 4WD | Elevation 2WD | Elevation 4WD | AT4 4WD | Denali 2WD | Denali 4WD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment group: | 2VL | 4VL | 2LE | 4LE | 4SB | 2SD | 4SD |
The arrival of the new 2021 GMC Canyon AT4 is undoubtedly one of the big headlines for the nameplate. The GMC Canyon AT4 is offered as the latest addition to the GMC AT4 lineup, with the brand moving to apply the off-roader theme across its stable by 2021 (with the exception of the GMC Savana van).
What’s more, GMC has announced details on the 2021 GMC Canyon Denali, which touches down with new styling. Unfortunately, photographs of the 2021 Canyon Denali have not yet been released, but so far, we know that it will come with a restyled grille featuring a more sculpted, layered pattern that brings it in line with the GMC Sierra 1500.
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Comments
Hey Jonathan, any word why they’re deleting the SLT trim? Always figured that was the most common trim I saw out there.
Renaming to Elevation trims makes sense as that coincides with the Sierra.
I heard they were getting a low take-rate for SLT…
For what I paid for my Denali it was only a few hundred more than what they wanted for the SLT I was looking at.
I had planned on getting a Canyon and would have done the SLT because I wanted the tan interior. But then the Sierra SLT had so many more features for just a couple grand more. Had to go with the Sierra.
Now there’s more pricing between the two so who knows what will happen next time.
Shhhh life long moanerhere thinks everyone buys not for price!
I got my 17 Canyon Denali Below $40k and the SLT loaded up was nearly the same price. For only a few hundred mote I got a bed liner, steps, bed lights, bigger wheels, vented seats, heated wheels, Nav etc.
Note too I bought for size but had considered the Sierra Extra cab for a few thousand more but just did not want the size.
The one thing I gave up was the brown interior but next year it is available in the Denali.
I actually bought the Canyon SLT instead on the Denali only because you can’t get the coco dune interior color in the Canyon Denali?
Why is the only interior color you can get in the Canyon Denali boring black?
I had a SLT and Denali side by side. I really wanted the Coco interior but with the added Discounts it added more content to the point I decided I could be ok with Jet Black, it was only a few hundred dollars but the Denali just had more value for the money paid.
I think the reason why no Coco was they really were testing the waters with the Denali as it entered a price range that had not been tested.
They were not going to tool up the vented seats for Coco if it did not sell in enough numbers. In Jet Black they could also use them in the. Heavy ZR2 if they needed to find a home for them. Chevy has never offered Coco.
The Coco Dune to me makes it look more expensive with the contrasting colors.
Next year they will offer the new color so they may have decided with no SLT they will sell more Denali.
I know a loaded SLT sticker could easily get over $40k if loaded up.
They had a brown SLT that Stickered at $43k discounted today -$34k that was tempting. But I just did not like the color.
In 17 they had those GM sale tags they could put on a number of vehicles and it made for some good deals. My Denali had one.
Good one you guys, Tag teaming !!
Its a good thing GM doesn’t listen to you guys any longer, just another win here with the Canyon !
Just like a win for the Yukon !!
And a win for the Escalade !!
You see, GM finally realizes people want a better Denali for Scotts extra $200.00, All you got for your extra $200.00 was 3 pieces of wood looking plastic, and that made you pay more !!
But I do agree with you GMC man, and C8.R, you two wont spend more for a vehicle you want, you two will just buy the bigger one !!
The whole rest of the world – who drive mid-sized vehicles from the Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Audi, VW, Ford, Lincoln, Volvo, Honda, Lexus, and most others ALL have higher priced mid-sized vehicles with more content !!
But you two are right here, whatever you do, don’t let GM make a better mid-sized pickup that cost more !!
You know scott, nothing stopped you from buying a Silverado, you could have gotten more for your money !!
Again this is something you can not prove, Why cant you prove it ?? Because GM does NOT offer a mid-sized vehicle with better content or more performance !!
Hey C8.R, What you think of that EV Hummer ? Is your skin crawling thinking of that V8 performance rig an EV ?
And now that GM is doing it, you have no other choice but to love every aspect of it !!
Man its fun seeing you be wrong so, so, so, many times !!!
Moaner out,
Your turn to not respond, you never read or care anyway, yet now you actually put my mane in your comments, now that is funny !!
Your a hoot !
Two reasons I did not buy full size.
1 I did not want a full size.
2 I did not want to pay anymore than I already was paying.
That is what prevented me from buying full size.
Glad to see you took the time to read and comment not once but twice !
You are a hoot !
If GM is forcing us to go to the bigger trucks then they need more interior options and exterior colors, and don’t delete model trims that we want.
I like a bright red truck and light colored interior. Can’t find any SLT’s on any lots with this combo and the higher priced trims don’t have red available.
It is just silly that a Denali comes with only black interior.
I think they need to keep more trims with chrome bumpers and trim and have
more options for chrome wheels and tire options since they are in the tire business now also.
They should have two to three colors for interiors. One dark and two lighter contrasting colors in light and medium gray and the Coco Dune or what 3vervtgey call the colors now.
As for chrome wheels keep away from any OE chrome wheel as 5hey have never solved the pealing chrome issue.
My Terrain held up as it had a plastic chrome insert on an aluminum wheel on the 19” option.
The dealer service guys will tell you don’t buy the chrome factory wheels if you are given a choice.
Let’s start calling you “LifeLongCryBaby” because that is all you do. These are great trucks. I have a 2018 ZR2 and 2016 Canyon and love both of them. All you do is cry. If you hate GM so much why do you follow this site and hate on everyone who likes their trucks? I am surprised you haven’t died from aneurysm yet from the amount of time you spend crying on here.
Thanks Dan,
I like that, has a certain ring to it !
Lifelongcrybaby !
I love every GM vehicle I have owned, including my 2015 Canyon !
After you get all the recalls and ” Known Faulty Parts ” fixed !!!
Some are just bigger pieces of junk than others, and every once in a wile you get a great one !!
I really like the SLT as it has more chrome and the options I want. Why is GM going away from chrome. The Denali even has painted bumpers.
Most all trucks I see on the lots are off road. I am not a fan of those as I don’t like the appearance and the rougher ride. I can’t believe the majority of people drive their trucks off road a lot any more. Gm has had chrome bumpers and chrome trim for many decades, why do away with it now.
I just don’t like the way GM is going with appearance and lack of choices inside and out.
With the whole truck painted the same color they just don’t have the wow factor i like to see that chrome brings to the truck. Lots of us older guys still like the chrome and buy for looks and still want to buy what we want and what we think looks good. Inside and out.
So are they going to make any of them actually affordable now? They say it starts at 23k but make one change it instantly creeps into 30’s. The whole point of the mid size truck is for people who need one but not anything super large as a full size truck. It is no wonder why Detroit is failing. Mid size truck market fully loaded was mid to low tier full size truck prices. But hey let’s keep making vehicles at a 5% growth while wages grow at 2% average.
Detroit is failing? I had no idea. GM and Ford pull in billions in profits each year, so they must be failing too, right?
#RealityCheck done and done.
Marcus nothing on 4 wheels are cheap anymore. The cost of labor and materials have driven the cost up.
Sorry You are not going to get the $9,999 base S10 anymore.
GM is just trying to get out what people want !
GM will never truly know in todays world, what people want, unless GM offers more a’lacarte options !!
Who wants a $80,000.00 Denali truck without a sun roof ? Well I do ! and I have seen 10 now, as I count to see who ordered their Denali’s without ! You see, you can not buy a Denali off the lot without a sun roof, why ? because GM still thinks everyone who wants a Denali, wants a big hole in the roof. But do they really know any longer ? The data shows most Denali owners own a sunroof, and again, that’s because you cant buy a Denali off the lot without a sunroof.
Its back to white being the most sold color, and the 2.0T being the most sold Cadillac. If all you offer is white cheese, everyone will be buying white cheese !! Until, someone offers a different choice, nobody changes !!
Henry for himself said it, you can have a black car, or you can have a black car. But C8.R now says, see, everyone wants a black car !
The 2.0t is the one priced cheap for lease packages. That is why it moves more.
You have a problem with Black?
Not everyone wants a sun roof but it is one option that should be offered.
More fake down votes?
That’s funny , both our ATS and Canyon are both black !
I also love your comment
” not everyone wants a sunroof but it is one option that should be offered ”
Yet a better engine in a Cadillac mid-sized SUV should not be offered ?
Yet a better optioned mid-sized Canyon should not be offered ?
Where is YOUR option list, I would bet its different than mine !!
Also, when you talk to people about what is cheap, you know, you said nothing is cheap any longer ! Cheap is a relative term, one man trash is another mans treasure !
I for one will pay more money for a mid-sized vehicle over a full-sized !
And if GM knew how to look at the data they would find I am not alone even though GM themselves sell a lot of mid-sized vehicles for more money than full-sized, yet nothing in a truck !
I love the GMC Hummer !!, yet I will not own a full-sized vehicle for a run around, and the EV Hummer will not be able to replace my HD Duramax Denali ! However I would buy a GMC Hummer EV tomorrow in a mid-sized SUV vehicle, tomorrow !!
So yet again, I will wait !
I also think Tesla is mistaken by not offering a Mid-sized EV truck before the large one ! So that is one thing I think Tesla has wrong !!
EV is just out at least, at least 5 years in South Dakota, and I would bet more like 10 at least.
Blame the dealer if they aren’t ordering Denali’s without a sunroof. And if the dealer doesn’t, why aren’t you simply ordering one custom made for your needs? Simple concept.
I did,
I ordered a Denali without a sunroof !!
I am just trying to say, Just because its on the dealers lots does not mean its what the customers want !!
And when the vehicles that the dealers order get the price reduction of $12,000.00 sure they sell with the sun roof, as an example, for the cheaper price, people will buy them !!
You want it to sound so simple, and it is, yet if GM just talked to the customer, they would have the vehicles people wanted on the lot, not something they have to reduced the price on to sell !
Simple concept.
Lifelong and C8R why don’t you guys meetup in real life and have a beer. Squash the beef.
Looking forward to see how GM improves this truck in the next few years.
Good God No!
Life long just follows my post around like a hemorrhoid. If he vanished tomorrow I would be overjoyed.
Even if I don’t respond he still shows up.
Yep, I will show up C8.R,
Dale, when I see anyone here trying to convince GM has better quality, better reliability, or better customer support, I try to comment, not just on C8.R. Its just that he drinks more of the GM Kool-Aid than others, he likes to add a little ” GM is just a better truck than RAM”, or ” Toyota has just as many troubles as GM ” NONE OF THA IS TRUE — TODAY —-
In the 70’s OK maybe some of that was true.
Also he has been a liar on this site, he has went around telling everyone that a fluid flush will fix the GM 8 speed junk transmission, and that simply IS NOT TRUE. Does it fix SOME, sure, does it fix MOST, sure, does it fix ALL — NOPE —
Now that’s OK if you are not one of the THOUSANDS the fluid flush does NOT fix, And HE had HIS ——ENTIRE —-GM 8 speed junk transmission REPLACED, so there is that !
Then the personal attacks, I would love to meetup, like you said, so he could call me those things face to face because unless he is a 35 to 45 year old special forces man, I would stuff his ass in a box for a couple weeks until he learned some manners !
Other than that, he and I, I think have some things in common, I overhauled my first 283 GM engine at age 14, and have been doing only GM stuff for 38 years, and still have two brothers running the shop together ! I was all GM only GM, GM is the best, and did agree with C8.R, until I moved to a new city, and I no longer grew up with the service manager or parts guy or the techs. And I was lied to and treated like $hit, I simply could NOT believe it, and still cant !! Yet C8.R knowing nothing about it ” I was wrong ” NO I was NOT wrong !!!
So now I am here pointing out the liars and the GM fraud of selling KNOWN FAULTY PARTS !! No other product do you pay for a part that is known to be bad.
Then there is the original thought, C8.R is GM is the only ones who know what they are doing, C8.R, not that long ago was , Tesla is loosing money and will be broke. GM will squash them EV will never work, GM is wasting their money there. Now with the Hummer EV, C8.R is like ” I knew it all along, The Hummer EV will be great !” So he doesn’t even have his own thoughts, only the GM Kool-Aid.
No I think ill just keep it up, so that C8.R and the likes of him, stop skewing GM thinking that their products are ” Good Enough ”
And unless you have disagreed with a GM dealer and have had to deal with GM customer support, you simply would not believe how HORRIBLE it really is !!!
I wanted a 2020 Canyon and other then what was on the lots nobody had one like it so was ordering one,,,,Go to order 3 weeks ago ,,unavailable already..so getting bits and pieces on the 2021’s some good things and some I think are a mistake for Canyon..1st is off road features,,you got too be kidding,,I’m not taking a $45,000+ off roading and I don’t know anyone here that would ruin a new truck doing that sort of thing…I want a clean custom look with chrome and no black wheels possibly lower instead of jacked up…If I’m going off road I’ll get my neighbors old junk truck and and take my junk out to a ditch he has for burning stuff….maybe if you live in an area,, desert,,or,, mountains,, it might be a fun option but for people that live in areas you don’t do this,,, its not,, that exciting of an option. I’m also worried those Goodyear tires are going to be noisy driving on the highway,,I don’t need off road tires,, too drive,, on black top roads…The cocoa dune interior was a great option I want,,actually more colors should be offered ,,black is so blah,,,,shows dust like crazy too hot in summer and Body colors,, like red,,not ruby red should be optioned like black and white ..just my opinion and many of my friends!!
Totally Agree. I had off road all-terrain tires on my present 2016 Canyon and they got to be so noisy I couldn’t stand them any longer and got rid of them with only half tread and put new all season GY wrangers on. Gas mileage went up 3-4 MPG. and they were very quiet.
I never drive off-road and it is a waste of money for me. The ride on the highway would be questionable.
Like you I hate black interior and like the cocoa dune also.
Cardinal Red is my Exterior color of choice and hope it is NOT discontinued.
I would think the SLT would be the best truck of choice for many buyers.
Like the series-hate the ‘chugggle.’ Have owned 2 and same issue. Hoping GM reads this and will contact me w/inof on whether they have fixed the chuggle.