What Years Did GMC Make The Canyon Diesel & How Much HP Did It Have?

GMC has been making the hard-working Canyon truck for two decades now. When introduced to the U.S. for the 2004 model year, the Canyon was originally a compact truck. It came in three body styles: Regular cab, Extended Cab, and a Crew Cab, seating from three to five people, depending on the cab.

The Canyon's base engine was a 2.8L four-cylinder gas engine with 185 lb-ft of torque. GMC also offered a larger, 3.5L 5-cylinder gas engine with 225 lb-ft of torque for the Crew Cab style. Trucks with either engine produced a towing capacity of 4,000 pounds. 

Beginning with the model year 2015, the Canyon was redesigned as a mid-sized truck for its second generation.  It was still gas-powered at that time, available with either a 2.5L inline four or a 3.6L V6. However, in 2016 something special happened: the Canyon offered the only diesel engine in the midsize truck segment that year. 

The Canyon's news-making powertrain was a 2.8-liter inline-four Duramax diesel, one of the most reliable Duramax engines built. A diesel was available for the SLE and SLT Crew Cab models, driving 2WD or 4WD trucks. 

Along with a rating of 181 horsepower, this new Duramax engine produced a respectable 369 lb-ft of torque. That meant the 2016 model nearly doubled the towing capacity of the original Canyon to 7,700 lbs for the 2WD and 7,600 pounds for the 4WD. 

The 2.8L Duramax was designed as a turbo-diesel to give the truck the same smooth power at higher RPMs as it delivered at low RPMs. GMC also promoted it as being capable of running on bio diesel. 

The automaker built these diesel-powered trucks for seven years, but Canyon doesn't come with a diesel engine anymore. After 2022, only gas-powered versions of the truck were manufactured. GMC launched its 2023 model year Canyon — its fourth and latest generation — with only one engine choice across all the trims, from the Elevation and the AT4 to the Denali and AT4X. A 2.7L 4-cylinder turbo gives the 2023 Canyon 310 horsepower and a mighty 430 lb-ft of torque, for a towing capacity of up to 7,700 pounds.  According to Edmunds, the 2025 model year Canyon continues to offer only this 2.7L engine across all trims.