GMC Canyon vs Jeep Gladiator: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the GMC Canyon burns about $2,800 of fuel annually against $3,250 for the Jeep Gladiator. That $450 yearly gap compounds to roughly $2,250 over five years and $3,600 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City versus highway split: the Jeep Gladiator is the stronger commuter at 22 mpg city, while the GMC Canyon pulls ahead on the interstate at 30 mpg highway. If most of your driving is stop-and-go traffic the city figure is the one to weigh; for long-distance highway mileage the reverse is true, and the two vehicles effectively swap places depending on how you drive.

Powertrain choice: the GMC Canyon is recorded with 2 distinct engine configurations (SIDI, 2.8), the Jeep Gladiator with 2 (3.6, 3.0). Across 74 recorded GMC Canyon configurations and 17 for the Jeep Gladiator, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the GMC Canyon is offered with 4-Wheel Drive, Rear-Wheel Drive, the Jeep Gladiator with 4-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Small Pickup Trucks 2WD and Standard Pickup Trucks 4WD respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the GMC Canyon emits 396 g/mile of CO2 versus 423 g/mile for the Jeep Gladiator. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.