2026 Jeep Gladiator vs. GMC Canyon AT4X: One Is a CLEAR Winner Off-Road!

How much off-road truck can you get for under $60,000? Andre, I think we have two of the best options for any rock crawler in this segment. So what I brought today is this brand new 2026 Jeep Gladiator 41 edition because Jeep is celebrating really 85 years of off-road heritage and I think it's pretty capable. It's impressive but I've brought what I think is the even more impressive GMC Canyon 84x. To find out which one's really the best, we got to take them both off-road. Let's do the ironclads trail right now. Yeah, so just a little dab and now we get to see how we're doing for a breakover angle. Oh, just the slightest rub. So that's just barely, barely made contact. Oh, all right dude. So I figured we would start in the Jeep, right? Because it's kind of been the OG of off-roading. Yeah, plus this Gladiator did come out first. It's the one that's been on the market in current form longer. Yeah. And to your point, it really is a great benchmark rock crawling pickup truck because there are quite a few good off-road trucks out there on the market. But again, I would argue that this and that Canyon are some of the best rock crawlers you can get turnkey from the factory. Yeah, and we'll go over some of the major features of each truck in a second but I just wanted to point out that we're doing kind of old-school V6 underneath the hood of this Jeep plus old-school solid axles front and back. That's true. This is one of very few vehicles on the market for sale here in North America period that has a solid front axle. It's a pretty short list. Yeah, because if you wanted a beefy axle in the front like this, also you could go heavy-duty truck. You could, but if you want a more compact, a smaller truck, it's this and the Ineos. Exactly, so it's a short list. It is a short list. So the Steps is the first obstacle and then we have Razor Rocks and then Truford Air and and obviously this early into the trail, no issues with clearance, no issues with traction. One nice thing about having solid axles is you should be able to get more articulation. This particular truck doesn't have a disconnecting sway bar from the factory. No. You could go in and add in the aftermarket some manual disconnects and that wouldn't be that difficult or just bust out a but we should still get some pretty good articulation. Yeah, so that was actually with no rear locker enabled. So my traction control system kicked in. Yeah, so that was very interesting but you know what? I'm gonna add and enable it for the next obstacle. Yeah, because the next obstacle ramps things up as we know quite a bit. Yeah, this is the Razor Rocks and rear locker plus every bit of help you can get is going to be necessary here. Okay, check this out. This 41 package on the Gladiator comes with these distinct wheels. I love this design and their painted body color which Jeep calls 41. I like it. That's nice. It's a 17-inch wheel. It's aluminum so it's relatively lightweight and then the tire is also very aggressive but not very big. This is a Firestone Destination MT2 but the diameter is only about 32 inches so I wish I had a bigger tire but I should have traction. This truck also comes with optional trail rails. That's right, Case. So I do have side protection. I do have a couple of skid plates which should help me tremendously today and my ground clearance is not terribly good but it'll have to do. The 41 Jeep Gladiator is equipped with a steel bumper. I've got a push bar on it so I can mount some additional lights if I wanted to. It's winch capable and it offers about 40 degrees of approach which is really great. These trucks are rugged on the outside but there's something we can do to make them more rugged inside as well. 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These LazFit mats are available for the majority of 2025 and 2026 trucks from brands like Chevy, GMC, Ford and Ram and you can find out if there's a pair that fits your truck by clicking on the link in the description below. Can we see the sky? Yes, we can. You don't have quite as much headroom here, huh? Your hat's pretty close to the headliner. But I still feel comfy. Yeah. But I feel like I'm sitting above you, like the seat cushion is actually higher. Yeah. For some reason. Could be. I might have my seat dropped down a little. I mean drop mine. Or I might just be short. No, I can't drop it. Tell, give it to me straight. Am I short? No. Okay. No, I'm just freakishly large. Everybody at the office is, is like. We're large people, I don't know why. Six foot and a bit minimum. Did you see that? Even Gavin, our intern's like six two. Andre, you might be a little disappointed but. What? I'm not actually sure the ride quality is any better here in the canyon than it was with the solid front axle of the Jeep. Well, what about your fancy DSSVs? You know. Spool valves. It's a funny thing. So the DSSVs feel great when you've got some momentum. Yeah. Some speed. Yeah. But at low speeds, they don't seem to make any significant difference, which kind of makes sense. A lot of how the ride is at this speed comes down to your springs and. Yeah. Yeah, this vehicle feels a little stiff. I kind of wish it was maybe a bit looser. But at the same time, you get a balance, payload, towing capability with off-road capability. So. Yeah. So Jeep showed a lot of poise. Yes. If I may say so. But the Canyon 84X is about six inches shorter wheelbase, so you should have better clearances all the way around. Yeah, better clearances and a little bit more maneuverable. But I don't think. But still a wide truck actually. Yeah, still pretty wide and I don't think we're going to have as much articulation here. You're not using your lockers yet, right? No, not yet. So, you know, traction control, programming, intervening a little bit there and making sure that we've got the traction that we need. I have to admit, the Gladiator has this Canyon beat in the looks department. The wheels are cool. The color scheme is cool. But the Canyon has some pretty important things going for it. It's a shorter truck overall. It's got about an inch of extra ground clearance. Our break over angle is better. Our departure angle is better. And this is a 33 inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT. Still a pretty aggressive tire, maybe not quite as aggressive, but bigger in diameter. This truck also has a set of factory rock sliders and pretty good underbody protection. So overall, it's a lot going for it. And these trucks are getting pretty expensive. But the great thing is I have a matching spare Firestone Destination right there. But Andrej, what's up with your cheapo shocks? Well, they're not name brand, I would say. I got Multimatic DSSVs. But I do have a rear locking differential. I got a front and a rear locker. If you haven't seen it before, which I kind of doubt because we use it all the time, this is the Razor Rocks. This is one of our favorite features to test any one of these fairly capable trucks or SUVs on because it is genuinely very challenging. From some angles, it's hard to see just how difficult this is. But I'm standing here in the trench right in front of the Rocks and they're sitting at about shoulder height for me. So you get massive amounts of articulation. We're going to be picking up tires and it's going to take that rear locker plus the four-wheel drive system on this Jeep to get through this. So let's see how it does. All right, so I'm going to approach slowly and let me know. I'll let you know if the front bumper gets close, but you do have a lot of approach angles. So you're looking great. Okay. Yeah, you're good. You're golden. Yeah, that's my favorite feature of the Jeep. How's my rear end? Yeah, rear. You're hanging a tire by quite a bit, but that rear locker is pushing you up no problem. Okay. And your front end so far is keeping traction. So your articulation is really good. Okay, but I'm worried about my belly. Yeah, you might run out of break over as you start to crest the rocks. We'll find out. You're hanging a front tire a little bit, but actually your traction control is doing a good job. Yeah, this is pretty nice. Yeah, so go slow as you crest the rocks here. Is this going to be close? Come on. You might be okay. Dang. Yeah, so just a little dab. Where is it hitting? It's on the frame. It might be one of the skids, but you're looking okay. Nice. Oh, I'm touching something. Yeah. Come on, Jeep. Ah, nothing important. You look good. Hey, it's a Pentastar, okay? Dude, I was actually pretty surprised. That was relatively easy. Yeah, absolutely. All around, not a lot of drama. Again, even though you don't have a front locker, the four-wheel drive programming and traction control setup with this does a really good job. So even when you were hanging your driver's side front tire, it wasn't slipping a lot. So that was awesome. Like we saw, you just ran out of breakover angle a little bit. So I think, well, let's keep going, but I think if I was to own this, I would have to put a bigger tire on this, I think. Yeah, a little extra ground clearance would go a long way. Yeah. So got up the steps, absolutely no problem. As I approach the razor rocks here, though, like yourself, I am going to go ahead and start things off with some of those tools engaged, because when you start to get into trouble is when you're lurching back and forth. It might be too late, right? We didn't get in trouble. Lockers give you a lot of control. And this truck does actually have a physical switch to engage them, which I like, unlike the Ranger Raptor, which is built into the screen. Yeah. And they kick on pretty easily. So unlike some Toyota products, for example, that take a little bit of time and fiddling with it to get it to kick on pretty easy. You just touched it, immediately did it. I'm impressed with the engagement. I'll try to guide you on the same line I took. Yeah. For the razor rocks. If we can, because like you mentioned, Jeep's got really good approach angle. I might not be able to take exactly the same line you did, but we'll try to copy it. So, I mean, I think Jeep approach angle is about 40 degrees. You're sitting just over 30. So you still have a good number. Yeah. Yeah, it's not bad. So let's see. Let's see how it does. Okay. I think that's the same path. Yep. Come slowly. You're fine. Cool. You're fine. Your front tire is climbing. Again, front and rear lockers engaged gives tons of control. So there's no lurching back and forth. Okay. Hold right there. We want to check around. Yeah. You're hanging a tire in the back. Oh, I'm sure. I'll be interested to see, Andre, as I start to climb up, if I end up hanging my driver's side front tire by very much, because in the Jeep, you barely lifted that tire. The front end had a lot of articulation. Okay. Let's take a look. A little more, driver. I don't think you hung a tire much. Nice. So even though it's an independent front suspension, it's still articulating and performing well. And now we get to see how we're for a breakover angle, which seems to be fine. And we do have rock sliders. So if I were to run out of breakover, it still wouldn't be a huge issue, but not a single touch. So that's one of the big differences between the two. Yeah, dude, that was really smooth. That was very nice. Yeah. And again, took that as slow as possible to try and make it reasonably challenging. But man, this Canyon has just got so much baked in capability from the factory. Did not break a sweat on that whatsoever. And that was not an easy line. I mean, here's the thing about off-roaders. When it looks easy, it's very capable. Yeah. Right. Exactly. When it looks dramatic and everything is spinning and you're rocking, that means the vehicle is not quite up to the task. We've shown plenty of times that there's a lot of very capable vehicles that struggle there on the razor rocks. That is about as little drama as you can possibly have going up that. Yeah. But take a look at this interior. First of all, the seats, I love the contrast. This is called the heritage stand. They're cloth seats. I was just driving up here with my infinite headroom because this is a Jeep and the heaters in the seats are incredible. You turn them on and within about 20 seconds, it's about a thousand degrees in here. So it's very comfortable even on a colder day. And I do have my rear locking differential. I do have off-road plus mode. I probably won't be using much of it today. I also have many auxiliary switches so I can add lights and winches and all that stuff, which is all nice stuff. Ultimately, one of the biggest upsides of a Gladiator is going to be the ease of pulling the top off, pulling the doors off and getting that open air experience, which you can't really do in the canyon. So that's a nice thing. I also gotta say, Andre, I like your old school transfer case shifter. Yes, and actually you have to be a man to use it. Do you? It's a little exclusionary, don't you think? I'm sorry. Okay, you have to have a manly touch to use it because it's not like pushing a button. You have to take both hands and muscle it into place. Beautiful. Yeah. Andre, welcome to the 21st century and this is an interior fitting for a truck that is almost $60,000 because not too long ago that was a lot of money for a midsize truck. Now it seems to be somewhat the average, but these seats I would say overall feel like nicer materials. It's not cloth. It's a nicer combination of fabrics, a little bit of contrast in here with red accents, says AT4X. That all looks pretty cool, makes us feel a little more special. And yeah, you can't take the top off, you can't take the doors off, but I do have front and rear lockers and that is going to go a long way on the trail. With a arguably more modern interior, there is also just this push button for your two high, four high, four low and auto modes for the transfer case. So that's maybe not quite as satisfying to use, but it works. You know what? I'm going to go to manual mode first gear because we are crawling and this is true for there. And of course we're going to choose the hardest line. For sure, because these two trucks are plenty capable enough for this stretch of trail. It's not really a question of if, it's just how much drama is there in either one as we go up. And that's kind of where we see some of the differences between the two. Because these two trucks are so capable and also because you want to maintain as much clearance, as much height in this Jeep, especially as we go up the trail, we're not actually aired down for this. Again, it's really not necessary for what we're doing. If anything, it would just add a little bit of comfort, but I'm not sure anyone watching this video cares about our comfort. Well, yeah, the comfort is not super great, I would say, but I am going over this rock on my driver's side and so far it's doing really well. I think these aggressive tires are doing a good job too. Absolutely, yeah. This is really good rubber from the factory. It's just not tons of it. Right. And as long and as limo-like as this vehicle is in its profile, I think a bigger tire really makes these look a lot better. So, proportionally speaking, at least a 33, if not a 35 on this would make it significantly better looking and would give you some extra height. I'd make it a better trail rig as well. But even in factory form, it's really no issues. And this truck, this Jeep is based on a Wheelies trim level, which is not the base base because it's Sport, Sport S, and then Wheelies, right? So it's kind of in the middle of the Jeep. Yeah, that's why you get the rear locker, you get a few extra features, plus the styling bits, which not everyone claims to care about. But if you're buying a vehicle like this and spending this kind of money, you probably want it to also look good on top of being capable on a trail. And these wheels especially just can't say enough how sharp they are. They look awesome. Super sharp. Yeah. You know what else is sharp is that I feel like I'm part of this environment. Yeah. You know, taking the top panels off. I mean, this is called the Jeep thing, right? Yeah, it's a machine that absolutely feels at home here on the trail. We're doing exactly what this machine is designed to do. Yeah. And also, you know that everybody makes fun, I think you included, of this Pentastar. Yeah, it's, yeah. It is, you know, not super torquey, but it's also not very loud. Yeah. So it's not obnoxious. Which is good because it doesn't make a great sound. It's not a bad engine, it's just old and it feels a little dated, especially up here at altitude. It feels a little anemic, a little asthmatic, but it does the job. It does the job. Do you want to pop out and guide me over the sawtooth here? Sure. Are you going to reverse and come back the other direction? Yeah, no, I'm going to turn, I'm going to spin around. Cool. I'm going to do a J-turn. Yes. Nice. All right, so sawtooth is really a test of the breakover angle, of which I don't have a lot, dude. No, and we're going to drive that point home even further. Oh, no. By seeing how far towards me you can go, and I don't think this is going to work out. Yeah, you're already touching. Wow. Okay, let me move over. Yeah. Can you kind of mark where that was? Yeah. Or I guess we need to mark where I can do it successfully, right? Yeah, for sure. I'm just going to move over just a smidge. All right, give it a go. I'm going slowly. It's close. It's close. Oh, just the slightest rub. Yeah, you can still drive through. So that's just barely, barely made contact. Oh, it's still making contact. Yeah, and there's not that much further you can push to make it easier, so it is what it is. Oh, what is that? Oh, I don't know. Let me get down there and look. I just want to skip plates in the center. Okay. Yeah. All right, I think I need a lift on this Jeep. I think so, too. Well, in any case, what comes up must come down, right? Yeah, and this is actually a deceptively difficult spot to get over, and you're taking a pretty challenging line down it because break over can be an issue here. I think I touched something already. Yeah, on my side, you're okay. What's the better line? Uh, maybe all the way right. Towards driver's side? I would say so. I think either extreme toward me or toward the other side is maybe a little better, but it's kind of hard to avoid touching something on the way down. Oh, I think I just touched something. Oh, yeah, dragging a little on the passenger side, but not too bad. But I'm pretty narrow, actually. This truck is pretty narrow. Yeah, it gives you more line choice, which is nice. That's nice. Okay. All right, so that was stairs done, razor rock done, now true for dare. Yeah, and once again, look, there's pros and cons with all of these different trucks. The Jeep does some things really well. I do think it's the better looking truck, and again, you can pull the roof off, you can pull the doors off, and the aftermarket community surrounding it. It's humongous. You could do anything with a Gladiator, which is really cool. Yeah. But out of the box, man, this Canyon is a really good rock crawling truck. It is just so capable, lots of clearance, and then if you're willing to spend the money, and it's a lot, but if you're willing to spend the money on an AEV edition of this truck, you get factory 35s, you get a ridiculous amount of clearance, underbody protection. Yeah. That is an unbelievable truck off-road, but even this, a step below it, and much more affordable by comparison. Yeah. Is pretty damn good. Because really that, I mean, that's an AEV edition Canyon, and that was like over $70,000, right? It has so much money. That's a big jump in price. It is, especially considering some of the things that you do and don't get, because for example, this rear glass, I know this is maybe seems like a small thing, an inconsequential thing, but that rear glass, you have to open manually. Oh, come on. And on that AEV truck for over $70,000, I expect that to be a power feature. I know, everything should be powered. And two, to be spending over $70,000 for this 2.7 liter turbo four-cylinder, man, when you can get the Ranger Raptor for a lot less money, that has way more power, it's a more fun power train, it's a tough pill to swallow, but as far as pure rock crawling capability all out is concerned, this, and especially that AEV version, are hard to beat. Exactly. And with the Jeep, I was thinking about this really hard, because I've been driving that Gladiator for a couple days now, is that I may not choose the 41 package as a starting point to build my Gladiator. Sure. You know, because at $57,000, that's a little bit too much, you know, to start with. Yeah. I would start lower, maybe. I do want that rear locker. For sure. For sure. At the very least. I would start lower, but I would go to the end of the earth to find those wheels. Yeah, absolutely. The wheels are great looking. Yeah. And I think that that Gladiator, for sure, it's subjective, but I think it's a better looking truck than this, especially if you lift it and get it on some more rubber. Bigger rubber. Yes, yes. So, just to make a point. Yes. I'm going to try a pretty aggressive line, and it might not work, but there really is a lot of clearance with this truck, so who knows, you might be okay. This is a challenging line on this, for sure. All right, keep moving. You're doing okay so far. Slowly. Okay, you got clearance. And a back tire should be about to start. Dude, you've got like several inches. Oh, you got like an inch. That is impressive, dude. Yeah, so that's a difficult lineup, that was a much more aggressive line, for sure, than what we had to take with the Jeep. Yeah. And man, still no touching. We haven't touched the underside of this yet. I guess you should hog the tree like I did. Yeah, we'll try and mimic your line a little bit here. All right, we're coming down. Certainly made things relatively easy on the Jeep, so no different here, other than the fact that still not touching the underside. So yeah, even out of the box, the ground clearance on this is very usable. You can go hit some pretty challenging trails in one of these trucks with no modification and have not only a lot of fun, but get really far through some easy peasy, through some difficult rock crawling. No overstating just how good these are. And we're not paid by GMC. This is a truck that we bought with our own money. Our company bought this as a vehicle to have as a long-term tester. So it's one that we've put quite a bit of time into, and we've driven this on a lot of different trails, and it impresses pretty much every time. Case, I have a confession to make. Tell me. I've been keeping a secret in this video from you, and it has to do with payload. The Jeep you're seeing behind you has a very low payload number, 835 pounds. Yeah. So as it is with all the options, right, that the Jeep has, I would need to remedy that somehow. What about the Canyon? 1,200 pounds. That's a significantly higher. It's 50 percent more. Yeah. Yeah. So look, stock for stock, it's pretty clear the Canyon is the winner off-road. The Jeep has got tons of potential as a blank canvas. If you're willing to spend the money to modify it, address a few things, there's going to be more potential for this vehicle to be modified. But if all you want is something straight from the factory, with a warranty turnkey, ready to go, this Canyon, for the money, it's better off-road. Yeah, and the Gladiator probably has many dozens of different suspension systems off their market. You could go Jeep performance parts, right? You can get it from Mopar. I think I would still pick the Jeep because open top, right? For sure. I can just remove the top, and then I want to build my own. Yeah. Ultimately, going off-road, doing what we're doing today is not all about objective performance. It's about the subjective fun aspect of it, too, because that's the whole reason we hit trails anyway. Yeah. And the Jeep is tons of fun, arguably more fun because you can pull the doors off, pull the top off. So, it's always going to depend on the person, but if you want all-out capability, and in our test today, I think this was the winner. All right, well, let us know which one you would choose and why. We'll see you next time.