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Perry Mack
AT4 at North America's eastern most point Cape Spear
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Perry Mack
Exterior cameras are one way trailering is safer and easier
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Perry Mack
Lengthening the wheelbase provides more interior room and an improved approach angle
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Perry Mack
Multifunction tailgate works as a step
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Perry Mack
Off-road air in the AT4
Words and photos by Perry Mack
The first drive of the Sierra Denali and AT4 highlighted both the strengths and deficiencies of GMC’s newest offering in the half-ton truck category. Do the pros out weighs the cons? Let’s see what you think.
We test drove the 2019 GMC Sierra in the luxury Denali and off-road AT4 trim, at the global launch in St. John’s Newfoundland.
The new Sierra exterior is a composition of angular shapes that are repeated through out the truck. It starts with the C-shaped LED lights, which are standard across the Sierra trim lines, and is also present in the fog lights. The angles continue to shape the large front grill and are mirrored in bumper, which includes the tow hooks. The Denali gets a ton of chrome in the front, which makes the bold lines really stand out.
The same design lines follow around the side of truck and are apparent in the wheel wells, which are a shape exclusive to the Sierra. Chrome on the Denali may be a love it or leave touch, but it certainly emphasizes the increased size. The new Sierra is both taller and wider than it’s predecessors and competitors.
The angled theme continues in the lower corners of both windows, and the rear wheel well. The side step is a smooth functioning piece of hardware, which is an innovative feature that, with a boot tap to the end will move it rearwards to provide a step to aid access to the rear bed, and another tap will move it forward again.
The multi-function tailgate houses both a hitch camera for trailering and a rear view camera for backing up, and overshadows the bumper which houses the flat dual exhaust pipes and over-sized corner bumper steps.
The main portion of the tailgate can be lowered from the remote or by one touch of a button. What makes it unique is the secondary smaller tailgate that can act as a work surface when lowered on it’s own, and contains an additional flip up load holder to keep material in your truck or be used as a step to get it the truck. Recognizing that truck owners are often carrying gear with them into the truck there is also handle that can be deployed to help you get in.
The tailgate lowers with hydraulic assist but it’s not powered. Good news is it won’t slam down if you lose your grip.
The truck bed has the largest capacity in its class and the interior sides are molded to allow you some terrific ways to load your gear. The one thing I felt was missing was an adjustable rail tie down system available in some competitors’ trucks.
Our test vehicles had the steel beds with a spray in bedliner, but the virtually indestructible carbon fibre bedliner was on display as well and will be available soon in spring of 2019.
Rather than list every feature that you’ll find in a luxury trim truck, let’s look at what you do get that’s unique, and then what’s is missing.
The Denali interior is filled with quality leather seats and armrests all fitted with well-detailed stitching, and the Denali logo is stitched into the leather headrests. Aluminum accents on the steering wheel and centre console compliment the upper dash, which is padded for a real luxury feel, but the lower portions, in contrast are just hard plastic.
Controls are intuitively laid out, especially if you are an existing GMC owner. The start/stop button is easy to find, as is the trailer brake controller. The truck has auto start/stop, but GMC let’s you turn it off completely if it is something you hate.
It did take me a moment to find the segment exclusive Heads Up Display (HUD) switch, which let’s you flip through a number of display options including turning it off completely. It took ten or fifteen minutes to get used to, but ultimately I really appreciated it.
The interior is spacious. GMC stretched the wheelbase by four inches and put 3” of that into the rear passenger area so the guys or family in the back get more legroom. And the truck is wider, so if you have a truckload of people they’ll be more comfortable than in any other previous Sierra.
The rearview mirror camera is great and turns on with a flip of a switch that used to be a highbeam switch on older vehicles. You can digitally adjust the brightness, the view up or down, and zoom in and out. If you have a rear seat full of gear or people, it gives you a view you wouldn’t get at all and actually provides a wider view than the true mirror.
Using the camera versus the true mirror is different and it does take your a eyes a moment to refocus on the camera view. With a mirror, your eyes focus on objects in the mirror at their true distance from the vehicle, but with a camera your eyes have to re-focus on the screen.
GMC spent a lot of time on enhancing the trailering capability of the truck. There are a full suite of electronic options, including cameras, trailer presets and checklists. With the right options in your truck you get a full 360° view on the 8” touchscreen as well as optional trailer mounted camera views.
What’s missing in the interior? There’s no option for a panoramic sunroof, which might not sound like much until you get in a truck that has it. It makes the cabin interior feel huge. And for some reason, although the Sierra has a full suite of electronic safety features it doesn’t have adaptive cruise control. That’s where you can set the truck to follow the vehicle in front of you at a specified distance and it will also engage emergency braking if it’s needed.
The Sierra will be available with four different engine options including a new 2.7L 4-cylinder gas turbo delivering 310 hp and 348 lb-ft of torque, a new 3.0L inline six diesel, and of course you can still get the 5.3L and 6.2L V-8’s. But only the 5.3L and 6.2L were available for us to test and mostly the 6.2L. The engine is a V8 enthusiasts dream with 420 hp and 460 lb ft. It has four modes - tour, sport, tow/haul and off-road. We didn’t find much difference between tour and sport modes. No setting creates enough acceleration to push you back in your seat or snap your head back; it is after all, a pick-up truck. The engine is mated to the new 10-speed Ford/GM collaboration transmission, which we have also driven in the Chevy Tahoe. This is a solid performing engine/transmission combination. The ride is smooth and the power is plentiful. Pulling a 7,000 lb boat was effortless, and the ride was controlled, partially due to GM’s adaptive ride control with active dampers, which adjusts the suspension to smooth out the ride.
The ride is quiet, if that’s what you’re looking for. We preferred the throaty roar of the performance exhaust option, which not only makes it sound like a V8 should, but supposedly provides an extra 13 hp.
The most innovative feature though is Dynamic Fuel Management, which allows the engine to run on one to eight cylinders depending on your power requirements.
The other trim level we tested was the AT4. Standard for this truck are the 5.3L V8, an extra 2” of lift, a locking rear differential, a two-speed transfer case with 4-Low and 4-high, the traction select system for different weather and road conditions, and it comes standard with 18” wheels and A/T tires.
Some available options include the 6.2L V-8, 20” wheels and mud-terrain terrain tires. Other options like three-litre inline six diesel, and the CarbonPro box will be available once those features are in production.
Unfortunately GMC didn’t have the obstacle filled off-road course we’re used to in order to fully test the capabilities of the truck, but we certainly took the opportunity to abuse the truck, testing its off-road handling and suspension, including getting the truck in the air.
You can feel traction control kick in sliding through dirt filled corners and under hard acceleration in slippery and uneven terrain.
It also settles down fairly well after hitting bumpy ground. It does not go off-road as well a Colorado ZR2, or a Ford Raptor but then it’s not supposed to. What it will do well is get you through your job site, to your favourite fishing or hunting spot, and get your boat in and out the water at a poor boat launch. It’s a premium grade truck with the chops to get you further than most luxury vehicles.
Overall, the 2019 Sierra is the best Sierra yet, and it is a strong contender for your dollars against the half-ton trucks from Ram, Ford, Nissan and Toyota.
That’s it for the first drive in the new Sierra. Remember money can’t buy you happiness but it will buy you a four-wheel drive, and we think it will get you there.
We have a posted a number of videos detailing the features of the new Sierra;
Why the Sierra is better than the Silverado
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