2024 GMC Sierra 1500

GMC Sierra 1500 Hands-On Test Drive

Driven by Carter MacLeod

• Trim Tested: Denali Ultimate Crew Cab Short Box 6.2L V8 4WD

• Price as Tested: $80,840 (including destination charge)

How It Drives & Handles

Onto the burgeoning luxury pickup truck scene bursts the Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate, GMC’s top-of-the-line model. At almost $20,000 more than a regular Denali, the Denali Ultimate adds several custom interior materials and badges – but not enough to justify that price tag. After all, $80,000 gets you into pretty much any truck, from the 702-horsepower Ram TRX to the hot new F-150 Lightning.

We drove GMC’s pricey new pickup to see its argument for luxury truck domination.

Available with a diesel or a V8 engine, the Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate sucks air through an enormous shiny black grille finished in a color GMC calls Vader Chrome. A 10-speed automatic transmission and 4WD come standard with either engine. We didn’t test the Duramax diesel in this model, though we have tested it in others, and it is a rumbly, torque-happy oil burner.

The V8 option is the 420-horsepower 6.2-liter EcoTec that has been kicking around GM plants since 2014. It’s a fine engine, but, despite its high horsepower rating and 10 gears to work with, it doesn’t make the Sierra 1500 feel quick. The EPA’s 14 mpg rating in city driving doesn’t help either.

Comfort, Quality & Usability

The interior of the Sierra Denali Ultimate is decked out, even by the standards of luxury pickups. The standard features include open-pore Paldao wood, massaging seats, and a microsuede headliner. Topographical map patterns of Mt. Denali’s summit are embossed and laser-etched across the cabin. The features list of the Denali Ultimate certainly qualifies it as a luxury truck, though I couldn’t help thinking that the Ram 1500 still has the upper hand regarding interior quality. Apart from the massaging feature, the front seats are nothing special and are a bit firm. Same with the rears.

The Denali Ultimate’s technology impressed us, not just because of the sheer volume of features but because of the simple controls that make it all work. Among the many well-designed and generous goodies: 3 screens (a 12.3-inch digital gauge, a 15-inch head-up display projected onto the windshield, and a 13.4-inch infotainment touchscreen with Google built-in), a video rearview mirror, and the MultiPro 6-function tailgate, which includes Kicker speakers so owners can pump the jams in the closest stadium parking lot. (If the rain ruins their outdoor fun, a fine Bose stereo is inside the vehicle.)

However, the pièce de résistance is General Motors’ Super Cruise driver-assist technology. The best in the business right now, Super Cruise scans the road with myriad sensors and takes control of the throttle, brakes, and steering on pre-mapped limited-access highways (roads with no intersections or traffic lights). A green LED light bar indicates when the system is operational. It works surprisingly well – only highway construction seems to throw it off. It’s hard to find right now, however, because of a shortage of computer chips.

Editor’s Note: Review is based on test driving the 2022model.

Carfax vehicle reviews let shoppers compare a vehicle’s specs against its competitors’. However, some aspects of a vehicle – performance, comfort, usability – can only be evaluated through actual driving. That’s why we evaluate as many vehicles as we can, so you’ll know what to expect.

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