Review: 2014 GMC Sierra [w/video]

Filed under: Truck, GMC, New Car Reviews

Big And Boxy Might Be Best

2014 GMC Sierra

As immense fans of the Back to the Future trilogy, we sometimes like to envision an alternate timeline in which General Motors had killed off GMC and kept Pontiac instead. The G8 GXP would still be on the road handily beating German sport sedans costing twice as much, while the lowly G3 would morph into a true subcompact-killer based on what is now the Chevrolet Sonic RS. While we’re at it, let’s go ahead and imagine the G6 has become the best-selling car in the US and the Torrent crossover is selling 20,000+ units per month. Far-fetched, we know.

The thing is, these fanciful statements would have to be true to make the case against keeping GMC. Pontiac may have offered more excitement than GMC, but money talks, and a full line of trucks, crossovers and SUVs have made a lot more money for GM than the arrowhead brand ever did. How much? As we learned last month, about two-thirds of GM’s global profits came from its fullsize trucks, and GMC’s trucks typically have thicker margins than their Chevrolet counterparts.

So rather than reviewing the latest Pontiac G8 ST, here we are driving the new 2014 GMC Sierra 1500. During our first drives of both the 2014 Chevy Silverado and 2014 Sierra, it was immediately clear that these trucks are the best they’ve ever been in their 54-year histories, but to see how GM’s new trucks stack up against the likes of the Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan, we were looking forward to spending a whole week with a fully loaded Sierra SLT Z71 for this review. Sadly, our time with the Sierra was cut short as it had an unexpected date with a flatbed and a trip to the dealership.

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2014 GMC Sierra [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Jul 2013 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM reportedly recalling select 2014 Silverado, Sierra pickups over airbag issue

Filed under: Truck, Recalls, Safety, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

2014 Chevy Silverado front three-quarter

2014 GMC Sierra front three-quarterGeneral Motors is recalling 843 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Crew Cab pickups, due to a fault with the vehicle’s airbags. According to GM, the airbags may not inflate properly in the event of a crash. There haven’t been any crashes or injuries associated with this recall, which is always good. Naturally, repairs will be free of charge, and GM will begin contacting affected owners soon.

GM has a lot hanging on the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. Not only is it banking over $12,000 per vehicle on these trucks, as reported by Automotive News, but GM is counting on the Sierra and Silverado to take the fight to cross-town rivals Ford and Ram. The F-150 and Ram 1500 have been on a tear over the past few years, with fresh updates, advanced powertrains, and plenty of solid press while the GM trucks have been waiting for the 2014-model-year upgrades.

It’s still entirely too early to judge the Sierra and Silverado, particularly as those 843 recalled trucks make up barely two percent of the over 40,000 units moved so far. But, as AN rightly states, these trucks are the most important vehicles to come out of GM since bankruptcy, with about 60 percent of global profits relating to pickups and SUVs. Starting an introduction of such a big product with a recall, however small, is not the preferred way to do things.

GM reportedly recalling select 2014 Silverado, Sierra pickups over airbag issue originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Jul 2013 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra 4.3-liter EcoTec3 V6 nets 18 mpg city, 24 highway

Filed under: Truck, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

2014 Chevy Silverado towing Summerland camper

There is no doubting that fuel economy has become an important factor in the highly competitive fullsize truck market, with the Ford F-150 EcoBoost V6 and Pentastar V6-powered Ram 1500 setting quite a precedent in recent years. Now it’s General Motors’ turn. The General has just announced that the new base V6 used in the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 models will return an EPA-estimated 18 mpg city and 24 mpg highway in two-wheel drive trim, regardless of cab configuration.

While these figures don’t go so far as to earn GM any “best-in-class” fuel economy claims (thanks to the 25-mpg Ram 1500 HFE), this new 4.3L EcoTec3 V6 does edge the F-150 and Toyota Tundra while boasting best-in-class numbers for torque, payload and towing capacity among six-cylinder rivals. This all-new engine produces 285 horsepower and 305 pound-feet of torque, and it gives the 2014 Silverado and Sierra the highest towing rating among standard V6 models with a 7,200-pound towing capacity – besting the Ram by 700 pounds, the base F-150 by 1,100 pounds and coming within 200 pounds of the V8-powered Nissan Titan. Scroll down for the official press releases from Chevrolet and GMC.

Continue reading Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra 4.3-liter EcoTec3 V6 nets 18 mpg city, 24 highway

Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra 4.3-liter EcoTec3 V6 nets 18 mpg city, 24 highway originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra full configurators truck in

Filed under: Truck, Etc., Work, Chevrolet, GMC

You can now put prices to your wildest option-sheet dreams of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. A microsite for the full-size pickup truck twins has been up since January, and now the full-blown configurator is live and ready to take your virtual orders. The only two chassis configurations available at the moment are the Crew Cab with either a short or standard bed – Regular and Double Cab versions will come later. In Silverado flavors that will run you $32,710 for the short box, $33,010 for the standard box, while the Sierra adds a $1,500 premium to both of those prices, and destination and handling for both models adds another $995.

Since these are American pickups the list of modifications is lengthy, but we added $11,450 in just two steps by starting with the Silverado Crew Cab and standard bed, then checking four-wheel drive and the LTZ Z71 package. Our final truck, resplendent in Brownstone Metallic paint, heated and cooled Cocoa/Dune perforated leather seating and tasty details like chrome recovery hooks, and engine block heater and LED cargo box lighting, rang up $57,285 at the candy store.

They’ll be on dealer lots sometime this summer, so now’s a good time to start practicing your box-checking.

2014 Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra full configurators truck in originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Jun 2013 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept being considered for production

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Truck, GMC, Diesel


GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’ve already crawled all over the GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept at the Detroit Auto Show, and Mike Levin from PickupTrucks.com took an extensive look at the interior and exterior with designer Carl Zipfel. The questions we really wanted to get answered were, of course, “Are you going to build it? And if not, can we build it?”

  • As to whether GMC is considering bringing it to market – built on a GMC line or by a partner firm – Zipfel suggested that the company is considering the possibilities. However, right now it remains a concept only and there are no plans to build it.
  • In its favor is that Zipfel’s team started with a production truck. “It’s the best of the Duramax HD with more off-roading capability,” he said, “built with an existing Duramax diesel and existing supplier connections.”
  • When asked if a customer could build it, Zipfel said an HD owner could replicate “everything but the lights.” You can’t get the 5’8″ bed on the 2500 Duramax HD, and widening the track by four inches would be a slightly lesser challenge. Otherwise, the chassis wasn’t chopped to create the shortened front end, and Zipfeld said, “We think we’re in striking distance for crash testing if GMC decided to build it.”

Follow the jump for more revelations about the GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept.

Gallery: 2011 Detroit: GMC Sierra All Terrain Concept

Photos Copyright (C)2011 Zach Bowman / AOL

Continue reading GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept being considered for production

GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept being considered for production originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pics Aplenty: GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept is ready to play dirty

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Truck, GM, GMC, Off-Road

2011 GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept

GMC Sierra All Terrain HD concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Cars are cool, but we certainly love ourselves some big, bad, hardcore pickups – you know, like the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. General Motors’ conceptual answer to Ford’s desert-blasting pickup is this, the Sierra All Terrain HD concept, which we’ll be seeing for the first time at the Detroit Auto Show next week.

GMC’s brutish pickup relies on The General’s 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8 for power – 397 horsepower and 765 pound-feet of torque, to be exact – and higher ground clearance, a wider stance and serious suspension upgrades make the All Terrain concept capable of storming through, well, all types of terrain.

Word on the street is that if GM gets up the gall to produce such a truck, it will likely be outfitted by a second-tier firm outside of the GM production lines (like a Roush F-150, for example). Regardless, we want this thing to be built, and badly. See a whole slate of new high-res photos for yourself in the gallery below. Oh, and don’t forget about the Ram Runner, Chrysler’s foray into the niche.

Gallery: GMC Sierra HD Concept

2011 GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept2011 GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept2011 GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept2011 GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept2011 GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept

[Source: General Motors]

Pics Aplenty: GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept is ready to play dirty originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: PickupTrucks.com gets a closer look at the GMC Sierra All-Terrain HD concept

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Truck, Videos, GM, GMC

GMC Sierra All-Terrain

PickupTrucks.com checks out the GMC Sierra All-Terrain HD concept- Click above to watch video after the jump

You don’t have to wait until the 2011 Detroit Auto Show for a closer look at the forthcoming GMC Sierra All-Terrain HD concept. That’s because our friend Mike Levine and his PickupTrucks.com camera managed to get up close with the rugged rig, going on a guided tour with Lead Designer Carl Zipfel.

PickupTrucks.com was kind enough to shoot not one, but two videos while in the presence of the fingers-crossed-they-build-it concept truck. Hop the jump to view both of them.

Gallery: GMC Sierra HD Concept

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Continue reading Video: PickupTrucks.com gets a closer look at the GMC Sierra All-Terrain HD concept

Video: PickupTrucks.com gets a closer look at the GMC Sierra All-Terrain HD concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit Preview: GMC Sierra All Terrain HD concept is ready for off-road action

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Truck, GM, GMC, Off-Road

GMC Sierra All Terrain HD concept

GMC Sierra All Terrain HD concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you think the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is too hot yet the Dodge Ram Power Wagon is too cold, General Motors’ latest concept might strike you as “just right.” This, the GMC Sierra All Terrain HD concept, looks to bridge the gap between the two hardcore pickups from GM’s crosstown rivals, while still offering top-notch levels of power, refinement and technology.

The four-door 2011 Sierra HD underpins the All Terrain concept, and power comes from The General’s 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8. A six-speed automatic sends the 397 horsepower and 765 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels. Versus a normal Sierra HD, ground clearance has been increased by about three inches, width has been bumped up to 73 inches (four more than normal) and the whole package rides on 20-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in 35-inch BFGoodrich KM2 mud terrain tires. Off-road performance is enhanced with the addition of Fox off-road shocks (just like the Ford Raptor).

Inside, GM has fitted the All Terrain concept with a Denali-spec interior with additional satin metal finishes and a leather-wrapped dash. What’s more, a next-generation stereo system with an 80-gigabyte hard drive has been fitted inside this concept, and we’ll soon be seeing this new system across the full GM product range.

Currently, there are no plans to create a production version of the All Terrain HD concept, though word is that if a road-ready version of this ultra-tough Sierra is produced, it probably wouldn’t come off of a GM line – it would likely be crafted with the assistance of a second-tier firm (think: Roush). We’ll be seeing the All Terrain concept in person at the Detroit Auto Show in just a few weeks, but for now, click through our high-res image gallery below, or follow the jump for the official release.

Gallery: GMC Sierra HD Concept

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Detroit Preview: GMC Sierra All Terrain HD concept is ready for off-road action

Detroit Preview: GMC Sierra All Terrain HD concept is ready for off-road action originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: GMC Sierra HD concept coming to Detroit

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Truck, GMC, Diesel

GMC Sierra HD

2011 GMC Sierra HD – Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors’ heavy-duty truck twins – the GMC Sierra HD and Chevrolet Silverado HD – were reworked for 2011 with the addition of an all-new chassis and an upgraded 6.6-liter Duramax diesel engine. But while the capable trucks’ guts were given a transplant, the vehicle’s blue-collar exterior and aging interior were left unchanged. With Ford and Ram updating the look and feel of their heavy duty pickups over the past year, we’re thinking GM won’t stand idly by forever, and we may have a peak at the next Sierra sooner than you think.

Our friends over at PickupTrucks.com are reporting that sources within GM have said that we can expect a Sierra HD concept at the North American International Auto Show in January. The super-sized concept will likely show one possible design direction for the haul-happy pickup, giving it new sheetmetal to accompany its already very capable hardware. Will the concept look production-ready, or will it be a pie in the sky rendering on wheels? We’ll have to wait until January to find out.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 GM HD Trucks

Photos copyright (C)2010 Sam Abuelsamid / AOL

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Report: GMC Sierra HD concept coming to Detroit originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE

Filed under: Truck, Work, GMC, Reviews

Looks The Same Yet Is Anything But

2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE

2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE – Click above for high-res image gallery

2010 has been a banner year for heavy-duty pickup truck fans, with revamped entries from all three U.S. automakers making their debut this year. Of those, the HD pickups from both Chevrolet and GMC received the most subtle exterior updates, but virtually everything under their skins is new, including a heavily revamped version of the company’s 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8.

When it comes to full-size pickup trucks, the old Burger King tag-line of “Have It Your Way” still rings true. Regardless of where your brand loyalty lies, these types of trucks are available with either gas or diesel engines; as regular, extended or crew-cab and with regular or long beds. All you have to do is figure out what you need the truck for and then check the appropriate boxes on the dealer’s order sheet. Somewhere in the middle of this cacophony of choice lies the 2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD.

Continue reading…

Gallery: Review: 2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE

2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE

Photos copyright (C)2010 Sam Abuelsamid / AOL

Continue reading Review: 2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE

Review: 2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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