Ypsilanti — The Rivian R1S at first appears another trendy, boxy luxury SUV in the mold of the Land Rover Range Rover with smoked windows and black wheels.

Then you bury the throttle pedal. Good lord.

My Adventure Dual Max Performance model exploded onto I-275, its dual electric motors screaming like lit firecrackers. SCREEEEEEEEE! The monstrous 829 pound-feet of torque — more than a Ferrari F80 hypercar, for goodness’ sake — buried my spine in the seatback. I was strapped to a 3½-ton rocket ship headed to the moon.

Ain’t startup automakers great?

The electric era has opened the door for the first generation of auto rookies in, well, awhile. Tesla’s prolific success inspired others, and RJ Scaringe’s Rivian has followed the Tesla model. Hire lots of Silicon Valley software engineers, design it like a smartphone on wheels, then give it cartoonish acceleration right out of a Warner Brothers Wile E. Coyote vs. Road Runner episode.

ZOT! I was at 80 mph before I could exhale.

It’s addictive and will drink battery just as you would if you put your foot to the floor (guilty) of the 702-horsepower, V8-powered Dodge Durango Hellcat. Thankfully, both have over 400 miles of range, so you have a lot of energy to play with — and which will help with the inevitable range anxiety that creeps in with electric vehicles.

With 410 miles of range, my R1S tester had some 20% longer legs than competitor Tesla Model X (or my Tesla Model 3 Performance), and I easily covered Metro Motown in a late October week of driving, including a round tripper to Ypsi. And, like the X and 3, R1S has access to Tesla’s Supercharger network (Rivian and Ford were the first to gain access this year) so I could hit the road confident that I had a reliable charger network close at hand.

Unlike, say, Electrify America, the largest non-Tesla fast charger network in the country.

To test the Rivian’s fast charge capabilities, I navigated to EA’s Novi Town Center shopping mall — the closest charger to my Oakland County house — where I could pick up delicious Crumbl cookies while waiting for a fast charge.

Upon arrival, I plugged into one of the station’s seven chargers and … nothing. No charge. No screen alert to add my credit card.

I called the 800 number on the charger and the nice EA operator told me the station was under maintenance … until mid-November. Oh. Plan a trip in the Rivian and it will navigate you to your destination just like Tesla and add stops on the way.

Let me suggest you select the RIVIAN and TESLA options on the screen, and you will have a reliable, trouble-free charging experience. Rivian helpfully adds a reliability score for any charging company (EA, EVGo, ChargePoint, etc.), but the reputation of proprietary Rivian/Tesla chargers is golden. And they are plentiful — especially Tesla infrastructure that I have used around the country. Just make sure you keep a Tesla adapter in your trunk to plug in.

Of course, anyone with 100 grand in their pocket for an SUV may not road-trip much — choosing commercial air travel or owning a general aviation aircraft. Still, part of Rivian’s brand is geared toward an adventure lifestyle — a departure from Tesla’s more performance-focused brand — and Rivian outfits national parks with Level 2, 240-volt chargers so you can add charge when you are at, say, Stinson Beach, California, where I found myself recently.

Its Rivian charger worked like a charm. It’s similar to the 240-volt charger that most owners will put in their home to keep the R1S charged for daily commutes.

If Tesla pioneered the performance EV, then Rivian pioneered the electric pickup. Both brands wowed with their flagships: Model S and R1T, respectably.

As a logical evolution from those cutting-edge products, Tesla and Rivian also pioneered the three-row SUV space with the Model X and R1S. In place of the bed out back, the R1S gains an impressive 105 cubic feet of cargo space (Model X has 85) with the second/third row seats stored. Access comes with a standard power liftgate, as well as air suspension that can lower the vehicle to make it easier to load big items.

Only this year are they finally being challenged by legacy luxe-makers with models like the Volvo EX90 and Cadillac Vistiq — and R1S has responded with a new 850-horsepower Tri-Motor/variant and significant updates to its electronic systems, infotainment, suspension, driving range, color offerings, wheels, smartphone connectivity, even interior cubby storage.

The EV startup pioneers are instantly recognizable — if quite different. The Tesla’s curvy egg shape and front trunk echo the Model S — then throws in gullwing doors for good measure. The boxy R1S, too, echoes the brand halo R1T pickup, with its upright grille, distinct vertical headlights and generous, 11-cubic-foot frunk space (something the Volvo and Caddy curiously exclude).

The Rivian doesn’t swing for the fences with gullwings — or even a Gear Tunnel storage bay like the R1T. Its cool Easter egg? A flashlight tucked into the driver’s side door — echoes of Rolls Royce umbrellas.

Open the door and the experience becomes more Tesla-like. Indeed, Rivian follows Tesla with a radical, smartphone-inspired, Apple-simple reinvention of the interior. Think huge console touchscreen and simple steering wheel with twin rollers for adjusting radio volume and cruise control speed. Want to adjust the mirrors and steering-wheel height? Touch a button in the screen and the rollers will do it for you.

The result is a clean, spare interior modeled after a sleek smartphone. And Tesla. I love this reimagining of the automobile — though with the Rivian and Tesla side-by-side in the garage, I occasionally got confused between their subtly different control operation. I used the R1S’s right controller, for example, to adjust the gap to the vehicle in front of me when self-driving down I-75 while the Tesla roller adjusts speed.

That’s right, Rivian wants to self-drive like a Tesla.

But it shies from Tesla’s boldness for a more measured approach. My Model 3 wants to drive everywhere on Full Self Driving regardless of road — and will navigate right to your destination’s door.

The Rivian will only self-drive on divided highways like Cadillac’s Super Cruise and Lincoln’s Blue Cruise. Note to Rivian: Tesla and the Detroit brands have moved forward and enable full hands-free driving, while the Rivian requires that you keep a hand on the wheel.

On a recent trip to Ypsilanti in a Chevy Silverado EV, I comfortably ate my lunch while the truck drove.

For its new generation, I appreciated the Rivian’s conservative approach relative to Tesla in the gear-shifting department as well. While Tesla’s second-gen Model 3 relentlessly pushes to strip the cabin of all mechanical controls — even putting the shifter in the screen — the Rivian maintains its tried-and-true stalk.

It made for easy, intuitive shifts without looking away at the screen — and a simple double-pull toward me engages drive-assist on freeways, just like first-gen Model 3/Y.

Tesla hasn’t lost its send of humor, though — it still offers whoopee cushion sounds and lots of games to play while you charge. Rivian also has a light touch.

A Sasquatch-like cartoon character called Gear Guard will help you with security measures like Pet Mode. And when I stepped out of my R1S, it played spooky Halloween sounds.

It brought a grin to my mug — which actually hadn’t left since my last, insane 0-60 sprint.

Next week: 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV

2025 Rivian R1S

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive, seven-passenger SUV

Price: $77,700, including $1,800 destination fee ($101,950 Adventure Dual Max as tested)

Powerplant: 92.5/109.4/141.5 kWh battery; dual/triple/quad electric-motor drive

Power: 533 horsepower, 610 pound-feet torque/665 horsepower (dual motor), 829 pound-feet torque (performance dual motor); 850 horsepower, 1,103 pound-feet torque (tri-motor); 1,050 horsepower, 1,198 pound-feet torque (quad motor)

Transmission: Single-speed direct drive

Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.5-4.3 seconds (Car and Driver est., 4.3 seconds est. as tested); top speed, 111-130 mph; towing, 7,700 pounds

Weight: 5,789 pounds (AWD as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA mpge 65–87; range, 270-410 miles (410 as tested)

Report card

Highs: Laugh-out-loud acceleration; impressive range, cargo space

Lows: Hands-free autonomous feature lags peers; no Android Auto/Apple CarPlay

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Holly — The North American Truck of the Year contest this year featured an impressive variety of pickups that included the GMC Sierra EV, Rivian R1T and Ram 1500.

But the marquee match-up is a fight between two midsize truck icons: the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma.

The titans have both completely redesigned their vehicles for this historic showdown with multiple trim and engine options. But the headliners for both trucks are their off-road beasts, the Ranger Raptor and Tacoma TRD Pro, which show off the truck warriors’ full arsenal from performance tires to tech to interior comfort.

I’m a juror for the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year awards, and I spent a day with these two dirt-kickers in their natural habitat: Holly Oaks Off-Road Vehicle Park. Get ready for Detroit vs. Tokyo. Kong vs. Godzilla. Raptor vs. Taco.

Ford, of course, is the undisputed king of trucks, selling over 700,000 pickups a year in the full-size segment. But like its GM brethren, it’s fallen behind Toyota in the midsize game, which the Japanese automaker has dominated for the last two decades. The 2024 Ranger is a serious effort to counter that.

Tacoma is Toyota’s franchise truck, and its hugely anticipated 2024 model is the pickup’s first makeover since 2015 as the brand tries to keep a herd of competitors — Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier, Jeep Gladiator — at bay. The brand hit it out of the park with an aggressive design, superb interior and first-in-segment hybrid powertrain for an off-road trio of models: Frontier, TRD and TRD Pro.

After taking a hiatus from the mid-market from 2011-18 to concentrate on its franchise truck — the full-size, aluminum-bodied F-150 — Ford is back and on the attack to try to dethrone Toyota. Along with the GM twins — Colorado ZR2 and Canyon AT4 off-road bruisers — Ford has brought the first Ranger Raptor performance model to take on the mighty TRD Pro in the U.S. market.

It is a treat.

You know this is a special athlete long before you wade into Holly Oaks’ formidable trails. The Raptor felt like a sportscar on 33-inch all-terrain tires on my road trip up Telegraph Road. Taut steering, solid chassis, tuned Fox exterior reservoir performance shocks.

Holly Oaks’ 200-acre sandbox was alive on a November Saturday with ATVs, motorbikes, side-by-sides, Jeeps and Broncos. I attached my orange off-road flag, spun the rotary electronic controller to BAJA mode and charged over narrow Darlene’s Ridge, its high dirt walls just inches from the truck’s flanks. No worries.

The Raptor was as precise off-road as it was on-road. Gaining confidence, I roared into Lollipop on Holly’s Back 60, the Raptor cutting through the muck like Lions’ running back David Montgomery through defenders — the front end hitting its marks, the rear end sliding into place like it was on rails. BWAAAAGGGGHH! roared the twin-turbo V-6 (shared with the Bronco Raptor), a nice soundtrack for this four-wheeled off-road rock star.

Ford has clearly leveraged its racing experience with F-150 and Bronco — witness Baja 1000 and King of Hammers wins — to produce another Raptor warrior.

Over the same terrain, the TRD Pro was a blast, if not the Raptor’s performance equal. Also sporting tuned Fox shocks, TRD was less precise, though its softer setup beautifully absorbed the dips and moguls of Holly Oaks.

Ranger’s supreme confidence was on display on the technical Mt. Magna section of the park. Approaching The Steps (literally, a staircase that vehicles can climb, then descend), Ranger not only conquered the staircase in four-wheel drive — but also rear-wheel drive. The Toyota, meanwhile, refused to climb the steps due to overly cautious safety systems.

Please Nanny, let me play!

Climbing the formidable Mashed Potato section of Mt. Magna, the Ford charged right up whether I used the locking rear differential for better traction or not. The Toyota? I had to engage the rear locker.

Though the Raptor also adds a front locker, the Toyota offers a deeper toolbox. The TRD Pro doesn’t cost $65,395 — versus the $57,315 Ranger — for brand cred alone. The Toyota has better pickup specs like towing and payload capacities. And it’s armed with better front approach angle/ground clearance and a disconnecting front sway bar so it can go places the Raptor can’t. Like rock trails.

The 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor has a high-tech interior with big screen and lots of digital toys for your off-road pleasure.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

I disconnected the TRD Pro’s front bar — freeing each front wheel to find its own level for better traction — and improbably navigated a rocky gulch that was a challenge for me to walk up, for goodness sake.

The Raptor’s talent — like big brother F-150 and Bronco — is speed and handling. Given its gym-toned athleticism, you would expect the Ford to look the part. See an F-150 or Bronco Raptor approaching in your mirrors and you’ll jump. But Ranger Raptor is the stealthiest performance truck in the segment.

The Taco, on the other hand, wears a muscle shirt of fender flares, hood scoop and lantern jaw. This thing looks like it eats Priuses for lunch.

The 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro options a cool red leather interior. Wireless Android Auto and other tech toys are standard.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

The testosterone continues inside. The dash and console are squared off like they were chiseled from stone. Big, meaty knobs anchor the console and look like they should be turned with a wrench. The Ford sports the brand’s signature design — big vertical screen, central volume knob, lovely digital instrument display. It’s handsome but lacks Taco’s toughness.

Presence matters when you’re buying a performance truck, and the TRD Pro has it in spades. Note to Raptor: dude, your wardrobe could use a hood scoop ‘n’ fender flares. Consistent with the Toyota’s bigger toolkit, TRD Pro also reflects the Tacoma lineup’s variety with eight total trims, multiple off-road models (TRD Pro, Trailhunter, TRD PreRunner, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road), and a choice of bed and cabin lengths. Heck, the Toyota even offers a manual shifter option. The Ranger is less generous with four trims, no manual and a five-foot bed.

The 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor climbed The Steps at Holly Oaks without hesitation.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Still, when it comes to the halo trucks, it’s the Ranger that packs the most value with its $57K sticker compared to TRD Pro’s $65K. That’s perilously close to the $70K Ram RHO (nickname, Rhino) supertruck, which takes performance to a whoooole ‘nother level.

It took awhile, but the Raptor vs. TRD Pro truck war is finally here. Who you root for will probably depend on how you spend your weekends. If you like to eat dirt (me), the Raptor is superior. If your weekend diet is more civilized, the Taco is plenty meaty.

Next week: 2025 Rivian R1S

2024 Ford Ranger Raptor

Vehicle type: Front-engine, four-wheel-drive five-passenger performance truck

Price: $57,315, including $1,595 destination fee ($59,795 as tested)

Powerplant: 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6

Power: 405 horsepower, 430 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.3 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 5,510 pounds; payload, 1,411

Weight: 5,372 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA, 16 mpg city/18 highway/17 combined; range, 365 miles

Report card

Highs: Off-road beast, on-road sweetheart

Lows: Styling doesn’t match its personality

Overall: 4 stars

2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro

Vehicle type: Front-engine, four-wheel-drive five-passenger performance truck

Price: $65,395, including $1,595 destination fee ($65,869 as tested)

Powerplant: Hybrid 2.4-liter inline-4 mated to electric motor

Power: 326 horsepower, 465 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.0 seconds (Motor Trend est.); towing, 6,000 pounds; payload, 1,710 pounds

Weight: 5,000 pounds (est.)

Fuel economy: EPA, 22 mpg city/24 highway/23 combined; range, 437 miles

Report card

Highs: Swiss Army knife of pickup tools; sweet interior

Lows: Not as confident off-roading as Raptor

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Los Angeles — Auto shows are past their peak, but they are still great shopping malls. Better than your average mall, in fact: You can test the products outside.

Like Detroit and New York, the 2024 LA Auto Show has lost a number of automaker booths, including those from Audi, BMW, Mini, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo, Polestar, Infiniti, Mercedes, Mazda and Porsche (though local dealers did a nice job filling in for the latter). But the anchor automakers are still there — Chevy, Jeep, Ram, Ford, Toyota, Honda, VW, Hyundai, et al — and, like a mall, there were plenty of cool boutique stores in between.

Best of all, there’s lots of action outside thanks to LA’s balmy weather (oof, Detroit is going to be chilly in January). You can test drive everything from a Subaru to a Cybertruck — and even take a self-driving Jaguar to the show courtesy of Waymo.

Here are my Top 10 vehicles from the show:

Nilu

Every auto show needs hypercars and LA’s standout is the limited-edition Nilu. The V12-powered rocket is an analog reaction to today’s hybrid, forced-induction, 1,000-horspower cyborgs. This is an old-school, mid-engine beauty powered by a normally-aspirated engine and good ol’ stick shift between the seats.

Built around a carbon-fiber tub, the 2,645-pound Nilu features gorgeous styling, as you’d expect, from designer Sasha Selipanov, whose resume includes the Bugatti Chiron, Koenigsegg CC850 and Lamborghini Huracán. His company, Nilu27, is adorably named by combining the names of his daughters — Nika and Lucia — and the number of his favorite race driver, Gille Villeneuve.

Behind the cockpit is an adorable, exposed V-12 engine developed by New Zealand’s Hartley Engines — complete with snake exhaust reminiscent of 1960s Formula One cars. The specs? 1,070-horsepower at a screaming, 11,000 RPM, 2-second 0-60 mph time and 248-mph top speed. Fifty-four will be built for a cool $2.8 million each.

Chevy Corvette ZR1

Or you can put down a deposit on a $200,000 ZR1 making 1,064 horsepower. The King of ‘Vettes is on display for its first major auto show and it’s dressed in yellow just like the King of Beasts.

The Chevy Corvette ZR1 made its auto show debut in LA with eye-catching yellow paint and 1,064 horsepower. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

This lion sports huge front and side air scoops, and a menacing black tail — er, wing — out back. Unlike the track-focused Nilu, the engine isn’t exposed — since you can use it as a daily driver — but underneath is a high-revving, twin-turbo V-8.

Ford Maverick Lobo

Ford’s affordable entry-level pickup just keeps on giving. This is an all-wheel-drive pickup with the soul of a Focus RS hot hatch. Lobo steals the RS’s twin-clutch out back for maximum traction (and drifting), throws on wicked 19-inch black aero wheels, and slams the chassis to the ground.

Equipped with Mav’s spunky, 238-horse, 2.0-liter engine option, the pickup aims to eat Miatas at autocrosses.

Jeep Wagoneer S

Don’t be fooled by the Wagoneer name. This is not a variation on the giant truck-based mega-ute, but Jeep’s first all-electric compact SUV aimed at the Tesla Model Y.

Bearing signature Jeep elements like a seven-slot fascia and Uconnect infotainment system, the S stands for speedy with a 0-60 mph dash in 3.4 seconds. It’ll also clean out your wallet in a hurry starting at $72k.

Hyundai Ioniq 9

Ioniq is redefining Hyundai with an upscale EV sub-brand. The 9 joins the 5 hatchback and 6 sedan in the Ioniq lineup and bears familiar cubed lighting touches. Inside, it’s a different animal with three roomy rows for the family, a moving center console and panoramic roof.

With around 300 miles of range, the 9 will require a long charging stop on a road trip, so the kids can stretch their legs.

Kia EV9 GT

Not to be outdone, Hyundai’s sister brand Kia stays one step ahead with a performance version of its own three-row EV.

The EV9 GT sports 510 horsepower and a 4.9-second 0-60 sprint so you can get to the next charging stop more quickly.

Volkswagen Tiguan

The LA Show is all abuzz over the ID.Buzz, a high-tech, electric resurrection of the iconic VW Microbus. But at a lofty $60k, the Buzz will only be affordable to a few.

At half that price is an all-new model of the brand’s meat-and-potatoes Tiguan SUV. Now based on the same platform as the Golf GTI hot hatch, Tiggy should be more fun to drive — including a horsepower boost to 201.

With sleek styling, this is the most attractive VW SUV in a long time.

Tesla Cybertruck

This is Hollywood and the Cybertruck looks like is just rolled off a sci-fi movie set. Pick your visual analogy — trash compacter, door stop, cheese wedge — the stainless steel, exoskeleton-chassis Cybertruck looks like nothing else on the road.

And with Tesla’s familiar, spare screen layout, it looks like nothing else inside either. The Cyertruck is front and center at the Tesla stand — but you can also drive it around the Convention Center outside. The Tesla is one of dozens of cars available to drive, including electric Polestars and quick Subaru WRXs.

Ineos Grenadier

Like the Nilu to ZR1, Ineos is the yin to Cybertruck’s yang. The Grenadier is an old-school off-road brute.

No fancy screens or exoskeleton here, just an all-terrain-tire clad, ladder-frame SUV that can run through walls. Engineered in Austria, built in France and named after a London pub owned by the Ineos conglomerate, Grenadier turns the clock back to ‘80s Land Rovers.

Tesla/Waymo

Next to the Cybertruck at the Tesla display is the brand’s Robotaxi, scheduled for 2026 release at $30k.

The fully autonomous vehicles features a pair of seats, roomy hatchback, and single screen. And no steering wheel.

Unlike Cybertruck, you can’t take a ride outside. But you can hail an autonomous Jaguar with the Waymo app. Waymo is the show’s official ride-share partner, and its driverless Jags will take you anywhere across LA’s 72 square miles.

I hailed one back to my hotel. Maybe GM’s autonomous Cruise service will be available at the Detroit show some day.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Woodside, California — Forget Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul. The heavyweight fight to watch is GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate vs GMC Sierra Denali EV.

That’s right, the gold-studded GMC brothers are facing off in a V-8 vs. battery death match.

Along with Honda, General Motors Co. is the most committed legacy automaker to an electric future. It even says it will beat Honda there by 2035. So confident is GM of its transition to electron power that it isn’t testing the EV waters with a separate EV model line — think Honda 0 Series or Hyundai Ioniq or Volkswagen ID.

No, the General is hitting the EV front lines with battery-powered versions of ICE badges like the Chevy Equinox, Silverado, Blazer and GMC Sierra. Heck, it’s ditching its entire Cadillac lineup for EVs — even accelerating the demise of its popular ICE ute, the XT4.

So far the EVs have struggled to better their ICE peers — take the Equinox EV and ICE I recently tested back-to-back with the EV giving up a whopping 148 miles of range to the ICE while having to call in $7,500 government subsidies to make up for its $5,000-more-expensive sticker price. And that taxpayer sugar is in political peril with a new sheriff in D.C.

The GMC heavyweights, meanwhile, are a straight fight. Sure, the $91,995 Denali EV is five grand more expensive than the $86,995 Denali ICE, but that’s pocket change when we’re talking near-six figure automobiles.

GMC knows, like Porsche, that EVs are a luxury niche, so its first electric is the top-line Denali trim. Porsche did the same for its first EV with the Taycan sedan EV at the same price point as its Panamera sedan ICE.

And for the extra $5K, the Sierra EV comes loaded with tools you won’t find the in the Sierra ICE tool box.

OK, Payne, since this is a heavyweight fight, let’s talk some smack. Better tools than the Sierra Denali ICE’s, ferocious, growling, 420-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8? Seriously? The same small-block V-8 as in the Corvette C8?

The 2025 GMC Sierra Denali EV can tow up to 10,500 pounds – more than a Denali Ultimate ICE.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Oh, yes. On California Route 35, I floored the Sierra EV throttle and flattened my face. The 760 horsepower from the 205-kWh battery came on like a light bulb and I hit 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds, a second quicker than the Denali V-8.

Holy Mother of Pearl. But, dude, a 205-kWh battery? That must weigh as much as the Titanic! No way it’ll stay with the 5,586-pound Denali ICE.

Yeah, the Denali EV weighs, ahem, 8,960 pounds — a shocking number for a brand known to make the lightest-weight, best-engineered pickup chassis on the planet.

But with all that weight down low plus four-wheel-steer (another Sierra EV-exclusive tool), the Denali EV was surprisingly nimble through the Route 35 twisties. I even had some fun with an Alfa 4C that came up behind me. I would have loved to see the look on the driver’s face when I came off corners like a rocket ship.

Speaking of that carbon-fiber Alfa 4C, the Denali ICE has a carbon-fiber bed. How’s that for a sharp punch?

Punch absorbed, and right back ‘atcha with another haymaker. The Denali EV brings the most unique bed in large trucks: a midgate. I dropped the midgate behind the second row seats, stored the rear window in it and promptly opened another three feet of length to the standard, 5-foot-11-inch bed.

I grabbed a kayak, dropped the MultiPro tailgate in back and walked up the steps into the bed. I secured the kayak — its nose extending into the cabin — then stored my luggage in the frunk where the engine used to be. I activated Super Cruise when I hit the Route 101 freeway so I could drive hands-free.

Dragging a 5,500-pound trailer behind me like it was a matchbox, I merged onto the freeway with authority. Did I mention the EV has 300 pound-feet more torque than the Denali V-8 and can tow more weight?

Holy Mother of Pearl ! But I repeat myself. Frunks, midgates, and Denali EV has the same MultiPro gate and Super Cruise as the Denali ICE?!

Of course. It’s a Denali, a luxury suite on wheels. And with a Sierra-first: 24-inch wheels, I might add. The interior is exquisite just like the Denali Ultimate ICE: tasteful materials, jumbotron screen, head-up display, open-pore wood trim, even the longitude/latitude of Mt. Denali etched in the dash.

Though, to be fair, the blank fascia leaves me cold. Sierra Denali ICE grilles are such works of art, they could hang in the Met.

Art is nice, but what if your passions run to race cars or boats? Can the Denali EV go 480 miles without refueling like the ICE?

The 2025 GMC Sierra Denali EV can travel hands-free on Super Cruise.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Ah, what took you so long to get to towing and range anxiety, the bane of EV pickups?

GM has done a good job addressing range with its 460-mile Ultium battery platform. The Denali EV should be able to tow the same distance as a Denali ICE — losing about 50% of range. That’s a big gain from, say, the Ford F-150 Lightning, which can only tow 100 miles (30% of range).

But head up I-75 with a sailboat behind you in a Denali ICE and you’ll sail though Marathon service stations with their parallel docking stalls and generous space to turn around. GULP! A Denali ICE will take on 480 miles of gas in two minutes and be on its way.

Not only is charging infrastructure for EVs poor, most stations aren’t designed for towing. Pull into, say, Electrify America chargers in Bay City and you’ll have to unhook the trailer …

Whaaaat?!

… then back into the stall on the edge of the Meijer parking lot for an hour to get your full, 390 miles of charge. At least you won’t have to wait too long if the four EA chargers are occupied, because GM EVs can now charge on Tesla fast chargers at the Meijer, too — with an adapter, of course.

That’s important if you’re towing in rural America, where often the ONLY fast chargers are Tesla’s.

Oof, Payne. Another EV KO’d by charging.

Charging will be the deal-breaker for many, no doubt. Eighty percent of Sierra pickup drivers tow, after all. But if you have $90K to spend on a Denali and don’t tow long distances, the EV is a superb product with a frunk-full of features that will have your buddies in awe. Did I mention Crabwalk is standard, too?

Holy Mother of Pearl!

Next week: 2025 Ford Ranger Raptor vs. Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro

2025 GMC Sierra Denali EV

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel drive, five-passenger pickup truck

Price: $91,995, including $2,095 destination ($100,495 Max Range battery as tested)

Powerplant: 205 kWh lithium-ion battery mated to electric motors

Power: 760 horsepower, 785 pound-feet of torque (Max)

Transmission: Direct-drive automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.5 seconds (mfr.); towing, 10,500 pounds

Weight: 8,960 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA est. range, 390-460 miles

Report card

Highs: Pickup bed versatility; long range

Lows: Deep screen; charging challenges while towing

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.