![\"Sierra](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2018\/09\/03\/PDTN\/2495cbe6-a92b-4177-9e37-c08ac12ea126-sierra_at4-fr3-4.JPG?width=534&height=401&fit=bounds&auto=webp\")
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ravel to Newfoundland, and the friendly locals will adopt you as a \u201cNewfie\u201d after a \u201cscreech-in\u201d ritual that includes the kissing of a cod.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre ye a screecher?\u201d demanded the chief of ceremonies as I wiped my lips of the fish.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed I is, and long may your big jib draw,\u201d I responded, reciting the required vows. \u201cBig jib\u201d is a large\u00a0boat sail. Translation: May the wind always be at your back.<\/p>\n
GMC brought members of the automotive press to this rocky North Atlantic isle this summer for the launch of its totally re-imagined Sierra. The big pickup has long been an honorable Newfie with its handsome looks, rugged capability\u00a0and smooth ride. It\u2019s going to be adopted by a lot of customers around the rest of North America, too.<\/p>\n
This is the Year of the Truck and each of the Detroit Three is bringing new pickups. Ford has it\u00a0first diesel F-150. From Ram comes a stylish 1500. And from GM, the brawny Chevy Silverado\/GMC Sierra identical twins.<\/p>\n
Except, the twins aren\u2019t so identical anymore.<\/p>\n
As the years have gone by, Silverado and Sierra\u00a0have diverged to the point where they are fishing for different customers. Chevy is the populist choice, populating worksites with work trucks for working stiffs. GMC is the managers’\u00a0brand, delivering architects, construction foremen\u00a0and company owners to the site \u2014\u00a0its big, chromed bow announcing its business-class passenger.<\/p>\n
Sierra may start around $30,000\u00a0like its Chevy twin, but a mere 9 percent of GMC sales are the affordable SLE trim. Its upscale Denali and SLT wardrobes account for a whopping 75 percent of sales, says GMC marketing guru Phil Brook. So synonymous is Denali with GMC that customers simply ask for Denali. Like BMW speed-freaks say they want an M. Or Mercedes motorheads want an AMG.<\/p>\n
The GMC customer wants something different and, boy, do they get it with the 2019 pickup. For the Year of the Truck, GMC brings the Year of the Box.<\/p>\n
The General has already made news with Silverado\u2019s expanded, Brobdingnagian, rolled-steel bed. The bed is the working end of the pickup, the head of the hammer. \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019d get much work done with an aluminum hammer,\u201d GM product captain Mark Reuss said at this year\u2019s Detroit auto show, hammering away at the\u00a0F-150.<\/p>\n
Sierra caps the steel box with the innovative MultiPro tailgate. Exclusive to Sierra and standard on upper trim Denali and SLT, the MultiPro is a gate within a gate.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a six-way Swiss Army knife of versatility:<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0The inner gate drops, forming a shallow, chest-high shelf. Not as expansive as the full \u201ctailgate party\u201d drop, it can act as a rear workspace \u2014 or mini-bar.<\/p>\n
2.\u00a0With the inner gate open\u00a0the shelf will rotate vertically, creating a\u00a0load-stop for boards or plywood\u00a0that otherwise hang\u00a0awkwardly over the tailgate.<\/p>\n
3. The full gate drops slowly on cables like a standard pickup (a new auto-close trick is exclusive to Silverado).<\/p>\n
4. With the full gate open, the inner-gate shelf can again be propped open to create a lower load-stop. For large loads with the truck, I preferred the taller load-stop so I could put the heavy stuff in the bed of the truck \u2014 then long, load-stopped boards on top of them.<\/p>\n
5. With the full gate down, drop the inner gate to create\u00a0a sort of \u201cwalk-in desk.\u201d<\/p>\n
6.\u00a0With the full gate and inner gate down, the load-stop shelf now acts as a step creating a two-step staircase into the bed. GMC\/Chevy were already innovators in this space with their corner step \u2014 but the staircase makes easy bed entry when carrying big items. Say goodbye to hiking your knee up onto the tailgate to get in the bed.<\/p>\n
The MultiPro gate is as cool as it sounds. Not since Audi\u2019s slick, multi-functional Virtual Cockpit display and Tesla\u2019s 17-inch screen have I so enjoyed playing with an accessory.<\/p>\n
But where the Audi\/Tesla function is ultimately an aesthetic luxury, the Sierra\u2019s premium tailgate is must-have, truck utility.<\/p>\n
Other accessories push beyond premium to luxury. The Sierra reaches into Cadillac\u2019s toolbox for a giant head-up display and rear camera mirror \u2014 the latter giving drivers an unobstructed view of bed and trailer. A swiveling side step (also available on Silverado\u2019s High Country trim) allows better access to the front bed quarter. And the bed will also be available in carbon fiber \u2014 an exotic, lightweight material typically found on sports cars. For Sierra, carbon means a material even more durable than steel.<\/p>\n
Speaking of sports cars, my Denali had a similar 6.2-liter V-8 to\u00a0the Corvette. Paired with a 10-speed and spitting out 460 pound-feet of torque, it was as silky as the Sierra\u2019s wardrobe. Dress a Chevy Silverado in a tuxedo and it\u2019s good-looking. If it can do a six-way tailgate, wade streams with 1,600 pounds on your back\u00a0and go zero-60 in less than six seconds, it\u2019s a celebrity.<\/p>\n
Heck, if James Bond ever needs a gorgeous, versatile pickup, Q might deliver him a Sierra Denali.<\/p>\n
Or a Sierra AT4. The latter is Sierra\u2019s latest premium trim \u2014 a skid-plated, off-road version packing two extra inches of lift, that big honkin\u2019 V-8\u00a0and knobby off-road tires. If Newfies don\u2019t need their Sierra to load fish, then they can take this brute inland to chop Christmas trees.<\/p>\n
My MultiPro-accessorized Sierra starts just $1,700 north of a $57,795\u00a0High Country Silverado. The looks alone are worth it. The remade, high-strength steel chassis is not just 380 pounds lighter than the last generation, it’s allowed designers a bigger canvas to differentiate it from the humble Chevy. Behold the sculpted flanks and C-shaped headlights, and an upright hood that rivals the Ram 1500 for best-looking truck on the road.<\/p>\n
Sierra customers may be surprised to find the interior is little changed from the Silverado. Still, that also means it gets the same three-inch boost in\u00a0rear legroom over last generation, rear-seat storage compartments\u00a0and connected console.<\/p>\n
Sierra beats kissing a cod. It\u2019s a whale of a truck.<\/p>\n
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne. Catch \u201cCar Radio with Henry Payne\u201d from noon-2 p.m. Saturdays on 910 AM Superstation.<\/em><\/p>\n 2019 GMC Sierra 1500<\/strong><\/p>\n Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and four-wheel drive, five-passenger pickup<\/p>\n Price: $31,095 base ($67,200 Denali, 6.2-liter V-8,\u00a04WD Crew Cab as tested)<\/p>\n Powerplant: 4.3-liter V-6; 2.7-liter Turbo-4; 5.3-liter V-8; 6.2-liter V-8<\/p>\n Power: 285 horsepower, 305 pound-feet torque (4.3-liter V-6);\u00a0310 horsepower, 328\u00a0pound-feet torque (2.7-liter Turbo-4); 355 horsepower, 385 pound-feet torque (5.3-liter V-8);\u00a0420 horsepower, 460 pound-feet torque (6.2-liter V-8)<\/p>\n Transmission: 6-speed automatic (V-6, 5.3L V-8); 8-speed automatic (Turbo-4, 5.3L V-8); 10-speed automatic (6.2L V-8)<\/p>\n Performance: 0-60 mph, est. 5.7 seconds; Towing: 12,100 lbs. (4WD 6.2-liter V-8 Crew Cab, mftr); Payload: 2,070 lbs. (4WD 6.2-liter V-8 Crew Cab, mftr)<\/p>\n Weight: 4,797 pounds, base, 2WD Crew Cab (5,015 pounds (4WD, Crew Cab as tested)<\/p>\n Fuel economy: EPA fuel economy: 15 city\/21\u00a0highway\/17\u00a0combined (4WD 5.3L V-8);\u00a015\u00a0city\/20\u00a0highway\/17\u00a0combined (4WD 6.2L V-8)<\/p>\n Report card<\/p>\n Highs: Head-turning looks; Swiss Army knife meets tailgate<\/p>\n Lows: Interior still too Chevy-like; how come the interior wood trim is buried in the dash?<\/p>\n Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ravel to Newfoundland, and the friendly locals will adopt you as a \u201cNewfie\u201d after a \u201cscreech-in\u201d ritual that includes the kissing of a cod. \u201cAre ye a screecher?\u201d demanded the chief of ceremonies as I wiped my lips of the fish. \u201cIndeed I is, and long may your big jib draw,\u201d I responded, reciting the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22810"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22810"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22810\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22816,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22810\/revisions\/22816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}