Have you ever noticed that the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado are essentially identical twins? These two trucks may look slightly different and come with varying equipment and amenities, but the fundamentals of each are the same. Major parts are shared, some of which you can see, though even more commonality is found beneath the skin.
Despite their historical similarities, GM is working to differentiate these pickups more than before with this latest generation, which debuted for model-year 2019. Distancing itself from Chevy’s more workaday Silverado, the Sierra is moving upmarket by offering bolder design and more innovative features. This is in keeping with the GMC brand’s “Professional Grade” tagline.
Speaking of foundational components, each of these trucks shares the same underpinnings. This includes a brand-new, fully boxed, high-strength steel frame that’s 10 percent more rigid than before and nearly 90 pounds lighter. It’s the very backbone of these pickups.
In addition to that new frame, the Silverado and Sierra have also gone on a diet, with the GMC losing up to 360 pounds compared to its predecessor. This dramatic reduction is courtesy of a mixed-materials engineering strategy that puts different metals in areas where they provide the most benefit. Contrast this to the “one-size-fits-all” approach Ford took with its newest F-150. That truck’s cab and bed are made entirely of aluminum.
Offering just the right pickup for every sort of buyer, the Sierra is available in regular-cab, extended-cab and crew-cab body styles, all with a choice of rear- or four-wheel drive. Regular-cab models come with an eight-foot bed but extended-cab versions feature a six-and-a-half-foot-long cargo box. Crew-cab variants can be had with either that six-foot-six bed or one measuring five feet eight inches.
With a longer wheelbase, the Sierra’s crew cab’s backseat is more spacious than ever, with about three extra inches of legroom compared to the previous-generation truck. Engineers have also installed cleverly concealed storage cubbies in the backrests of these seats.
Regrettably, the Sierra’s interior (and Silverado’s for that matter) is not the best in its class. The aging Ford F-150 still has a slightly nicer cabin and the all-new Ram 1500 is a big step ahead of even Ford. Much of the GMC’s interior is hard, unattractive plastic, the main display is rather small and only a utilitarian column-mounted shifter is offered. Other competing trucks also make a console-mounted gear selector available in higher-end models.
As for trim variations, the GMC Sierra is offered in six different flavors: Sierra, SLE, Elevation, SLT, off-road-focused AT4 and range-topping Denali.
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