Instrumented Test
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Searching for nuance in truckville.
You don’t need to be an automotive expert to realize that the pickup trucks from GMC and Chevrolet share more than just a parent company. In fact, the GMC Sierra 1500 SLT Crew Cab Z71 tested here and its Chevrolet Silverado 1500 corporate sibling are so similar, plotting their shared DNA in a Venn diagram would reveal an almost-perfect circle. Despite this, both trucks maintain a fiercely loyal and disparate customer base, and although they’ve never proactively promoted the perception, it’s a scenario that GM and its dealer body are happy to let play out on its own. The way we see it, GMC hits all the same marks as Chevy, but with a little extra panache.
Déjà Vu
Lets get the obvious bits out of the way first: The grille, front bumper, and hood are all unique to the Sierra, as are the projector-beam headlamps and the lower fascia; SLT models such as our test truck also get a row of LEDs below the lamps. A touch of chrome bling along the base of the side windows and some black trim on the fender flares are also GMC-only features.
The interior walks the same path, adding small touches such as genuine aluminum trim and veneer bits to differentiate it from the Chevy. Although not exclusive to the Sierra, the giant center console is a must-have in this segment, and we had no problem filling it up with the random detritus of modern life such as cups, phones, and paperwork. The seats are wide enough to wear a La-Z-Boy tag. The two trucks also share aluminum hoods, a weight-saving feature made obvious when the Sierra’s engine lid began undulating under the air pressure of the industrial blow dryers in our local car wash.
Buy the Numbers
For 2014, the GMC 1500 hierarchy of trim levels stacks up like this: base Sierra, SLE, SLT, and Denali. Our SLT-trimmed test truck arrived with an ample level of standard equipment (heated mirrors, the 5.3-liter EcoTec3 V-8, a 110-volt interior outlet, tilt-and-telescope steering wheel, remote start, and trailering package), as well as a treasure trove of options. The $400 SLT Preferred package brought a heated steering wheel and sliding rear window, and the $845 Driver Alert package added lane-departure warning, park assist, and collision alert. Adding a power sunroof cost $945, and the Off-Road package (complete with “Z71” badging) costs $430. The ludicrously titled SLT Crew Cab Value package (chrome steps, Bose audio, 20-inch aluminum wheels) added a whopping $2195 to the bottom line. And a $230 set of Goodyear Wrangler SR-A tires and $200 trailer-brake control rounded out the list. All in, we were staring down an MSRP of $50,185, including a $1000 discount GMC throws in for ordering the aforementioned SLT Crew Cab value package.
Equipped with GM’s EcoTec3 5.3-liter V-8, a six-speed automatic, and a 3.08:1 rear axle (a 3.42:1 ratio is also available) our Sierra nailed a 7.3-second 0–60 time, six-tenths of a second slower than our recently tested Chevy Silverado 1500 4×4 Crew Cab with the same engine, transmission, and final-drive ratio. The gap tightened in the quarter-mile, the Sierra clocking 15.7 seconds to the Silverado’s 15.3. Results were close enough to chalk up the discrepancy to the usual culprits of surface conditions, tires, and in this case, the Sierra’s slight weight disadvantage (5650 versus 5605 pounds).
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door pickup
PRICE AS TESTED: $50,185 (base price: $44,120)
ENGINE TYPE: pushrod 16-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 325 cu in, 5328 cc
Power: 355 hp @ 5600 rpm
Torque: 383 lb-ft @ 4100 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 143.5 in
Length: 229.5 in
Width: 80.0 in Height: 74.0 in
Curb weight: 5650 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 7.3 sec
Zero to 90 mph: 15.5 sec
Rolling start, 560 mph: 7.7 sec
Top gear, 3050 mph: 3.9 sec
Top gear, 5070 mph: 4.6 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.7 sec @ 91 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 99 mph
Braking, 700 mph: 187 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.77 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 16/22 mpg
C/D observed: 15 mpg
*Stability-control-inhibited
Continued…