• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: The End of the Road for Route 66
  • Here We Go Again: Automakers Report June Sales Decline
  • Recession or Not, U.S. Car Market is in For a Big Boom
  • Hyundai Slashing Passenger Car Line-up — Again
  • Tesla, Maserati and Genesis Owner Loyalty Rising
  • Tesla Market Share Set to Collapse as EV Competition Heats Up, Predicts Leading Analyst
  • Nissan Planning to Drop Titan After 2024
  • New NHTSA Chief Ready to Crack Down on Wayward Self-Driving Technology
  • GM Avoids UAW Strike at Four Michigan Plants
  • Rising EV Prices Could Cause the Auto Market to “Collapse,” Warns Stellantis Manufacturing Chief
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Overland
    • A Week With: 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan SE R-Line Black
    • First Drive: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades Edition
    • A Week With: 2022 Mazda3 2.5 S AWD Hatchback
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda HR-V
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor
    • A Week With: 2022 GMC Terrain AT4 AWD
    • A Week With: 2022 Cadillac Escalade Sport
    • First Drive: 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > reviews > First Look: 2019 GMC Sierra: More Than a Silverado Clone

        First Look: 2019 GMC Sierra: More Than a Silverado Clone

        Full-size pickup gets world’s carbon fiber bed, six-way tailgate.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        March 01, 2018
        The 2019 GMC Sierra loses as much as 360 pounds compared to the outgoing pickup.

        It’s traditionally been easy to dismiss the GMC Sierra as little more than a glorified Chevrolet Silverado, but with today’s unveiling of the 2019 Sierra it seems the GMC truck is going to be due a lot more respect.

        True, it shares the same underlying platform and basic dimensions of the more down-market Chevy, but the 2019 truck is no clone, claiming a variety of first-ever innovations that include a carbon fiber bed, a six-way tailgate, a swiveling backup-camera mirror and a large head-up display.

        /about/subscribe
        Keep On Trucking!

        “GMC ignited the premium truck segment 17 years ago with the original launch of the Sierra Denali,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global GMC. “The next generation 2019 Sierra Denali establishes a new benchmark in capability and refinement. It exemplifies precision in every detail.”

        Parent General Motors has long been promising to deliver more differentiation between the GMC Sierra and the Chevy Silverado, the latter making its own debut at the North American International Auto Show in January.

        (Click Here for more on the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado.)

        The 2019 GMC Sierra will be the first pickup ever with a carbon fiber bed option.

        The new Sierra comes closer to delivering on that promise than ever, though both share the same, beefed up underpinnings, body variants and powertrain options – the latter including a 5.3-liter V-8, a 6.2-liter diesel and, for the first time, a 3.0-liter inline-six Duramax turbodiesel. That oil-burner and the bigger of the eight-bangers will come paired with GM’s new 10-speed automatic, but all powertrain packages can be ordered in either rear- or all-wheel-drive.

        As has been the industry trend, of late, the 2019 GMC Sierra gets a taller hood and an even bigger, bolder grille, with different detailing for the standard and Denali editions. The grille is frames by new lights in the GMC C-shaped signature. The Denali edition gets a number of distinct touches, including new LED “light blade” running lights and LED head, fog and taillamps. The truck’s wheels are pushed closer to the corners and larger tires are available – up to 22-inches on the SLT and Denali editions.

        Under the skin, Sierra now makes extensive use of more advanced-grade steels that not only toughen up the truck but also shave a significant amount of weight. On an apples-to-apples comparison, in fact, it’s close to what Ford has achieved by switching to even lighter aluminum. All told, the various Sierra models shed as much as 360 pounds compared to the outgoing truck.

        The Sierra tailgate can be configured six ways.

        A full 62 pounds of that reduction come from the switch to what GMC has dubbed the CarbonPro bed. It marks the first time any pickup has opted for carbon fiber in that application. The choice was made to improve durability and functionality, explains GMC, while helping prevent dents, scratches and corrosion.

        “In 116 years of making GMC pickup trucks, our industry-first carbon fiber box is the toughest and most durable pickup box we have ever made,” Aldred said.

        The super-durable bed is an option, but with 63 cubic feet of cargo space in the short bed – the most in its segment, more tie-downs and a new 110-volt outlet, even the base, steel bed is an improvement.

        We’ll have to wait to see whether the CF bed becomes the most talked-about feature with the new Sierra or the six-way MultiPro tailgate which, like the bed, will not be offered on the Silverado. It can be repositioned in a variety of ways, among other things, transforming into a step for easier access to cargo.

        Another look at the Sierra tailgate.

        There are a number of other new features not found on the Silverado. The Rear Camera Mirror did first appear on the Cadillac CT6 sedan but, even here, GMC has some bragging rights. The basics are simple: flip a toggle on the rearview mirror and it becomes a high-resolution video display showing an image captured by a high-mounted camera at the back of the cab. While not everyone is comfortable with the image, those who like the system praise the way it displays a wider field of vision – and the fact that it isn’t obstructed by anything in the passenger compartment, whether cargo or the heads of backseat passengers.

        The Sierra system not only points back at the road but can tilt down at that cargo bed and even zoom in and out.

        Add to the Sierra’s list of options the first multi-color Head-Up Display, or HUD, offered in the full-size pickup segment. It shows a variety of vehicle information, including navigation instructions, on a 3×7-inch reflective glass segment on the windshield.

        Add new features meant to ease trailering, as well as an assortment of advanced driver assistance systems and the 2019 GMC Sierra appears to be making a big leap from the outgoing model.

        (Ram weighs in with all-new version of its full-size 1500. Click Here for a closer look.)

        The 2019 GMC Sierra Denali will be offered with two gas engines and a diesel, in 4WD or RWD.

        The Denali edition, meanwhile moves even more upscale with more refined interior flourishes, as well as an adaptive suspension system.

        We’ll have to wait until closer to the on-sale date, this coming autumn, for pricing, but it would surprise few if GMC doesn’t nudge the Sierra up a bit – though it might need to hold the base price steady considering the current, competitive market. Remember that Ram is launching an all-new version of the 1500 for 2019, as well as the internal challenge of going up against the new Silverado.

        But it’s all but certain that GMC will push substantially up-market with the Denali edition. After all, we’re seeing Ford nudge the $100,000 mark with the Super Duty Limited version of its F-Series. Industry planners say they’ve yet to see what the upper limits of pricing are for a pickup,

        (Even strong pickup demand couldn’t prop up February’s U.S. auto market. Click Here for the latest.)

        Recently Published
        2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Crew Cab mudding

        A Week With: 2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Crew Cab

        May 12, 2022
        2022 Ford F-150 Lightning - off-road front

        First Drive: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning

        May 11, 2022
        2022 GMC Sierra AT4X and Sierra Denali Ultimate

        First Drive(s): 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate and AT4X

        May 10, 2022

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        What Are You Looking For?

        See More
        Buying a car? See our recommended reviews and guides.
        Buying a car? See our recommended reviews and guides.
        Reviews and Resources When You Are Looking For a New Car
        Collection
        Car Reviews and Guides
        Collection

        Car Reviews and Guides
        Recommends
        The Best Car Insurance Companies in 2022 (with Costs)
        Recommends

        The Best Car Insurance Companies in 2022 (with Costs)
        Recommends
        Best Car Warranties – 2021 Comparison (Factory & Extended)
        Recommends

        Best Car Warranties – 2021 Comparison (Factory & Extended)
        Recommends
        5 Best Car Shipping Companies: Consumer Guide (2022)
        Recommends

        5 Best Car Shipping Companies: Consumer Guide (2022)
        Close
        Reviews and Resources When You Are Looking For a New Car
        Collection
        Car Reviews and Guides
        Collection

        Car Reviews and Guides
        Recommends
        The Best Car Insurance Companies in 2022 (with Costs)
        Recommends

        The Best Car Insurance Companies in 2022 (with Costs)
        Recommends
        Best Car Warranties – 2021 Comparison (Factory & Extended)
        Recommends

        Best Car Warranties – 2021 Comparison (Factory & Extended)
        Recommends
        5 Best Car Shipping Companies: Consumer Guide (2022)
        Recommends

        5 Best Car Shipping Companies: Consumer Guide (2022)
        Close
        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: