General Motors has improved the Sierra 1500, with increased payload and towing capacities, plus a deeper bed versus the previous model. But the redesign doesn’t match the fancy cabin or comfortable ride of some competitors.
The biggest change is in the powertrain. Its 5.3-liter V8 engine can now be paired with a new eight-speed automatic transmission, and the combination provides better throttle response and quicker acceleration, answering one of our chief criticisms of the dull, flat-footed previous generation. The new eight-speed automatic transmission and the loss of about 300 pounds help the Sierra (and the Chevrolet Silverado, which we tested) achieve 17 mpg overall, a 1-mpg gain over the previous truck.
Drivers can’t escape the truck’s huge size when taking corners, but for a full-sized pickup truck it has responsive steering and little body lean. But the Sierra’s ride is stiff, choppy, and uncomfortable, even by pickup-truck standards, and especially so when the bed is empty. Road and engine noise are impressively muted, though.
The optional power-opening tailgate is a nice touch; high-end trims have one that can even be closed remotely. We recommend adding running boards because it’s a tall climb up into the spacious cab.
The front seats are fairly basic, very firm and flat with only a minimal amount of support, but we appreciate the two-way lumbar adjustment. The back seat is huge, giving passengers plenty of room to stretch out.
Overall, the SLE’s interior is unimpressive for a $50,000 truck, with cloth seats, cheap-looking controls, and a clunky old-school column-mounted gear selector. At least the easy-to-use infotainment system comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
It’s disappointing that advanced safety equipment such as forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking are only available on high-end trim levels.