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Writer's Notes
Test Vehicle: 2003 GMC Sierra Denali
Base Price: $44,995 (including destination charge)
The Good - Quadrasteer, XM satellite radio, OnStar telematics, Bose audio system sound quality, easy-to-use tonneau cover, engine power, braking performance
The Bad - Limited color choice, tight rear seat room, remnants of cheap interior materials, transmission shift quality, mediocre crash-test scores
The Ugly - Ride quality with an empty bed, fuel economy
The Bottom Line - Luxury pickup trucks don't get much better than the GMC Sierra Denali.
Options on Test Vehicle: XM Satellite Radio ($325)
Price of Test Vehicle: $45,320 (including destination charge)
Engine Size and Type: 6.0-liter V8
Engine Horsepower: 325 @ 5,000 rpm
Engine Torque: 370 lb.-ft. @ 4,000 rpm
EPA Fuel Economy: (city/highway)12 / 16 mpg
Observed Fuel Economy: 13.1
Curb Weight: 5,478 pounds
NHTSA Crash Test Score (front - driver): 3 Stars (2WD model tested)
NHTSA Crash Test Score (front - passenger): 4 Stars (2WD model tested)
NHTSA Crash Test Score (side - front occupant): Not Tested
NHTSA Crash Test Score (side - rear occupant): Not Tested
NHTSA Rollover Resistance Rating: Not Rated
IIHS Crash Test Score (offset): Marginal
Predicted Reliability: Average
Comments or suggestions about this review? Send an e-mail to: editor@autobytel.com
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IRVINE, CA - Were it not for the existence of the Escalade EXT, the GMC Sierra Denali would be known throughout this great American landscape as the Cadillac of pickup trucks. It costs $45,000 and is fully equipped out of the box with just three options from which to choose. Its Quadrasteer four-wheel-steering system and sophisticated all-wheel-drive represent the pinnacle of pick-em-up technology. Plus, it offers available XM satellite radio, broadcasting no less than six country-music stations with crystal clear clarity over quality Bose stereo speakers from Walla Walla, Wash. to Texarkana, Texas.
But this can't be a serious work truck, despite its 10,000-pound towing capacity and 1,787-pound payload rating, can it? The cabin is lathered in soft leather, the dash trimmed in faux ash-colored wood, the controls surrounded by a slightly rubberized charcoal matte finish, the tan carpet deep and lush. Heck y'all, the bed's covered by a tonneau (tahn-o) to improve fuel economy, making the hauling of bulky loads more difficult (but not impossible, as with the misguided Lincoln Blackwood). Don't be fooled by the gimcrack - the Sierra Denali can handle heavy loads if it needs to. But this is obviously a truck tailored for urban cowboys who are more likely to carry a Compaq and wear a blue suit than they are a bull rope and blue jeans. You don't even want to think about hosing out a GMC Sierra Denali.
Aside from the luxury trappings, one compelling reason to choose the GMC over other high-end trucks is the magnificent Quadrasteer four-wheel steering system. The difference in maneuverability, particularly in the city where we spent all of our time behind the wheel, is dramatic. Tight city parking lots are much easier to navigate, and parallel parking is a snap. Even when making a 90-degree or u-turn at an intersection, the benefit of Quadrasteer is instantly obvious.
We didn't tow anything with the Sierra Denali, so we spoke to someone experienced in trailering with Quadrasteer. Scott Mead, senior feature editor at Truck Trend magazine, explained that with the system engaged, a trailer tracks better on the highway during lane changes and clears corners more tightly when turning. When reversing, Mead says that Quadrasteer makes the trailer more responsive to steering input, enabling the driver to park the trailer in tighter places. "It allows a novice to back a trailer like an expert," Mead asserts.
Quadrasteer also pays safety dividends. During sudden maneuvers in a traditional two-wheel-steer truck, such as an emergency lane change, the quick left-right movement of the steering wheel will cause a trailer to whip back and forth, leading to a potential jackknife situation. "With Quadrasteer," Mead explains, "the wheels track in phase at higher speeds, ensuring that the trailer and the truck move in a linear fashion." Mead noted that soon all of GM's full-size pickups and SUVs will be available with Quadrasteer. "This technology is to trucks what the electric starter was to the 1912 Cadillac. It is going to revolutionize the industry."
Another revolutionary technology was installed in our Pewter Metallic Sierra Denali. Equipped with XM satellite radio, the big GMC provided hours of news and entertainment during our 750 miles behind the wheel. With more than 100 stations from which to choose, our appetite for everything from big band to The Weather Channel was easily sated. But, like the most comprehensive cable TV packages, the wide selection of infotainment encourages channel surfing, which not only drives passengers insane but distracts the driver from the task at hand. Eventually, most subscribers will whittle the list of favorite stations down to a handful. The Sierra Denali allows 12 XM radio presets; 18 would be better.
The satellite radio costs $325, and the monthly XM subscription fee runs $9.99. Practically speaking, folks with long commutes or people who take plenty of road trips are the most likely to benefit from the service. Those who rarely spend more than half an hour at a time in the car may be lost on XM radio's value. We're big fans of this technology, hopelessly addicted to the non-stop stand-up comedy on channel 150. But then, we're driving somebody else's car and we aren't paying the bill.
Aside from the Quadrasteer and the XM satellite radio, the Sierra Denali is typical of today's leather-lined, luxury pickups. It's packed full of equipment such as dual-zone climate control (delightfully simple in operation), heated front bucket seats (with both backrest and bottom cushion heating), trip computer (with an engine hour meter), and a Bose audio system with a six-disc in-dash CD changer. An OnStar telematics system (with voice recognition) is also standard, including a free one-year subscription to GM's Safe and Sound plan, which includes emergency assistance service above and beyond the standard concierge and mobile telephone features.
Today's Sierra Denali is a descendant of the 2001 Sierra C3, itself a full-lux version of the Sierra extended-cab, four-wheel-drive SLT with all the trimmings. Powered by a monstrous six-liter V8 engine belting out 325 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 370 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm driving all four wheels all of the time, the Sierra Denali gets horrible fuel economy. The EPA rates the truck at 12 mpg in the city and 16 mpg on the highway, empty, and with the tonneau installed over the bed to smooth out airflow. We averaged a paltry 13.1 mpg in a healthy mix of city and highway driving, both empty and laden with cargo. We did not drive with judicious use of the accelerator. Every 300 miles we spent about $40 on fuel. Of course, if you can drop 45 grand on a pickup, this kind of fuel consumption won't disturb you. Neither will the nominal subscription cost of the XM satellite radio.
GMC upgrades its flagship model each year, and 2003 is no different. While modifications to standard Sierras are more significant, the Denali nonetheless receives new International Standardization Organization symbol markings on some of the controls, new front seats, and side mirrors that include power folding, reverse tilting and integrated turn signals. The latter, in combination with cab clearance lights and side-mounted bed marker lights, helped clear a wide path for the lumbering GMC in traffic.
Though redesigned, we didn't find the Denali's front seats to be particularly comfortable. Neither were they uncomfortable; rather, we began to fidget in them after an hour or so behind the wheel because we couldn't dial in the right amount of bottom cushion tilt without sacrificing some of the driving position height that we wanted. The Denali's Bose audio system was a treat, however, with its six-channel Digital Signal Processing (DSP) amplifier that custom-tailors sound to specific portions of the cabin and the AudioPilot technology that adjusts volume and equalization to overcome ambient wind and road noise.
Safety equipment includes dual-stage front airbags with a non-deploy sensor for the front seat passenger. That same airbag can be deactivated when ferrying children up front, and the Denali also has LATCH child-seat anchors for 2003.
Though we did not have a chance to test the Denali's mettle in the bush, we spent lots of time driving it in its natural habitat, the urban jungle. Low-end punch from the muscular V8 is predictably strong, but the four-speed automatic transmission exhibited occasionally slushy part-throttle upshifts and sometimes didn't downshift for passing power when we needed it.
A pedal that displayed a pleasant degree of feel and progression effectively managed the heavy-duty four-wheel-disc ABS with Dynamic Rear Proportioning (DRP). Perhaps more impressive was the fact that the ABS operated unobtrusively, even on broken city pavement, which is an improvement over previous Sierras. Low-speed handling is extraordinary; the Sierra Denali boasts a tight 37.4-foot turning circle. At speed, however, it handled just like a big heavy truck, which should come as no surprise to anyone.
The Sierra Denali also rides like a truck. With the bed empty, Los Angeles freeways produced plenty of aggravating fore-and-aft body pitch, despite the standard ride control suspension. Loaded with weight, the ride smoothed out considerably.
Despite seating for five, the Denali's rear bench is best occupied by small-stature adults or children because legroom is extremely tight and it's not easy to clamber aboard the rear quarters through the clamshell side doors, especially in a parking lot. We did note that the cabin was free of rattles and squeaks, and that while some materials have been noticeably improved (check out the charcoal dash trim and high-end leather seat upholstery), there are still parts of the interior that reek of cost cutting (check out the flexible plastic A-pillar trim and the chintzy hollowness of the dash top).
Like the way the Sierra Denali looks? You have your choice of three colors: Pewter like our test truck, Black, or Green. This limited paint selection seems odd to us, because we thought that a benefit of paying a significant premium for the top-of-the-line model meant you could pretty much have it your way.
Really though, this issue of color selection is minor. When you're truckin' down a snowy Interstate 80 hauling a trailer through a gusting cross-wind and rocking with laughter to Jeff Foxworthy on the XM comedy channel, you're not going to care if the exterior is painted Fat Elvis Pink with Prince Purple flames down the sides. The GMC Sierra Denali is that good. Almost.
--Story by Christian J. Wardlaw
Photos by Christian J. Wardlaw
Christian Wardlaw joined the Automotive Information Center (AIC) in January 2003, managing content development for AIC and the Autosite consumer website. Previously, Mr. Wardlaw served as Editor-in-Chief and Director of Automotive Data for Edmunds.com. A writer, editor, and automobile aficionado, Mr. Wardlaw is a different sort of car enthusiast. His passion lies in the vehicles that people most often buy, rather than with high-performance sports cars or ultra-luxury sedans. “Given the choice to spend an hour with a Dodge Viper or a Honda Accord, I’ll choose the Accord,” he claims. Unless, of course, the driving venue is a racetrack. Mr. Wardlaw has been a car enthusiast all of his life, uttering “car” as his first word while growing up in Detroit. A graduate of Western Michigan University, Mr. Wardlaw holds a bachelor’s degree in English.
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