2016 GMC Sierra 1500 Road Test and Review

Prosperous times produce luxurious pickup trucks. When Americans are feeling good about their economic fortunes, truck makers load up on leather and chrome. Heck, back in the early 2000s, before the Great Recession, both Cadillac and Lincoln got into the pickup truck game, offering equity-rich homeowners the Escalade EXT and the Blackwood.

With the Cadillac discontinued (the woefully misguided Lincoln rightly lasted no more than a season), fanciful trim levels now denote premium trucks. At GMC, “Denali” is used to connote luxury, the name taken from the highest and recently renamed mountain peak in North America.

According to GMC’s data, the premium truck segment has grown ten times larger today than it was in 2013, and 25 percent of all GMC models sold carry the Denali designation. In fact, Denali has become so successful that in November of 2015, GMC announced a new Denali Ultimate version of the Sierra 1500, one boasting even more standard equipment and an even higher price tag.

For this review, we sampled the standard Sierra 1500 Denali, a chromed-up, crew cab, short box model with 4-wheel drive, a 6.2-liter V8 engine, Iridium Metallic paint, a Jet Black leather interior, and several options. The price came to $61,140, pushed over the $60,000 mark by a destination charge of $1,195. Notably, 51 percent of the parts are sourced from Mexico, where this truck is built in Silao in order to take maximum advantage of how great America already is.

When you buy a 2016 GMC Sierra 1500, you decide whether you want a regular, double, or crew cab style and a short, standard, or long cargo bed. Not all cabs and beds are offered with one another, so set your priority to carrying people or carrying payload, and then proceed.

After that, you can decide on a trim level. The basic version is simply known as Sierra, and from there you can upgrade to SLE, SLT, and Denali trim. The new Denali Ultimate is actually an option package for the standard Denali. Prices range from $28,910 to as much as $66,500, and that’s before adding any dealer-installed accessories.

Denali models are equipped with fancy styling details ,including a special grille design, body color bumpers, front and rear parking assist sensors, 20-inch aluminum wheels, and a spray-on bed liner. The 12-way power adjustable front seats feature heating and ventilation, and the Denali comes with a heated steering wheel, perforated premium leather with contrast stitching, real brushed aluminum cabin trim, a soft-touch dashboard, and a Bose premium sound system.

Upgrade to the new Denali Ultimate model for standard 22-inch aluminum wheels, chrome tow hooks, tri-mode power assist side steps, automatic high-beam headlights, a lane keeping assist system, and a forward collision warning system.

GMC updates the Sierra’s styling for 2016, and though the changes are subtle, they also look tacked on to a design never intended to host them. Thus, I prefer the look of the 2014 and 2015 Sierra 1500 models, as well as the current Sierra HD trucks, which in my opinion have a more cohesive appearance.

Apparently, not everyone feels this way, or can tell the difference. My Iridium Metallic* 2016 Sierra Denali test vehicle got lots of looks and several compliments in the region where I live, just over the hill from the semi-rural ranch land of California’s Reagan country. Surely, the Sierra Denali’s over-the-top styling details drew admiration, the very tacked-on glitz that I think conveys GMC’s “professional grade” sales pitch in an unconvincing manner.

Inside, the Sierra Denali is appealing in terms of its control layout and design, but the detailing, seams, and gaps don’t impart the sense of “crafted” quality promised by GMC’s marketing department. Hard plastic covers much of the interior, and the cabin regularly emits creaks and tinny sounds, detracting from the genuinely improved materials that are supposed to impart luxury and refinement.

Overall, the Sierra’s fundamental design themes are appealing. It is the Denali’s swanky décor that transforms a ruggedly handsome truck into a caricature, combined with feckless cabin execution that makes a laughingstock of GMC’s “professional grade” claims.

*Metallic paint is an extra charge for 2016, something you won’t pay for most colors when you buy a similar Chevrolet.

Sierra 1500 buyers choose between three different engines. A 4.3-liter V6 is standard, whipping up 285 horsepower and 305 lb.-ft. of torque, and many Sierra buyers upgrade to a 5.3-liter V8 churning out 355 horsepower and 383 lb.-ft. of torque.

My Sierra Denali had the optional 6.2-liter V8 engine, which cranks 420 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s matched to an 8-speed automatic transmission and, like the V6 and less powerful V8 engines, boasts direct fuel injection, variable valve timing, and Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation technology designed to improve fuel economy.

For 2016, GMC reduced its powertrain warranty for all Sierra models, shrinking the mileage coverage from 100,000 miles to 60,000 miles. Additionally, GMC’s free maintenance program shrivels to two visits from the previous four visits. Is this a tacit suggestion that perhaps this truck isn’t professional grade after all, or a move underlining confidence in the Sierra’s ability to stand the test of time? Likely, it is neither, instead amounting to corporate cost savings.

In any case, the Sierra’s optional 6.2-liter V8 is a powerful and refined engine, and it sounds great when the driver stomps on the accelerator pedal. My test truck had 4WD, which includes an automatic locking rear differential, a hill start assist system, and a hill descent control system. I kept the 4WD system in Auto mode the majority of the time and I averaged 17.1 mpg during a week of that emphasized highway driving with a non-existent load, aside from my wife and two children. The EPA predicts 17 mpg in combined driving.

While the maximum payload and towing capacities for a 2016 Sierra 1500 measure 2,260 pounds and 12,000 lbs., respectively, and depending upon configuration, the heavier Denali is not quite as capable. It can tow 9,400 lbs. of trailer (9,100 lbs. with 4WD) and tote up to 1,760 lbs. of payload (1,720 lbs. with 4WD). Add a larger standard cargo box, and payload capacity slips a little more. Install the optional 6.2-liter V8, and maximum trailering capacity drops to 9,300 lbs.

Quick when it’s not towing a trailer or hauling a load, the Sierra feels rock solid and robust at all times, the Denali model’s standard Magnetic Ride Control adaptive damping suspension and steamroller 20-inch wheels and tires shrugging off lousy pavement like it’s not even there.

When the Active Fuel Management system switches from 8-cylinder to 4-cylinder mode, or vice-versa, the driver can’t tell unless he or she is paying close attention. During a week of driving, the 8-speed automatic transmission occasionally shifted hard or clunked between gears, depending on the driving situation and throttle application. This was, however, a rare occurrence. Under most circumstances, the transmission is beautifully behaved.

Duralife brake rotors are designed to provide twice the life of conventional components, and the Sierra’s braking capability inspires driver confidence. Again, I will remind readers that I did not tow and I did not haul, so anything short of perfection in terms of braking performance would raise serious questions.

The truck’s electric steering is also pleasing, though, as is to be expected, driving a full-size pickup in the city or suburbs can be a challenge when it comes to negotiating certain parking lots, parking garages, and drive-thrus. Front and rear parking assist sensors certainly help in this regard, as does the Sierra’s reversing camera system.

Attached beneath the front bumper, the Sierra’s front air dam is a liability. Designed to help improve highway fuel economy through better aerodynamics, the air dam is also susceptible to damage. I scraped it while backing over a rut between a blacktop access road and a dirt parking lot in a state park, and the car next to the Sierra was a second-generation Miata. Previously, on a separate occasion and during an off-road driving media event while behind the wheel of a Silverado 1500 with the Z71 package, I destroyed one of these air dams.

In a world where a gallon of gas costs two bucks, owners might want to simply remove the air dam from the Sierra before it unexpectedly requests a divorce.

Equipped with dual-density foam, the Sierra’s seats are engineered for long-distance comfort. In the Denali model, the front chairs offer 12-way power adjustment, heating, and ventilation, and the steering wheel is also heated. This is all quite nice, and the Denali sure is comfortable, but I can’t help but wonder how quickly the outside bolsters are going to wear despite the available power side assist steps.

In crew cab models, the Sierra’s rear seats are roomy, and the interior features numerous storage trays, bins, and nooks. However, the Sierra, even in Denali trim, lacks rear air vents, an issue which came to light during unseasonably hot weather that made the children mighty grouchy while waiting for the cabin to cool.

Though I didn’t haul a thing in the Denali’s bed, which is coated in a factory-applied spray-in liner, this truck’s handy bumper steps, EZ lift-and-lower tailgate, LED cargo bed lighting, and eight tie-down anchors certainly must make hauling things easy. Also, new for 2016, the Sierra is offered with a remote locking tailgate.

This year, GMC adds a new lane departure warning and lane keeping assist system to the Sierra’s available Driver Alert Package, which also includes a forward collision warning system and a safety alert seat that vibrates in response to specific threats. The Sierra’s OnStar subscription services system provides the truck with an automatic collision notification system that helps to speed rescuers to the scene of a crash just as soon as is possible following the initial impact.

Only the federal government has completed crash testing on the 2016 Sierra, giving the crew cab model 5-star ratings across the board, coupled with a 4-star rollover resistance rating. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) assigns the Sierra a “Good” rating for protection in the moderate overlap frontal impact test, and a “Basic” rating for the performance of its forward collision warning system, which does not include an automatic emergency braking function.

Notably, the IIHS says the Sierra’s LATCH child-seat anchors rate “Poor” for ease of use, and I would concur with this statement. It was difficult to latch my kid’s child safety seat into this truck.

In addition to improved response time thanks to faster processors, the GMC Sierra’s IntelliLink infotainment systems gain Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone projection technologies for 2016. Designed to make the infotainment screen mirror the look and feel of your own smartphone, the idea here is to reduce distraction when your device is paired via the USB port.

Apple CarPlay is helpful, but still quirky, an observation I’ve made while using the technology in other vehicles. Sometimes the feature doesn’t work as the user intends, and in this case I plugged my phone in, launched the projection system, and could not adjust volume for Pandora Internet radio using the stereo knob or my phone’s volume control. Unplugging and then plugging back in eventually resolved the issue.

A wireless phone-charging pad is new for 2016, but in order to use it with my iPhone 6 I’d need a special Qi wireless charging case, which costs $42 and change. Given that GMC’s manual warns that wireless charging can interfere with the operation of a pacemaker or other medical devices, I think I’ll just stick to using the USB port for charging, thank you very much.

I’m not a fan of how GMC elects to split the IntelliLink display screen. On several occasions, after zooming in on the navigation map, the navigation function buttons remained on the screen and blocked the information I wanted to view. It is likely better to stack these buttons on the left side of the screen, and to ditch the radio station pre-sets unless the driver has selected the “Radio” selection from the menu.

The GMC Sierra 1500 is a genuinely appealing truck. Especially when equivalently configured, it doesn’t tow as much weight as several key competitors, and it can’t be fitted with a turbo-diesel engine like a RAM 1500 or a Nissan Titan XD, but it sure looks good. Or, it did, until GMC unnecessarily futzed with the styling.

In ritzy and rather gaudy Denali trim, the Sierra is less convincing. This model sacrifices towing and hauling for an interior that doesn’t look or feel as upscale and luxurious as it should given the price, making it tough for GMC to support its “professional grade” and “crafted interior” marketing claims.

Pros:

• Comfortable seats
• Efficient engines
• Satisfying driving dynamics
• Fundamentally appealing design

Cons:

• Towing and payload shortfalls
• Needs an automatic emergency braking system
• Chopped warranty, cut maintenance program, extra-cost metallic paint
• Scrapey, scrape front air dam
• Denali stamped “Hecho en Mexico”