A high-riding hood, massive grille and an elegant and comfortable interior are most visible highlights in the 2015 GMC Sierra 3500 Duramax Denali Crew Cab 4X4 pickup.
The 1-ton heavy-duty truck market, pitting Sierra against Ford, Ram and Chevy Silverado, is one of the most competitive segments in the U.S. auto industry. The beefed-up trucks’ capabilities in pulling and hauling and offroading set them apart from the everyday pickup traffic.
Powering the new Sierra 3500, finished in black both outside and in, is the Duramax 6.6-liter turbodiesel V-8 with the Allison 6-speed automatic transmission. The combo is rated at 397 horsepower and 765 lb.-ft. of torque. It has strong acceleration and shifts smoothly, and does it all very quietly (quieter engine, more sound insulation).
With fifth-wheel setup, the Sierra trailering capability can go past 17,000 pounds. Tow can go as high as 23,000 pounds with a Sierra dually; the review model was a single-rear-wheel version.
Unloaded, the Sierra Duramax will cruise the highways at around 18 miles per gallon of diesel fuel; towing, hauling, offroading and town driving pull the average down. For my maneuvers, it registered 14.9 mpg, which, multiplied by a 36-gallon fuel tank, rolls more than 500 miles down the road.
The gasoline engine available in the Sierra 3500 is the 6.0-liter V-8 of 360 horsepower and 380 torque.
Wide 6-inch step rails make it easy to climb up into the roomy cabin, where leather-covered seats (heated and cooled) are supportive. The ride is somewhat bouncey at times from a suspension of double-A-arm and torsion bar in front and asymmetrical leaf springs at the rear.
All sorts of storage spaces have been carved into the nicely finished Denali leather interior, with an 8-inch touchscreen for navigation, Bose audio, rearview camera and driver information.
An integrated trailer brake controller has been positioned high on the dash, to the left of the steering wheel, where it is an easier eye connect for the driver than the former position below the dash.
Wander off course with this big truck and its lane-departure warning system will nudge you (vibration) in the hips to get it back on track.
Behind the four-door cab is a 6 ½-foot box, protected on the inside by a spray-on bedliner. To open the tailgate is an absolute delight, as a rotary damper lends a soft and gradual lowering movement. An integrated step at each end of the rear bumper aids access of the box.
The Crew Cab configuration, Denali upgrades and four-wheel-drive capability set the base price for this ’15 GMC Sierra 3500 at a high $53,995. Add the Duramax diesel, Allison automatic transmission, lane-departure warning and forward-collision alert, spray-on bedliner, offroad suspension, roof marker lamps and 3.73-ratio rear axle and the sticker price stretches to $64,005.
I recently reviewed a 2014 Ram 3500 Laramie Crew Cab 4-by-4, priced at $66,340 with dual rear wheels and an 8-foot-long box. It was equipped with the Cummins 6.7-liter turbodiesel inline-6-cylinder engine, boasting 850 lb.-ft. of torque, and the Aisin 6-speed automatic transmission.
A loaded-up version of Ford’s King Ranch F-350 with turbodiesel also falls in the $60s.
A look back
Thirty-five years ago this week, I reviewed in The Denver Post the 1979 Jeep CJ-5 Silver Anniversary edition. Excerpts:
Jeep’s popular CJ-5 model, descendant of the workhorse of World War II, has been around for 25 years and its versatility may keep it in the market for 25 more. The first CJ-5 was introduced by Willys Motors in 1954; 25 years later American Motors Corp., present builder of Jeeps, is producing a limited edition of Silver Anniversary model. Maneuverability of the 83.5-inch-wheelbase unit it superb; with the short wheelbase and power steering, though, you do have to guard against oversteer. The four-wheel drive and an optional 4-speed manual transmission, including the “granny” first gear make it a good climber. It’s an easy chore to lock the hubs at the front wheels to put it in four-wheel power. Perfectly suited for the CJ-5 is the 258-cubic-inch 6-cylinder engine. It will drop to a slower crawl in gearing down while four-wheeling than will the V-8. The Jeep, which has leaf springs in both the front and rear, averaged 14.5 miles per gallon. Most appreciated option is the tilt steering wheel. The little CJ-5 isn’t the easiest vehicle to get in and out of, but popping up the steering wheel gives sufficient clearance. Among add-ons pushing the sticker price to $8,406 are the quick-silver paint, 15-by-8-inch chrome spoked styled wheels, roll bar, front stabilizer bar and engine-block heater. The Jeep’s doors and top can be removed for warm-weather use.
