What a great looking truck! I have always liked the styling of GMC pickup trucks more than their Chevy dizygotic twins, and despite

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a good looking all-new 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500 the even better looking (to my eyes at least) 2014 Sierra 1500 shows that this rule isn’t about to change anytime soon.

While GMC’s half-ton pickup doesn’t come in a base Work Truck (WT) trim level like its bow-tie sibling, its least expensive “Sierra” trim level is priced just $614 higher and therefore isn’t much fancier, but still somehow the pickup sold through General Motors’ dedicated truck and SUV division manages to seem more upscale.

In actuality the base Sierra is about as basic as new vehicles get, not even included carpeted flooring. Of course, if you’re dealing with the dirty and often muddy

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life of construction sites, plush carpeting won’t be high on your priority list. Rather, the inclusion of GM’s Z85 increased capacity suspension system as standard equipment will be more appreciated, as will be the standard locking tailgate (tailgates get stolen all the time). Power windows aren’t on the standard menu, but powered locks are, plus tilt steering, cruise control, air conditioning, intermittent wipers, cloth upholstery, a 3.5-inch monochromatic driver info display, and an AM/FM radio with a 4.2-inch colour display no less.

Minus the digital interfaces, such was the kind of truck I grew up with. We almost always had some sort of pickup truck or full-size van in the family. While other kids were dropped off to soccer practice in massive ’70s-era Mercury Cougars or Chrysler Cordobas, “midsize” Ford Granadas and Chevy Chevelles, behemoth-sized

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woodie wagons (a number of those in the fam too) and myriad Volkswagen Beetles (we had a ’67 Bug custom-painted – by my dad – in a horrible metallic gold), more often than not my dad pulled up in a big, tough heavy-duty hauling machine. I thought it was pretty cool to be seen in one of these. After all, pickups show that you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty doing real work, and as a family the only times we stopped working were for serious play, when we headed from our city-slicker existence to the deep country in order to fish, hunt, hike, explore, or any number of ultra-fun activities. Often, a pickup truck was part of the equation.

How my dad would have loved this new 2014 GMC Sierra. I almost forgot to mention that we regularly had at least one General Motors’ product in the family too,

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and GM’s latest pickup would have fit the bill perfectly. The trucks have long possessed enviable ride quality, the latest version no different, which would have been ideal for our long road trips, many of which started off in our home of North Vancouver and ended up in or around the coastal fishing town of Bella Coola, BC, with numerous sidetracking adventures through the surrounding Chilcotin countryside and Caribou area along the way. This is foreboding territory, the Chilcotin Highway of which was a wide fast-paced road that spanned 457 unpaved kilometres back when I was a kid (it’s mostly paved now), passing through some beautiful albeit arid, scraggly pine tree covered, lava rock strewn countryside. Extremely hot in the summer, the fine dust got into everything and when it rained, Chilcotin gumbo (mud) clung so deeply into the tire treads they became useless slicks. This made for some exciting times experienced by the entire family, but

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a Sierra 1500 4×4, especially in my tester’s all-terrain tires and comfortable SLT trim, could have made a big difference.

First off, the Sierra 1500 SLT is tight as a drum. GM has sealed off its doors and other parts so well it feels like you’re riding in a luxury car, hardly like pickup trucks of yore. The rest of the cabin follows the same luxury theme, with premium-like soft-touch surfaces in all the right places, such as on the front door uppers where elbows often rest and door panel inserts where sound absorption is so important, plus the usual padded armrests on the doors and at centre, the latter where my tester boasted a big leather-lined lid overtop a deep storage bin. The soft-touch treatment covers the dash too, wrapping right down to the lower instrument panel as well as over the two glove box doors, which is not the case for lower trims. Also a nice touch, GMC has stitched together all the soft surfaces with

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bold red thread. Additionally, a nice woven headliner material adds to the truck’s upscale air, but GMC didn’t go so far to wrap that same cloth down the inside of the roof pillars, so it falls a tiny bit short of being defined as a premium-level luxury truck, although let’s get real.

Nice rich leather upholstery covering its ultra-comfortable front and rear seats looks and feels plenty premium to me, while GM still makes the best seat (and back) heaters in the business. What’s more, an impressive array of electronic interfaces let everyone aboard know this truck is tech ready. My notes stated, “Infotainment system is excellent. Nice graphics and really easy to use,” and its big eight-inch full-colour touchscreen radio display was superb, connecting through to an impressive Bose audio system. Placed at the base of the centre stack,

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a row of three USB slots were complemented by two more under the centre armrest, where there’s also an SD card slot and aux plug for a level of connectivity unmatched in the industry. Additionally, two accessory chargers and a 110-volt three-prong plug allow a variety of charging options. Likewise the smaller multi-information screen placed within the bright chrome trimmed primary instrument cluster was easy to use and fully featured. This side of a Sierra Denali, which is accepted by many as the most premium of conventional pickup trucks, the Sierra SLT is about as good as it gets.

A few disappointments start off with the inability to get proximity sensing access with pushbutton ignition. While this is a convenient feature that GM offers with other brands and models, I mostly find its absence problematic with the Sierra because of its poor quality key fob. It’s miles better looking than the fob offered in last

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year’s truck, with a rugged squared off design capped off with chromed detailing, but give it a little squeeze to unlock the doors and the two plastic halves pinch together as if it’s going to crush under the pressure. I don’t know why GM feels it needs to make a different key fob for every vehicle it produces (almost). They should just make one good one (like they do with some of their other models, such as the GMC Terrain), and program it for every vehicle. My other complaint was a sunglasses holder in the overhead console that was stuck in place. I only managed to pry it open once, which revealed a nice foam-padded storage spot for your glasses. I’m guessing this problem was specific to my tester. Lastly, the tailgate, which drops softly in a very refined manner, was lined with a protective plastic backing that actually buckled at centre. After a number of attempts to fit it into place properly, I realized it wasn’t going to go. It was as if the

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screw holes didn’t line up. Again, this could only be a problem specific to this vehicle, or maybe a specific batch of liners, but it’s nevertheless something to look out for.

On the positive, the 2014 Sierra SLT’s powertrain was very good. GM’s 5.3-litre EcoTec V8 comes standard in the SLT, producing 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque for strong acceleration from standstill and ample passing power. Factor in that my tester was hardly the smallest and therefore lightest cab/box configuration available with this engine, being a Crew Cab with a regular box, not to mention that it carries the extra weight of its SLT kit, and I could hardly complain about its go-power. Its six-speed automatic transmission was also ideally

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suited to the job at hand, smooth shifting and fully capable with tow-haul mode, cruise grade braking and powertrain grade braking, as well as two overdrive modes to save fuel while highway running.

On that note the Sierra’s fuel economy is excellent for the class, rated at a claimed 13.0 L/100km city, 8.7 highway and 11.0 combined in 2WD trim or 13.3, 9.0 and 11.4 in 4WD. If fuel-efficiency matters most to you, opt for the 4.3-litre V6 that’s good for an estimated 11.9 city, 8.4 highway and 10.4 combined in 2WD or 12.6, 9.0 and 11.0 with the 4WD powertrain, while delivering fairly strong performance at 285 horsepower and 305 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are made thriftier via GM’s Active Fuel Management cylinder-deactivation system, which shuts down a bank of cylinders under lighter loads, plus the inclusion of direct injection and variable valve timing add both power and efficiency simultaneously. If

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performance is critical, GMC also offers its top-line 6.2-litre V8 in SLT trim, a brute of an engine that puts out 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. It’s certainly nice to have options.

A wide variety of powertrains and body styles are key reasons why light truck buyers remain so loyal to the Sierra and its Silverado twin, but having spoken to many GM truck owners over the last 15 years that I’ve been in this business and experienced them all myself, GM’s superb ride quality is the biggest difference maker. I was initially a tad put off by a steering column that isn’t centered to the driver

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(it’s off by about half an inch), but I soon got used to it and settled into the comfortable 10-way powered driver’s seat. The 2014 model’s ride comfort continues to be the best in the biz, although it might be the worst over the big speed bumps on the street adjacent to my home. Still, handling is great for the class, the big pickup holding its line nicely and its standard traction and stability control keeping its rear end in check when pushing it harder than most pickup truck owners would. All round, this is the perfect companion for the long haul, something I wish I had had time for during my test week.

It would have been great to have hooked up a camp trailer or boat, my tester’s tow rating good for up to 4,309 kilos (9,500 lbs), while its payload rating is 830 kg (1,830 lbs). Previous towing and hauling experience with GM’s 1500 series trucks

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has been good, as they’ve always been maneuverable while getting out of town and track well on the highway.

Cargo carrying in mind, climbing into the bed is now much easier thanks to handy steps carved into each corner of the rear bumper. This is such a simple solution to such an age-old problem that it’s difficult to understand why it was dreamed up before, but kudos to GM for being first.

I mentioned the SLT’s driver’s seat is 10-way powered, but it might come as a surprise to you that the front passenger get’s the same 10-way royal treatment, which includes power recline and powered lumbar adjustment. Two-position driver seat memory comes standard in this trim too, while the front bench is split 40/20/40

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to accommodate a centre passenger, exactly where I liked to ride when I was a kid, but the centre seat was swapped out for a larger centre console in my tester. The outboard seats are heated, appreciated with leather upholstery during our cold Canadian winters, while dual-zone automatic climate control can help keep you and your partner at optimal temperatures no matter the weather outside. The HVAC system’s high-quality interface is another Sierra/Silverado highlight, with rubberized rims for an attractive look, nice feel and helpful grip.

Additional SLT features include an auto-dimming rearview mirror with an integrated universal home remote, plus a remote vehicle starter on the key fob and the 110-volt AC power outlet I mentioned before. Outside, the SLT gets fog lights, 18-inch polished aluminum wheels, chrome door handles, power-folding, power-remote, heatable and auto-dimming side mirrors with turn signals integrated

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into their chrome-finished housings, plus ground illumination and a driver-side spotter mirror, as well as chrome bodyside mouldings, a rear window defogger, a trailering package, a locking rear differential and an auxiliary external transmission oil cooler.

Having touched on standard base Sierra features previously, I’m not going to even begin to go into all the standard equipment that comes with mid-grade SLE trim, but I will tell you about a $2,280 All-Terrain package that GMC added to my tester. This is how my leather-upholstered front seats got added and additionally how the 40/20/40 front seating configuration was removed, while the aforementioned Bose audio system came as part of this package too. More in keeping with the All-Terrain name, this upgrade adds a Z71 Off-Road Suspension, Hill Descent Control, a high-capacity air cleaner, underbody transfer case shield protection and Rancho Tenneco shocks, while the regular 18-inch alloys are swapped

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out for different more rugged looking six-spoke aluminum wheels riding on the same size 265/65R18 tires, albeit with all-terrain capability instead of the usual all-season designation. Finally, the All-Terrain package adds a body-coloured grille surround and body-coloured bumpers for a sportier customized look.

And the price for all this luxury truck goodness? The 2014 Sierra SLT 1500 Crew Cab Regular Box 4WD is $50,135 plus $1,795 for freight and pre-delivery prep, although it should be noted you can pick up a base Sierra 1500 for only $27,155 plus freight.

So is the 2014 Sierra 1500 the best pickup truck on the market? I’m not foolish enough to weigh in on that long-since-stalemated argument, but it’s the best GMC pickup truck ever made and one of the nicest trucks I’ve ever driven. I know one thing for sure. My dad would have loved it.
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