5 things - learned driving the 2015 GMC Sierra Denali 2500

Torque in a tux.

This is what a $65,000 pickup truck looks like. Sound obscene? It shouldn’t. Big-dollar, heavy-duty trucks are the norm now more than ever. GMC says that one in four of the nearly 500,000 trucks sold in the US last year were HD models, and the company’s products enjoy one of the highest transaction prices of any truck on the road. Pickups aren’t just more expensive. They’re more capable than ever, and buyers are willing to shell out the cash for luxury rigs like the Sierra Denali 2500.

The new cab makes all the difference
 
The 2015 GMC Sierra Denali 2500 uses plenty of carryover bits. The frame, axles, optional 6.6-liter turbo diesel Duramax engine, and Allison six-speed automatic transmission are all the same pieces found in the 2014 model. That doesn’t mean this is an old truck. Engineers plopped a revised version of the cab from the all-new Sierra onto the HD bones. The result is a truck that’s more quiet and refined than its predecessor.

That’s thanks to tricks like hydraulic body mounts in select locations to reduce vibration in the cab, triple door seals, and improved aerodynamics. The cabin keeps the racket from the big diesel at bay unless the engine is at full wail.

It’s more than a pretty face

Zach Bowman

There’s a reason GM kept the old hardware around. The engine, transmission, and axles are still plenty capable. Throw 10,000 lbs on the hitch, and the truck has no trouble out-accelerating an equivalently laden F-250 up a six percent grade, all gear ratios being equal. That’s impressive. All told, the Sierra 2500 can hustle 3020 lbs' worth of cargo in this configuration and pull up to 13,000 lbs using a conventional hitch.

That’s downright ludicrous weight. Seriously. No one in their right mind should be dragging six and a half tons of weight behind their three-quarter ton pickup.

Throw a gooseneck or fifth wheel setup in the bed, and the figure swells to 17,300 lbs with the 3.73 axle ratio, and 17,500 if you ditch the four-wheel drive system. Keep in mind, these figures don’t adhere to the new SAE towing standards. I’m told GM may make the switch in the very near future, however.

It’s loaded with safety tech
 
The new diesel exhaust brake on the Sierra 2500 Denali is an impressive piece of kit. Put the system into auto mode, set the cruise control, and the truck does the rest. While other systems require the driver to apply the brakes, GM took some of the guesswork out of descending major grades. Shockingly quiet, the brake keeps the truck and trailer from wandering any more than 5 mph past the designated cruise control setting with zero driver intervention.

The 2015 model also comes with a rearview camera as standard on Denali trims, as is GMC’s StabiliTrak stability control. The system includes trailer sway control and hill-start assist. That’s not a huge deal if you have years of trailering experience, but it’s welcome news for those who are new to hauling a load.

You can also option this rig up with a Driver Alert package that rolls in a lane-departure warning system and forward collision alert

More James Bond, less Lone Ranger

Zach Bowman

No one’s going to call the Sierra Denali understated. There are three acres of chrome mesh in the grille, and the optional 20-inch polished-aluminum wheels could be used to signal rescue aircraft. Still, it’s the most subdued of the luxury three-quarter-ton domestic trucks. Compared to Ford F-250 King Ranch and Ram 2500 Laramie, the Denali looks buttoned down, and that’s a good thing.

Inside, the Denali offers the same upscale leather and wood trim as found in the 1500 model. The materials don’t feel as nice as they do in either the Ford or the Ram, but the cabin doesn’t look like the site of an unfortunate country-western-themed explosion, either. If you can’t use your belt buckle for a dinner plate, you may feel more at home in the GMC.

The LCD gauge cluster is gorgeous

Zach Bowman

The Denali 2500 borrows a massive eight-inch LCD gauge cluster from its 1500 twin. The screen is completely customizable, with settings for audio, navigation, vehicle, and tow information. It’s an appropriately premium touch for a truck with this price tag, the kind of thing you’d expect to see in an A8, and it helps mute the gaudiness of the red-lettered analog gauges. The devil’s in the details, as they say.

Zach Bowman

The 2015 Sierra 2500 Denali 4WD Crew Cab starts at $53,740. This tester came optioned to $65,280, including the $7,195 Duramax engine and $1,200 Allison transmission. Expect to see the 2015 GMC HD trucks go on sale in the first quarter of 2014. 
 

By Zach Bowman February 4, 2014 / Photos by Zach Bowman

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