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GMC makes money hand over fist by selling expensive luxury pick up trucks.
That much has been true for years.
But only recently have modern trucks moved from utilitarian work horses to jacks of all trades that need to fit right in.
Weather it's work time or family time.
And considering some of these bad boys can reach north of $60,000, modern trucks had damn well better be able to do both, and do then well.
The 2019 GMC Sierra does precisely that.
In my opinion it's less of a work horse that can take the family to dinner in style and more of a seven foot tall Cadillac that just so happens to tow 12,100 pounds.
Let's see how it manages this balancing act.
The Sierra and it's sibling, the Chevy Silverado, were both updated for the 2019 model year.
But unlike the Silverado, the Sierra managed not to get hit with any ugly sticks on it's way down the redesign tree.
The front end is about as aggressive as a truck's front end can be, with a large, strong chrome grill that takes up anywhere between 80 and 100% of the front end.
And strong, sharp lines just about everywhere else you look.
The rear end also has the angry boxy look to it.
But the main drawback here is GMC's new multi-pro tailgate.
It has a tailgate within the tailgate that allows a little bit more versatility than you might normally get.
Need a table for your laptop?
Done.
Need to extend the bed just a little bit?
Done.
Need a bigger step up in to the bed itself?
Also done.
Some pretty clever stuff.
The interior, by comparison, is a bit more evolution than revolution of the same design lay out from the previous generation is still here with the infotainment system up top.
The climate controls in the middle and a bank of function underneath and there are a plenty ol buttons for all three of these tiers, because whose worn gloves knows, it's hard to use touchscreens or little buttons with them on.
And thankfully, because this is the size of a small moon, there's tons of room, both front and back.
And yes, the luxury seats are pretty comfortable.
Now if you are the kind of person who has more USB devices than people in the car, you're in luck.
This specific tester has not one, two, three, four, five but six separate USB ports.
Two up here in the front, two here in the center console, and two in the back.
Now each of those banks come with one normal usb type a connector.
The little square guy you're used to.
But the other one is a usb type c. It's a smaller connection that is meant to charge your devices faster.
Now if for some reason you don't like cables at all, despite having six usb ports, you can still opt for a wireless phone charger using the Qi standard right up here in the front.
Which on my tester came as part of a $6,825 premium package that adds just about every creature comfort known to man.
All current trends of Sierra on sale come with an 8 inch touch screen with navigation beam optional.
It uses the latest version of GM software which is not only prettier, it's faster and it also allows you to log into a user profile that will let you carry certain settings from car to car.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come along for the ride, as does a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot.
But my favorite part of the infotainment system is the entire corner dedicating to trailering, which, if you've ever carried one or more trailers around on your truck, will feel like a godsend Now, I am in love with the cameras on the 2019 Sierra.
A quick tap of the camera button on the infotainment system brings up every single standard and optional camera that this car has.
Tight parking spot?
Pull up the mirror cameras and watch your wheels.
Stickler for parking straight?
Bam, topdown view.
Not very good at hooking up your trailer?
Boom goes the dynamite, there's a camera for that, too.
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Well, the good news is, if you are familiar with how an empty pickup truck drives, you will undoubtedly dig the Sierra's handling.
It tackles bad roads pretty well and it won't really rustle your [UNKNOWN] too bad on the highway either.
Now for something with the aerodynamic profile of an office building, you might expect a fair bit of wind noise but the cabin is surprisingly quiet say for just a little bit of noise coming from the suspension and tires underneath.
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The Sierra's optional 6.2L V8 is a sweet engine offering a suprising amount of get up and go thanks to 420 horsepower and 160 pound feet of torque.
Now even if you're not in the right gear, thankfully there's plenty of torque to push you along, which is good.
Because well, I'm not exactly a fan of how the ten-speed automatic takes its dear sweet time to find a gear when you give the pedal a nice firm push.
On the other side, the upshifts are firm but smooth.
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Now the EPA says that this Specta Sierra will get about 15 MPG sitting and 20 MPG highway and I think those numbers are not only feasible, they're pretty easily beatable.
I'm seeing about 22 to 24 MPG on the highway at 70 miles an hour with very little effort on my part.
And about closer to the EPAS and did a 15 in the city.
Throw 1000 pounds of rocks in the back, or hook up an Airstream trailer, though, and all bets are off.
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Now truck packaging could make up its own whole 10 minute video, so I'll just speak to this specific tester.
This four-wheel drive crew cab SLT-CR starts at $51,495 including destination.
But with my tester's premium pack and with other options, that brings it up to a hefty 62,605 dollars.
It is a lot of mooney, but to be fair it is a whole lot of truck.
But thankfully you won't need to buy both a truck and a family car.
The Sierra plays both sides of the coin extremely well.
It'll do all the truck stuff you need it to do and then turn around on a dime and not even require a change of clothes before taking the family and friends somewhere nice.
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