Car Gazing
Tough GMC work truck can be outfitted for play
By Derek Price
There was a time when work trucks were basic, bare-bones vehicles built for
hauling dirt, pulling trailers, and driving to the middle of nowhere.
That time's long gone.
Driving one of today's heavy-duty work trucks doesn't feel like work at all,
since the latest trend is adding luxury and refinement to even the toughest
pickups to make them feel more like high-end SUVs. Nowhere is this more
evident than in GMC's new Sierra Heavy Duty.
Despite its raucous diesel engine and stiff, built-for-work suspension, this
truck's cabin has enough available goodies to make soccer moms drool, like a
rear-seat DVD player, satellite radio, dual-zone climate control, and CD
changer. Who knew hard work could be so much fun?
Of course, all the frivolous stuff adds to the base Sierra's sticker. A
stripped-down version starts around $24,000, but our fully-loaded,
four-wheel drive, extended cab test truck rang up at more than twice that –
enough to buy a world-class luxury car like the Mercedes-Benz E-class, BMW
5-series, or Jaguar S-type.
But there's one thing none of fancy-pants sedans can do: haul over 15,000
pounds with a gooseneck trailer.
Equipped with a 6.6-liter Duramax diesel, the Sierra HD becomes the king of
towing, unless you count trucks with "Peterbuilt" or "Mack" on the hood. The
Duramax makes 350 horsepower, which is nothing to brag about for such a
large engine, but an incredible 520 pound-feet of torque is available at
just 1,800 RPM. Like the interior gadgets, this powerplant adds heavily to
the base price – to the tune of $5,000.
Less-expensive gasoline engines include 6.0-liter and 8.1-liter Vortec
models, but neither offer the diesel's towing capacity.
Driving the diesel is surprisingly quiet because General Motors does an
excellent job of insulating the cabin from the noisy engine clatter. Noise
only poses a problem in restaurant drive-thru lanes when employees can't
hear your order.
And the cabin is as comfortable as one could expect, given the harsh,
bouncy, stiff suspension necessary for controlling heavy trailers and
hauling big loads in its bed. New leather seats can be electrically adjusted
to virtually any position, and control layout is as simple and logical as in
GM's more civilian trucks and SUVs. It has a new center storage console,
redesigned instrument panel, eight controls on the steering wheel, and a
terrific Bose stereo.
No matter how many doo-dads fill its interior, though, there's no mistaking
this is a true work truck. It feels like driving a bus – seating position
is in the stratosphere, steering seems fairly loose and vague, and hitting a
pothole could mean a trip to the chiropractor – making light-duty trucks
feel downright supple in comparison.
But those tradeoffs are necessary for a truck that's designed for years of
tough work like pulling tree stumps, or in versions packed with high-end
options, towing your luxury yacht across the country.
Hey, a hard day's work doesn't have to be uncomfortable.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.
Contact him at dprice@cargazingonline.com)
The above article is provided for the interest and entertainment of our visitors. The views expressed in this article are only those of the author, who is solely responsible for the content. AutoGuide.net does not endorse any of these views, and is not to be held responsible for any of the content provided in the above article.
Click here to read Derek's past articles!
If you have any questions or comments for Derek or the AutoGuide.net, please fill out this form.
|
