General Motors has improved the Sierra 1500, with increased payload and towing capacities, plus a deeper bed. It also improved the powertrain, fuel economy and introduced several unique innovations on higher trims.
The biggest change is in the powertrain. Its 5.3-liter V8 engine, now paired with a new eight-speed automatic transmission, and the combination provides better throttle response and quicker acceleration, answering one of our chief criticisms of the dull, flat-footed previous generation. Combining this transmission with the loss of about 300 pounds help the Sierra (and the Chevrolet Silverado, which we tested) achieve 17 mpg overall, a 1-mpg gain over the previous truck. We also tested the diesel version mated to a 10-speed automatic which yielded 23 mpg overall.
Drivers can’t escape the truck’s huge size when taking corners, but for a full-sized pickup truck it has responsive steering and little body lean. While not as comfortable riding as the Ram 1500, ride comfort is unobjectionable. Road and engine noise are impressively muted.
The optional power-opening tailgate is a nice touch; high-end trims have one that can even be closed remotely. We recommend adding running boards because it’s a tall climb up into the spacious cab. Higher trims get motorized running boards and a rear gate that can be configured for several tasks including a work bench.
The front seats are fairly basic, very firm and flat with only a minimal amount of support, but we appreciate the two-way lumbar adjustment. The back seat is huge, giving passengers plenty of room to stretch out. Matters improve on higher trims with leather seats.
Overall, the SLE’s interior is unimpressive for a $50,000 truck, with cloth seats, cheap-looking controls, and a clunky old-school column-mounted gear selector. On the plus side, the infotainment system is easy to use and comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.
For 2022 active safety equipment such as forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection are are standard.