GMC introduced the next-generation 2019 Sierra pickup on Thursday at an event in downtown Detroit. The truck gets a bunch of cool new features, a new diesel engine option and a carbon fiber composite bed. Not bedliner — bed.
We’ll start there. Later this year, GMC will offer the CarbonPro carbon-fiber bed box. The company says it will increase the durability, efficiency and functionality of the truck, and that it will offer best-in-class dent, scratch and corrosion resistance. It’s 62 pounds lighter than the steel version to boot. With that, plus aluminum on the doors, hood and tailgate, the 2019 Sierra is up to 360 pounds lighter than the outgoing model.
The next big new thing™ also has to do with the bed. Standard on all Sierras will be the MultiPro Tailgate, which has a fold-out portion that can act as a step, table or cargo stopper, depending on the situation. It’s sort of hard to explain, thankfully GMC sent us this handy little YouTube video to explain. The whole package is good for a best-in-class 63 cubic feet of cargo space in the short box.
Oh, and that cutaway piece in the tailgate is 48 inches wide in case you need to slide some plywood in there.
As for engines, buyers are looking at the 5.3-liter V8 that made 355 hp last year, the 6.2-liter V8 that made 420 hp and a new 3.0-liter I6 turbodiesel. Outputs for 2019 haven’t been revealed yet. The 6.2 and diesel will come with a ten-speed automatic; the 5.3 will probably get last year’s eight-speed.
The look is new, obviously, and a big departure from its Silverado cousin. The front end is tall — like at your shoulders tall — the grille is larger, the head and taillights are new and the GMC logo is bigger. The pickup is larger in every dimension and the wheels are pushed further to the corners.
Inside, the Sierra comes with a higher seating position than last year’s, a new head-up display and new materials, including dark-finish aluminum and open-pore wood. It also has 3 more inches of rear seat legroom, with best-in-class front head and legroom.
Buyers also get a new infotainment system, standard navigation on the Denali, a surround-view camera and GMC’s new ProGrade Trailering System. The system includes an app with a pre-departure checklist, maintenance reminders, trailer light test, trailer electrical diagnostics and trailer tire pressure and tire temperature monitoring. An extra camera in the back watches the hitch as you connect to a trailer while side cameras help while backing up.
All of these features make the 2019 Sierra easier to drive, easier to park and easier to use and live with every day, which seems to be the direction the pickup market is going. People use these vehicles for far more than work, and Ford, GMC, Chevy and Ram seem to know that, offering features that make pickup truck ownership easier than ever — even for the novice.
We don’t have pricing yet, but the 2018 GMC Sierra SLT starts at about $47,000 and the Denali version starts at about $55K; the 2019 GMC Sierra goes on sale this fall.
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