2024 GMC Sierra 1500 Review: Tough As Nails, Yet Still Refined

Trucks are the cash cows of the American car industry and the top-selling vehicles by far. In the USA, just four nameplates - the Ford F Series, the Chevrolet Silverado, the Ram trucks, and the GMC Sierra - were responsible for over two million sales in 2023 alone. With a $38k base price, the 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 is essentially the same as its Chevy Silverado 1500 twin but pitched slightly upmarket of the Chevy, which starts at around $1k less and lacks the GMC's luxe flagships. Unlike the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500, you can get a turbo-diesel Sierra, with the Duramax 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder clocking in with 305 horsepower and the highest torque figure in the lineup at 495 lb-ft. There are three gas engines - the base turbocharged 2.7-liter four-pot with 310 hp and two gas V8s in the form of a 355-hp 5.3L and a 420-hp 6.2L. With Regular Cab, Double Cab, and Crew Cab bodies, three bed lengths, and both 2WD and 4WD configurations, you're spoilt for choice. The mildly tweaked 2024 Sierra 1500 seems set to remain a key player in the segment this year.

New for 2024

For 2024, the Sierra 1500 AT4X trim gets the 305-hp 3.0-liter six-cylinder Duramax turbo-diesel as its standard engine. The 310-hp 2.7-liter four-cylinder unit previously known as the Turbo High-Output Engine is now rebranded as the TurboMax, but it's the same power unit. The other changes to the range are minor and include two new wheel designs and two fresh extra-cost paint options called Thunderstorm Gray and Downpour Metallic. From this year, the SLT, AT4, AT4X, Denali, and Denali Ultimate trims get access to an available active exhaust system.

For this model year, the base price of a new GMC Sierra 1500 increases, but only by a few hundred bucks, so the entry-level configuration of the Pro trim still costs less than $38k.

2024 GMC Sierra 1500 Price: Which One to Buy

The GMC Sierra 1500 Pro kicks things off with a starting MSRP of $37,700 for the 2WD Regular Cab with the standard bed and the 2.7L four-cylinder, but there are many possible Pro configurations. The cheapest Pro Double Cab goes for $41,000, and the cheapest Pro Crew Cab costs $43,400. The least expensive SLE configuration will set you back $49,100, while the Elevation starts at $53,400 in its base guise.

The SLT starts at $54,800; the Denali is the highest trim level available in 2WD, coming in at $66,600 to start. The AT4, AT4X, and Denali Ultimate trims are all 4WD, starting with the AT4 at $66,100, followed by the AT4X at $79,200 and the Denali Ultimate at $82,500.

The cost of upgrading a Sierra 1500's engine depends on the configuration of the rest of the truck. It can vary from as little as $1,500 to over $3k. Upgrading any Sierra 1500 from the short to the standard bed will cost you $300, or an additional $200 for the long bed. All pricing excludes the $1,995 destination charge.

Your Sierra 1500 of choice will depend on your requirements, but even though the Pro is rather bare, at least it comes with the basic safety assists and a modern infotainment system, even if the display is small. The SLE is a smarter-looking and more livable workhorse that at least adds big dual displays and more creature comforts. Among the regular Sierra 1500s, the SLT hits the sweet spot, with nice additions such as leather upholstery and power front seats, while you only have to spend an additional $970 on the Sierra Safety Plus package to add the most notable missing driver assists, which means you can come away for as little as $56k for a well-equipped 2WD Crew Cab. If the budget allows, the expensive Denalis are unashamedly luxurious and well-equipped, while the AT4 trims let you choose the level of off-roading you're interested in. There's truly a Sierra 1500 for everyone.

Interior and Features

The sensible cabin is solidly built but only really upmarket in the top trims, with the base Pro lacking many of the other trims’ features and finishes.

The dashboard incorporates many straight lines, but the tech and features are logically presented, with easy-to-use controls, even if some buttons are small. The materials are solid and serviceable at the lower end but far more upscale at the top of the lineup, where wood and leather make for a premium environment. The Pro is clearly the bottom feeder with its analog gauges and small infotainment screen, but the other trims have big dual displays. The seats aren't quite as comfortable as they could be, and the cabin not as plush as that of a Ram, but it's close. Interior space is generous and can trade blows with the competition any day of the week. Getting inside is big a step up, especially in the AT4 trims with their 11.1 inches of ground clearance, but assist steps are available. The view out is clear, but there are many blind spots due to the size of the truck, the square hood, and the thick pillars. Only at AT4 level do parking sensors and a surround-view camera come standard to help you out, but they're optional on most trims.

Space

There's a surfeit of space in the front cabin, even for the tallest of passengers, and while the second row of the Double Cab doesn't provide a ton of legroom, there's still enough to accommodate adults - and the 35.2 inches of legroom eclipse the F-150 SuperCab's 33.5 inches. The Sierra 1500 and F-150 draw all but even on second-row legroom in the long-wheelbase Crew Cab/SuperCrew bodies - 43.4 and 43.6 inches, respectively - but the Ram 1500 still edges out both by a few inches. The Regular Cab has a 40/20/40-split three-seater front bench, and this feature is carried over to the four-door bodies right up to SLT level, making them six-seaters. Above that, the front bench is replaced by two individual bucket seats, reducing seating capacity to five.

Cargo

The Sierra 1500 comes with a 5.8-foot short bed, a 6.6-ft standard bed, or 8-ft long bed - the latter available on the Regular Cab only. The standard bed can be found on any of the three body styles, but the short bed comes with the Crew Cab body only. Bed space is competitive in this class, with the total bed volume coming out ahead of the F-150. The long bed has a volume of 89.1 cubic feet, followed by the standard bed at 71.1 cu-ft and the short bed at 62.9 cu-ft. The Ford is still ahead on maximum payload capacity, especially compared to the Crew Cab. The Pro has a regular lockable tailgate, but all the other trims are fitted with the multi-mode MultiPro tailgate with EZ Lift support. Maximum payload pans out to 2,040 pounds with the Double Cab body and 2,020 pounds with the Crew Cab body, both figures slightly behind the F-150.

The cabin has the expected glovebox and front door pockets to store things, both of which are nice and big. Trucks with the front bench have dual cupholders and various exposed storage spaces in the fold-down center seatback, with additional storage space underneath the bench. Trucks with the center console have the cupholders in the console, with an additional storage slot next to them, a phone rest/wireless charging pad, and a lidded storage box. Behind this storage box at the back of the center console are another two cupholders that can be accessed by the second-row passengers. There's additional lockable storage beneath Crew Cabs' rear seat. Higher trims with the up-level rear seat has a storage compartment that's the full width of the cabin under the seat, and they also gain a fold-down center armrest that houses an additional two cupholders.

Materials and Colors

The Pro has a Jet Black interior with cloth on the seats, but it's the only trim in which you can get black no-cost vinyl upholstery instead. You get a urethane steering wheel and vinyl flooring. The SLE comes with cloth only and is the first trim available with a choice of two interior colors - Jet Black or Dark Walnut/Slate. It upgrades to floor carpeting and a heated leatherette-trimmed steering wheel. The Elevation maintains the status quo but comes with a Jet Black cabin only, while Dark Walnut/Slate reappears on the SLT, but with the front outboard seats now trimmed in genuine leather and the rest of the seats in a matching leatherette.

The AT4 loses the front bench and gets a Jet Black interior, perforated leather front seats, and Kalahari accents on the seats, doors, and dashboard. The AT4X gets full-grain leather front seats in Obsidian Rush with white contrast piping and stitching and a leather-trimmed steering wheel. All the Denali's seats are trimmed in Forge perforated leather in either Jet Black or Atmosphere/Brownstone, but it reverts to a leatherette steering wheel. The Denali Ultimate regains the leather steering wheel and comes with Alpine Umber Forge perforated leather seats and open-pore wood trim.

Features and Infotainment

Pro features include a 12-volt outlet, four-way manual front seats as part of a 40/20/40-split bench with under-seat storage, cloth or vinyl upholstery, vinyl flooring, a manually tilting urethane steering wheel, power windows and door locks, single-zone climate control with rear-seat vents on the four-doors, and a monochrome 3.5-inch digital driver-information display. From there on up, many features are added, such as a proximity key, a heated steering wheel trimmed in leatherette or leather (that can both tilt and telescope), cloth or leather upholstery, ventilated front and heated rear seats, power front seats, dual-zone climate control, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a power sunroof, a wireless charging pad, and lots more.

The Pro's infotainment system features a 7-inch touchscreen and comes with a three-year smartphone-based OnStar Remote Access Plan, Bluetooth with audio streaming for up to two devices, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a compass, two front USB ports, Wi-Fi capability, and an audio system with two speakers on the Regular Cab and six on the four-doors. The SLE's system is upgraded to a setup with Google built-in, a 13.4-inch touchscreen, SiriusXM with 360L with a three-month trial subscription, two rear-seat USB ports, and voice commands.

The AT4's system benefits from three years of GMC Connected Services, while the Denali's also adds three years of OnStar Premium Plan; both of these trims gain a seven-speaker Bose audio system and a wireless charging pad. The AT4X is upgraded to a 12-speaker Bose Premium Series audio system and gets a weatherproof MultiPro tailgate-mounted audio system by Kicker that comes with Bluetooth, auxiliary and USB inputs, and an amplifier - and works independently of the cabin's audio system. Three years of GMC Connected Services comes standard with this trim. The Denali Ultimate is the only trim to get the full-house infotainment setup with all the features mentioned so far, so it's the only trim to have both the 12-speaker Bose Premium Series cabin and Kicker tailgate audio systems.

Performance

All the engines offer strong performance, even the base four-pot, so there isn’t a single underpowered model in the range.

The base GMC Sierra engine is the turbocharged gas L3B 2.7-liter inline four-cylinder in its high-output 310 hp/430 lb-ft form, dubbed TurboMax. It is the only engine linked to an eight-speed automatic transmission with either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. The other engines are all linked to a ten-speed automatic - a turbocharged 3.0L Duramax inline six-cylinder diesel with 305 hp and 495 lb-ft, and two naturally aspirated gas V8s in the form of a 5.3-liter with 355 hp/383 lb-ft or a 6.2-liter with 420 hp/460 lb-ft. The diesel and 5.3-liter can be had with either a 2WD or 4WD drivetrain, while all 6.2-liter trims, the AT4, the AT4X, and the Denali Ultimate come with 4WD only. The two AT4 trims and all 4WD Denalis have a two-speed transfer case for slow-speed off-road work. With a ground clearance of 11.1 inches, the AT4s are the most adept at this.

Thanks to a deep well of turbocharged torque, even the base four-pot feels strong, while the big V8s and Duramax diese are effortless and punchy. The 6.2-liter V8 gives the GMC Sierra 1500 a 0-60 sprint somewhere between 5.7 and 6.2 seconds, depending on drivetrain and body configuration. The 5.3-liter V8 should do the same in around 6.6 to 7.1 seconds, while the base four-cylinder and the diesel models are expected to sit in a band between 7.3 and 7.8 seconds. Big trucks aren't made for high-speed antics, so the Sierra 1500's top speed is governed to around 108 mph. What they are made for is trailering, and here, the numbers are strong, if not F-150 beating. The Duramax diesel tops the tow charts, with a maximum towing capacity of 13,300 pounds.

The Sierra 1500 seems to handle just a little more sharply than its Ford and Ram rivals, with decent steering feel, responsive brakes, and reasonable resistance to body roll. It's by no means sporty, but it corners neatly and is easy to place thanks to accurate controls. This does come at the cost of some comfort, and although Sierra is never harsh, some vibrations and shimmies are evident on rough tar, more so than on the class-leading Ram 1500 with its coil-sprung rear axle. The adaptive damping in Denali Ultimate delivers an extra layer of comfort as we found in our test drive of the Sierra 1500 in this configuration, with the extra tech smoothing out the ride, despite the huge 22-inch alloys, and bringing it fairly close to the excellent Ram - an impressive achievement, considering the rear leaf springs.

Fuel Efficiency

It's no surprise that the GMC Sierra 1500's best mpg figures come from the 3.0-liter Duramax turbo-diesel. Gas mileage for this powertrain for the EPA's city/highway/combined cycles starts at a best of 23/29/25 mpg in 2WD guise, 23/27/24 mpg with 4WD, and 21/23/22 mpg with 4WD and mud-terrain tires. The least economical diesel is the AT4X off-road trim at 19/20/19 mpg. Next in line is the turbocharged 2.7L TurboMax gas four-cylinder with a best of 18/22/20 to 17/21/19 mpg with 2WDs, depending on the configuration, followed by the 4WD versions that vary from 17/20/18 to 17/18/17 mpg - or a worst of 16/17/16 mpg with mud-terrain tires.

2WD variants of the 5.3-liter V8 vary from 16/21/18 to 16/20/18, while the 4WD trims start at 15/20/17 mpg and deteriorate to a worst of 15/18/16 mpg with mud-terrain tires. Worst of all is the 6.2-liter V8 with a best of 15/19/16 mpg with 4WD and 14/16/15 mpg in AT4X format.

All trims and configurations have the same 24-gallon fuel capacity, so the expected range possible from a full tank varies from a best of 600 for the 2WD diesels to 384 miles for an off-road-specified 6.2L gas V8.

Safety

Crash scores are good, but a limited list of driver assists are fitted to the bottom trims, with blind-spot monitoring and a surround-view camera offered on higher trims.

The latest NHTSA safety review of the GMC Sierra 1500 gives it the same overall five-star rating as its F-150 and Ram 1500 rivals. The Sierra's partial 2024 scorecard from the IIHS is mixed, with a few Good scores, but only Acceptable and Marginal scores, respectively, for the updated side test and the small overlap front test. The fully tested and mostly unchanged 2023 Sierra 1500 fared similarly.

The GMC Pro Safety driver-assistance suite is standard and comes with front-collision alert with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, a following-distance indicator, lane-departure alert with lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, and Buckle to Drive. The only other driver assists present on the Pro are automatic headlights and a rear-seat reminder on the four-doors. The SLT gains auto-dimming for the interior and driver-side rearview mirrors and rain-sensing wipers. In the AT4, you also get a surround-view camera, hill-descent control, an integrated trailer-brake controller, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, rear-pedestrian alert, rear cross-traffic braking, blind-spot alert with trailer coverage, Hitch View, and an in-vehicle trailering app. The driver gets a vibrating safety-alert seat that supplements the driver assists.

The Denali adds enhanced emergency braking and a bed-view camera. Additional safety assists in the AT4X and Denali Ultimate include pressure and temperature sensors for the trailer's tires, a color 15-inch head-up display, and a camera-based digital rearview mirror. Many of these driver assists, such as the adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, and an auto-dimming mirror are available optionally right down to Pro level, usually as part of a package, but others, like the head-up display and surround-view camera, is offered on the higher trims only. Only the Denali is eligible for the extra cost Super Cruise technology that allows hands-free driving on compatible roads, but it will only be available later in the model year and only as part of a package that will cost several thousand dollars. That said, this technology is class-leading and seems to do a better job than similar systems from rivals, seamlessly negotiating interchanges, cruising, and overtaking on the highway, even with a trailer.

Reliability

The GMC Sierra 1500's reliability is excellent, with an overall JD Power score of 85 out of 100, and 84 for the agency's Quality & Reliability category, specifically. At the time of writing, no recalls were listed for the 2024 model. The 2023 model was recalled once for running lights that may not deactivate, while the 2022 model also had this issue, in addition to an inoperative high-mounted brake light.

The industry-typical limited warranty of the 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 covers it for just three years/36,000 miles, but the powertrain warranty is valid for a longer five years/60,000 miles. The first maintenance visit is included for free.

Warranty

Design

A typical truck, the Sierra 1500 is all straight lines as part of a boxy, functional design with the usual high and imposing truck nose. Standard exterior features across the board include LED technology for the headlights, taillights, and DRLs, cargo tie-downs, and bed lighting. The Pro gets 17-inch steel wheels, but all other trims get alloys ranging in size from 17 to 22 inches. The grille and bumper treatment differs by trim, with many configurations making every grade look different and the most chrome is found on the Denali trim, but the Denali Ultimate stands out with its Vader Chrome front. Every trim above the Pro gets GMC's multi-functional MultiPro tailgate and LED bed lighting. The Elevation boasts a blacked-out exterior and adds LED foglights. The AT4 sits two inches higher off the ground and is an off-road trim with mud-terrain tires, red recovery hooks, and a spray-on bedliner, while the AT4X upgrades to a stamped-steel AEV front bumper and a power sunroof, the latter shared only with the Denali Ultimate. The Denali gets six-inch chrome assist steps, while Denali Ultimate assist steps are power-retractable.

Verdict: Is The 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 A Good Truck?

The GMC Sierra 1500 is an extremely accomplished full-size truck that offers a more premium vibe than its Chevy Silverado sibling, culminating in the truly luxurious Denali Ultimate that exceeds $80k. It's still not as luxurious or plush as the Ram 1500 gets at the top of its range - nothing in this class is - but it certainly doesn't skimp on features at that price. The F-150 is still the king of the hill in ultimate ability, and its sales figures reflect its popularity, but the GMC posts better results in terms of reliability. In the end, it's a close-fought battle that will mostly be decided on personal taste, as all these trucks are so capable. The GM twins have an edge for people who'd like a torque-rich diesel, so it might just tilt you toward the GMC as a towing rig with superior economy.