GMC unveils updated 2022 Sierra 1500 with two new trims

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GMC has unveiled its refreshed 2022 Sierra 1500 pickup, featuring two new trim levels, the Denali Ultimate and ATX4. Both build on the existing Denali and ATX trims, but with more luxury features on both, and more off-road-capable features on the ATX4.

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GMC is also now offering Super Cruise hands-free driver assist technology on the Sierra lineup, including the ability to use it when the truck is towing a trailer.

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GMC unveils updated 2022 Sierra 1500 with two new trims Back to video

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Consumers often ask why General Motors even offers both Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks, since they’re mechanical twins. The sales split is usually about even in Canada, but the Chevy handily outsells the GMC truck in the U.S. The key is Denali, which makes up a large portion of the Sierra’s sales and is the lineup’s priciest (and correspondingly most profitable) trim, with buyer popularity that Silverado’s top High Country trim can’t match. As its name implies, the Denali Ultimate will obviously sit at the top of that chain.

For 2022, the Sierra lineup overall receives a new grille and revised front bumper; dual-projector LED headlamps with animated light sequences when approaching or leaving the truck; new interior design that includes an electronic shifter on models with bucket seats and console; new wheel designs and exterior colours; and improvements to the available 2.7L turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which will now make 420 lb-ft of torque, up from 348 lb-ft. Trucks equipped with the 2.7L will have a maximum towing capacity of 9,300 lbs in 4×2, and 9,600 lbs in 4×4, an increase of as much as 500 extra pounds of towing ability.

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Connectivity is now big in the Sierra, as are the available larger screens, including a 13.4-inch centre touchscreen; 12.3-inch configurable digital instrument cluster; and 15-inch multicolour head-up display. The system comes with Google Built-In, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and over-the-air updates.

While the current Denali and AT4 start with a 5.3 L V8 and can be optioned to a 6.2 L V8, the Denali Ultimate and AT4X will come standard with the 6.2 L, making 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. The 3.0 L Duramax inline-six turbodiesel will be available, and 4×4 is standard equipment on both the Ultimate and AT4X.

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Features on the Denali Ultimate will include 22-inch wheels and unique grille; 16-way massaging front seats; full-grain leather on the seats, console lid, door panels and dash; open-pore wood trim engraved with a topographical map of Alaska’s Mount Denali (the highest mountain peak in North America, and it’ll also be on the seats and fenders); microsuede headliner; 12-speaker Bose stereo; rear camera mirror; head-up display; Adaptive Ride Control suspension; six-function MultiPro tailgate; power-assist steps; and power sunroof.

The new AT4X builds on the AT4 by adding Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers; extra underbody protection; unique springs that increase suspension travel by 50 mm in front and 25 mm in rear over the AT4; front and rear e-locking differentials; available rock sliders; and Terrain Mode on the 4Low setting, which allows for “one-pedal” driving, using just the throttle to get over rough terrain without using the brakes.

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But off-roaders obviously need their luxury too, and like the Denali Ultimate, the AT4X will have 16-way massaging front seats, microsuede headliner, leather and wood trim, head-up display, power sliding rear window, sunroof, and 12-speaker Bose audio.

Super Cruise is now available for the first time on the Sierra, and standard on the Denali Ultimate. It was initially unveiled on Cadillac and is now being rolled out across other GM brands. It features hands-free driving on “compatible” roads — those already mapped out for the system, or about 320,000 km of highways across Canada and the U.S. The system now offers both lane-changing on demand, and a new automatic lane-change system.

For the Sierra — and its Silverado sibling — the Super Cruise system will also work when the truck is towing, albeit with a couple of tweaks including calibrations for the extra drag and braking distance required when pulling a trailer. Neither of the two lane-change assist features will be available during trailering, and if the system detects any trailer sway, it will require the driver to take over the steering wheel.

The Sierra lineup’s other assist features carry into the 2022 models, including blind-spot monitoring that includes the trailer, up to 14 camera views including Transparent Trailer, and numerous active safety technologies. When asked if an onboard generator might become a Sierra feature, as is available on the Ford F-150, a GMC rep said it hasn’t been ruled out, “and you might see it in the future.”

The new Sierra will arrive in Canadian dealerships in the first quarter of 2022, with pricing to be announced closer to launch.