Tow Review: 2021 GMC Sierra Denali 1500

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Say hello to the official work truck of people who watch other people work. 

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Perhaps that isn’t entirely fair. The Denali isn’t actually meant to do work , after all; it’s the neighbour’s truck that would help you move that couch, but darn it, 4-year-old Tyson has lacrosse that night . What we have here is a suburban status symbol, a glaringly conspicuous gesture of consumption that almost looks like it once got some dirt under its fingernails.

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Tow Review: 2021 GMC Sierra Denali 1500 Back to video

Really, this is a pretend luxury vehicle. But while it’s got a boast-worthy price tag and the grille certainly looks flashy, that’s about as upmarket as it gets. Most everything else is pure artifice, and the disappointment isn’t just skin-deep. 

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Leather seats, for instance, don’t make an interior premium — at least not when most everything else is your typical GM rental-car plastic. The dash face is a distant slab, the clunky column shifter feels like a U-Haul, and the overall interior impression is little better than that of a fleet vehicle with some window-dressing. Even the pop-out side steps wobble underfoot, but at least the open-pore wood trim is one detail that they got right. 

All of this would be fine in a $50k Base+ model, but the Sierra Denali purports to be something far more sophisticated than it is. The big grille and wood appliques are pretenses to luxury, but their insincerity just accentuates the mediocrity of their environment. Setting aside the strengths of its competitors, the fact remains that the Sierra Denali doesn’t feel particularly upmarket even on its own.

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But with all of that off of my chest, what’s it like to work with? 

In a word: okay. The Sierra Denali 1500 is, after all, GMC’s top-tier half-ton pickup. Starting just under $70,000, the Denali seems targeted to undercut the domestic competitors’ more ‘rural’ Longhorn and King Ranch trims. 

The Denali’s schtick is that it looks business where its competitors look country . In keeping with this persona, this blinged-out GMC looks more toward downtown street presence than farmhand utility. Unfortunately for urbanites in this price bracket, most shoppers will be far more impressed with the superior materials and upholstery in a comparable Ram. The leather is the quality of some other marques’ vinyl; it all looks okay from a few feet away, but it’s a sheen that depends on a fresh interior detail. 

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Though typically seen with GM’s relatively new 3.0-litre turbodiesel or a 5.3 L gasoline V8, this Denali comes with an upgraded $2,895 6.2 L V8 EcoTec3 engine. Running through an efficient ten-speed transmission and balanced 3.23 rear end, this setup is rated for 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. And despite the cavernous displacement, selective cylinder deactivation can wean this plant down to just two cylinders — good for NRCan economy ratings of 15.1 L/100km city, 11.5 highway, and 13.5 combined. In my testing, I recorded figures of 12.8 L/100km highway, 13.6 mixed, and a respectable 20.5 when towing ~5,000 lbs. 

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This Denali comes further equipped with the $7,665 Denali Ultimate Package (wheels, steps, sunroof, HUD, cameras, safety and assistance tech, and more), $3,145 Performance Upgrade Package (intake, exhaust), and excellent $250 Premium Floor Liners. Most importantly, GM’s solid Multipro folding tailgate step is a steal at $250, and blows Ford’s flimsy offering out of the water. All in, options bring this tester up to a tall $83,098 before freight and fees.

Handy adaptive cruise control and Ram-competitive lane-keeping assistance are present, but not with the strength or refinement of Ford’s offering. More helpful available trailering features include a bumper-saving jackknife alert, tailgate and cargo bed views for aligning both bumper-mounted and fifth-wheel hitches, and Rear Side View camera feeds to help guide your rig into place. Further tech is available to those who spring for GM’s available $785 auxiliary cameras, which can be installed on a trailer to enable the truck’s native Rear Trailer View system. This could be a particularly helpful upgrade for those with a single trailer, but those with several may find a spotter to be a simpler (and cheaper) alternative. 

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The rich camera suite is nice to have and well-integrated. When reversing a trailer at night, however, the Denali shares Ram’s annoying trait of blinding the driver with a full-brightness, non-dimmable camera feed. Reversing a tall, tailgate camera-blocking cargo trailer in the dark without auxiliary cameras, the centre feed is useless yet floods the cabin with light that hamstrings a driver’s night vision. It tries to help, but it just makes everything worse. 

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The Sierra Denali is a smooth city cruiser. The suspension takes expansion joints and potholes with ease, treating owners to one of the gentlest rides they’ll find in a pickup. Hauling my family around while helping with a move, they were pleased with the overall comfort of the experience. Try to hitch some toys up for the weekend though, and you may find that the Denali lags behind the competition. 

The Denali comes ready to tow up to an advertised maximum of 9,200 pounds. This is actually 2,600 lbs less than a cheaper ‘Max Trailering’-equipped SLT, and just over three-quarters of what you can haul in a well-equipped Ram or F-150. The 9,200 figure assumes the installation of a load-distributing hitch on the trailer, which uses springs to pitch the truck forward and keep everything stable. To play it safe, the Sierra is rated for the typical rule-of-thumb 5,000 pounds on a typical dead-weight hitch (500 lbs tongue), as well as 8,600 lbs on a weight-distributing hitch (860 tongue), and 7,100 lbs on a fifth-wheel (1,775 tongue) — all short of its ‘maximum trailering capacity’ of 9,200 lbs. 

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5,000 pounds is enough for a mid-sized boat or camping trailer, and plenty for the average consumer. But where an air-sprung Ram Longhorn can accommodate some upward wiggle room, that figure is important to respect in the Denali. On the other hand, it is worth noting that the Denali’s conventional leaf-sprung setup keeps life significantly simpler, saving the maintenance hassle of air ride. For all their advantages, those systems are prone to costly leaks as they age — particularly in our wintry climate, where freezing condensate can wreak havoc from within.

I had initially loaded a dump trailer with a ~6,500 lb (gross) load to match my test hauls for the F-150 and Ram 1500. Those trucks pulled those loads well and without complaint. Noticing the Denali’s hitch dipping, however, I settled for a reduced load of redneck junk to keep right to spec. 

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Towing a ~5,000 lb load, the 6.2-litre engine and 3.23 rear end pairing seem unbothered. This is a lot of engine for rather little weight, so the Denali heaves ahead happily. The upgraded exhaust makes it sound like good mechanical things are happening under load — almost as though the Denali actually wants to do more work. Unfortunately, that dream will remain unrealized as long as this truck continues to fall ~20 per cent short of its siblings’ and competitors’ maximum payloads. The ride is stable and comfortable at speed, though again, the option of adjustable suspension heights would bring some welcome reassurance when pulling down along bowed green lanes. 

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The Denial’s chromed maw may impress your neighbours, but its disappointing execution leaves a bitter taste. If you’re a GM loyalist with stuff to move, seriously consider one of the more honest, grown-up working Sierras. If you want a well-finished interior, Ram’s got you covered. And if you need peak versatility with some compromise on interior finish, take a look at an upper-tier Ford PowerBoost. 

To be clear, I hold no particular allegiance to any of the big three. I have family history towing a fleet of 14 trailers and four devices to job sites with a blend of three-quarter- and one-ton trucks (and vans) from each of the domestics, along with a five-ton International. There are some good, working bones in this blinged-up half-ton — they’re just outshone by illusory Denali pretense and lacklustre follow-through. 

As for the interior, GM sounds set to update the Denali’s interior for 2022. I’ll be crossing my fingers for then.