By Steven D. Gatt, Automotive Editor
The Sierra is loaded with amenities normally found in a luxury car such as remote keyless entry and power driver's seat, yet it is still stuck in the dark ages of refinement. The GMC Sierra lacks an ergonomic interior and the exterior is Cro-Magnon like with a wide front jaw and a sloping forehead.
The Sierra is a perfect example, mechanically, of what trucks used to be. The Sierra performs its duties flawlessly but it's a bit rough and tumble; like riding a bucking bronco from the wild west. Farm duty or stump pulling are the most natural things for this truck. This is the perfect truck for Tim Allen's character on Home Improvement.
Driving the Sierra is not the easiest task. While visibility is excellent because of the high ride height, parking and any tight maneuvering is difficult, to say the least. The speed-sensitive power steering doesn't provide enough boost at low speeds making turns in the Sierra difficult. The ride is also very bouncy due to the stiff springs for heavy duty usage. Like the Ford F250, the Sierra lacked running boards creating a difficult step-in height and constantly getting my pant legs dirty.
All trucks could use bigger tires to fill the wheel wells. I've always thought it looked silly to have tires that didn't fill the wheel wells. I know that the extra space is for suspension travel when off-roading or carrying a heavy load in back but the amount of space seems inordinate.
Cupholders have become a big issue in the past few years. How many are in a particular vehicle? What size containers can they hold? Are they placed in a convenient spot? GMC added, seemingly without design thought, two cupholders. When in use one of the cupholders is directly in front of a vent for the HVAC system. This is a prime example of poor ergonomic design.
The 7.4 L, 454ci, 290 hp big block V8 has enough power to pass everything except a gas station. My week long average fuel economy was 10 mpg. Needless to say, the 25 gallon fuel tank didn't last long.
Installed on the Sierra were many useful items including push button activated 4X4 transfer case, four wheel anti-lock brakes, rear-window defroster, steel side-door guard beams, bedliner, gravel anti-chip protection and front tow hooks. The truck was equipped with daytime running lights, though, I don't know anyone that could miss this fire engine red truck coming down the road at them. Two glaring omissions were the lack of airbags (not required in this weight class) and the optional third door.
The base price is a reasonable $23,047.05 (I've got a photocopy of the window sticker if you don't believe the five cents). With an option total, $6,969; destination cost, $625; discounts for option package purchase, $750, the total price as tested was $29,891.05; nearly the same price as the F250. This type of truck with this many features is going to cost you a pretty nickel.
The GMC Sierra is a great truck. A great, big truck that is: it performs its duties well. Those duties should be confined to work, though. Unlike the new Ford, the GMC hasn't evolved for the daily commute. Don't worry though if you're a GMC/Chevy truck fan, there will be all new trucks in about one year introduced early as 1999 models. The GMC Sierra proves that evolution is a multi-step process which takes a long time to come to fruition.