2019 Sierra – Diesel Engine, Carbon Fiber Cargo Box, Amazing Tailgate and Trailer Technology – Images and Facts

[Gorehamj]

 

John Goreham
Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com
3-1- 2018

 

Our own Zane Merva was on-hand at the live GMC Sierra reveal in Michigan today. The all-new Sierra
has new styling, will have a new 3.0-liter turbo-diesel engine offering, and advanced technology
throughout. The biggest news may be that that GMC is offering an optional carbon fiber cargo box. The
new box is called CarbonPro by GMC. The company says it is now the most durable box in the industry
and has the best dent, scratch and corrosion resistance of any pickup box in the segment. 62 pounds
lighter than the standard steel box, the CarbonPro box replaces the standard steel inner panels and floor
with carbon fiber composite material. The new CarbonPro box is not going to be ready on day one of the
2019 Sierra launch, but will come later in the model year. Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global GMC,
commented on the box, saying “In 116 years of making GMC pickup trucks, our industry-first carbon
fiber box is the toughest and most durable pickup box we have ever made.”

 

2019 Sierra - More Space

The 2019 Sierra is larger in almost every dimension and has a higher stance. Like the Silverado, the 2019
Sierra’s usable space also increases and the seat position is raised. GMC says that the crew cab has
about 3 inches of added rear-seat legroom compared to the outgoing model. The rear seat backs also
open to reveal storage cubbies large enough for things the size of laptops or umbrellas. The new Sierra’s
cargo boxes will offer best-in- class cargo volume with the Short box having a capacity of 63 cubic feet.

 

2019 Sierra Technology Highlights

New for 2019 is a multi-color head-up display. Rear camera mirror, surround vision multi-view camera
for backing and moving in tight spaces, advanced active safety system and a new suite of features. The
tailgate also has a few new tricks. We will do a deep dive on the tailgate and the trailering system
shortly.

 

2019 Sierra Denali – Refinement

 

The Sierra Denali is GM’s most luxurious truck as well as being contractor–grade. The new Denali has
navigation standard. Denali also has available 22-inch Ultra Bright aluminum wheels. GMC also makes
the Denali name more prominent for 2019. There is bold DENALI nameplate on the tailgate. Denali will
also have GM-exclusive materials. There is premium leather seating featuring a large-pebbled grain with
a contrasting stitch pattern. Wood trim will include authentic open-pore wood materials and there will
also be dark-finish aluminum accents.

 

2019 Sierra Styling

We will let Zane weigh in on the new design elements having seen the truck in person. Watch for his
analysis later this afternoon.

[Josh]

Sierra Denali Image Gallery:

 

[DEV1ST8R]

Looks pretty solid. I like it much better than the '19 Silverado.

[silveradonationfan15]

Any thing on the All Terrain  model or a lifted model like the Silverado trailboss?

[Payton34]

Interior is still a huge let down otherwise I love everything else.  I hope the GMc will have the 2in factory lift available like the Silverados.

 

[Back in a Bowtie]

not a fan.  2018 is so much nicer imo

[Robopie]

I like the fenders WAY better than the Chevy.

 

I felt repulsive when I saw the Chevy.   I don't have that feeling with the GMC.  A bit over the top with chrome, but it does look good to me.

[CRApex]

Looks great..Nice improvement

[aseibel]

side view = toyota tundra. yuck. 

 

new tailgate costs twice as much to replace. hopefully they have some theft prevention built in too.

[silveradonationfan15]

It is a nice looking truck but its just too expensive for me what I have seen so far (denali and SLT), why only show 2 models? Where's the all terrain or the lifted version

[chrises08]

Raised seat position concerns me as a tall person... in my 15 Sierra, have a sunroof, there isn’t too much headroom to spare! Hope the roof height increased as well lol

 

also super disappointed there’s no panoramic sunroof on this!

[SippiSierra]

I am a fan, I am very curious to see how the 10 speed works out though. 

[Likarok]

Great looking truck! Rear heated seats and ac finally! Yahoo!  And again the team at GM Trucks is completely on top of things! Thanks Guys!

[isiddall]

Looks like a nice truck, I don't think I'll be preordering one to replace either our 2017 Sierra SLE or the 2017 Sierra Denali Ultimate. 

 

Seems like quite a few "me too" features this time, like the  'yes we also have a 3.0L' diesel, the fordesque front fender badging and the 'majority of the 2019 trucks in North america will have this exact 10speed' transmission

 

The dual opening tailgate, unless i'm missing something looks like it's only useful if you tow a gooseneck. I can't see how it would be any easier to get to stuff in the bed than opening the whole thing or ever wanting to use it as a smaller, higher shelf,  though i can see popping the latch on the second opening being hilarious if your buddy is sitting on the gate while it's down fully.

 

the carbon fiber bed, cool, saves 70lbs, and is tough as nails. not sure saving weight over the drive wheels is the best place to focus but hey lighter and stronger and you can always add weight easier than take it out.

 

The Dual Exhaust, cool that's its a factory option, i hope it sounds awesome because replacing it now probably means a new rear bumper too, unless you reuse the tips. On that same note,  hopefully the dual rear facing tips don;t make too much echo off a trailer. I've got a dual rear exit Borla now on the SLE and it's definitely louder with something on the hitch.

 

Quite happy to see keyless start, hud, blind spot monitoring, surround camera, rear vents, and all those other features that you've been able to get for a couple years on GM's economy cars but we weren't able to order on the top trim Denali Ultimate. Glad to see them but why the wait? 

 

Some things I' interested in finding out are: Do new wheel well shapes let you stuff in bigger tires?  Do all the other aerodynamic changes now let you open just one window while driving without getting deafened by buffeting air? Will we see special editions in this gen that aren't just lpo stickers wheels and racks? Specifically, I'd like to see a variant with the magneride suspension and a supercharged 6.2, a 2500 competitor to the powerwagon, as well as a 1500 along the lines of the Colorado ZR2, purpose built special editions that add value, based on what people are doing to their existing models, we can get all the stickers we need off amazon or etsy, and many of the people I've seen buy All Terrain X's have removed the sport bar and upgraded the suspension and tires anyways.

 

Anyways, these are just some of my initial thoughts, I'll probably buy at least one of these but I'm going to try to wait for 2021 or 2022 when there's hopefully some of those 'actual' special editions available  or at least some aftermarket in place and the kinks worked out of the new afm variant, and maybe an interior refresh to add a bigger display and less physical buttons.

[Daryl LBZ]

Looks nice!