[Spy Shots] 2022 GMC Sierra Caught Testing Yet Again

We’re quickly approaching the formal unveiling of the all new 2022 GMC Sierra and 2022 Chevy Silverado. While we’re not entirely sure when that day will be we keep catching clues to the testing these vehicles are undergoing as they finish up engineering and validation.

Recently, our spy photographer caught what appears to be a 2022 GMC Sierra X31 Elevation undergoing testing. Still camouflaged, this prototype offers a few clues to exactly which model it is.

Our spy photographer reports:

We just caught two off-road-focused prototypes for the revamped GMC Sierra 1500, likely giving us our first good look at the 2022 Sierra 1500 Elevation.

The two prototypes—caught while testing in a heavy Michigan snow storm—ride on rugged Goodyear Wrangler Mud-Terrain tires, and show hints of Rancho shocks and protective skid plates along the trucks’ undercarriages. The camouflage helps hide the prototype’s’ ride-heights—which could point to these being more extreme Sierra AT4s—but other details suggests we’re looking at the facelifted 2022 Sierra Elevation equipped with the X31 Off Road Package.

These prototypes are equipped with wheels painted in a gloss black finish—which are unique to the Elevation trim—while the Sierra 1500 AT4’s wheel options have more “contrasty” Carbon Grey, or machined aluminum accents. The two prototypes also have different exhaust treatments, caught in both a single side-exit exhaust tip and the dual exhaust set-up. If the images in GMC’s Build & Price tool are to be believed, then the AT4 is only available with the dual exhaust set-up, regardless of the engine choice.

GM is hard at work on their all-important update to their half-ton pickups. It appears that the key trim lines will be carried over for the 2022 model year, with tech updates and interior upgrades aimed at matching the updates made to the 2021 Ford F-150 and the formidable Ram 1500 pickups. We’ll be on the lookout for more Silverado and Sierra 1500 prototypes, to look for the deep details that will be applied across their various trim levels.

2022 GMC Sierra Photos

Zane Merva

Zane Merva is the Executive Editor of GM-Trucks.com and the President of the New England Motor Press Association (NEMPA). A veteran automotive journalist with over 26 years of experience, Zane is a designated ‘Car Talk’ Expert and has been a contributor to The Boston Globe. He possesses a unique evaluative perspective, having road-tested more than 2,000 vehicles across every major manufacturer. While he is a recognized authority on General Motors truck platforms—including the Silverado, Sierra, and Colorado—his expertise is grounded in decades of deep competitive analysis that few in the industry can match. His commentary has been featured by major OEMs and media outlets, including Hyundai and PR Newswire