First Drive: 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate and AT4X

GMC is pulling all the stops on the Sierra 1500 pickup, by introducing the Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate, and its off-road-ready sibling, the AT4X. Both trims are all-new for 2022, and they raise the level of tech, luxury and standard features on what was already a very well-appointed full-sized pickup.

If you’re likely to tick all of the options boxes when ordering your next new pickup, on the Ultimate all of the boxes are already ticked for you. As its name suggests, the Ultimate is the highest trim level available on the Sierra 1500. It features exclusive exterior styling touches and finishes, 22-inch wheels, new LED headlights, and a grille that had lost the ridge bordering its outer edge, which makes it look larger without taking up more square footage.

Inside you’ll find leather seats, steering wheel and dashboard panel, genuine wood trim, and topographic maps of the summit of Mount Denali etched into the seats and wood-covered glovebox door. Of course, no top-of-the-line pickup should be without 16-way electrically adjustable, heated and cooled front seats that can also massage your backside.

android, first drive: 2022 gmc sierra 1500 denali ultimate and at4x

2022 GMC Sierra AT4X Photo by Costa Mouzouris

The cockpit includes three large displays: a 12.3-inch driver display that is configurable from a very simple readout, to elaborate layouts showing a multitude of information. To the right of it is a 13.4-inch touchscreen, and there’s also a 15-inch head-up display. GMC proudly boasts that there’s more than 40-inches of screens available for your viewing pleasure.

I’m not a fan of electronic shifters, but according to GMC, truck owners prefer them to column shifters (which you can still find on Sierras equipped with a bench front seat). The Ultimate and AT4X therefore come with such a device in the centre console. Lacking a positive detent, I often had to double-check which gear I had selected, or sometimes I didn’t shift it correctly — with time it’s something you’ll get accustomed to. Conveniently, however, the trailer brake switch is now located just below the shift lever, within easy reach.

The Ultimate comes standard with the latest version of GM’s Super Cruise, which when engaged allows true hands-free driving over a 320,000-kilometre network of compatible roads in Canada and the U.S. It will also change lanes automatically when a turn signal is activated, and will change lanes autonomously to pass a slower car ahead. It’s calibrated to work when pulling a trailer, also, though the automatic lane-changing feature will be disabled.

2022 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate Photo by Costa Mouzouris

Two engines are available in the Ultimate: a 6.2 litre V8 that pumps out 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, and a 3.0-litre Duramax Diesel that claims 277 hp and 460 lb-ft. The AT4X comes only with the 6.2-litre V8. Either engine is mated to a smooth-shifting 10-speed automatic, and a two-speed transfer case is standard. Fuel numbers for these specific models have not yet been released, but similarly powered models claim 15.7/11.9L per 100 km city/highway for the gasoline engine, and 10.5/9.1L for the diesel.

Like on the 2022 GMC Hummer EV, the Denali Ultimate and AT4X have Google built in, which allows you to access Google maps, Google assistant, and Google Play. You can use vocal commands to perform a multitude of functions, from navigation to entertainment to climate control and more. The voice command operates almost flawlessly when using a natural tone of voice. Apple and Android connectivity is standard.

While the AT4X is also luxuriously equipped, its focus swings to off-roading. It does away with the Super Cruise, but gains Multimatic DSSV shocks, dedicated springs, and electronically locking differentials. It rolls on 18-inch wheels with tall, aggressively treaded Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires. The big tires do produce a noticeable howl on the highway, taking some of the serenity out of the otherwise quiet cabin.

I remember being very impressed with the Multimatic suspension on the Colorado ZR2 when I’d first driven it a few years ago, and the same holds true for the Denali AT4X. Like the Sierra AT4, the AT4X is 50 mm taller than the Sierra Denali. However, it boasts 50 mm more wheel travel up front and 25 more in the rear than the AT4. The longer travel combines with the taller off-road tires to provide a compliant ride that is noticeably plusher than even the Ultimate. It also has a new Terrain mode, which enables one-pedal rock crawling by applying the brakes automatically when lifting off the gas pedal.

2022 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate Photo by GMC

2022 GMC Sierra AT4X Photo by GMC

Enabling Terrain mode during a three-hour off-road excursion took some getting accustomed to, since the truck comes to a complete stop even on an incline without using the brakes, and takes a bit of throttle to overcome the braking to get moving again. However, it does work as advertised, relieving some of the workload when crawling over rocks or other difficult terrain.

The shocks feature position-sensitive damping, which varies the damping rate depending on how far the wheels travel. You really benefit from this suspension off road, as it soaks up huge bumps effectively without bottoming, while offering a soft ride in its initial stroke. The extra travel allows the suspension to extend remarkably far, allowing all four wheels to grip the earth for traction when travelling over deep whoops and ruts in the trails.

This is something we experienced on a very steep, sandy, uneven climb and descent. With Terrain mode and low gear in the transfer case selected, and with both axles locked, the AT4X handled the obstacle effortlessly. To improve traction, our hosts lowered tire pressure to 15 PSI for the off-road drive. Granted, the majority of AT4X owners won’t attempt the difficult off-roading we experienced, but this big pickup can nonetheless handle a lot more than the average driver can throw at it.

On the highway in the Ultimate, I sampled its headlining feature: Super Cruise. I switched it on along California’s Interstate 5, and with the indicator bar atop the steering wheel glowing green (indicating the system is active), I let the Denali drive me, and for a while, it did so confidently, switching on the turn signals and changing lanes to pass slower vehicles without my intervention. However, the system is designed to work best in anything from no traffic to moderate congestion, and when the I-5 got busy, the green bar often turned to red, which was my cue to take the wheel again.

2022 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate Photo by Costa Mouzouris

While the system did everything it was supposed to do well, the auto-lane change didn’t recognize double-solid lines demarking HOV lanes and attempted to cross over them several times to pass slower traffic, causing me to override the auto controls. This auto lane-change feature can be turned off to avoid similar situations, and Super Cruise is not your green light to abandon the task of driving completely; you’re still supposed to pay attention to the road and be ready to take the controls at any time. There’s even a camera aimed at your face, looking for signs that you’re not paying attention. Should you begin leafing through a Dostoevsky novel while commuting, for instance, the Denali will begin an escalating series of warnings, and will eventually come to a stop should you ignore them.

Out back is a class-exclusive carbon-fibre bed, which GMC calls CarbonPro. CarbonPro is designed to resist damage, while also providing more short-bed cargo volume than the competition, at 1,810 litres. Also standard is a powered, six-function MultiPro tailgate. Trailer towing capacity is 8,900 pounds, and payload is 1,420 pounds.

The 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate and AT4X are in dealers now, with prices starting at $91,873 for the diesel-powered Ultimate, $93,648 for the gasoline version, and $85,748 for the AT4X.

Keyword: First Drive: 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate and AT4X

CAR'S NEWS RELATED

OTHER CAR NEWS