Test Drive: 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab SLE, a broad-shouldered truck rides like car

2015 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cab SLE

If not for a nearly imperceptible floating sensation - like the gentle undulations inside a passenger jet at peak altitude - the 2015 GMC Sierra rides like a full-size sedan.

Quiet, composed, and furnished like a man cave, the Sierra is barely recognizable as a direct descendent of the common work truck. Yet it feels like a vehicle that was engineered for comfort, which may account for the trend among some suburban families to ditch their SUVs for half-ton pickups like the Sierra.

Our tester this week, coated in Fire Red paint, comes courtesy of Bryan House, general sales manager at Integrity GMC on International Drive in Chattanooga, and carries a sticker price of $44,786. Major upgrades on our tester included 20-inch aluminum wheels, an off-road suspension package and a trailering option that boosts towing capacity to 7,000 pounds.

A sibling to the popular Chevrolet Silverado, the GMC Sierra offers a different - some might say "bolder" - design for buyers who want to stand out in the crowd. Fire Red paint is also a good option for those who want to make a fashion statement.

The Sierra line offers a virtually endless combination of cabin and bed sizes. Our Crew Cab tester has four doors and seating for up to five passengers. Prices for GMC's half-ton pickup trucks range from $26,605 for a basic work truck to $52,725 for a top-of-the-line Crew Cab model in tricked-out Denali trim.

STYLING AND COMFORT

Automakers spend a lot of time designing the grilles on their pickups. Much of a truck's basic architecture is non-negotiable, but the face of the vehicle can convey its personality. GMC goes all-in with its Sierra grille, with bold, red badging and three-bar chrome treatment that looks like the gates to a Texas mansion.

Wheel arches are tall and aggressively flared to add muscle to the Sierra's profile. Trapezoidal headlight treatments wrap around the face of the truck, while the sculpted hood meshes well with the masculine front-end design. Body-colored door handles and six-spoke alloy wheels add to the upscale look.

Inside, our tester has Jet Black cloth seat covers that should prove durable through years of wear. A massive center stack includes three cup holders and enough compartments and cubbies to hide all your personal and electronics gear. The dash is blocky with fancy stitching accents. A leather-covered steering wheel with a big GMC badge in the middle inspires confidence as you aim this 8-cylinder, 355-horsepower behemoth down the highway.

The bench seat in the back has plenty of room for two passengers, although the center seat might be a little tight for a third occupant if he or she is of, shall we say, ample girth. Faux wood trim on the door handles, front and rear, are in keeping with the truck's premium persona. New for 2015, is GM's upgraded OnStar technology that allows you to turn the cabin of your Sierra into a wireless hot-spot using 4G LTE technology.

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS

Our Sierra tester is equipped with a 5.3-liter V-8 engine that represents the sweet spot in the powertrain line-up. There are six-cylinder and bigger V-8 alternatives, but the 5.3-liter engine represents a happy medium between power and fuel economy. Sierras equipped with the 5.3-liter engine are rated at 23 mpg highway and 16 mpg city. In combined driving, count on about 19-20 mpg, not bad for a full-size pickup. The Sierra and Silverado have been redesigned with lots of aluminum bits that lower overall weight and boost fuel efficiency.

The powerplant in our tester features a smooth, six-speed automatic transmission - a refined unit that contributes to the Sierra's quiet performance.

We tested the Sierra during one of this week's driving rainstorms, and it was a joy plowing through puddles that would have left compact sedan drivers lifting their feet. One of the joys of driving a full-size truck is the commanding view of the road that makes driving in freeway traffic, or during inclement weather, seem more secure.

Our test drive on Highway 153 showed off the Sierra's composed road manners. We even made a detour into Northgate Mall to see how the Sierra handles in close quarters. For those considering a full-size truck for the first time, this is an good exercise. If you feel comfortable parking a big truck in a mall parking lot, by all means, take the plunge. If it leaves you a little wobbly, you might want to consider the new Chevrolet Colorado or GMC Canyon, which are a bit more compact and easier to maneuver.

BOTTOM LINE

A comfortable Crew Cab truck packed with options, is a pricey proposition. Two things to consider: People who have studied such things say GM-made, full-size trucks with V-8 engines are among just a handful of vehicles on the road today that are reasonably likely to make it to 300,000 miles. Also, low cost depreciation - the true measure of the cost of owning a vehicle - is one of the real virtues of buying a pickup.

So, if you're in it for the long haul, a pickup like the GMC Sierra V-8 is not only a popular pick, it's also a prudent one.

Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.