By Peter Perrotta
If the 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 4WD Crew Cab AT4 were a movie character, Godzilla would definitely be appropriate.
This ruggedly refined pickup can chew up the sandy trails of New Jersey’s Pinelands much like the fabled Hollywood ape swatted away anything in his path as he make it to the top of the Empire State Building.
During my week long test drive, I had the pleasure of taking it off road on the portion of the sandy trails of Quaker Bridge Road connecting Lake Atsion and Quaker Bridge at Mullica River in the Wharton State Forest.
It is a narrow, one lane, sandy path that offers one of the most spectacular scenic and sensory experiences one can find in these Pine Barrens.
But, it’s not for the motoring faint of heart.
If you don’t have a four-wheel drive vehicle, you risk getting stuck in the fine sands of the Pinelands, hopelessly waiting for someone to come by with a tow rope and a four-by-four to save you. It has happened to me more than a few times.
But on this fine November day, I drove the path to Quaker Bridge with confidence. I was behind the wheel of the 2020 Sierra and I confidently shifted it into four wheel high just before entering the sand road.
The 1500 4WD started chewing up the sands with great ease. I had no doubt in my mind that getting stuck was not even close to being an option.
At one point, I stopped and put this bear of the truck into its four-wheel low gear just to see how it would operate. When you do that, you get a message to shift into neutral and wait. After the transfer case has completed its switch to four wheel low, then you can put it into drive and proceed. It features a locking differential.
However, once in four-wheel low, you get an on board message telling you that you shouldn’t exceed three miles per hour.
Once in the four-wheel low gear, this Sierra dug into the sands even deeper, much like a bulldozer, chewing up sand and spitting it out with even greater ease.
The transfer case on this highly optioned $68,295 truck (as tested), offers a rear wheel, two wheel drive option, an automatic mode – that has the vehicle itself decide what mode to be in – and the four-wheel drive high and low options.
This truck featured a three-liter Duramax turbo diesel engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission. It drives much better when it is in either the automatic mode or any of the four wheel drive options.
This amazing truck is almost talking to you telling you that it prefers to be gripping the road, bearing down hard on the pavement or dirt.
The standard price of the AT4 1500 Sierra is $53,400. However, my tester came loaded with $11,800 in options. When you add $1,595 for destination and then deduct $500 for the Carbon Pro Edition discount you arrive at the $66,295 price tag.
The optional equipment on my tester included: the AT4 Carbon Pro Edition package ($4,415); the Duramax 3-liter turbo diesel engine ($2,495); technology package ($2,305); driver alert package ($1,095); power sunroof ($995) and $495 for the Satin Steel metallic paint.
I must say. I absolutely loved the turbo diesel engine on this rig. This turbo diesel is not anything like your father’s turbo diesel. There is no high chugging diesel noise and no odd diesel fuel smells at all.
In fact, if I hadn’t known it was a diesel, I would have never guessed it was.
With a curb weight of 5,140 pounds this truck is muscular and that is an understatement.
I did notice that other drivers on the road tend to steer clear of the Sierra 1500 Crew Cab when they see it approaching.
On the way to Quaker Bridge several oncoming motorists pulled clear off the one lane path when they saw the Sierra AT4 approaching, allowing it the courtesy of going first. No doubt they didn’t want to mess with this rig.
This truck has a fuel tank capable of holding 24 gallons of diesel fuel. For a truck of this sheer magnitude and size it boasts an impressive EPA fuel consumption average of 24 miles per gallon – 22 in city driving and 26 on the highway.
My tester came with a full tank of diesel fuel. While I didn’t record the exact miles I drove in one week, I took it to Princeton and back from Maple Shade and made several trips of modereate length. When I gave the truck back after one week, it still had about a quarter-tank of fuel left.
The 3-liter turbo throws off 277 horsepower at 460 pound feet of torque.
My overall impression of this very refined and pricey truck is positive. I must admit, when I first took the reins of this rig after it was initially dropped off, it took me a little bit to get used to commandeering a vessel of this size.
However, once I got used to it, I thoroughly enjoyed driving it on any type of road and in any weather.
While this truck probably isn’t for everybody, it certainly has to be considered at the top of the list for anyone who is considering purchasing a luxury styled but rugged pick up truck.
I found the truck rather easy to handle in most road situations. However, finding an appropriate parking spot can be challenging if your parking skills are not up to par.
The crew cab I drove was 231.7 inches long and 81.2 inches wide and came with a five-foot, eight inch bed.
Included in the AT4 Carbon Pro option package were the following: a carbon pro composite bed and badging; a multi-pro audio system; a universal home remote; rear sliding power window; the GMC premium infotainment system with navigation; an eight-inch HD color touchscreen with voice recognition; Bluetooth audio streaming; Apple carplay and Android streaming; Bose premium sound system and wireless charging.
The overall vehicle score in the federal government’s five-star safety ratings was four stars.
It received four stars for the frontal crash test for both the driver and passenger side. On the side crash test, it got the top rating of five stars for both the front seat and rear seat. And, it garnered four stars on the rollover test.
Peter Perrotta’s On the Road column will appear weekly. Comments and questions are welcomed. To contact him, email pperrotta@comcast.net.
