In Insane Market, 2019 GMC Sierra Denali Perfectly Sane

ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland – Texas may be truck country, but this easternmost Canadian province gives the Lone Star State a run for its money.

Just like Texas, Newfoundland has its bitterly rugged corners where only the most capable pickups will get the job done, whether it be pulling the big boats that ply the cod fisheries of the north Atlantic or hauling mining and forestry equipment into its interior.

But Newfoundland, like Texas, also is home to vast oil and gas reserves, which pump a gusher of cash into its expanding economy to fuel rising household incomes and thriving businesses – big and small. It is home to ExxonMobil Canada, for example, but also emerging entrepreneurs such as Canada’s top chef and restaurateur, Jeremy Charles.

Newfoundland, especially historic and newly trendy St. John’s, is a place where the insanity of a $70,000 luxury pickup such as the ’19 GMC Sierra Denali seems perfectly reasonable.

Need to haul rigging equipment down to the docks? Use the Sierra Denali with its 420-hp V-8 and dent-proof, scratch-proof and corrosion-resistant carbon-fiber cargo box.

Gotta get supplies out to the seaside clambake? Take the Sierra Denali with its six-function tailgate, where getting gear into the cargo box is as easy as walking up a stair.

Reservations for two at Raymonds restaurant on Water Street, you say? Of course, it would be the Sierra Denali with its smooth-rolling suspension technology and lavish interior with Forge leather-appointed seating and open-pore ash wood trim.

Yes, in a market gone bonkers for luxury pickups at staggering price points, the Sierra Denali is as logical as a Sou’wester hat in the rain.

In fact, one in three GMC buyers, including SUVs, choose the upscale Denali trim. Average transaction prices on the trucks eclipse $55,600.

Sierra Denali MultiPro tailgate boasts Swiss Army knife functionality.

That translates into whopping profit margins for GM, and the automaker returned a lot of it into the Sierra’s redesign with a level of capability, comfort and sophistication arguably unmatched in the large pickup segment.

The Sierra Denali’s distinctive styling also helps set it apart in the segment, as well as further distinguish itself from its Chevrolet Silverado cousin at a time when that pickup also is getting more luxurious.

It all starts with the Sierra Denali’s bold front end and its massive chrome grille emblazoned with the familiar ruby-red GMC badge, bulging power dome hood, signature C-shaped lighting with a crystal-like quality, running lamps with chrome bezels and chrome recovery hooks framed by – you guessed it – a chrome insert.

Models tested here included optional 22-in. Ultra Bright polished aluminum wheels to give it even more flash. Additional brightwork attractively trims the greenhouse, door handles, running boards and mirror caps. A gleaming Denali badge adorns the lower exterior door panels and is boldly splashed across the tailgate. 

But it might be time to transition to a diversity antenna from the traditional metal rod. The latter might be a better performer than the former, but it is a blemish on an otherwise spectacular-looking truck.

Bigger Always Better

The pickup also is bigger in every proportion to give it greater road presence, and it boasts a slew of Denali details sure to make its owners beam with pride. During testing here, the pickup turned heads at nearly every corner. It was such a sight the local television station dispatched a film crew to learn more about its launch.

There’s an interesting side note to the truck’s popularity, too: According to GM, the GMC brand was among the first to open a dealer franchise on the island, and loyalty still runs high with the locals.

Its reputation likely will grow with the new model. In addition to its black-tie styling, the Sierra Denali receives an available CarbonPro bed. The carbon-fiber liner is an industry first and manufactured at the truck’s Fort Wayne, IN, assembly plant through an on-site joint venture with Teijin, a Japanese carbon-fiber specialist.

The lightweight composite shaves 62 lbs. (28 kg) off standard steel inner liners. It will be available beginning early next year.

Following Ford’s lead, the truck also employs lightweight aluminum for the doors, hood and tailgate to chop a total of 360 lbs. (163 kg) from its predecessor. The standard steel bed is made of high-strength steel, but GM uses a new alloy making it 50% stronger, the automaker says.

The Sierra Denali also brings to market for the first time the MultiPro tailgate, which like a Swiss Army knife can be deployed six different ways. For example, it can be used to enable second-tier storage, as a load stop or as a standing work station. An integrated, full-length step also folds out. It proved handy for loading the Sierra Denali with gear for a shoreline cookout, while the bed’s 12 fixed tiedowns provided plenty of options to keep the gear secured along the drive route.

GMC Sierra Denali interior includes Forge leather-appointed seating, open-pore ash wood trim.

The weight GM took off the Sierra Denali is evident in the ride and handling. Although it is a bigger truck than before, it drives much smaller thanks in large part to a first-ever Adaptive Ride Control suspension system. The technology replaces the Magnetic Ride Control real-time damping available previously.

GM engineers say ARC is cheaper and less complex than MRC. It also works better, they say, adapting the ride to road conditions every two milliseconds. Yes, the driving dynamics of the Sierra Denali are as spot-on and refined as any pickup on the market, including the Ram 1500 with its sophisticated air suspension.

Combined with GM’s creamy-smooth 6.2L V-8, which retains its familiar small-block gurgle from a new pair of integrated exhaust ports, and smartly engineered 10-speed automatic transmission, the Sierra Denali is one of the few pickups in which you can spend an entire day behind the wheel without walking away feeling like you just wrestled a bear.

Give the interior lots of credit for the truck’s comfort, too. Highly durable leather seats are supple with a nice balance between comfort and snugness, and the heated and ventilated seats kept the chill off a classic Newfoundland morning and sent some cool air to our backsides on a gloriously sunny afternoon.

The Sierra Denali includes GM’s latest rear-camera-mirror technology. Both the camera and mirror receive higher resolution and the capability to tilt and zoom. The camera, which can be disabled for a traditional view, was helpful negotiating busier urban areas with a loaded cargo bed. There also is a forward-camera view available within the infotainment screen that was useful cresting hills while off-roading at low speeds and negotiating some tight driveways.

The Sierra Denali’s color infotainment screen receives attractive new fonts, higher resolution and flips pages as fast as a smartphone. The 8-in. (20-cm) screen looks absurdly small by today’s standards, though. GM points out when combined with the 8-in. digital driver information center within the cluster and 3-in.-by-7-in. (8-cm-by-18-cm) multi-color and customizable head-up display the truck offers industry-leading screen space.

GM also sticks with a steering-column-mounted mechanical gear selector, which, as with the Silverado, seems as if the automaker missed a chance to innovate in a space sorely in need of fresh ideas.

At the end of the day, however, the Sierra Denali is solidly styled and engineered. Go ahead, call us crazy, too, but it is difficult to get enough of this lux-truck whatever it may cost.