{"id":242083,"date":"2023-10-18T05:49:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T05:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/?p=242083"},"modified":"2023-10-18T05:49:02","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T05:49:02","slug":"test-drive-2024-gmc-sierra-2500hd-denali-ultimate-pairs-luxury-and-brawn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/test-drive-2024-gmc-sierra-2500hd-denali-ultimate-pairs-luxury-and-brawn\/","title":{"rendered":"Test drive: 2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate pairs luxury and brawn"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The race to make the most ridiculous heavy duty do-it-all pickup truck continues, and GMC\u2019s expanded its luxurious Denali Ultimate line to its largest pickup truck.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

With a heavily upgraded interior, neat towing tricks, and 975 lb-ft of torque it\u2019s not hard to see why the 2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD is the highest-rated heavy-duty pickup at The Car Connection with a TCC Rating of 7.0 out of 10.<\/p>\n

After running errands around town in the massive pickup truck, and then hooking up some boats to the rear end for some towing, here are the pros and cons of GMC\u2019s largest, and most luxurious, pickup truck.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

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2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

Pro: GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali finally gets a luxurious interior<\/span><\/h2>\n

The Denali Ultimate trim has expanded from<\/span> the Yukon<\/span> and<\/span> Sierra 1500<\/span> into the<\/span> 2500HD lineup<\/span>. This puts some of the nicest leather GM puts in a mass-produced vehicle in its heavy duty pickup truck and slathers the seats and dashboard in leather and wood trim. Those seats are road-trip worthy, but they are notably narrower than the thrones found in the<\/span> Ford Super Duty<\/span> and<\/span> Ram 2500HD<\/span>. There\u2019s real metal bits inside including stainless steel speaker covers. The 13.4-inch touchscreen and 15.0-inch digital gauge cluster even get their own distinct Denali startup sequence that outlines Mt. Denali. It\u2019s still not as nice as the Ram Limited\u2019s interior, but it\u2019s close.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

Con: GMC Sierra 2500HD is obnoxiously large<\/span><\/h2>\n

The GMC Sierra 2500HD is intimidating. The Denali Ultimate tones down the bling with smoked chrome blunting the shiny stuff, but there\u2019s no hiding this truck is massive. The hoodline is level with my shoulder. For reference, I\u2019m 5-foot-10 tall. The design makes the truck look and feel taller and more imposing than the Ford Super Duty. The bed sides are obnoxiously high to provide added volume, and reaching over them to grab something out of the bed is a pipe dream lost in the history books. Admittedly, the truck\u2019s surprisingly maneuverable given its size, but that doesn\u2019t change the intimidation factor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

Pro: GMC Sierra 2500HD has all the power<\/span><\/h2>\n

While a 6.6-liter V-8 engine rated at 401 hp and 464 lb-ft of torque is standard, my truck was equipped with the 6.6-liter turbodiesel V-8 rated at 470 hp and 975 lb-ft of torque. Both engines hook to smooth-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission. The torque? It\u2019s laughable, there\u2019s so much. The turbo is quick to spool with a wall of power coming online at about 1,800 rpm, and seemingly in an endless supply. It doesn\u2019t take much movement of the skinny pedal to launch this hulking brick forward with gusto. Hooking a 5,000-pound trailer with a fiberglass fishing boat did nothing to deter forward momentum. The truck brushed it off. It barely required touching the accelerator pedal to pull the boat out of the water at the landing. Towing a 5,000-pound boat with this truck was akin to using a sledge hammer to place a nail into the wall.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

Con: GMC Sierra 2500HD can be jittery<\/span><\/h2>\n

These are heavy duty pickups that are designed to tow up to 36,000 pounds or haul up to 6,500 pounds. Expecting this truck to ride like a luxury car is unreasonable despite its $<\/span>94,835 price. Still, an unladen<\/span> Ford Super Duty is less jittery and smoother despite having a higher payload 40,000-pound tow rating. Ford\u2019s done a better job at balancing unloaded ride quality with potential capability. The heavy duty Rams ride better as well, but they aren\u2019t the class leaders in terms of towing and payload due to their coil springs in the rear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

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2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

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2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

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2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

Pro and Con: GMC Sierra 2500HD\u2019s MultiPro tailgate<\/span><\/h2>\n

For the longest time I called the latest tailgate wars ridiculous. What happened to a tailgate just being a tailgate? Maybe it\u2019s because I\u2019m getting older, or softer, but in the last few years I\u2019ve come around to appreciating the multi-function tailgates. GM\u2019s six-way<\/span> MultiPro tailgate<\/span> is a winner overall. It\u2019s a tailgate within a tailgate, allowing the center portion of the tailgate to drop down, enabling a shorter reach into the bed. Another portion can then drop down creating a useful 4-foot wide step into the bed. My knees and back thank GM for this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

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2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

But should you, or\u2026 I\u2026forget a hitch and ball are locked into the receiver and then lower the secondary tailgate portion, it\u2019ll make contact with the hitch. Let it just drop and you\u2019ll probably punch a hole in the tailgate with the trailer ball. I forgot the hitch and ball were still in the receiver, but luckily my hand was still on the tailgate. I caught it just as it made contact. No metal damage occurred, but I did scratch the paint. Sorry, GM. Buyer beware. Make sure you tap the correct tailgate release button and remember whether there\u2019s a hitch and ball in the receiver. According to a sticker on the inside of the bed wall, there is a way to electronically lock the secondary tailgate from dropping, but I was unable, despite multiple attempts of following the directions, to get it to lock. Your mileage and abilities may vary.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

Pro: GMC Sierra 2500HD has all the camera views for towing<\/span><\/h2>\n

How many camera views is too many? The GMC Sierra 2500HD has 14 different viewing angles thanks to seven cameras. Hooking up a trailer\u2019s never been easier and can be accomplished easily without a helper. Seeing what\u2019s in front of that obnoxiously tall front end isn\u2019t hard thanks to the front-facing camera, and pulling through a gate with 25 feet of trailer, boat, and motor is a breeze. The neatest trick is when the turn signal engages, the truck will then use the corresponding side-view camera to display the side of the truck and trailer on the 13.4-inch touchscreen. This allows the driver to see the trailer as it comes around the corner to ensure the rear tires don\u2019t clip the curb, or worse, ditch. Neat trick, GMC.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n

Con: GMC Sierra 2500HD won\u2019t line up or back up the trailer for you<\/span><\/h2>\n

Look, if you need a truck to back itself up to a trailer or figure out which way to back up a trailer for you, well, you probably shouldn\u2019t be towing. That\u2019s just the reality because towing is serious business and can be dangerous. But, that doesn\u2019t change the fact that a Ford Super Duty can now back itself up to, and put the ball directly underneath the trailer tongue, at the push of a button. Necessary? Nope. Impressive? Absolutely. Ford\u2019s Super Duty can also make a novice look like a pro at the boat launch with the ability to control the trailer while backing up with just a knob. Turn the knob the way the trailer needs to go and it\u2019ll automatically steer the trailer in that direction. It\u2019s slick for those lacking experience or confidence at the ramp. The GMC Sierra 2500HD requires a driver to actually know how to manage and approach a trailer. I respect that, but beginners might not.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2025 GMC Sierra 2500HD is the top-rated heavy-duty pickup on TCC for a reason: It offers the best balance of features, safety technology, capability, and comfort. The Ultimate Denali model takes all that and covers it in soft leather and smoked chrome.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Base price:<\/strong> $48,200, including $1,895 destination<\/span><\/p>\n

Price as tested:<\/strong> $94,835<\/span><\/p>\n

Powertrain:<\/strong> 470-hp 6.6-liter turbodiesel V-8, 10-speed automatic transmission, 4WD<\/span><\/p>\n

EPA fuel economy:<\/strong> N\/A<\/span><\/p>\n

The pros:<\/strong> All the power, luxurious interior, all the camera views<\/span><\/p>\n

The cons:<\/strong> Obnoxiously big, Ram\u2019s interior still nicer, Ford\u2019s smarter at tow time, jittery when unladen<\/span><\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The race to make the most ridiculous heavy duty do-it-all pickup truck continues, and GMC\u2019s expanded its luxurious Denali Ultimate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTest drive: 2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate pairs luxury and brawn - AutoMotoBuzz.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/test-drive-2024-gmc-sierra-2500hd-denali-ultimate-pairs-luxury-and-brawn\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Test drive: 2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate pairs luxury and brawn - AutoMotoBuzz.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The race to make the most ridiculous heavy duty do-it-all pickup truck continues, and GMC\u2019s expanded its luxurious Denali Ultimate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/test-drive-2024-gmc-sierra-2500hd-denali-ultimate-pairs-luxury-and-brawn\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AutoMotoBuzz.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-18T05:49:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/AutoNewsDaily.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"mediabest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"mediabest\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/test-drive-2024-gmc-sierra-2500hd-denali-ultimate-pairs-luxury-and-brawn\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/car-reviews\/test-drive-2024-gmc-sierra-2500hd-denali-ultimate-pairs-luxury-and-brawn\/\",\"name\":\"Test drive: 2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali Ultimate pairs luxury and brawn - 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