2002 GMC Sierra 1500HD Review
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By Jim McCraw

Overview

GMC Sierra represents the best and most advanced in pickup engineering. It does everything pickups have always done, only better, with a first-class capacity for hauling and towing. It rides and handles more like a car than any pickup ever did before. Inside, the Sierra is one of the most luxurious pickups we've ever driven, setting new standards for quietness, plush appointments, and solid construction.

Of course, all of that is equally true of the Sierra's mechanical twin, the Chevrolet Silverado.

What sets the Sierra apart is image, the intangible value of GMC's 100-year heritage of building trucks and only trucks. And even if Sierra and Silverado are clones under the skin, the GMC pickup presents a bolder face to the world. Sierra boasts its own grille, hood, fenders, fascia, bumpers and headlamps. Like the best GMC designs of the past, it looks a little sharper-dressed than its Chevrolet cousin.

GMC also offers model and equipment variants that Chevrolet does not, including the 325-horsepower Sierra Denali with four-wheel steering; and the new business-oriented Professional, with unique interior equipment designed exclusively for the entrepreneur on the go.

Model Lineup

Like all big American-made pickups, the Sierra comes in two and four-wheel-drive, in light-duty (1500) and medium-duty (2500) loading and towing capacities, with short-bed and long-bed bodies, and with fendered or full-width beds. There are standard-length two-door cabs and extended-length cabs with two more auxiliary doors in the rear. New for 2002 is a 1500 HD Crew Cab, with four full-size doors, just like the heavy-duty work-site models.

Engine choices for 1500 models range from a basic 4.3-liter V6, up through a 4.8-liter V8 (standard in extended cabs), and a 5.3-liter V8. Extended-cab, long box 1500s and all 2500s come with a 300-horsepower 6.0-liter V8. Five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmissions are offered.

Trim levels have been revised for 2002, and now begin with Standard, and advance through SL and SLE. SLT returns as a leather-and-luxury equipment package.

Also returning in revised form is last year's Sierra C3, now labeled Sierra Denali. Available only as an extended-cab, short-bed 4x4, Denali packs a 325-horsepower version of the 6.0-liter V8, along with automatic transmission and an exclusive, sophisticated full-time all-wheel-drive system. For 2002, it also comes with GM's electronically controlled four-wheel-steering system called Quadrasteer. Quadrasteer reduces Sierra's curb-to-curb turning diameter by 21 percent, to just 37.4 feet, which is within inches of a Saturn SC1. Quadrasteer also enhances high-speed stability.

Since Quadrasteer requires a five-inch increase in track, you can spot a Denali by its unique rear fender blisters. Denali also features a full pallet of luxury equipment and the ZX3 Ride Control suspension, with cockpit-adjustable shock absorbers.

Like the Denali, the new Professional is available only with a short box and extended cab, but unlike GMC's flagship pickup, the Professional is offered in two- or four-wheel drive, and it should be priced much lower. Starting with SLE-level equipment, the Professional adds a special full-length console with concealed storage for a personal digital assistant (PDA), cell phone, and other items; a seven-quart cooler; a cooled or heated cup holder, and a second Big Gulp-sized cup holder for those entrepreneurial doses of caffeine. The console can be converted to store hanging file folders. The Professional also features more lockable storage under the rear seat, a bold chrome grille, 16-inch alloy wheels and unique exterior identification. Standard power with two-wheel drive is the 4.8-liter V8 and automatic transmission, but 4x4 Professionals come standard with the 5.3. SLT trim with leather is an option.

Sierra prices cover a broad range, starting at $17,408 for a standard-trim, V6 1500 2WD, and more than doubling to $43,385 for the luxurious, high-tech Denali. A short-box, 4WD extended-cab SLE would include the 4.8-liter V8 for $29,266; and many popular 2WD models list in the $23,000-$27,000 range.

For even heavier-duty hauling, GMC builds the 3/4-ton Sierra 2500HD and 3500. (See review on the heavy duty Sierra models at NewCarTestDrive.com.)