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2021 GMC Sierra 1500 Review | More towing, same truck

The 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 and the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 are close siblings, and they’re getting closer every year. One of the SierraÂ’s previous standout features, the Multi-Pro tailgate, can now be found on the Silverado for 2021, providing even fewer reasons to choose the GMC instead of the Chevy. Really, if youÂ’re looking at the more modest SLE and SLT models, the choice between the two largely depends on styling preference. The Sierra Denali is a slightly different story, as its available adaptive suspension is exclusive to GMC and notably improves both the ride and handling.  Of course, it still can't match the Ram 1500 in either regard, plus the Denali cabin continues to be a rather half-hearted attempt at luxury. Especially considering the genuinely high-lux offerings of Ram and Ford. The gap isn't so huge between the Sierra's lower trim levels and its non-Chevy competitors, but the cabin's design, quality and functionality still leave something to be desired. True, that often isn't a priority for truck buyers, but the Sierra isn't superior in enough other ways to balance it out. It's a capable truck with a compelling variety of powertrains, but it generally just doesn't go that extra mile beyond the competition as well as its Silverado sibling. What's new for 2021? Changes for 2021 are mostly equipment-related, but there were some vital towing and pricing changes made for the new year, too. All 2021 Sierra 1500s come with a suite of new towing tech detailed here. New technologies include a trailer length indicator, jack-knife alert, trailer backup guidelines, and camera enhancements that include a rear side view and cargo bed view. GMC expanded availability of the Multi-Pro tailgate, now allowing folks who opt for the lower SLE and Elevation trims to option it. The AT4 adds new Goodyear Wrangler Territory all-terrain tires and an off-road high-clearance step. Diesel buyers will be delighted to hear that GMC has lowered the price by $1,500 to $995, and raised the trailering capacity by 1,900 pounds to a more competitive 9,300. Maximum towing for the 2.7-liter turbo-four-cylinder is also up by 2,300 pounds to 9,200 pounds. GMC says the increase for the diesel is due to “better-than-expected rear axle durability,” and the four-cylinder is up because GM found the engine possesses “better-than-expected cooling performance.” What's the interior and in-car technology like?

Junkyard Gem: 1990 GMC S-15 Jimmy 4x4

The General sold the GMC-badged version of the first-generation Chevy S-10 Blazer, known as the S-15 Jimmy or just the Jimmy, from the 1982 through 1994 model years. These trucks were based on the small S-10 pickup and sold well (until small trucks were forced to get bigger and less truck-like after the dawn of the Ford Explorer-inspired commuter-truck era), but they have become difficult to find in vehicle graveyards in our current century. Here's a '90 Jimmy 4x4 with red-primer paint job, found in a self-service yard on California's Central Coast last month. GMC shoppers could get the 1990 Jimmy as a rear-wheel-drive truck, but this one has the four-wheel-drive option that allowed Tahoe-bound skiers to skip the chain monkeys on the way to the slopes (the CHP, understanding that California drivers have a 95% mortality rate on snow or ice, requires chains or four-wheel-drive to get over Donner Pass when there's a hint of snow forecast). GM sold so many millions of small-block Chevrolet V8s that it made economic sense to use the same tooling to produce a V6 version. The result was this truck's 4.3-liter V6 that was three-quarters of the good old Chevy 350 (5.7-liter) V8 that powered so many Camaros, Chevelles and Impalas. The 4.3 didn't make smooth power, but it got the job done and held together quite well. This one was rated at 160 horsepower, good enough for the Jimmy 4x4's 3,512-pound curb weight. These days, though, used-truck shoppers insist on at least two tons of heft plus four doors. Some discount lot in Monterey or Salinas couldn't even get $999 for this truck, and so it ended up in the final stop before the cold steel jaws of the crusher. 1990 was the last model year for the two-door-only Jimmy; for 1991, the Jimmy came with a choice of two doors (for devil-may-care types) or four doors (for drop-the-kids-at-school types). I've always liked the look of the instrument panels on the early S-10s and its siblings; even though the designers had to work within strict budgetary limitations, they made the panels look interesting. This truck nearly made it to 170,000 miles before the end. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. So powerful with the 4.3 (the regular S-15 pickup still came with a 2.8-liter V6 as base equipment) that it could destroy a TV camera.

The GMC Hummer EV is big and fast; it's also a social conundrum

Pedestrian fatalities, unresolved safety issues, overachieving and overweight trucks — overweight electric trucks — and divisive attitudes about vehicles equipped as is the new Hummer EV, are very much on the mind of Robinson Meyer. Mr. Meyer, who suggests that the 1,000-horsepower pickup is a cross "between an ambulance and a race car," is a staff writer for The Atlantic, a well-respected, long-lived journal founded in 1857. His recent essay in the monthly's flagship magazine starts off describing a scary video clip posted online by Edward Barseghian that features the 9,000-pound Hummer hurtling full tilt towards three lanes of cars idling at a light (the driver stops it in time). Then he goes on to pretty much berate the machine. "The Hummer EV haters and lovers had discovered one of the most important facts about electric 'super trucks': They are very heavy, and they go very fast," he writes. "If you imagine an ambulance that can accelerate as fast as a Formula 1 car, youÂ’re imagining a vehicle only slightly more unwieldy than the new Hummer." Meyer goes on to discuss the issue of allowing battery powered vehicles that weigh as much as the Hummer does onto public roads. "The weight of EVs is a safety issue that drivers — and cyclists and pedestrians — will only have to keep worrying about as these cars go mainstream," he explains. "Suffice it to say that cars as huge as the Hummer EV need to face some kind of regulation, especially in cities and towns, where they pose a distinct threat to the public." To Hummer devotees, them's fightin' words. But Meyer takes pains to present a sort of response from Anthony Schiavo, a research director at Lux Research, a global advisory firm: Why is the Hummer so heavy if its batteries weigh only about 3,000 pounds? “ItÂ’s absolutely a design choice and a marketing choice,” Schiavo answers. “People like larger vehicles, and the reason why those larger vehicles are getting made is because they sell.” The author concludes by bringing into his thesis the issues of climate change, liberal and conservative politics. In some places, his arguments wander; they become muddled. But for those enthused about electrics and big trucks, "Frankenstein's Hummer" is worth a read. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.