2011 Gmc Yukon Xl 1500 Denali on 2040-cars

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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.

2022 Chevrolet Silverado LT Trail Boss adds 3.0-liter diesel option

Order books just opened for the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado, which, in case you hadn't heard, is almost unchanged compared to the 2021 Silverado. The overhauled Silverado and GMC Sierra that we caught in spy shots several times last year and were expected to launch this year have been delayed. Until that pickup gets here, Chevrolet and GMC will add "Limited" to the names of the Silverado and Sierra. Fleet guides for next year's truck show the official model name as Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTD. There are a few interesting features coming next year, though, like the Multi-Flex tailgate joining the options list for Silverado HD trucks. GM Authority also reports that the 2022 Silverado LT Trail Boss adds the 3.0-liter oil-burner with 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque as a third engine option, which should be a big treat for the off-roading crew. Whereas the GMC Sierra AT4 already offers the 3.0-liter diesel, the Silverado LT Trail Boss only offers the 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V8s, both bolted to GM's ten-speed automatic transmission. Then there's the Custom Trail Boss that adds the 4.3-liter V6 as an option, and it and the 5.3-liter V8 only get 6-speed automatics. At the moment, Silverado trims that offer the Duramax charge a $1,045 for it over the 5.3-liter V8. If that gap holds true for next year, the diesel will just about evenly split the price difference between the LT Trail Boss with the 5.3 and the 6.2.   Elsewhere in the range, Driving.ca said Canadian fleet guides show the 4.3-liter V6 and lower-spec 5.3-liter V8 with Active Fuel Management (AFM) instead of Dynamic Fuel Management (DFM) disappearing from next year's base Silverado WT. To clarify, AFM only shuts off half the cylinders in certain conditions, whereas DFM constantly adjusts how many cylinders are firing all the time. As it stands, that would leave the 2.7-liter turbo four-cylinder as the only engine option. However, those other two mills were the only ones left in the lineup that shift through a six-speed transmission, making it possible that they'll rejoin the options list with at least two more gears to choose from. It's not clear if GM will sell the Limited models alongside the majorly upgraded 2022 Silverado. The automaker did just that a few years ago, selling the previous-gen truck as a Limited trim alongside the then-new, current-gen. It certainly wouldn't be the only company to do so, either.

GMC Sierra AT4X reportedly on the way, nameplate could be GMC's ZR2

In 2016, GM filed an application with Mexico's Institute of Industrial Property to reserve the name AT4X, and in 2019, the automaker made the same request to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Seeing that GMC's current AT4 trim replaces the former All Terrain trim used on the last-gen Sierra pickup, there have been suspicions ever since those trademark filings that GM would use the AT4X name to replace GMC's former All Terrain X trim. GM Authority reports that this is precisely what's going to happen, citing "sources familiar with the matter." The outlet even gleaned an equipment group number: 4SG for AT4X, whereas AT4 is equipment group 4SB.  The surmise is that GMC is again developing its versions of Chevrolet's dirt-clobbering pickups that wear the ZR2 name. Spy shooters caught the GMC Canyon earlier this month trotting around on Multimatic's DSSV dampers and a set of 33-inch tires like its Colorado ZR2 sibling. The Canyon already offers an AT4 trim, it's thought this beefier setup will roll into the lineup as an AT4X.  Stepping up to the half-ton league, at the end of last month Chevy released a teaser for the Silverado ZR2, which had been caught in prototype guise (pictured at top) around Detroit on at least two occasions. We've mused that the production Silverado ZR2 could take some hardcore off-roader cues from the factory-upgraded Silverado ZR2 race truck like a lifted stance, long-travel front suspension, four-leaf springs instead of three-leaf, electronic locking front and rear differentials, and a wider track. One of the production prototypes was caught on 33-inch tires, but we wouldn't be shocked to see 35-inchers on the spec sheet. That size would match the race truck and the rubber fitted to the cross-town rivals Ford Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX. A GMC Sierra AT4X would be the plusher, pricier, chrome-ier version of the ZR2. The aforementioned Multimatic shocks could also be on the docket. We'd expect the GMC Sierra AT4X to bow with the heavily updated 2022 pickup, whenever that arrives. Events around the world of late delayed the pickup, its launch now thought to happen late next year or in early 2023. Related Video: