2024 Gmc Sierra 1500 At4 on 2040-cars

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Car owners getting more irritated with their repair experiences, study says

The J.D. Power U.S. Customer Service Index Study (CSI) is a barometer of a vehicle owner's happiness with the service experience. While it wasn't all bad in the 2023 study, the overall owner satisfaction score dropped. This year's tally of 846 out of 1,000 is two points down from 2022, the 43-year-old study's first decline in more than 28 years, and one point down from 2021. However, the overall score remains well up from the pre-pandemic scores of 821 in 2018 and 837 in 2020. The study claims the stumbling block is the horde of BEV launches. The flood into the new energy space has created a recall rate among EVs that's more than double the rate for ICE vehicles. Furthermore, dealership service department knowledge of EVs isn't on par with internal combustion engine expertise, leaving EV owners less satisfied with service advisors compared to ICE owners. Chris Sutton, VP of automotive retail at J.D. Power, said, "As training programs for service advisors and technicians evolve, EV service quality and customer experience must address both the vehicle and the unique customer needs. The EV segment has the potential to spur massive convenience improvements in how customers service their vehicles — but weÂ’re not seeing the benefits yet." Matters are slightly worse for all owners, though, with labor and parts shortages contributing to longer wait times for service appointments. The CSI study surveys owners and lessees of one- to three-year-old vehicles to gauge their happiness with service at franchised dealer or aftermarket service facilities for maintenance or repair work. The criteria in order of importance are service quality (32%); service advisor (19%); vehicle pick-up (19%); service facility (15%); and service initiation (15%). Lexus retains the top spot for luxury brands, giving it three wins in four years. The Japanese automaker won in 2020 as well, its run interrupted by Porsche in 2021. Cadillac, Infiniti and Acura complete the luxury top 5.  For mass-market cars, Mitsubishi wins again after a victory in 2021 and falling to fourth last year. It's followed by Mazda, Buick, Subaru and Mini.  Considering the different service needs and service experience of different body styles, the study has broken results out by segment for the first time. Lexus earned a second victory thanks to winning the premium SUV segment, and Mitsubishi earned a second victory by winning the mass-market SUV/minivan category.

UAW strike's three-pronged attack focuses on popular midsize trucks, SUVs

The United Auto Workers announced at midnight last night that they would begin targeted strikes at Ford's Michigan Assembly, Stellantis' Toledo Assembly and GM's Wentzville Assembly — all three home to midsize pickups and, in the case of Toledo and Michigan, popular midsize SUVs.  The Ford Ranger, Jeep Gladiator (just updated for 2024), Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon are all built on lines that have been shut down by the strike. The Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler, which share fundamental underpinnings with the Ranger and Gladiator, respectively, are also in on the party. GM's Wentzville Assembly also builds the GMC Savana and Chevy Express vans, neither of which is a big player in the retail market. While midsize pickups may not move in the quantities we see from the half-ton segment, all of these are fairly high-volume models. Ford sold nearly 120,000 Broncos along with more than 55,000 Rangers in 2022; Wrangler and Gladiator combined for nearly 260,000 units last year (181,000 of those were Wranglers) and the Colorado/Canyon represented more than 117,000 sales for General Motors. Throw in the nearly 80,000 units for Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana, and production from these facilities equated to more than 500,000 units sold in 2022.  Ford has been struggling since launch to deliver its wildly popular Bronco to waiting enthusiasts. With supply woes largely easing last year, the company caught up to a great deal of its pre-existing demand, but lingering supply chain and quality control issues have continued to plague the manufacturer even as general constraints have eased. Even earlier this year, Ford said it was selling every unit it could produce. The Ranger, freshly redesigned for the U.S. market, is still getting its feet wet.  Jeep likewise has been on a tear. Sales of the 4x4 have remained so steady that the Wrangler 4xe became the country's best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle pretty much by accident. Jeep just formally confirmed this week that a 4xe variant of the Gladiator pickup is on the way by 2025 — and they said you couldn't sell hybrids to truck and SUV buyers.  At GM, meanwhile, the Colorado and Canyon are sporting fresh redesigns for the 2023 model year, with production of both still ramping up. And while the Chevy Express and GMC Savana vans may not be popular consumer models, GM still sold more than 77,000 of them last year combined.  Related video: Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Chevrolet Ford GMC Jeep Truck SUV

2022 GMC Sierra AT4X First Drive Review | Luxury off-roader

BORREGO SPRINGS, Calif. – What does the 2022 GMC Sierra AT4X have in common with the Aston Martin Vulcan, Mercedes-AMG GT, Camaro ZL1 and Ford GT? The answer: Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers. These dampers – or shock absorbers as theyÂ’re also called – are a lot like the adaptive dampers found in many sport and luxury vehicles. In a general sense, they allow drivers to select how soft or firm a ride they want, but the Multimatic dampers are quicker to respond and have additional benefits related to off-roading.  Off-roading is the main reason this new AT4X model has been added to the Sierra lineup this year, along with its elevated levels of luxury. ItÂ’s a big step up from the existing less-capable AT4 trim, which misses out on the DSSV dampers, electronically locking front and rear differentials, and 32-inch Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac Mud-Terrain tires. The timing of this debut coincides with a significant overhaul for the entire 2022 Sierra lineup, including revised styling, a more muscular 2.7-liter turbo-four engine, and most notably, an interior overhaul that replaces this generationÂ’s dull and outdated dashboard with a fresh, modern and more competitive interpretation bolstered by a large 13.4-inch touchscreen powered by the Android Automotive OS. Upping the luxury further is a new, fully-loaded Denali Ultimate trim that includes the Super Cruise automated driving system, though our time in the revised 2022 Sierra was almost entirely in the AT4X. In addition to the off-road equipment and interior improvements listed above, the Sierra AT4X features the 420-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 as standard equipment, improved underbody skid plates, and a new Terrain drive mode. But thatÂ’s not all, because the AT4X is also differentiated by the X-less AT4 with a cabin thatÂ’s almost as extravagant as that luxurious Denali model, minus the availability of Super Cruise. Ventilated seats with massage functions, premium leather upholstery, wood trim and Bose audio are all standard. Altogether, this big truck could be the perfect way to get to your next glamping adventure. We had the opportunity to check out the AT4XÂ’s capabilities within the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, a few hours east of San Diego. There, we encountered long stretches of dried riverbeds, narrow chokepoints as well as steep climbs and descents. After dropping pressures in the Goodyear mud-terrain tires to a flaccid 15 psi, we skimmed through the silted riverbeds with ease.