2012 Gmc Sierra 2500 Denali on 2040-cars

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2019 GMC Sierra CarbonPro Edition pricing starts above $65,000

GMC is hard at work building carbon fiber beds for its CarbonPro trucks, so it's fitting that the company has finally released pricing for the 2019 GMC Sierra CarbonPro Edition. It's not cheap by any measure. The most "affordable" for 2019 is the AT4 version starting at $66,635. It's also available in Denali trim, and that version starts at $70,020. Both represent an increase of $8,000 to $9,000 more over the base AT4 and Denali models. That may seem like a lot to go from a steel bed to a carbon fiber one, but you're getting more than the bed for that money. GMC also includes unique badging, a Bluetooth bed speaker, rear-camera mirror, surround vision cameras, automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, automatic headlights, power side steps, a sunroof, trailer tire pressure monitoring and a color heads-up display to both models. The AT4 specifically gets a Bose sound system, navigation, parking sensors and a cat-back exhaust, too. The Denali adds unique 22-inch wheels. Both only come with the 6.2-liter V8 and 10-speed automatic. To equip a regular GMC Sierra AT4 similarly to the CarbonPro Edition, the price comes out to $64,110. The Denali comparably equipped to the CarbonPro is $67,940. So the bed itself is about $2,000 to $3,000. The 2019 GMC Sierra CarbonPro Edition trucks should be reaching dealers very soon. They will soon be supplanted by the 2020 version, which will add the new 3.0-liter diesel inline-six as an engine option. The AT4 CarbonPro will get some extra black accents for 2020, too.

GM exploring ways to raise half-ton Duramax diesel tow rating

Lots of truck owners cheered when GM announced fuel economy numbers for the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado with the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel inline-six. Even after Ram let loose its EPA mileage ratings for the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel, the Chevy oil-burner still took the trophy. The victory was years in the making, GM engineers spending an entire four-year development cycle refining the LM2 Duramax to increase mileage. The tradeoff, as well all know by now, is towing; the Duramax in half-ton duty pulls a maximum 9,300 pounds in the Silverado. Rivals across town can do more, the Ford F-150 PowerStroke rated at 11,500, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel game to pull 12,560. GM engineer John Barta told Muscle Cars & Trucks that more hauling chops could be on the way, explaining, "We’re actually looking at upgrading some of the materials around (the engine bay) to see if we can maybe raise our tow rating." Engine bay materials are at issue due to thermal complexities underhood. John Barta, GM's assistant chief engineer of diesel engine controls, said the Duramax's inline-six configuration allowed engineers to get emissions hardware like the combined selective catalytic reduction, diesel oxidation catalysts, and diesel particulate filter unit closer to the engine, where it heats up quicker, getting emissions down quicker. But that filter puts another heat source in those confines, enforcing a cap on the tow rating to keep the engine and other systems from overheating. "If you look under the hood," he said, "youÂ’ll see a significant amount of silver ‘moon tapeÂ’ around to make sure things arenÂ’t getting overheatedÂ… if we were to go up in higher towing, which we can, we start impacting the possibility of deteriorating some of the components.” There isn't much space for more grille, so swapping for a better grade of "moon tape" or a different kind of material could reduce engine bay heat, extracting a higher tow rating in the process.  It's important to note a point Barta's been making for months about the Duramax figures, though. "Even though itÂ’s nice to brag about big numbers, in reality, light duty customers are not towing that large with their trucks," and, "We do know that (95 percent) of our light duty customers donÂ’t tow over 9,000 pounds." On our First Drive of the 2020 Silverado diesel we called out the tow rating, but emphasized that the Chevy and GMC have more important challenges to overcome.

PickupTrucks.com's latest test results in a familiar winner [w/video]

PickupTrucks.com has gone and thrown the latest batch of half-ton pickups into a cage match to see who would come out on top. The site put the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2013 Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan through a battery of tests. Those included 0-60 miles per hour acceleration, 60-0 mph deceleration, fuel economy, a hill climb, and payload and towing. They even threw the rigs on an autocross course to evaluate overall handling. Each truck was given points based on how it scored in each evaluation.
Who came out on top? Somewhat surprisingly, the 2013 Ford F-150 walked away with the gold, though fewer than 50 points separated first and fourth place. Head over to PickupTrucks.com to read the full evaluation and the final results. You may be shocked to see exactly where some of the segment's newest additions placed. You can also watch a video on the test below.