2011 Gmc Sierra 3500 Denali Crew 4x4 Diesel Drw Nav 35k Texas Direct Auto on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chevy Silverado edges Ram 1500 in Consumer Reports two-truck shootout

Forget Corvette versus Viper. When it comes to important head-to-head comparisons, fullsize trucks are where domestic automakers really care. And until the redesigned Ford F-150 makes its debut, the Chevrolet Silverado is going to have plenty to brag about thanks to a new Consumer Reports shootout against the Ram 1500.
It was a tight race among these V8-powered titans, but the all-new 2014 Silverado (and its GMC Sierra twin) barely edged out Ram's updated pickup with a score of 81 points - enough to make it the institute's top-rated fullsize truck on the market. Its narrow victory over the Ram, which finished just three points back, was due to its superior fuel economy, better towing and payload capacity and conveniences like a lower step-in height, easy-to-use tailgate and rear bumper steps that make loading and unloading less of a chore.
Importantly, CR notes that buyers with less heavy-duty truck needs might actually prefer the Ram over the Chevrolet, since its high points include a smoother ride thanks to its coil spring rear suspension, dominant infotainment system with Uconnect, and a big thumbs up for the available Hemi engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.

GMC could have used Jeep's prized grille design on its born-again Hummer

General Motors confirmed it's bringing the Hummer nameplate back on an electric, GMC-badged pickup by publishing a dark photo of its front end. The battery-powered drivetrain under the sheetmetal represents a tectonic shift, but we noticed another flagrant break with tradition: it wears six slot-like inserts instead of seven like on every previous Hummer and countless Jeeps. Adding an extra slot wouldn't have landed GMC in hot water. The seven-slot grille has historically been associated with Jeep, and the company proved it's willing to go to significant lengths to ensure another automaker — especially one it perceives as a rival — doesn't use it. Parent company Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) bitterly sued Mahindra over the Roxor's design, including its five-slot grille, and won in 2019, forcing the Indian firm to unveil a redesigned side-by-side for the 2020 model year. And yet, stylists would have very likely been able to get away with it on the Hummer. While General Motors owns Hummer, the brand traces its ancestry to 1970, when American Motors Corporation (AMC) purchased Jeep from Kaiser and changed the name of its General Products Division to AM General Corp. The division manufactured the rear-wheel drive, CJ-based DJ for the United States Postal Service and began developing the Humvee in 1979. Jeep and AM General went their separate ways when Renault began investing in AMC. Foreign companies weren't allowed to own defense contractors, and AMC had more to gain by gradually selling out to Renault than by keeping AM General, so it divested the division to LTV Corporation in 1983. Humvee production started shortly after, but no one protested its seven-slot grille because there was no risk of it stealing sales from a comparable Jeep model. It was manufactured exclusively for the U.S. Army, and civilian sales weren't planned. H2SUV View 4 Photos The original civilian Hummer released in 1992 must have raised more than a few eyebrows but, here again, it didn't directly compete with one of Jeep's off-roaders, so no one complained. It was huge, correspondingly expensive, and its portal axles made the YJ-generation Wrangler wet its pants. It's the H2 concept (pictured above) unveiled at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show that set off alarm bells in Auburn Hills. DaimlerChrysler's lawyers counted the slots in the chrome-plated insert that dominated its front end and shuddered when they reached seven.

2022 GMC Sierra Super Cruise First Drive | Now with trailering and automatic lane-changing

Although the updated late-model year 2022 GMC Sierra is still a little ways off (In fact, it hasn't even been revealed), we've had an opportunity to try one of its headlining features: Super Cruise. But it's not quite the Super Cruise you know from the current Cadillac line. The new Sierra will be getting a newer version with two features: the ability to execute lane changes and passes automatically, and the ability to operate with a trailer. We tried the system at GM's proving grounds in Milford, Mich., and our test vehicles were 2022 Sierra prototypes. Though the trucks themselves are early examples with features not finalized, GMC representatives said the Super Cruise system is pretty much finished. The system uses close and long-range radar sensors at the front and a new set of radar sensors at the back, plus the truck's various cameras. It also utilizes the mapping data that GM has accumulated for the system to ensure it operates on approved roads and has detailed information about where the car is. Now, the first new feature enabled by the updated Super Cruise is the automatic lane-change system. The current system can change lanes on its own, but it must be prompted by a press of the turn signal. That feature remains intact, but now, if you approach a slower vehicle on a multi-lane highway, Super Cruise can check the lane next to you to see if it's safe to merge, change lanes, and then return to the original lane once the slow-moving vehicle has been passed. This is where those rear radar sensors come in. We tried it three times on GM's big banked oval course, and it did it impressively smoothly. It was able to make the decision proactively, too, making the decision to change a good distance before we were on top of the slow moving car. Oh, and of course, because this is Super Cruise, it all happened without us having to touch the wheel. Our automatic lane change test was followed by trying Super Cruise with a trailer. Now, it's important to note that the automatic lane-changing functionality won't work with a trailer. This is because that function depends on a set of radar systems at the back of the truck that are blocked by a trailer. Apart from that, the rest of Super Cruise's functions still work just fine. To make this possible (and safe), the system is able to estimate the weight of the trailer and adjust following distance accordingly, allowing it to safely slow down as needed.