2007 Sierra and Silverado 1500: Intro and Details

[Ghrankenstein]

2007 GMC Sierra and Silverado: Hands-On First Impressions for Sales and Shoppers


By Ghrankenstein



Strong Points: Painstaking attention to detail inside and out. Good balance between ride and handling. Lower-level interiors look great. Brilliant accessories choices. G-80 locking differential is still unmatched. Competitive pricing apples-to-apples. Stabilitrak. Good.


Weak Points: Dizzying configurability, even in comparison to last year. Relative lack of gimmicks. High demand for salesperson expertise. Performance is strong, but so are the competitors. Exclusive options get pricey. No stick-shift. The new Tundra is the X-factor.


Overall: GM went high-brow, and sweated a lot of details in making these trucks good. VORTEC-MAX details are incomplete. Will the competition’s gimmicks and shortcuts outshine GM’s real deal?



Arrowhead Stadium might very well be the world’s headquarters for Midwestern Americanism, and it is in the Midwest where life would be the most drastically different without the great American pickup truck. Today’s training event on the new half-ton GMT-900 pickups couldn’t have taken place at a more appropriate location. Nor could it, for that matter, on a more beautiful day.

In this setting, I have to introduce this as a “first impressions” article because, even though we got to inspect and drive competitive vehicles, the amount of seat time was not particular informative, and the competition was not entirely represented. Still, this was the most eye-opening pickup comparison I have experienced since the introduction of GM’s original half-ton crew cab trucks.

Even then, with all the options and configurations available, I have a lot of impressions. Some of this stuff you might have already heard. I advise you all to read thoroughly, though, because some of it you’ll see nowhere else.

Styling

Both the Silverado and Sierra are handsome trucks with broad appeal. Once again, GM has gone conservative on the visual language of the redesigns, and once again, I believe that the cool familiarity of Chevrolet and GMC heritage will be the right move. In the modern truck market, though, GM has made abundant changes that should increase the appeal of both trucks.

The new designs feature stacked headlamps, integrated fender flares, contoured tailgates, sharply raked windshields, and more expressive/differentiation elements than we’ve seen in as long as I can remember. What many of us missed from the earlier pictures is the closed-out fender wells, front and rear, and the corresponding elimination of the spindly “pencil braces” in the rear fender wells. Similarly, a good deal of differentiation can only be truly noticed in person.

The Sierra is a lovely execution of the “formal truck” theme, and many will prefer its conservative, level-headed confidence. In person, the simple stacked headlamps, which reside behind tidy square etched windows rather than the Silverado’s clear covers, make a statement of restrained taste. The grille has broad black crossbars, which look fine and highlight the big GMC logo, but it’s also clear that GMC wants owners to customize their trucks. Chrome honeycomb, mesh, or billet bar grilles add a decidedly old school big rig look that will connect with the GMC clientele, and assure that the Sierra will not be mistaken for an F-250.

There are a couple of styling details on the Sierra that I don’t like. The black faux-grille closeout on the lower front bumper won’t fool anyone, and detracts from the purposefully tough looking recovery hooks. Also, the front fender flare is more aggressive and more squared, while the rear fender’s flare is more rounded and soft. I doubt many people will notice, but it still bugs me.

In person, though, I think the new Chevy is the looker, and the one that mere pictures do little justice. While the Chevy doesn’t have a “rough” look, it’s still tough. It has more visual mass than the GMC, and it is more aggressive, even a little shark-like in person. GM Accessories grille assemblies, which will include a body-colored surround and mesh insert in one unit, turn the Chevy into a snarling bully. It rocks.

What can’t be seen well in photographs is the Chevy’s neat wrap-around headlamp clusters, with gun-barrel high-beams whose chrome bezels can be seen clearly from the side. The Silverado’s front fender flares are more aggressive than the GMC’s, while the tapered rear flares are intended to mimic the rear quarter contours of the larger 3500 Dually. Despite their controversy online, the rear fenders look strong, and add visual mass, while looking far less bulbous in person.

The Beds

Pickup people, you’ll like this. The new Silverado and Sierra pickup beds were redesigned with you in mind. There are fewer mystery holes (now only one), no exposed bolts, and even more upfitability, with or beyond GM’s own upfits. What I like the most is the new stamped sidewalls, which curve in abruptly at the bottom, as in the Colorado and Canyon. GMC has not repeated the goopy varicosity that is instantly noticeable upon inspection of the Canyon’s/Colorado’s bed. This time, there are only two seams, with corresponding straight fillet seals.

Also new, for the Silverado/Sierra, is the Cargo Management System. GM was wise in taking this page from the Nissan Titan playbook, and in improving upon it, by making the system more functional through greater strength and greater utility. This Cargo Management System consists of three slide-rails along the upper-middle edges of the bed. Each rail is rated at a 500 lb capacity (versus 250 lbs. in the Titan), and has a pair of sliding mounts that are secured with spring-loaded pull-pins that correspond to holes in the rails about every four inches.

Logically, more of the sliding mounts are easily available, as are numerous other GM accessories. Toolboxes are number one, with three available. If I were any less tool-savvy I wouldn't be able to sew my own arms back on, but even I can see the utilitarian application of toolboxes that can slide [over the fender wells] to the back of the bed. GM also offers a ladder rack and a steel bed divider, with future options only limited to the imagination of the aftermarket and GM’s clientele.

The best news is that the Cargo Management System is a $175 option from the factory, and the dealer can also install it separately. Combined with GM’s little-known Business Choice incentive program, which provides commercial vehicle (no longer just trucks) owners with business-specific upfit funds, this is a win-win sales opportunity. Multiple configurations of GM Accessories, including toolboxes, ladder racks, bed dividers, and bed liners can be installed at no additional charge to business-use trucks. Adrian Steel products can be installed at about 25% of retail, sometimes at 0% of retail. It’s a huge deal closer.

Interiors

The half-ton GMT-900 Silverado and Sierra are available with two different interiors. The uplevel interior is familiar, and has already been positively received in the 2007 Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon.

Lower trim levels get a different dash, the one seen vaguely in spy pictures. While the main surfaces that face the driver are black plastic, the overall effect is high-tech “black box,” very businesslike and driver oriented. Halo lighting and backlighting are sea blue, which is pretty cool, and I actually prefer this setup to the SLT/LTZ outfit. I think it looks neater, and there’s nothing wrong with plastic that’s black versus another color.

Just as surprising are the cloth interiors. Since leather remains a huge value statement (“For $XX,XXX, I should have leather.”), leather front seats are now available on everything but the Work Truck; the SLT gets leather standard in front and in back. Despite this, I’d advise shoppers to strongly consider the cloth seats for their comfort and stand-alone attractiveness.

“Base Cloth,” which is optional in the Work Truck, is a complete surprise for its tough two-tone patterned fabrics that are similar to those in the Saab 9-2X. Go for a Work Truck, cloth interior, and the SL package (which is now part of Work Truck trim), and you’ve got yourself a bargain of an attractive, livable daily pickup. The SLE upgrades almost aren’t necessary; the Work Truck is that nice.

“Select Cloth” is a softer and deeper monotone material similar to that seen in the pleasant Buick CX interiors. This isn’t cheap stuff, and, just as in the Buicks, I wouldn’t feel like I was settling for less in a cloth-equipped LT-1/SLE-1 or LT-2/SLE-2. I haven’t seen/felt/sat on “Premium Cloth” yet, but based on the quality and appearance of the cheaper options I can only guess that it’s better. That would mean one seriously good cloth seat.

The fact that uplevel stereo options, including navigation, are available in the LT and SLE trim levels further reinforces my suspicion that GM [wisely] opted to incorporate the Tahoe/Yukon interior at the last metaphorical second. Regardless of my own personal tastes, those who want upscale value statements such as wood (both real and indistinguishable from real), aluminum, and googolplex-adjustable heated leather seats with memory and a quandary (from the customer’s standpoint) of programmable electronics can opt for the LTZ, SLT, or upcoming Sierra Denali. Specifically, these seats are identical to those in the Tahoe LTZ and Yukon SLT, which is a good thing. Heated seat backs and cushions offer 7 different options of warmth, and the dual-density memoroid foam is both comfortable and supportive. My only misgiving about the leather is the quality of the grippy cloth, and their translation of the seating foam into more luxurious (IMHO) super-goo.

In comparison, the competing trucks’ interiors, other than Ford's, are primitive. Ford has an attractive, high-quality dash design that is a better interpretation of the "chunky-equals-tough" idea than Nissan's. The optional Tehama leather of the King Ranch is gorgeous (we use it in our uplevel Cadillac DTS packages), but it’s hardly appropriate in a pickup truck that is likely to have a driver that wears blue (i.e. blue dye-leaching) jeans. Nissan has an attractive lower-quality dash design that tries to too hard to compensate for hard plastic edges with satin silver trim. Dodge has a dash design. Even the Laramie has a hard time matching the GMT-900 work trucks in function and (IMHO) attractiveness.

All of the competing trucks' interiors suffer from their age, with clunky seat mounts, and door openings frequently strewn with wires. Without going back to the trucks, which aren't even at Arrowhead anymore, that's about all I can say.

In this current volley, GM easily wins the award for best interiors, with the best combination of ergonomics, comfort, assembly, and materials.

See you on the next page,

Ghrank

[tgagneguam]

Ghrank, you've outdone yourself. You've delivered reams of information on the new GMT-900 FS pickups. Obviously, you placed much effort in writing them, and it's refreshing to see reasonably good writing to boot; nothing detracts more from an interesting read or thoughtful comments than poor syntax.

My hats off to you on a job well done, Ghrankenstein.

[chevydlrmn]

Wow! Thanks for all of the info! GM is luck to have you consulting their products, assuming you are in sales since you were at the ride and drive. I will be there on November 6th. Not anticipating beautiful weather, however.

[1969CamaroSS350]

Awesome review. Very detailed.

[Ghrankenstein]

nothing detracts more from an interesting read or thoughtful comments than poor syntax.

While my word be writing of generally nice, thank you can be gave to Swahili, who make extra bountiful noting of error in typing or of disuse of proper word.

[cc1999]

My only misgiving about the leather is the quality of the grippy cloth, and their translation of the seating foam into more luxurious (IMHO) super-goo.

Great review, Thanks for all the info.

You did kinda loose me in the above quote. Are you saying the cloth is that Velcro kind that when you sit down you are stuck there. Thats why I stopped driving cloth seated GM trucks after 94'. I even had leather installed in my last 2 regular cab's. Which brings out the point that you mentioned about the fact that leather is now available in the regular cab trucks. Dodge was the only that did that up until 05 when you could get the Laramie pkg in any truck they sell. Now you can't get the Laramie in a regular cab anymore but you can get leather as long as you only want it with a short bed. It is not that important to me now since the 06 Dodge's were refreshed with the ugliest bug eyed looking front ends i have ever seen I would not likely buy one now anyway. I had a few guys here in town tell me they had been to some ride and drive training school last week. I wonder if it was the same one you went to? They told me that it was mentioned in the meeting that the power bench seat option thats no longer available was met with a lot of complaints by dealers at GM, and GM was working on taking care of that, and getting a power option on that seat ASAP. That and making the 6.0 Max trailering available in all cab/bed configs would make my next truck perfect for what I am wanting.

Was anything mentioned about all the early realeased pic's of the WT dash showing a Nav system in it, but now it seems thats not even an available option in the WT style dash trucks (WT/LT1/SLE1)?

[DuSpinnst]

I can't wait to SEE them in person!

[ARTSBEST]

Well written but at what cost? Price will determine if this $5B 900 line endeavor from GM is going to sell or not.

[cc1999]

I think you can count on the price being what it is until the dealers are loaded up and the new wheres off a little. I would say give it 6 months. By next spring the lots will be loaded and the hype and newness will have worn off and it will again be Chevy/GMC vs Ford vs Dodge vs Nissan vs the all new Tundra that will just be hitting the lots about then. With 5 players in the true full size half-ton market, you can bet the rebates will be back and the prices will be adjusted according to demand and competition, not how new and pretty they are. More and more you can count on the US public to get board with stuff faster than anywhere on earth. These days 6 months might be generous.

[GotAWD]

Originally Posted by Ghrankenstein

While my word be writing of generally nice, thank you can be gave to Swahili, who make extra bountiful noting of error in typing or of disuse of proper word.

Grank it is now official your sarcasim and the likes of Jim Rome show now more than ever.

Good review and keep up the good word.

[TOMHONE]

CC1999: Could not have said it any better. America truly is spoiled and that's why our consumption "trumps" every other nation by exponential numbers. Want to get a "bump" in life? Buy a new vehicle. Which Americans have been doing for years now to the tune of about 17M units per year. GM will ride this novelty gravy train for the short term with these 900 line of trucks. Then, as you so aptly explained, it will be back to square one. But this time with ONE MORE "player" in this already crowded field, the new Toyota truck. Inentives will be back even though production cuts prevail.

[minnfang]

Originally Posted by Ghrankenstein

What many of us missed from the earlier pictures is the closed-out fender wells, front and rear, and the corresponding elimination of the spindly “pencil braces” in the rear fender wells.

Thanks for the info! I just saw a new Silverado Z71 4WD Crew Cab at the local Chev dealer - very impressive. You can tell the interior is light years beyond previous gen just by walking up to the truck. I love the headlights!

Rear wheel wells were just painted steel - is this normal for trucks (anyone)? Shouldn't they have some kind of undercoating or other protection? First gravel road and they are trashed.

[bobojay]

Originally Posted by minnfang

Thanks for the info! I just saw a new Silverado Z71 4WD Crew Cab at the local Chev dealer - very impressive. You can tell the interior is light years beyond previous gen just by walking up to the truck. I love the headlights!

Rear wheel wells were just painted steel - is this normal for trucks (anyone)? Shouldn't they have some kind of undercoating or other protection? First gravel road and they are trashed.

Painted inside rear wheel wells have been the standard for years now. No they don't get trashed either. No more than they would if they were undercoated...

[asim]

Originally Posted by DuSpinnst

I can't wait to SEE them in person!

I've seen them passing my dealers, from what I can see, they look great.

[cc1999]

I would worry more about the exposed lower painted door edges than the fender wells. Its been my experience that painted edges and flying rocks, are not a good combo.