New Sierra pickup works hard at play
http://www.eagletribune.com/pulife/local_story_077093904?keyword=topstor


By Motor Mouth , Jeffrey Zygmont
Eagle-Tribune


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I did not enjoy driving the new GMC Sierra pickup truck. It is very large and unwieldy. By nature, it cannot cruise and corner like the quick, agile automobiles I prefer.

That's not taking anything away from Sierra. It's not made for slalom racing or even for everyday cruising. Like all full-size pickups, Sierra is built fundamentally for workday hauling by farmers, house framers, roofers and other tradesmen who must tote heavy loads.

But that hard-hauling character also makes it fitting and favored by families who transport some very large toys, counters Kevin Bihl, general manager of Bill DeLuca Buick-Pontiac-GMC in Haverhill. "It's bought by people with active lifestyles who go boating and have jet skis and snowmobiles," he said.

I get his point. We all have different wants and needs. My idea of sport and recreation might be tucking a small car fast and tight into an S-curve while motoring to the store for a gallon of milk. Others might prefer to chuck the drama and just get the milk and get home. But on Friday they'll haul a trailer-load of motorized mud bikes up to the mountains to perform stunts there.

There's also the homeowner north of the Massachusetts state line whose notion of bliss is hauling his own trash to the dump and carting home fuel for a pellet stove. "They have a traditional family vehicle at home," notes Bihl. They reserve the truck for the rough stuff.

Such discretionary, recreational use accounts for the growing popularity of crew-cab pickups. Ironically, the name comes from the notion that they're designed to carry work crews, having four doors and a full bench seat in the back. They easily seat five people - six if you get a bench seat up front as well.

"We're seeing an increase in crew-cab sales," says Bihl. "Most of our family buyers feel that the open bed of a pickup is better for them, but they also want the room to put the kids and the dog."

Weekend truckers also go for more amenities than workers want. "Most people want the power windows and the power locks," says Bihl. "We're in suburbia here."

In fact, the Merrimack Valley's taste for trucks has helped insulate DeLuca from the well publicized national down-draft in truck sales as shoppers look for more fuel-efficient alternatives.

"We have a good middle class and upper-middle class here," Bihl said. When their lifestyle demands a truck, they can't meet the same needs with alternatives, he explained.  

(page 2 of 3)
View as a single page

I did not enjoy driving the new GMC Sierra pickup truck. It is very large and unwieldy. By nature, it cannot cruise and corner like the quick, agile automobiles I prefer.

That's not taking anything away from Sierra. It's not made for slalom racing or even for everyday cruising. Like all full-size pickups, Sierra is built fundamentally for workday hauling by farmers, house framers, roofers and other tradesmen who must tote heavy loads.

But that hard-hauling character also makes it fitting and favored by families who transport some very large toys, counters Kevin Bihl, general manager of Bill DeLuca Buick-Pontiac-GMC in Haverhill. "It's bought by people with active lifestyles who go boating and have jet skis and snowmobiles," he said.

I get his point. We all have different wants and needs. My idea of sport and recreation might be tucking a small car fast and tight into an S-curve while motoring to the store for a gallon of milk. Others might prefer to chuck the drama and just get the milk and get home. But on Friday they'll haul a trailer-load of motorized mud bikes up to the mountains to perform stunts there.

There's also the homeowner north of the Massachusetts state line whose notion of bliss is hauling his own trash to the dump and carting home fuel for a pellet stove. "They have a traditional family vehicle at home," notes Bihl. They reserve the truck for the rough stuff.

Such discretionary, recreational use accounts for the growing popularity of crew-cab pickups. Ironically, the name comes from the notion that they're designed to carry work crews, having four doors and a full bench seat in the back. They easily seat five people - six if you get a bench seat up front as well.

"We're seeing an increase in crew-cab sales," says Bihl. "Most of our family buyers feel that the open bed of a pickup is better for them, but they also want the room to put the kids and the dog."

Weekend truckers also go for more amenities than workers want. "Most people want the power windows and the power locks," says Bihl. "We're in suburbia here."

In fact, the Merrimack Valley's taste for trucks has helped insulate DeLuca from the well publicized national down-draft in truck sales as shoppers look for more fuel-efficient alternatives.

"We have a good middle class and upper-middle class here," Bihl said. When their lifestyle demands a truck, they can't meet the same needs with alternatives, he explained.




GMC, a brand of General Motors, introduced the revamped, re-engineered version of Sierra last fall, just after GM's Chevrolet brand brought out its re-made Silverado pickup, a sibling of Sierra. Running from $18,760 to $42,095, the new Sierra is dressier than the workaday Chevy Silverado, says Bihl. He points out that improvements built into the new model make it even more suitable for recreationalists who do not want their trucks to treat them too harshly.

"They don't want to feel like they're in a traditional truck from 20 years ago, which was stiff and rigid," he says.

Specific improvements include a more supple suspension, with coil springs over shock absorbers up front to improve handling. Its new rack-and-pinion steering also makes Sierra more manageable. In crew-cab models, rear-seat riders have more room in '07 Sierra. The seat bottom, split 60/40, flips up handily to create an open cargo floor for big items you don't want exposed in the open back.

Like most other pickups, 2007 Sierra sells in a dizzying array of models, with mix-and-match features that add up to a tremendous number of configurations. You can buy Sierra in trim levels labeled "work truck," SLE1, SLE2, SLT and Denali. You can buy two- or four-wheel drive. You can get a regular, extended or crew cab. Sierra offers three cargo box lengths. It has five different suspension choices. It comes with what GMC calls "a family of 17- and 20-inch wheels and tires." Eight engines are available, ranging from a 195-horsepower, 4.6-liter V6 to Sierra Denali's 400-horsepower, 6.2-liter V8. Most engines mate with a four-speed automatic transmission, but luxury-laden Denali uses a six-speed automatic.

I thought that so many configurations, plus Sierra's long option list, would demand some difficult sorting before a buyer could select a specific variation. But Bihl says transactions run smoothly, because a person's specific needs point him toward an appropriate combination of features. Besides, a lot of customers know what they want when they arrive. They're truck people already, he notes. Most often, pickup buyers trade an earlier pickup for their purchase.

They're not all active recreationalists, either. GMC sells so many variations of Sierra so that workers and tradesmen can also find models that suit their needs. Working models come with plainer, "pure pickup" interiors that have larger controls and door handles that are easier to grab with gloves.  

(page 3 of 3)
View as a single page

I did not enjoy driving the new GMC Sierra pickup truck. It is very large and unwieldy. By nature, it cannot cruise and corner like the quick, agile automobiles I prefer.

That's not taking anything away from Sierra. It's not made for slalom racing or even for everyday cruising. Like all full-size pickups, Sierra is built fundamentally for workday hauling by farmers, house framers, roofers and other tradesmen who must tote heavy loads.

But that hard-hauling character also makes it fitting and favored by families who transport some very large toys, counters Kevin Bihl, general manager of Bill DeLuca Buick-Pontiac-GMC in Haverhill. "It's bought by people with active lifestyles who go boating and have jet skis and snowmobiles," he said.

I get his point. We all have different wants and needs. My idea of sport and recreation might be tucking a small car fast and tight into an S-curve while motoring to the store for a gallon of milk. Others might prefer to chuck the drama and just get the milk and get home. But on Friday they'll haul a trailer-load of motorized mud bikes up to the mountains to perform stunts there.

There's also the homeowner north of the Massachusetts state line whose notion of bliss is hauling his own trash to the dump and carting home fuel for a pellet stove. "They have a traditional family vehicle at home," notes Bihl. They reserve the truck for the rough stuff.

Such discretionary, recreational use accounts for the growing popularity of crew-cab pickups. Ironically, the name comes from the notion that they're designed to carry work crews, having four doors and a full bench seat in the back. They easily seat five people - six if you get a bench seat up front as well.

"We're seeing an increase in crew-cab sales," says Bihl. "Most of our family buyers feel that the open bed of a pickup is better for them, but they also want the room to put the kids and the dog."

Weekend truckers also go for more amenities than workers want. "Most people want the power windows and the power locks," says Bihl. "We're in suburbia here."

In fact, the Merrimack Valley's taste for trucks has helped insulate DeLuca from the well publicized national down-draft in truck sales as shoppers look for more fuel-efficient alternatives.

"We have a good middle class and upper-middle class here," Bihl said. When their lifestyle demands a truck, they can't meet the same needs with alternatives, he explained.




GMC, a brand of General Motors, introduced the revamped, re-engineered version of Sierra last fall, just after GM's Chevrolet brand brought out its re-made Silverado pickup, a sibling of Sierra. Running from $18,760 to $42,095, the new Sierra is dressier than the workaday Chevy Silverado, says Bihl. He points out that improvements built into the new model make it even more suitable for recreationalists who do not want their trucks to treat them too harshly.

"They don't want to feel like they're in a traditional truck from 20 years ago, which was stiff and rigid," he says.

Specific improvements include a more supple suspension, with coil springs over shock absorbers up front to improve handling. Its new rack-and-pinion steering also makes Sierra more manageable. In crew-cab models, rear-seat riders have more room in '07 Sierra. The seat bottom, split 60/40, flips up handily to create an open cargo floor for big items you don't want exposed in the open back.

Like most other pickups, 2007 Sierra sells in a dizzying array of models, with mix-and-match features that add up to a tremendous number of configurations. You can buy Sierra in trim levels labeled "work truck," SLE1, SLE2, SLT and Denali. You can buy two- or four-wheel drive. You can get a regular, extended or crew cab. Sierra offers three cargo box lengths. It has five different suspension choices. It comes with what GMC calls "a family of 17- and 20-inch wheels and tires." Eight engines are available, ranging from a 195-horsepower, 4.6-liter V6 to Sierra Denali's 400-horsepower, 6.2-liter V8. Most engines mate with a four-speed automatic transmission, but luxury-laden Denali uses a six-speed automatic.

I thought that so many configurations, plus Sierra's long option list, would demand some difficult sorting before a buyer could select a specific variation. But Bihl says transactions run smoothly, because a person's specific needs point him toward an appropriate combination of features. Besides, a lot of customers know what they want when they arrive. They're truck people already, he notes. Most often, pickup buyers trade an earlier pickup for their purchase.

They're not all active recreationalists, either. GMC sells so many variations of Sierra so that workers and tradesmen can also find models that suit their needs. Working models come with plainer, "pure pickup" interiors that have larger controls and door handles that are easier to grab with gloves.




"It's for people who might be plowing for a living, or using a truck on a construction site," Bihl said. "They don't need to spend all the extra money because they just need a truck to get the job done."

As long as getting jobs done remains the primary aim of pickup design, trucks will also remain essential tools for people who work hard at play.

2007 GMC Sierra

Vehicle type: 2- and 4-door, 3- to 6-passenger, rear- and all-wheel-drive full-size pickup truck

Price range: $18,760 to $42,095 (plus options)

Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles basic warranty; five years/100,000 miles powertrain warranty; six years/100,000 miles corrosion warranty; five years/100,000 miles roadside assistance

Base engine: 4.3-liter V6

Power: 195 horsepower at 4,600 rpm; 260 lb.-ft. torque at 2,800 rpm

Transmission: Four-speed automatic

Fuel economy: 17 mpg city; 21 mpg highway, to 15 mpg city; 19 mpg highway

Wheelbase: 119 to 143 inches

Length: 206 to 230 inches

Width: 80 inches

Height: 74 inches

Weight: 4,448 to 5,290 pounds

Fuel capacity: 26 gallons

Turning circle: 39.7 to 47.2 feet