The 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali actually works

I am not the kind of person to say, “I told you so”. And yet I did in fact tell you that given time, electric cars would become more mainstream as another option, but never fully replace internal combustion. The reason for that is beyond the purview of this 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali review. Instead, I’d rather tell you that this is a really good pickup truck without much compromise.

Provided it fits your lifestyle.

The 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Overview

I know pickup guys.

You have the kind that opt for the basic Ford F-150 or Chevrolet Silverado in white. A bed. A motor. Two seats. Good to go. It’ll get trashed, scared, dirty, and used over the course of its life. This is the way of things.

Then you have “the bosses’ truck”. He used to drive that white F-150, but now he runs the show, and so you can expect to find him in something nicer. Maybe it has a GMC badge on it, maybe it has leather seats. Whatever, the boss still uses it and gets it dirty.

The last category is where you’ll find trucks like this 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali. They can do all the things the other trucks do, but they lead a more pampered life. The paint is really nice. The leather – from the hides of cows with no stress in their lives. And the ride is more Cadillac, less leaf-springy. This kind of truck is for Saturday night.

I suppose if you’re a burger-chewin’, ‘Murica-lovin, beer-drinkin’ pickup bro, it’s easy to overlook any pickup that has “EV” on the side. But look closer, beer bro. This Denali has 754 horsepower. Air Ride adaptive suspension. The bed is Rhino-lined. Are those 24-inch wheels?

Come on…aren’t you just the least bit curious?

Performance Score: 8. Breaking the laws (of physics)

This Denali must also compete with the Chevy Silverado RST (identical), and GMC’s own Hummer EV (very much not identical).

But a few cool features like Crab Walk Mode made it here from the Hummer, and it’s hard to deny the power.

Battery

Without the personality of a real engine, manufacturers have to rely on gimmicks, and GMC cooked up a good one. Hold that thought.

With about 400-ish horsepower in normal mode (GMC doesn’t specify), the Denali is more than capable of taking you, your wife, your kids, and your entire house for a smooth ride. As always, it’s fun to tap the accelerator with your foot and induce that roller coaster sensation. But yea, with a curb weight of 8,800 pounds, it’s not nose-bleed fast according to the stop watch. A Hummer EV will fly by it. Gotta love that squat and dive too – feels like you’re about to take off as the nose aims at the sky, and that’s all you pretty much see.

However, dig through the menu and you’ll find a picture of a hammer. Here comes that gimmick. Press that hammer icon to engage “Max Power Mode” – it’s not labeled as such, it’s just a picture of a hammer. You’ve now unlocked 754 horsepower and 785 lb-ft of torque for launch control and general debauchery.

Hammer time. Drop the hammer. Thor’s hammer. Lewis Hamiltion? Whatever – it’s fun.

Lastly – sound. You can choose to leave the Star Wars-inspired warp speed sounds on high, low, or totally off (unless in Hammer mode). Because the car is so quiet, it’s shocking just how loud the fake sounds are at max. Actually, it’s annoying.

Transmission

There is no transmission so to speak, since it’s electric. The column-mounted shifter is a left-over bit though, and this is one instance where it should leave. It blocks the view of the center screen. Just give it up and put a button on the dash for drive and reverse.

Even the stalk’s motion – in and then up or down, takes some getting used to.

Chassis and steering

The benefits of electric continue, as do the detriments.

First, the steering is shockingly direct and precise for such a monster. It’s also heavy, which is appropriate in a way because the car is heavy, but there’s a good chance you’ll need to do a lot of maneuvering in parking lots. Time to build those biceps, especially if the steering is in “sport”. But with the Crab Walk feature and rear-wheel steering, getting the big GMC where you want it to go is kind of fun.

Turn the wheel that way, you dummy.

Because batteries are installed on the floor, the weight is obvious but well-balanced. This Edition 1 gets a standard air suspension that lowers to help you step out, and makes the ride exceedingly comfortable when you’re in it. No, you won’t be taking this Denali to the local Gymkhana, but its remarkably composed. Peep those 24-inch wheels too – I don’t feel any penalty from them – no clomping over bumps.

Chevy’s Silverado RST is the same truck as this GMC, with no tuning differences in the suspension. So even though that’s “Rally Sport Truck”, the GMC is just as capable.

About the only criticism I can level at this thing is squat and dive. It’s fine when you’re getting off the line, but if you smash the gas to pass someone on the highway, the steering becomes uncomfortably light as the weight leaves the important wheels. It’s uncomfortable, especially when it’s HAMMER time. Er, mode.

Parachute pants optional.

Brakes

I kind of forced myself to leave regenerative braking on its most aggressive setting for the week I had this car, and it’s one of my favorite bits of electric driving once you adjust to it. You really hardly ever touch the brake pedal. The sensation is very similar to the Hummer’s.

In reality, that level of regen is a bit much, so try the medium mode for the best of both worlds.

Hauls stuff. Passes stuff. Never punishes you for it being a pickup truck. I’m not really seeing a downside here.

Lifestyle Score: 8. The news is good

First, let me start by saying that, as a package, the 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali is excellent. Same bed size, gigantic back seat (I mean really, you could fit an NBA team back there) – this truck is a utility monster. Pop the hood too – no engine! You could fit an extra tailgate meal for your best friend. Or maybe just put your best friend in there, period. Watch the hood if you’re tall though – that big grille can hit your noggin.

Up front are a pair of big bucket seats that give you the same kind of feel your boyfriend’s sweat pants do. Roomy, soft, supportive in just the right places. Eating a big dinner and driving home won’t be a concern.

The Sierra EV can tow up to 10,000 pounds, and that sounds pretty good. But then you remember that this is a truck with 785 lb-ft of torque, so it should tow more than that. There’s also the question of just how far it can tow said weight. That’s still enough for jet skies and even a race car and trailer, so as long as you live close to the water or a race track, the Sierra is a good choice.

Also note the full plethora of towing aides – an integrated trailer brake controller, hitch-view camera, trailer tire pressure sensors, trailer camera and blind-spot compatibility. If you crash this while trying to hook it up, my friend, you are the problem.

Fuel Economy: NA.

I still don’t know what to do for these electric things.

The EPA says that you can get up to 62 MPGe with this pickup truck, and a range of up to 440 miles. In my time with it, that E gauge was dropping faster than your IQ after doom scrolling for an hour.

There’s also (still) the issue of charging. You must install a fast charger in your home, because using a regular outlet will give you nothing more than three or four percent overnight. There are not public enough chargers near me, and I doubt there ever will be.

However you choose to recharge the Sierra, as long as it’s convenient for you, it works.

Features and Comfort: 7. You can’t have it

My info, that is. Car companies are so desperate for it – they sell it to data companies and make a pretty penny. But because Apple won’t let said car makers collect the data when using CarPlay, some have now omitted it from their infotainment suite.

The 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali is one of them, and I am mad.

Edition 1

Last year when GMC released this truck, they did so with one trim level, the Edition 1. It’s fully loaded, but for 2025, GMC has killed it and replaced it with more typical trims, such as the off-road AT4 and Max Range. No doubt, you’ll still be able to get your Sierra with all the goodies.

There’s everything from wireless phone charging to a Bose stereo. And it is nice inside this cabin. Like, Cadillac nice. The leather is buttery soft, and the wood looks like it came out of some of California’s Redwood forest. Everything you touch is high quality. Shout out to seat heat that will literally toast your buns off. Hell yea.

If there’s a wiff of GM plastic, it remains only in the lower dash and doors which you’re going to get that dirty anyway.

Even the screens themselves are beautiful. Too bad though – I can’t see the dashboard because the steering wheel is always blocking a part of it. So small too, especially for such a big truck. Looks like it has a little beanie hat on the football field of a dash.

Even though there is no CarPlay, you can have Waze and Spotify. You just need to sign in and give GM access to…you. Look – my phone has my life on it, now I need my life in my car too? Big dislike. No heart emoji here.

But man, is it nice in here.

Mean, not Green

Chevy’s Silverado EV looks different from its bulldog-inspired petrol brothers (and better, I believe), but GMC chose to blend the Sierra EV into its pickup landscape.

It does get a unique face and smoothed-over grille, but unless you’re a Sierra groupie it’ll be hard to notice. The side profile includes sail panels connecting the bed, giving a sleeker look. There’s also those 24-inch diamond cut wheels that look spectacular and give the Sierra what the kids call “baller status”.

The bed includes a spray-on liner (nothing like a spray-on tan), assist steps in the rear door, and a tonneau cover that you probably want because it’ll prevent that gaping hole from cutting into your efficiency.

Otherwise, no special badging or other bits to hint at the green status you’ve achieved, because we don’t want the boss showing up to a job site and hearing the snickers from others.

Other pickup trucks to consider

• GMC Hummer EV
• GMC Sierra 2500 ATX
• Ram TRX
• Rivian R1

The 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali is the first real EV pickup truck

The Hummer that’s sitting next to this truck in the showroom? It’s awesome, fun – a caricature you can drive every day. But it’s not a practical thing, and pickups should be.

How about the Tesla Cybertruck? By now, you must have seen the rust issues, the getting-stuck-everywhere issues, the price and depreciation and impractical issues. That’s not a real pickup either.

But this Sierra is. It works off-road. It’s extremely comfortable and composed on-road. There’s good range (as long as you can charge it), and it’s as fast as you need a 9,000-pound mini aircraft carrier to be. Hell, it’ll even tow your small boats and race cars. I think GM did well here.

Electric cars, and by extension pickups, won’t really become mainstream until they can do all the tough jobs as well as the easy ones, and this Sierra is a good step in that direction. For those not looking to make a statement, the Sierra is the one to get.

Here comes the boss.