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2016 GMC Pickup Trucks, Medium, Large and Extra Large By Larry Nutson


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2016 GMC Pickup Trucks - Medium, Large and Extra Large

By Larry Nutson
Senior Editor and Bureau Chief
Chicago Bureau
The Auto Channel

GMC has pickup trucks of nearly all sizes…the new midsize Canyon, the full-size Sierra, and the heavy duty Sierra HD 2500 and 3500.

A few years back when things weren’t going so swell some auto industry pundits were critical of General Motors for keeping the GMC brand. It turns out that keeping GMC around was the right decision.

On a recent pre-Christmas Chicago visit to the Midwest Automotive Media Association Stu Pierce, the Sierra Marketing Manager, Kenn Bakowski, the Canyon Marketing Manager and Tom Dye of the Sierrra HD Engineering team along with Brian Goebel from GMC Communications briefed us on the latest.

GMC sales are up over 10 percent and now GMC is ranked as one of the top ten brands. Customers buy GMC vehicles for their unique and stylish exterior appearance. The Denali sub-brand is in high demand.


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The stalwart of the GMC truck family, the GMC Sierra gains a new look and new connectivity features for 2016, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The heavy-lifters, the Sierra HD 2500 & 3500 both see enhanced connectivity along with new Active Steering Assist providing greater responsiveness and improved road holding. And, the newest member of the family and the segment’s only premium offering, the GMC Canyon, adds an available 2.8L Duramax Diesel engine to its selection of fuel-efficient, technologically-advanced engines.

GMC Canyon and Sierra are again being recognized among the Top 10 in Kelley Blue Book’s Best Resale Value Awards. It’s the second consecutive year both GMC models have been ranked in the Top 10. Kelley Blue Book 2016 Official Residual Value Guide predicts Canyon and Sierra will retain the highest percentage of their original suggested retail prices over the first five years of ownership.

Earlier this year, Canyon won Cars.com Midsize Pickup Challenge for its segment-leading capabilities and efficiency, including the latest in safety features, cargo-hauling and trailering versatility. Autoweek named Canyon as the “Best of the Best Truck for 2015,” and WardsAuto recognized the Canyon as one of its 10 Best Interiors for 2015, based on criteria including design harmony, ergonomics, materials, driver information, safety and comfort.


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For 2016, the Canyon is offered with a new diesel engine that delivers the segment’s highest EPA-rated fuel economy: 31 mpg highway (two-wheel drive). Pricing is around $3,730 over a comparably equipped V6. Canyon is being bought because it’s the “truck that fits” -- in your garage that is.

Sierra – GMC’s best-selling truck – rolls into 2016 with a fresh appearance and offers new, advanced engineering features designed to complement its crafted interior. There’s new signature LED lighting, LED fog lamps, power locking tailgate, 8-speed automatic transmission and 20-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels. A new first is tri-mode power steps that ease entry as well as loading the front end of the pickup bed.

Sierra 1500’s available 5.3L engine offers the highest Environmental Protection Agency-rated highway fuel economy for a V-8-powered light truck – 23 mpg for 2WD models. The available 6.2L V-8’s 420 horsepower is the highest rating in the segment. New for 2016, Active Steering Assist power steering on some double cab and crew cab models helps make hauling and trailering easier and more confident, with electronic controls that enhance road holding and stability on the highway regardless of whether the truck is loaded.

GMC’s Denali sub-brand makes up a large portion of vehicle sales. Overall, Denali vehicles have accounted for about 25 percent of all GMC retail sales in 2015 and more than 850,000 have been sold since the nameplate was introduced on the 1999 Yukon.

Named for Mount Denali, the highest peak in North America, the Denali brand represents the pinnacle of luxury, design and performance from GMC.

GMC’s top-of-the-line models include the signature Denali chrome grille, premium materials and the latest safety and infotainment technology. Features such as a 10-inch reconfigurable instrument cluster on the Yukon Denali series and Magnetic Ride Control on Sierra Denali are exclusive to their respective vehicle segment.

The luxury-focused Denali models outsell the entire product lines of some of the most aspirational marques, including Land Rover, Jaguar and Porsche, with almost 60 percent of all GMC Yukon/Yukon XL models and more than 45 percent of Sierra HD sold wearing the Denali badge. And coming late in 2016 there will be a new 2017 GMC Canyon Denali.

© 2015 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy

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