Tested: 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 4WD Crew Cab Denali Ultimate

Big pickup trucks are a blessing to both look at and drive, but the 2023 Denali takes it a step further in power, looks and driving pleasure. If you work from home, you may be tempted to just take your laptop in the truck and do your thing in this plush steel sanctuary.

Be prepared to pay for the pleasure, though – our tester topped out at $82,220, though prices start at under 40K for the base model. There are a total of eight trims for the Sierra and you can choose between a single-cab, double-cab, or four-door crew cab (my tester) with beds ranging from 5.8 to 8.2 feet.

Body

It’s got a ferocious-looking galvanized grill with two mighty recovery hooks up front, power running boards which will impress your passengers and steel bumpers that look like they could move a rhinoceros if necessary. It’s also got a winch, additional skid plates, and beefier tires. It’s hunky, intimidating and gorgeous.

Inside

It’s upscale all the way, with full-grain leather seats, a premium microsuede headliner, 16-way power front massage seats, power sunroof and so much more. You’ll need the manual to explain the many controls and you may not even get to them all, but you’ll have fun investigating and experimenting. If you have little ones, they will, too.

The tech is all up-to-date including 40″ diagonal of combined driver-focused digital displays. The sound system, which in my case was a 12-Speaker Bose^®†Premium Series with Centerpoint^® Surround Sound, is nice and punchy and crispy. Multiple camera views and a 360-degree overview camera make it easy to see what you’re doing when parking or maneuvering. It’s especially a blessing when you’re by yourself – you don’t have to get out to see if your big boy is between the lines.

Entering and exiting isn’t far from climbing in and out of a tree. But once you’re inside and survey your surroundings, you’ll see that its tall ride height adds to its overall mighty-mighty pleasure. Power adjustable pedals (optional) are a blessing for the vertically challenged, as are the seat adjustments. And if you inhabit an extra large body, there’s room, too.

Also, unlike some rigs where the captain and passenger get all the extras, the love is shared – there were 120-volt outlets, USB ports, cigarette lighter outlets with juice enough to power any electronic device you might wish to charge both in front and back.

Engine

A Standard 6.2L V8 Gas Engine is available or our tester, the Enhanced 3.0L Duramax Turbo-Diesel Engine. It’s a rumbly, satisfying sensation to listen and to drive and the mileage, for a beastly V-8 truck, is actually not that bad at 24 MPG city/highway combined. The 10-speed automatic transmission was pleasingly smooth and unobtrusive.

The drive

You feel the Denali’s might the moment you step on the accelerator – in fact, you can get from zero to 60 MPH in around 5.4 seconds. The gears move quickly and the brakes are nicely balanced at speed. At slower speeds, it was hard at first to know where the “grab” point was in the brakes – the response isn’t the absolute best. After a few trips, though, you’ll get the hang and pretty soon it’ll be second nature.

Cornering was satisfactory for a truck this big – you’re not going to blast around mountains. It’s more about the might than the velocity, and rightly so. I did not take the Denali off road but there’s no doubt that it’s ready when the time comes. In rock crawling mode, for instance, you won’t have to do anything – the truck does it all for you.

Safety

Its safety rating, according to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, is relatively safe, but not perfect. Its child seats, for example, got a “marginal” rating, the lowest.

Aside from that, there isn’t much wrong and a whole lot right with the ‘23 Denali. If you’ve got the coin, go kick its tires.