American pickup truck redesigns are like presidential elections: They don’t happen often, but when they do, a lot of people’s lives depend on it, so it’s a pretty big deal. So when GM drops not one but two new pickups at once like they did today—a pair of trucks that add up to roughly 400,000 sales per year for General Motors—people pay attention.
Though if we’re being straight with ya, the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado aren’t really two separate trucks. They’re more like one truck wearing two different masks. Apart from different front ends, a few different trim and body pieces elsewhere and some differences in options, the Sierra and the Silverado are pretty much identical—which means you really can’t go wrong. Based on the pictures we’ve seen so far, we actually think the 2014 Sierra looks hotter than the new Silverado, but if your tastes run more towards Chevy blocky than GMC modern, we won’t fault ya.
Both Silverado and Sierra come with a choice of three different motors under the hood—a 4.3 liter V6, a 5.3 liter V8 and a 6.2 liter V8, all hooked up to a six-speed automatic transmission. GM isn’t discussing power outputs for those engines yet, but they do say the motors have been worked on to be more fuel-efficient and more powerful than the old engines. Of course, buyers can choose between two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive models. Tweaks like a revised chassis, improved aerodynamics and better packaging mean the new trucks are quieter and more comfy than the old model—good for the millions of people out there who use these trucks as their daily drivers.
Inside, the Sierra and Silverado have been changed around as well, with alterations designed to make them both easier to use and more modern-looking. There’s a new eight-inch touch screen option for the center console, and a clean looking set of gauges on the IP. All told, the new 2014 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra are light-years ahead of the trucks they replace. We’re sure they’ll find a lot of happy homes out there—and we’re betting we’ll see them at car shows soon enough, too. [Shout out to Chevy and GMC!]
