A Truck with Everything You Need. It Even Drives Itself.
Specialty luxury trucks have been dominating the full-size pickup space, with GMC placed at the center of the room since the very first Denali debuted way back in 2001. If you can’t fathom owning an upscale vehicle which can’t even tow a boat, get in line. It’s a bit mind-boggling what we’re willing to spend on opulence dressed as utility, and with functional designs like the new 2022 Sierra Denali Ultimate – GMC’s most luxurious model ever produced – money is practically jumping out of our pockets.
So why is that?
The 2022 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate is the future of trucks in many ways. While it is not as off-road capable as other trucks on the market, the Denali Ultimate presents itself as a serious challenger as the best truck on the market for everyday use.
GMC says Denali models make up about 20 percent of all Sierra 1500 sales and anticipate this new Ultimate will add roughly another 10 percent to that mix for Crew Cab models. To think about it in dollar signs, about 30 percent of all GMC Sierra 1500 Crew Cabs will soon have a staggering sticker price north of $65,000.
But the Ultimate isn’t just plush leather seats and pretty details. It’s also tech-forward. This is the first pickup truck to offer GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driving assistance, even while towing. Yep, you can tow a trailer on the highway with your hands off the wheel! Add all of that to a premium interior featuring the topographical maps of the Denali Mountain range, and more, the Denali Ultimate is hard to beat.
2022 Sierra Denali Ultimate Specifications:
- Base price:
- EcoTec V8: $82,795
- 3.0 Duramax Turbo-Diesel: $81,690
- Powertrain and performance:
- 6.2-liter gasoline V8 | 10-speed automatic | four-wheel drive | 420 hp @ 5,600 rpm | 460 lb-ft @ 4,100 rpm
- 3.0-liter diesel I6 | 10-speed automatic | four-wheel drive | 277 hp @ 3,750 rpm | 460 lb-ft @ 1,500 rpm
- Seating capacity: 5
- Dimensions 4×4 Crew Cab (length | width | height): 231.9 inches | 81.2 inches | 75.5 inches
- Curb weight: 5,640 pounds (4×4 Crew Cab)
- EPA fuel economy:
- V8: 16 mpg city | 20 highway
- Diesel: 23 mpg city | 30 highway
On the outside, GMC keeps the exterior of the Sierra Denali Ultimate demurely classy. Yes, this is a premium truck, but the look isn’t flashy. GMC went with a sharp but clean dark trim route. There’s only two modest fender badges; one for the Ultimate trim as well as another for the engine on-board. The entire Sierra lineup receives a subtle exterior update for 2022 too, including new grill designs and reworked headlamps.
The Ultimate has its own grille dressed in what the company calls Vader Chrome—and it’s sweet-looking with the same color treatment extending to the trim. The dark 22-inch wheels with machined accents are quite handsome. As one might imagine, power side steps are standard here even though this truck isn’t particularly tall. As the Ultimate is an all-in model, GMC included just about every gadget in GMC’s toolbox. This rig receives the CarbonPro composite bed, the six-way folding MultiPro tailgate, and the built-in Kicker sound system. Also, because it comes standard with Super Cruise; GMC redesigned the Ultimate’s rear bumper to incorporate necessary short and long-range radar hardware.
Inside the cabin is a significant makeover including a new 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and a 13.4-inch center touchscreen. The gauge cluster is highly configurable with the updated infotainment system now supporting Google’s app store, maps, and voice assistant. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard with the big touchscreen as well – a huge heads-up display is also available. Models with front bucket seats feature a T-shaped electronic shifter and newly designed center console. Those with a front bench seat have a column-mounted shifter. Additionally, upper trims now come standard with a power-adjustable steering column.
Standard under the hood is GM’s stalwart 420-hp 6.2-liter V8, while last year’s 4.3-liter V-6 has been dropped. With 420-horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque, the V8 is properly robust for a vehicle of this size and weight. Having driven quite a few vehicles with this same engine, I can assure you, it never feels underpowered.
Thrust from the 6.2-liter V8 is impressive. This is one very quick truck pulling hard in any gear. You can easily break the rear tires loose at a stop, plus it sounds great too. The tuning of the transmission is spot-on, and clicking the drive mode selector over to Sport makes the powertrain feel even perkier. Braking is strong and responsive with a firm pedal – a welcome trait, but not typical of most pickups.
Additionally a Duramax diesel 3.0-liter inline-six is also available. Thanks to chassis alterations, the Duramax diesel is now compatible with the Max Trailering package, allowing it to tow up to 13,200 pounds. Previously, diesel-powered Sierras could only pull up to 9200 pounds.
Elsewhere in the Sierra lineup, the 5.3-liter V8 and 2.7-liter turbocharged I4 engines are also available. GMC says the 2.7-liter turbo-four has been updated to be more refined and make more torque (430 pound-feet versus 383). To top it off, its eight-speed automatic has been recalibrated to be more responsive.
Let’s talk about Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free-driving tech, because that is what sets this truck apart from all other trucks when it comes to towing.
Now, you can travel hands-free on more than 200,000 miles, and counting, of compatible roads in the U.S. and Canada with the available enhanced version of Super Cruise. In addition to driving hands-free, this first-in-class advanced feature performs automatic hands-free lane changes to maintain your set speed and allows you to pull a trailer hands-free.
The driver attention system uses a small camera located on the top of the steering column and works with infrared lights to determine where the driver is looking when Super Cruise is in operation. If the system detects the driver has turned their gaze away from the road ahead for too long, the steering wheel light bar will prompt the driver to return their attention to the road.
While it’s admittedly hard to feel comfortable with your hands off the wheel, I found confidence in it within a few dozen miles of letting it take over. Once a cruising speed is set, Super Cruise can be engaged through the steering wheel and the guidance system holds both truck and the trailer in the middle of the lane perfectly. Engage the system and relax a little more as the truck does the work for you on a drive out to the dunes or a race weekend.
At a time when towing is on the rise due to the extreme growth in the market, the 2022 GMC Sierra Ultimate also offers several new available features to build on the trucks’ strong suite of customer-focused trailering technologies.
“Trailering is essential for pickup truck customers. More than half of our Sierra customers use their trucks to primarily tow equipment for outdoor adventures,” said GMC Marketing Director Rich Latek. “We continually listen to customer feedback, which tells us they want class-leading safety, technology and comfort to tow what they need, whether it’s a boat, an RV or a trailer hauling off-road toys.”
New or enhanced trailering tech available on 2021 GMC Sierra light-duty and heavy-duty models includes:
Trailer Length Indicator: When enabled and driving forward with the turn signal activated, the center console screen displays a red overlay twice the length of the compatible trailer and shows when other vehicles are present and may interfere with a lane-change maneuver.
Jack-Knife Alert: Jack-Knife Alert tracks the position of the compatible trailer in relation to the vehicle. If the front of the trailer approaches the rear of the vehicle, an alert is displayed when there may be a potential jack-knife situation.
Rear Trailer View now features guidelines and Trailer-Angle Indicator: Rear Trailer View has been enhanced to include guidelines that assist when backing a trailer into place and a Trailer-Angle Indicator to show the relationship between the truck and compatible trailer. Rear Trailer View requires the customer-installed available GM auxiliary accessory camera.
Rear Side View enhancement: When driving forward on the previous model year GMC Sierras, Rear Side View provides a split view of the left and right sides of the truck and compatible trailer that is automatically biased based on the trailer’s angle. Now, GMC Sierra, drivers will have access to this view while driving in reverse, making it easier to see surrounding vehicles and objects while positioning a trailer.
Cargo Bed View enhancement: New Cargo Bed Zoom View and Bed Hitch Guidance are now available, which can be helpful for aligning and hooking up a gooseneck/fifth-wheel trailer.
The 2022 Sierra 1500 is expected to reach dealerships in the first quarter of this year. Entry-level Sierra Pro models will start at $32,495 and the Denali Ultimate commands $80,395–$19,100 more than the regular Denali.
The Ultimate delivers quite a lot of equipment and technology in a package that’s really great to drive. It’s priced right on top of a Ford F-150 Limited with the optional hybrid powertrain. At the same time, a Ram 1500 Limited comes in about $10,000 cheaper.
I like the Ultimate’s interior, Super Cruise and that dark chrome trim, but you can get quite a bit of that same equipment (including Super Cruise) by loading up a Denali with options and saving a few thousand dollars in the process. But for those that want the top dog GMC – and a little help from the machines when it comes to highway cruising and towing – the Ultimate won’t disappoint.