|
GMC Sierra full-size pickup truck recast in classy new style
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
|
FISH CAMP, Calif. -- On a long and flat taxiway at Fresno's airport, drivers of three full-size pickup trucks arranged side-by-side rev V8 engines as we await a starter's signal to begin the zero-eighty-zero test.
When the green light flashes, each truck should rip from standing start to a speedometer mark of 80 miles an hour, at which point an on-board buzzer signals driver to stomp the brake pedal and arrest the speeding hulk as quickly as possible. The truck consuming the shortest distance from start to stop wins this test.
Then we're off and the big truck by each of America's three automakers leaps off the line. For an instant we're even, but then the torque of a new V8 by GMC flexes muscle to move the revamped Sierra slightly ahead.
Hurling down the pavement, speed builds quickly -- sixty, seventy, then to eighty, when the buzzer rings.
Brake, brake, brake hard, and with nose down the truck stops surprisingly fast, as standard anti-lock controls selectively distribute brake pressure to each wheel and maintain a straight-line track to the stopping point.
That's when the two flanking trucks fly past with brake lights blazing.
In the end, multiple truck lengths separate the three testers, but this pickup truck from GMC clearly demonstrated it can out-gun and out-stop its rivals.
Why bother with such a trial?
It shows in graphic fashion not only the strength from one of several engines for Sierra, but arresting forces from new disc brakes working with new suspension and handling mechanisms to maintain a high degree of control.
Sierra in this new style for 1999 also looks curvy and classy and good -- it's the first full remake of the big GMC truck in 11 years.
For the new version, designers virtually started over with a fresh palette.
The structure is new, the sheetmetal is more shapely and aerodynamically efficient, the truck's back bed and two cabin configurations have been radically revised, and there are the new engines with more power to motivate Sierra.
And while both Chevrolet and GMC brands share the essential structure and engines and mechanical components for the General Motors truck, for the first time the GMC edition looks and feels different to establish a unique character and upscale style.
Concepts for the design are simple: Make Sierra bigger than the rival trucks with more powerful engines and more comfortable cabins, but wrap the package in sheetmetal styled as classy but essentially conservative.
Sierra still looks unmistakably like a work-duty truck, however, with the powerful front-end dominated by bold black grille and wraparound composite headlamps. A flashy chrome bumper underscores the prow, flanked by bulging front fenders and a shapely multi-tiered hood which rises to meet the new rake of a windshield.
In back, truck beds measure bigger than before, for either Wideside or Sportside body styles. These redesigned boxes can accommodate multiple arrangements of cargo loads, too, with built-in slots and ledges on side panels to insert dividers to section the space or stack loads in tiers.
The passenger cabin, as either regular size or an extended version with rear space for riders or gear, shows noteworthy improvements in function and comfort and room.
Standard seating for Regular Cab uses a bench for three that splits in proportions of 40/20/40 for flexibility. Bucket seats are also available.
On the extended cab, bench or buckets stand in front of a back bench with wide bottom cushion and padded back tilted for comfort. Seat-mounted seatbelts show up in the back seat, and a third door on the left provides easy entry.
The new cabin design provides generous space for heads and legs and shoulders -- you don't feel confined or cramped, even if shunted to that spare bench in back.
New instruments include analog gauges with speedometer and tachometer visible through the steering wheel, and a LCD display reveals messages for engine management.
Structure for Sierra begins with an innovative 3-piece modular frame with hydroformed front frame section which aids in assembly and repair as well as reduces vibrations and squeaks due to the good fit of suspension elements.
Front and rear track widths were expanded to form a broad and stable platform. Interestingly, cabin floor height drops by an inch for easy step-in by riders yet the chassis maintains a generous ground clearance of 10 inches.
Suspension system is conventional, independent front with coil springs on rear-drive editions and a torsion bar for the 4-wheel-drive version, and a 2-stage multi-leaf spring arrangement in back. As an option, the switchable ZX3 suspension lets driver select either soft ride or a firm setting for towing or hauling loads.
In the power department, Sierra presents five engine options, including a thrifty six, three powerful V8s or a turbo-diesel workhorse.
The 4.3-liter V6, GM's Vortec plant carried over from the previous Sierra, produces 200 horsepower and goes with either 4x2 or 4x4 system using a manual 5-speed or automatic 4-speed transmission. It's standard on Sierra regular cab.
The three Vortec V8s, smaller in size but more powerful than previous V8s by GM, begin with a 4.8-liter plant pumping 255 hp. This engine appears standard for Sierra 1500 extended cab and as an option for the regular cab.
A V8 at 5.3 liters with 270 hp rating mates only with an automatic shifter. It's optional for all 1500 series Sierras but standard on 2500 series with 7200-lb GVW.
Largest V8 -- a 6.0 liter whopper at 300 hp -- is optional for 2500 series with 7200-lb GVW but standard on heavy-duty 8600-lb GVW 2500.
Also, a turbo-diesel 6.5-liter V8 hits 215 hp with massive torque for serious tow duty on 2500 trucks.
New automatic transmissions apply to these engines, and with the optional trailer-pulling package a push-button on the shift lever expands time between gear shifts and quickens the sequence to assist in pulling a loaded trailer.
For off-road work, the 4x4 system has an optional automatic transfer case shifter called AutoTrac which distributes power to wheels with better traction.
1999 GMC SIERRA TRUCK
|
| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1999 GMC SIERRA Specs |
| Description: |
Full-size pickup truck |
| Model Options: |
Full-size pickup truck |
| Wheelbase: |
119.0 inches
133.0 inches
143.5 inches
157.5 inches |
| Overall Length: |
203.0 inches
221.9 inches
227.5 inches
246.4 inches
|
| Engine Size: |
OHV 4.3-L V6
OHV 4.8-L V8
OHV 5.3-L V8
OHV 6.0-L V8
OHV 6.5-L V8 TD
|
| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Rear, 4x4 |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
4.3 V6: 17/22 mpg
4.8 V8: 16/20 mpg
5.3 V8: 15/20 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 16,000 to $ 30,000 |
|
|
