The Sierra Hybrid is made for Miami drivers

Taken from leftlanenews.com
Review: 2009 GMC Sierra 4×4 Hybrid
07/08/2009, 6:59 PM
By Andrew Ganz
There are plenty of vehicles on the market capable of comfortably hauling five humans and a load of cargo all while towing a Prius, but until General Motors launched its second-generation hybrid pickups, like the GMC Sierra Hybrid, no offering could boast midsize sedan in-town fuel economy with the Prius and trailer unhitched.
Now one can. Well, make that two, since the Sierra and similar Chevrolet Silverado are a classic case of badge engineering gone right – that is, profitable badge engineering.
What is it?
This isn’t actually GM’s first foray into the hybrid pickup market. The previous-generation full-size trucks offered a mild-hybrid option from 2005 to 2007, though if you’ve never seen one, you’re not alone. Unlike that first effort, the latest Sierra – and its Silverado twin – is a full-on hybrid effort, capable of accelerating to more than 20 mph on batteries alone.
Visually almost identical to the mid-level Sierra SLE crew cab, the Hybrid eschews the aero-enhancing trim seen on the similar Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Sierra Hybrids, though it does have some comparatively modest badging. GMC offers the Hybrid in two trim levels with a choice of two or four-wheel-drive, but only one body configuration is offered, a crew cab with a short box. Our four-wheel-drive tester, with its leather seats and navigation, is the most uplevel and priciest offering.
The Silverado is identical other than a revised fascia and different badging.
Rated at 20 mpg both in the city and on the highway, our four-wheel-drive tester’s in-town rating actually bests the Toyota Camry V6 and ties even the most frugal Subaru offered in North America. Oh, and don’t forget the awesome boast that the Sierra Hybrid is actually more efficient to drive around town than last year’s Mini Cooper S convertible with the automatic transmission. And the Sierra does it all using regular grade fuel.
What’s it up against?
Nobody else offers a hybrid pickup in North America, so comparison-shopping fuel misers interested in an open bed and four wheel drive will want to stay at the GMC (or Chevrolet) dealership to find the best-in-class 14/20 city/highway mpg 5.3-liter Sierra (or Silverado). Their new six-speed automatic transmissions mean that they top any other four-wheel-drive offering.

Mosey on down to the Ford dealer and you’ll find an F-150 with the 5.4-liter V8 that averages 14/19, which is still better than the 14/18 from a Hemi-powered Dodge Ram 4×4.
How about Toyota and Nissan? Try 13/17 or 12/17 for a V8 4×4 Tundra or Titan, respectively.
That said, Dodge is preparing a hybrid Ram, though no preliminary figures have been released. If the short-lived Durango Hybrid is anything to go by, expect fuel economy similar to the GM twins.
Any breakthroughs?
The two-mode hybrid system has essentially been pulled from the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, which means you’ll find a 6.0-liter V8 with cylinder shutoff and variable valve timing mated to an electric motor powered by a 300 volt battery mounted beneath the rear seats. A continuously variable transmission helps make the most of the 332 horsepower and 367 lb-ft. of torque, a little more than the 5.3-liter V8 offered on traditional Sierras.
How does it look?
Our subjective opinion rates the Sierra just ahead of the Silverado due to its marginally more buff front fascia. Otherwise, GM took a very conservative approach when it redesigned its full-size offerings for the 2007 model year – and we think it will pay off in the long run. While the Dodge Ram is racier and the Ford F-150 flashier, the Sierra strikes us as a design that will wear better over time.
Our tester’s standard 18-inch chrome alloy wheels fill the large wheel wells nicely and, in our opinion, look more appropriate than the oversized 20-inch blingers we saw on the more hauling-oriented 6.2-liter Silverado LTZ we tested earlier this year.
Aside from the badging, the Hybrid model adds a tonneau cover to the standard SLE, though we were a little surprised to see that the bed-mounted electrical outlets from the previous GM hybrid pickup efforts did not make an appearance on round two.
We still take issue with the chrome wheels and we think that the plastic lip below the front fascia is prone to rubbing when the pavement ends, but overall the Sierra is a solid home-run in the looks department.
And on the inside?
GM took the unique initiative of designing two wholly separate interiors for the then-new 2007 Sierra and Silverado a few years ago. Uplevel Sierra SLT and Denali models gain the wood-toned, Cadillac-esque look shared with the Yukon, while lesser variants, including the Hybrid, get a plainer setup designed to work better with a bench seat.

At nearly $50,000 as tested, we can’t help but think that GM should offer the luxury dashboard on the uplevel 3HB trim package we tested. While functional and generally built of solid, if not premium, materials inside, the look is a little plain in light of more expressive offerings from Dodge and Ford – especially in our tester’s dull “Titanium” shade.
Gauges and basic switchgear are identical to the high-buck models, as are the seats, but a plain center console meets the main dashboard at a knee bolster covered in rock-hard plastic with this design. In addition, the lower doors are molded in a cheap plastic more fitting on a work truck.
The only interior changes for the Hybrid are a battery pack under the rear seat – negating the fold-up storage ability – and an energy flow system monitor built into the navigation display.
GM says that these trucks are aimed at commercial users – but with the full complement of luxo-bits on our tester, we have to wonder what sort of commercial fleet buyer is going to pony up $50,000. To GM, we suggest decontenting the base model and tarting up the high-end one to go after both fleet and personal users.
But does it go?
For the most part, the Sierra Hybrid feels just like the full-size SUVs in terms of its powertrain operation. Though its beefier frame and extended length make it tip the scales at about 5,900 lbs. – around 500 more than the Yukon – the Sierra Hybrid does not seem to give up much performance thanks to a few extra ponies and responsive low-end torque.
In normal driving, acceleration is mostly linear once you get used to the consistent engine speeds under acceleration courtesy of its transmission. Under heavy acceleration, such as freeway merging, the CVT gets a little confused at the upper end of the rev range, occasionally resulting in a momentary lull. It’s a little disconcerting at first, but we got used to quirks endemic to this kind of transmission pretty quickly.
With very light throttle applications – too light to keep cars behind from honking at you – you can accelerate to about 22 mph in EV mode. We’d like to see GM improve this for the next generation hybrid truck to allow for more electric motor use.
The V8 has been treated to GM’s active fuel management, which unobtrusively cuts off power to half of the cylinders for highway cruising. Combined with the hybrid powertrain, we didn’t have much trouble reaching 20 mpg in gentle suburban driving or during highway cruising. Over 20 minutes of traffic snarl cruising, the trip computer showed 27 mpg since the gas engine rarely needed to kick in. More urban stop-and-go driving gave us closer to 17 mpg on average. It’s worth noting that all of this testing was conducted during a summer heat wave where temperatures tickled triple digits during the day.
Generally, the Sierra rode and handled about like its conventional siblings. Only the faintest whine under acceleration and deceleration gave away the different engine and the start-stop function only seemed to give the slightest shudder when the automatic air conditioning was on recirculation mode.
We did find the brakes to be a little too grabby at low speeds due to the energy regeneration system when compared to the non-Hybrid Silverado we drove earlier this year. Although still effective, they were a little difficult to modulate at parking lot speeds, resulting in some squeals of protest from passengers.
We briefly sampled the Sierra Hybrid’s off-road ability by traversing a light trail that featured a handful of off-camber situations. Turn a knob to shift the transfer case into four-wheel low and you can crawl along at a snail’s pace without using any gasoline. With street-oriented tires (identical to those on a standard Sierra SLE), long front overhang and a decidedly road-oriented suspension, our Sierra test vehicle was best left to bouncing across fields or dirt roads, not serious rock crawling.
Why you would buy it:
You want something that can tow a 6,100 lb. decent trailer yet consistently return 20 mpg unladen.
Why you wouldn’t:
You spend most of your time on the highway, where current hybrid technology can’t overcome a pickup’s aerodynamics.
Leftlane’s bottom line
Though on paper the Sierra Hybrid runs about $4,000 more than a similarly equipped SLE, the United States government is currently offering $2,200 in energy tax credits, which substantially offsets the premium. $1,800 might seem like a lot for a 6 mpg improvement in town, but with ever-volatile gas prices, it might not take that long for the Hybrid to pay out.
We saw decent and consistent figures during our week-long evaluation and, it seems to us, that another generation or two of this powertrain and GM might be able to reach the stringent new fuel economy standards recently set forth by the Obama administration – a commendable feat for a rather un-aerodynamic hauler.

2009 GMC Sierra 4×4 Hybrid 3HB base price, $47,675. As tested, $49,645.
Power sunroof, $995; Destination, $975.
Available from Brickell GMC