For what seems like an eternity, General Motors has offered two full-size pickup trucks. One wore the Chevy bow tie, while the other sported three big red letters. For perpetuity, the two trucks have been pretty much the same vehicle — classic examples of badge-engineering, with an occasional variation in options sprinkled in between. Yet even with more similarities than differences, consumers still prefer the Chevy over the GMC, or vice versa.
So now we’re asking you about your preference: which full size truck from GM do you prefer — the Chevy Silverado or the GMC Sierra — and why? Vote in the poll and then sound off in the comments, below:
Comments
I like Silverado but look of GMC.
GM continually wastes big bucks in producing/selling identical or near identical products with different name plates….Ford sells Ford pickups , Dodge sells Dodge , Mazda sells Mazda , Toyota sells Toyota . Time to can the old guard at the top and get some young smart people , or offer some big bucks to Ford’s CEO , would be a good start .
It’s not a waste of money if a GMC Sierra can rake in 5K to 8K more over a comparible Chevy. A dollar is a dollar and GM isn’t going to throw one away becasue each dollar pays for the platform’s eventual replacement.
It would be a HUGE waste of money if GM were to give GMC and Chev their own pickup platforms. Why spend 6 billion for two seperate platforms for two brands when you can spend 3 billion on one?
I’m no economist, consumer demographer, or market stratigist, but I do know that it costs many billions to engineer a vehicle platform, irrespective of who the automaker is. Some of that cost comes from making several vehicles from the same platform, but with different and non-interchangeable parts.
It’s a universal fact of life in the global auto industry. That’s pretty much how the Silverado / Sierra roll, as do the following:
Pathfinder / JX
Civic / ILX
Fusion / MKZ
Golf / A3
Matrix / CT
and many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many more.
Awesome post. Why does GMC exist? (and Pontiac was killed!) I don’t think the GMC brand “commands” any premium over a Chevy- you could do that with a trim level (Eddie Bauer, Laramie, King Ranch, etc.). Part of brand differentiation is product uniqueness- 90% cannot tell them apart. This “strategy” has also kept GM from being the number 1 truck seller- even though they usually sell more than Ford- how is this smart?
USAYJIM have you not been following the development of the next generation trucks? If not, a quick summary is that they will be quite different and will speak to entirely different market segments.
So another option besides the ones you provided is to truly make GMC something different and it seems to be what will happen next year with the trucks.
Sierra 1500 crew cab w/ 4×4 Z71 pack. Put on a tri-fold hard tonneu and rhino lined box.
Rather have an Escalade EXT though
@ Usayjim there is no waste of money having a Chevy and GMC. GMC sells for a higher price. And you can sell a suburban for $80,000 if you call it an Escalade.
Voted Chevy cos my best buddy sells them.
USAYJIM Have you noticed Dodge no longer sells pick ups. But Ram does.
Like the look of the GMC. Would like to see a SPORT model. Short bed regular cab lowered a couple inches. Maybe the 4.8. Guess the manual trans are gone forever?
i dont like the chevy front grill…the best grill is the gm 3/4 tone
I think the GMC grille is better executed. The Chevy looks like an old shoe. Hate seeing it. And this is from a person who doesn’t think GMC should be around.
some of these numbers are 100% fantasy. as a commercial fleet manager for GM dealers for over 30 years…. 1. at 1 time GMC actually was the more HD of the two. 2. now they are price exactly the same, base price to base price (for like the past 10+ years). heavy package content like the Denali increases the $$$$ spread. 3. beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, because of the more aggressive performance- professional look of the GMC it does have a higher resale value and obviously has a “higher presence” sitting next to the same year – same color-exact same content Chevrolet. 4. I never had any problem selling the exact same priced GMC over a Chevy in any commercial bids. 5. if you want to be just a little bit different get the GMC, if not buy something else and blend right in. (it’s the grill). before anyone jumps my writing please re-read first. 6. the next generation will see more separation as GMC will add even more content, as in more options, but the base trucks are still scheduled to still have the same base price. 7. now to really beat the ford trucks in sales add GMC & Chevrolet together and there it is ! OR kill the Silverado name and make the whole truck division GMC or GMT (but retain 100% of the GMC’s good strong Professional Grade looks!! can the Chevy looks ) and knock everybody elses’ truck sales on their ass worldwide.
Sierra hands down. Here’s why:
1. Better looks
2. Better reputation, GMC is the tough truck brand, Chevy once sold the aveo 🙂
3. Better resale value
4. I like to not drive a car that everyone has
Asinine comments:
1. Subjective.
2. Since the Silverado and Sierra share the same platform, engines, transmissions, etc., they are same tougness.
3. Bull hockey, Sierras don’t have better resale value than a Silverado.
4. Sierras are not that rare.
After 7 chevy pickups, I spent a couple hundred dollars more for
what I think is a better looking truck (& no oversize gold bowtie
which I hate) on my 2010 GMC, & never regretted it.
Lets get smart…the cost of designing,building, stocking of parts for what are almost identical trucks/GM vehicles is insane . Carry one name plate and use the freed billions to react to the marketplace quicklyly with improvements to the reliability , technology and upgrades to the interior appointments . GM’s reliability andupgrades of its trucks has lagged behind Ford and Ram .
Also , note that the best selling car in the USA is the Toyota Camry….the wife bought one new in 2003…the quality is outstanding , the motor , a 2.5 liter 4 cyl. is very quiet, never seen any repairs , just regular maintenance . They haven’t changed much of the exterior since 2003 and keep building on the reliability and interior improvements . The look of the 2003 is as good as anything out there since . Getting back to a great company reacting quickly to the marketplace , Camero ZL1 came out to great fanfare with the biggest and best high performance….what happened next was amazing , Ford brought out within months a Mustang that blew the socks off the newest baddest Camero . How is that for stealing the competitor’s edge , can you see GM reacting that quickly . Impossible , they just keep throwing more models at the wall to see what sticks . Look at us , they say, we’ve got the mostest…only to get hammered by Toyota with the Camry and the Corolla , and by Honda Civic and Accord ….GM wake up call for the old senior managers….time for your little liver pills , whateverr !
“Let’s get smart”?.. The smartest thing to do is ignore anything you said. Sorry.
The cost of building identical trucks is so small it doesnt even matter. Take for example the CTS-V wagon, GM said they did it because they could, not to get sales and makes big $$$.. There had to sell something like six (6) to break even on development costs. And really? Billions. Billions! To develop a new reiteration of a long-standing model that has a twin? Do you know how much a billion dollars is?
And most importantly, GMC has a loyal consumer base, as does Chevy. You drop the Sierra and all those 120000 people who bought Sierras in 2011 arent going to make the transition over to Chevy.
Best selling car in the USA is Camry, sure. Best selling vehicle.. well thats a different story. The best selling vehicle in 2011 was the F-series with 520000 sales. Guess what was second? Nope not the Camry, the Silverado with 415000 sales. Then in third is the Camry with a not even close sales number of 308000. Tack on the Sierra with the Silverado and you have 535000 truck sales at GM alone.
Quality is amazing on Toyota back then sure. But everyone else, including and surprisingly quickly, the Koreans. But it is boring. Boring. Boring. There is a reason people refer to Toyotas and Hondas as appliances. Beige Appliances. Even the Toyota USA head has said the cars are boring. Toyota has changed the exterior a bit, but they never do anything revolutionary and drastic, because they arent exciting enough. But slot youre 2003 next to any 2013 entry level mid size sedan and tell me the styling inside and out is on par 10 years later. You cant.
Yes the ZL1 came out a couple months before the GT500, but it’s not like Ford went and quickly developed the GT500, or realized the ZL1 had 580hp so they over night up the GT500 to 650hp. It has been in development since last years GT500. And I can see you are a facts on paper kind of guy. On paper the Camry is the best car it’s reliable and good on gas. In the real world it’s boring as f*** and numb to drive. Now, on paper if you just look at the power-torque-weight of both the GT500 and ZL1, it’s easy to assume the GT500 “..Ford brought out within months a Mustang that blew the socks off the newest baddest Camero”… (and it’s CamAro, btw. But guess what, even with all that power, the Camaro is better in every way except in a drag race.. Watch or read any review comparing them. The Camaro is faster on the track, and a better daily driver.
The same can be said when comparing the 1LE Camaro next to the Boss Mustang.
You have it backward, Chevy stole Ford’s edge with the ZL1. Ford built a car with 650hp, how pissed do you think they were that Chevy brought a car to the table with 70hp less and it cleans up.
When you look at the Accord’s sales, and the Corolla’s sales. The Cruze is only a few thousand annual american sales behind. And the Cruze is in it’s first generation cycle. The name plate doesn’t have the same presence in the market like those other two.
Also, that has nothing to do with be a GM fan-boy on a GM community. That’s just the facts as they are.
As an FYI the Cruze was closer in sales numbers with the “Best selling CAR in America”, the Camry, than the Camry was to the Silverado, let alone the best selling vehicle, the F-Series.
Food for thought.
Right on Andrew! You said everything I was about to say… Looks like USAJYM has some research to do.
FOLLOW-UP; usayjim; your kidding right ? We live in the country, got some dirt and a couple of horses etc. Out here there are no toyota tundras at all. When we go to the area community county fairs and the 4H events there are no toyota tundras. The only trucks you see with horse trailers are real AMERICAN trucks, GMC, CHEVY, FORD, DODGE. Although I will be honest here, last year we saw a tundra with a 2 horse trailer behind it and it was literally dragging the rear bumper. Everyone pointed and laughed. There is only 1 Japanese company that makes a fantastic vehicle. The Subaru Legacy/Outback series 3.6R made right here in Indiana. Have a great weekend everybody ! ! Goin horse back ridin in our pasture with my hottie & a cold beer ! !
On the technical front, both Silverado, and Sierra are almost the same, delivering identical performance stats.
Here in a province with the biggest market for trucks , with ranching and a huge oil field servicing and exploration industry , the Ford 250,350 are the top sellers . These are completely different from the Ford 150 . Different platforms , looks and the 250’s , 350’s have higher and more rugged suspensions … drivers sit higher , more commanding view of the terrain , owners think they cope better with rougher road and off-road conditions . Importantly , it sets them apart as the robust true working man’s vehicle . GMC trucks need to make a similar statement asap ! Now they are only minor variation of the same platform with different grill and dressed up interiors . Look at Chevy and GM 1/2 , 3/4 tons from the side , back and interior , also stance on the road….to me they are identical . It saves GM bucks having one platform but it is costing them big time in the working truck industry !