The current Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 may have just seen a refresh, but they’re riding on old bones in an automotive context. The trucks are currently the oldest full-size pickups on the market today. But, the next-generation of General Motors’ workhorses are on the way, and the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 has been spotted for the first time.
We’ve seen the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado on a couple of occasions, but this is the first time the truck’s GMC cousin has shown its face. Uniquely styled lighting seems to be the giveaway that this is indeed a GMC, rather than the more pedestrian Chevrolet Silverado. Normally, we’d say the GMC was catching rays in Southern California, but weather patterns have pushed out the normally sunny skies for clouds and rain.
Not much is known about the next-generation of pickups, but a ten-speed automatic seems par for the course, as are upgraded powertrains. We may potentially see a V6 diesel find its way into the half-ton trucks, knowing GM is on a diesel kick as of recent and its rivals have the market cornered. As for structure, GM has long secured its share of aluminum to do some serious lightweighting with the 2019 GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado.
Spy shots: Truck Trend
Comments
The latest generation Silverado and Sierra were introduced for 2014. The latest Ram generation was introduced in 2009. How exactly are they the oldest full size trucks on the market?
Not to mention the Tundra has not had a full update since 2007!
Ram changed the grill and plastered RAM on the tailgate, that’s their new model
I am always amazed at how other car manufacturers get away with stuff that GM is not allowed to! People are first to mention vehicles that GM hasn’t refreshed in a while only to gloss over the fact other models have been on the market longer. When people bring up the bailout they always mention GM and very rarely mention dodge even tho GM paid all of the loan back in full.
As for the truck, I don’t care what the truck looks like or runs like. People will still bash it for some reason or other which I just don’t understand. It’s the best truck on the market now and will continue to be in the future!
I really think we are gunna see these earlier than we all think, maybe even before December? If you zoom in on the 3rd break light you can see a camera. I wonder how the interior will improve because its already a great looking truck.
I actually think the interior is the worst of the big three. As a fleet manager for a Chevy store, I hear all the time on how drab the interior is compared to Ford and Ram. Either all black or mostly black with light gray trim or the brown on the High Country. The passenger side is just a plain flat surface and everything is rounded (all corners and transitions). The last truck with as much rounded surfaces was the 1997 – 2003 f150 bubble dash.
Ford and Ram have various textures, inserts on the door front and rear, inserts on the passenger side of the dash and both have multiple trim and seating colorations to choose from. GM’s Mylink is a great infotainment system but I also hear a lot from customers about how the Ram/Ford systems control the HVAC system which more and more people are wanting (personally I like the actual buttons and knows as it’s faster to adjust than going through a touch screen). GM has refused to add push button start and passive entry, still no rear AC vents on the center console, and the headrests in the back are useless for adults and actually cause more injuries since they don’t lift to an adult’s head height (only lift 1-2 inches). Plus with electronic floor shifters now widely used (so no physical linkages required), there is no reason why a GM truck can’t have a floor shift for those of us who like the bucket seats.
GM also lacks a lot of technologies when compared to Ford. No factory trailer camera system (have to install an aftermarket one), no blind size zone alert or rear cross traffic alert, no electronic locker available (G80 isn’t bad, just kicks out at 25 mph), no surround camera, no floor shift, the LED box lights require the driver to unlock and open the door to turn them on/off on the dash instead of having a simple button in the box like the Ford, stupid wax-peeling covered frames instead of e-coating.
GM’s wins: lower step in height and box height with same ground clearance, corner bumper steps, 3″ longer box on short boxes, HID and LED lamps (as others still use halogen bulbs on half their models), OnStar (although others now have phones apps too), and the ride is almost as nice as the RAM and not as truck like as the Ford but has payload of the Ford which beats up on the Ram unless you get the air suspension. The power folding mirrors from the key fob is a nice touch also. G80 (better than limited slip) and active fuel management are both wins too.
It wasn’t bad when it first came out in 2014 but it aged very quickly.
They put a new body onto an old frame and suspension and called it a new truck. Somehow they managed to pick up a bad vibration on random trucks which they still have no true fix for (we have ’17’s with the vibration on the lot).
GM better do their homework on this 2019 model because if they come out with a truck that is only as good as the current RAM or Ford (older by that time), their full size truck sales will continue to slide. People are spending similar money on all three brands but GM provides the least value in features and toys (decent value in powertrain and really good value in usability of box, ease of entry, seating position, etc). That has to change with the 2019.
If they carry over the same old powertrains, forget it. The 5.3L is a dog compared to the 5.0L from Ford as the Ford may only have a little more hp and torque but the GM engines require a screaming rpm before they hit their peak band and Ford engines get it at much lower and usable rpms. The 6.2L is a great engine but they limit it to high trim levels only (stupid). GM should have a turbo V6 to compete with the ecoboosts because people who tow like the instant low end torque and appreciate the turbo when they tow at elevations (mountains) because turbo engines don’t lose hp at a 3% per 1000 ft elevation rate like naturally aspirated engines do. That 5.3L is only a 275hp engine towing through Colorado. The 6.2L is only a 350hp engine in Colorado.
Again, GM better do their homework.
Sounds like you just want all trucks to be exactly the same! I for one enjoy having a choice. If I prefer turbocharged power, Ford. Want half ton diesel, you got RAM and Nissan. The traditionalist may prefer the tried and true OHV V8 GM has to offer. Or you can choose a DOHC V8 in the Ford or Toyota.
Interior and exterior are all a matter of personal opinion. What one person likes, another thinks is hideous.
I work for a large dealership group that sells several brands. Ford and GM are two of those brands. When it comes to E-coat or Wax frames, I can tell you every F150 on our lot has rust at nearly every weld on their frames. GM’s wax coating has gotten better, but is far from perfect.
No truck is perfect. There are things I like and dislike about them all. We as consumers have the power of choice and I rejoice in that. I don’t want to live in a world where all pickups look the same, have the same power-trains, and the only way you can tell them apart is the badge on the grille. Then all we would have to argue about is who has the best looking logo! 😉
It’s pretty easy to say they should all be different so people have a choice when you sell them all; whatever they choose you can sell them. When you only sell one, your product needs to be competitive. I’m not saying GM needs to be exactly like Ford or Ram but they are missing a ton of things Ford offers on some of their models. GM has been playing catch up for 2 generations of trucks now and they need to step it up and lead for a while.
Ford has some things I don’t like too and GM is better in certain areas but the fact is that Ford doesn’t wait to see what the competition does and then just catches up. Look at the programs each outs on. When GM changes their programs they run them from the 1st to the 11th or 12th of the month. Why? So they can see what the others do and then react to it instead of setting the mark.
dpach, It’s interesting that you got 4 downvotes (so far) for being objective and more or less stating factual information. It’s a crazy world we live in when people are so averse to information they disagree with.
+1 to you.
New DOHC TT V6 engine, New DOHC Turbo four cylinder engine,( First two are a given). New four or six cylinder Turbo diesel engine? 10 speed automatic transmission, Full plug in hybrid system, New DOHC V8 engine(5.3-liter,5.5-liter), engines in these new trucks are going to be smaller, turbocharged have started stop system on them, I don’t see any of these old engines returning.
If the GM twins lack so much in terms of content then explain why they sell so many of them? I think it had to do with the fact most people could care less about those things you mentioned above.
My opinion is those items installed on other trucks is nice and if it was added to the GM twins it would be fine but at no time would I ever say I will not buy a GM truck because it doesn’t have any of these options!
Really what this comes down to is people who can’t help but to look over at what the next guy has and wish and want what he has. Instead of being happy with what you have.
People are never going to be satisfied with anything GM builds!
Brian, I sell GM for a living (and have for 20 yrs) and I absolutely love the new products they are coming out with. But unfortunately the trucks are sliding. Year over year sales show that. Brand loyalty is all but gone and when people are spending the money these things cost, content is extremely important. Until someone experiences features like rear cross traffic alert when you are trying to back out of a parking spot or blind side zone alert, or even the camera system to monitor around your trailer, you have no idea how important these things are getting to be since these are now family haulers and more women are buying trucks. If you could get these added safety and conveniences for an extra $50/mth and get more hp and torque to pull your trailer with, even you would go with a Ford. Try driving through Arizona or Texas without rear AC ducts in the console and then in a truck with them and tell me which one your rear passengers are more comfortable in. Put an adult in the back seat and then be rear ended and see how bad the whiplash is from the very poor headrests. Pull a 8000 lbs trailer through Colorado in a GM and a Ford and tell me which one you feel more confident in.
I am not saying GM is a horrible truck; I make a living selling them. But GM always plays catch up over the last 2 generations of truck compared to Ford. They rushed this truck to market with little funds because the Gov’t basically told GM they had to improve and bring their cars and SUV’s up to par after the bailout (which they did; the Cruze, Equinox, Malibu, etc all are really good vehicles). That didnt leave as much funds in the pot for the trucks; hence just new body on old frame and suspension plus adding direct injection to the engines. There should not be a vibration in a truck that shakes your seats; especially one that randomly appears in some vehicle and not in others and then no fix.
If GM continues to bring out interiors like in the Tahoe, Malibu, new Nox, etc with similar styling in the trucks, it should be a hit. But people today want the little added things and more safety for the $ they are spending.
1st and most importantly I am and adult and I could care less what happens in the back seat of any car or truck I buy.
Not enough room not my problem
Not enough vents not my problem
Not enough cup holders not my problem
Not enough head restraints again not my problem
Do you know why this is?
Because as the person who owned the vehicle I will not be riding in the back.
2nd the moment a person starts talking about safety features I just tune out! Again I could care less! Safety ratings, safety test, crash test ratings all are worthless. It would not effect my purchase decision.
And last having a option on a ford or dodge would never make me buy one of them over a GM vehicle!
Wow Brian, you must either be single or you don’t give a damn about your family’s comfort or safety.
It’s one thing to be a loyalist but something else to wear brand blinders.
No blinders! Not single! Family is taken care of. I just focus on what matters most. And what matters most to me is who or whom is paying the bills!
I buy for me not for the family. Remember I am the one paying for the cat or truck
These car companies spend millions if not billions to add safety components to cars and trucks and people die everyday in what is sup posed to be the most safest cars every built.
Safety is a waste of time, money and effort! No car will ever be built that can truly keep the fatality rate at zero. So I say why bother!
Use that time, money and effort to make cars and trucks to perform better, more comfortable, and reliable.
What needs to happen is teaching drivers to not get into accidents, not adding content to cars and trucks that protect you once you are in a accident by then it’s to late.
Now building systems that keeps a driver from getting into a accident like better brakes, steering, suspension, all of these will also make the car drive better.
Most people don’t want the safety things like rear cross traffic alert or blind size zone alert or crash mitigation braking because they are bad drivers; they want it because of the other idiot drivers out there. With more and more drivers being immigrants (not a bad thing that they are immigrants; just that many don’t understand our driving laws or have bad driving techniques from their homeland) accidents are on the rise plus there’s more and more vehicles on the road every year as the population goes up.
You may not feel safety is important. But as a guy who works with customers every day, I can tell you that more and more are asking about these systems and it does influence these people’s decision. Sure, if it’s going to cost $100/mth more for them, many decide it is not a necessity. But if you can get a Ford with them for $35 – 50/mth more than a GM, it does influence a growing number of people.
Add in the technology for towing (turbo engines for elevations like Colorado, trailer park assist – the round knob that helps you back a trailer, trailer camera system that shows you down the side of each trailer plus behind the trailer and in the box for hooking up 5th wheels, etc) there’s technology GM just doesn’t have. Look at the number of Platinum and Limited F150’s on the road. There is a growing number of people that want these things.
It may not be your cup of tea and that is fine (your choice), but don’t let your personal preference fool you into believing everyone thinks like you.
By the way, many vehicles today already have technology like brake assist, pedestrian braking, mitigation braking, electronic steering for faster assist in emergency manoeuvers, which are designed to help prevent accidents. Plus every vehicle built today in North America has a stability control system, anti-rollover system and trucks have a trailer sway control system built into the stability system.
It sounds like you want a vehicle that will drive itself, steer itself, brake for itself……. oh wait, autonomous vehicles are coming and it sounds like you will be first in line.
So you expect GM to.just copy and paste their cars and trucks like the competition does? I don’t believe in the idea that a company has to do something because a rival does.
I don’t expect GM to copy anyone but good ideas are good ideas. Sticking your head in the sand and ignoring things people want (Ford did sell the most full size trucks again this year) just for the sake of not copying is being ignorant to buyers. What I want is for GM to be creative and bring new technology to the market, not wait for others to do it and then follow. So I don’t expect GM to copy anyone; I expect them to create the ideas others copy.
Brian you are the man I totally agree Silverado pride for life