This Is Why The GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Silverado Interior Are Behind The Curve
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From the off, let’s get one thing clear – we think the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado interiors are just fine if these two and the Ford F-150 were the only three light-duty pickups on market. If that were the case, then no one would have any issues with the the cabins from the two GM trucks. The problems begin to arise when comparing the Sierra and Silverado interiors against the latest Ram 1500, specifically the mid- to high-range trim levels. Do that, and two issues arise associated with design and materials.
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Yes, the interiors of both trucks are highly functional, but they lack the “wow factor” of the Ram, specifically as it relates to the design of the center console and the integration of the center screen. Lacking the “wow factor” negatively impacts perceived quality. What’s more, the high-end trims (LTZ and High Country on Silverado, Denali on Sierra) don’t have the materials to go toe-to-toe with the the Ram truck. While the lower trims are fine, the higher trims don’t offer the same doses of contrast stitching, colors, or high-quality touch points to keep pace. Now, there are those who think that, just because these are trucks, they don’t need to have high-quality interiors. But that kind of thinking does not line up with the market, since today’s pickup trucks are not only purchased for work. Instead, they are as much personal vehicles for the owner and the family as they are workhorses.
Looking ahead, GM will give the Sierra and Silverado interior a refresh in the near future, but how did we get to this point in the first place?
2020 GMC Sierra HD Denali
Some publications have stated that GM rushed the new Silverado and Sierra to coincide with the release date of the all-new Ram 1500 for the 2019 model year. These publications have suggested that interiors of the new GM trucks suffered as a result of that push.
We’re here to tell you that this notion is nonsense.
For starters, it doesn’t actually take much longer to develop a vehicle with a high-quality interior than to create one with a sub-par cabin, especially not for vehicles for first-world markets like the Sierra and Silverado. That rings even more true when said vehicles are developed over the course of several years.
No, the real reason the new Sierra and Silverado interior is less impressive than that of the Ram 1500 is quite simple: GM thought it would be fine.
To fully understand the mindset of the project managers, we must go back in time a few years to when the new T1 Silverado and Sierra were being planned. At that time, the F-150 was already out, with Ford’s big selling point being the switch to an aluminum body. Meanwhile, the interior of the aluminum-bodied F-150 wasn’t substantially better than that of the last-generation, K2 Silverado and Sierra, which were selling rather well and were liked in the marketplace.
2020 Ram 1500 Big Horn Interior
So, GM’s thinking was along these lines: why make substantial changes to a cabin that already competes very favorably against the competition, while also being highly functional? The logical decision is to not mess with the formula too much, playing it safe to improve on the basics that would be liked by everyone – more space, more modern technologies (keyless entry, push-button start, new infotainment systems), more active safety tech (Rear Camera Mirror), improved in-cabin storage (cubbies in the rear seat-backs) along with great levels of comfort (like rear-seat A/C vents).
Who would possibly complain about all these improvements? No one. In fact, these features were already desired on the K2 trucks. GM added them, but played it safe when it comes to the overall interior cockpit design, staying close to the successful formula set out by the K2 models.
2020 Ram 1500 Limited Interior
But what GM didn’t take into account was that the Ram would totally up-end the game. By not playing it safe to its prior formula, the 2019 Ram 1500 delivered eye candy galore via an all-new cockpit design, huge screens, a rotary shift mechanism, a panoramic sunroof, and some really impressive attention to details via striking colors, trim bits, and materials, particularly on higher-end trim levels. All these things pushed the “wow factor” – the thing that enables the very first impression when someone climbs inside of a vehicle – to new heights for the Ram. Meanwhile, the Silverado and Sierra remained roughly the same as the last-gen K2 models from a “wow factor” standpoint.
2020 Ram 1500 Night Edition
Had the Silverado and Sierra been the only trucks on the market today, they would have been perfect matches against the F-150 (which itself will be completely overhauled for the 2021 model year with an all-new exterior and interior). But Ram truly kicked things up a notch to a whole new level, while GM played it safe. Hence, a refresh to the Sierra and Silverado interior is coming, which has been described to GM Authority as being “top notch” by those familiar with the updates. Here’s to hoping that will truly be the case.
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Thats the new GM, playing it safe…. Unfortunately this article is praising them for it. What happened to taking a risk? Being out front, being the leader in design is what we need. Not more “playing it safe”. Im telling you, 80’s GM all over again
How did you gather praise from this? This is called neutral reporting. We are delivering the facts… the behind the scenes story that we spent a good amount of time gathering facts for.
Please show me where you see praise.
In my opinion the article is written like GM is Apple and Ram is Samsung. Apple sits back and lets Samsung do the latest and greatest then Apple improves upon it. I venture to say this is not the case with GM. As the other commentator said, they went cheap. The article sounds like this was purposely done and i disagree.
Oh come on. It was “intentional” for GM to have a less competitive product? Of course it was not intentional, because GM did not know what Ram had coming. I’m not sure how anyone could conclude from reading the above that this was purposefully done. It wasn’t, and everything is written to support that.
“No, the real reason the new Sierra and Silverado interior is less impressive than that of the Ram 1500 is quite simple: GM thought it would be fine.”
That alone runs contrary to your interpretation.
The Apple comparison is and has been false on its head for a while. First, because Apple innovates a proverbial $hit ton while and the Samsung camp tries to make it out that Apple is late to the game. It’s simply not the case, because for Apple, it’s about doing something in a useful manner, rather than checking boxes (which Android is all about). And if you want to look at innovation, go ahead and look at Apple’s A## processors. This is not an Apple vs. Samsung discussion, but that argument doesn’t even hold up in the real world.
Can’t believe there are still those who actually believe that Samsung does anything innovative. All it does is make features without taking the experience into account – it’s a maker of phones with little purpose. If you’re gonna argue for Android, at least argue for the google version, not the bastardized Samsung.
Really all I could argue is that Samsung is the Apple of Androids. It does everything JUST DIFFERENT enough to be a pain for people used to a more traditional system, while bringing relatively nothing new to the table.
Oh boy, a dedicated physical button to bring up Bixby! That’ll excite the 3 people in the world who use it.
I have to respectfully disagree. In this business, nobody ever had a “hit” by playing it safe. Witness the Camaro. The Alpha platform is awesome, but GM made the car look too much like the old one hence there was not much perceived differentiation. To be honest, the only way I can tell the last gen Camaro from the present one is by looking at the quarter panels to see if there are simulated vents stamped in.
It’s never a none or all type thing, and nobody is arguing for “playing it safe”… At least nobody here at GMA.
But for the sake of argument, prime examples of success in “playing it safe” include almost every Lexus model, Toyota model, and Honda model… at least until about roughly 2015 or so. Again, it’s never an absolute, so I would caution against making overarching statements like “ever” or “always” in the topic. But that’s neither here nor there.
Alex, I am by no means a Lexus fan at all. Having said that though, they can play it “So Called safe” because they have never had a cheap interior or been called out by Media for years that they do. They have never been known to have the worst interiors in the Industry. That is a Huge difference.
Like I said, I am not a Lexus fan at all but I have never sat in or drove one and said the interior is just not up to par. Now do I think that Lexus interiors are completely overrated by major media when compared to Mercedes, Audi, and BMW? Absolutely.
Agreed. Your statement further underlined the point why it’s typically not a great idea to make absolute statements, like the one about playing it safe.
But yes, GM needs to reach higher every single time. Just like it did with the C8, for instance.
The C8 proves GM can indeed provide top end interiors for their vehicles it has just chosen not to do so. Hope the C8 attention to detail trickles down to every single vehicle line going forward.
Oh come on Alex is that really your argument……..But Toyota and Honda did it?
My kids 05 Prius has smart keyless entry and push button start, my 2018 $62K SLT has neither and a baseball bat sized column shiftier that blocks half the dash. That’s not being conservative that’s being lazy.
No instead your SLT has a effeminate minivan shift knob and a gutless gas-guzzling 5.7 Hemi that cant even compete with the base 2.7 Ecoboost and merely ties a 5.3 Silverado in acceleration tests.
I have the 6.3L which is the reason i stayed with the GM. I
Alex,
Why didn’t you let my comment through ?
Tell me what I said that you blocked it so I can not say that anymore please.
Yes Alex GM produces uncompetitive products. Their costs are higher than their competitors so there is less room for value. GM used to have dominance in so many categories but lost mkt share how? Inferior products which opened doors for the Hyundai and Kia and others. No one could have predicted they would sell what 650-700k vehicles in the US. But they did by giving the customer a better value.
Also every launch of the Mary Barra era has been poorly received other than the Vette. GM stock stinks and ALL their interiors are judged as not as good as they could or should have been.
Well said!
Apple is a far superior product.
And I desperately need to say the same about my GM truck, but cannot.
Apple is definitely not a far superior product. Only people that don’t know about such things would say that. Apple products are for those people that know absolutely nothing about the product they are buying, and don’t mind getting overcharged because they don’t know about the product. Unfortunately there’s still people that are willing to pay Apple’s inflated prices and think that they are getting a better product. In fact Apple’s can do less than Android’s. The GM truck issues are a result of cost cutting and use of focus groups to sell to “real people”. What a joke.
Playing it safe? Kind of like Ram played it safe by making such a bland, even vanilla, exterior that feels like a significant downgrade from the last gen’s styling.
“Playing it cheap” is more like it.
@Tgger
Bingo. These are all just excuses. I am not an FCA fan (well except the Italian stuff) but last Gen Ram has a nicer interior than the new GM Twins. I give GM zero excuses for completely botching these All New 1500 interiors.
GM has the cheapest interiors overall in the Auto Market and hopefully this will finally show them just how important Great interiors are in todays marketplace. GM has placed profits over quality and it shows in sales.
There is a reason GM cannot sell Sedans, their interiors are the worst in the Industry. Not one car that GM makes is the leader in interior quality, materials, and tech. Not one.
C8 is in a class all to itself. Hope the C8 is what GM has in store going forward on future interiors.
How is Subaru, Mazda, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda still able to sell sedans? Because they can charge a slight premium due to the interiors they offer and customers are willing to pay for it.
Bingo, the bean counters have taken over
Most of the “wow” factor crap in the ram will be “ow” factor to your wallet when it stops working….out of warranty. Imo the dial shifter is dumb and a touch screen the size of a tv is worthless.
I agree. To be honest none of the interiors are great. Too many buttons, to large and flat dashes etc.
I agree on the larger screen as it will just be more space for finger prints and more money when it fails,
The dial shifter all but negates the Ram for plowing snow. Etc.
GM will add more upgraded content then people will complain about the added cost. Or they will go cheaper on under body things like Ram does. With Ram they lather on sweet frosting on stale cake.
Ford skimps on the frames. If you ever watch them with a load the bed will twist so much the tailgate will dent. The video is on YouTube if you are a skeptic.
I am fine with the interior as long as they keep the mechanical bits better.
These truck all cost about the same and only where the money goes is different and GM puts it into mechanical content not trim.
“These truck all cost about the same and only where the money goes is different and GM puts it into mechanical content not trim” YES!
I couldn’t agree with you more.
Ford went with riveted and glued aerOLDspace technALUMINUM and an ad campaign that would lead you to believe they invented turbo chargers.
FCA went all millennI’LL want the iphone-xTRA big screen and rubber bandAID power train tech. to go along with their “were not going to tell you GM helped design but decided they didn’t like” 3.0 diesel ad campaign.
GM? Mixed Materials Manufacturing, carbon fiber composite (Carbon Pro truck bed) I.E. engineering/manufacturing tech (a good place to spend money), a whole new diesel engine (did any one see an I-6 coming?), continued development of the small block V8 and their own ad campaign for their two year secret (how in blazes did they keep that hidden for soo long) the “MultiPro Tailgate”.
Interior and exterior aesthetics are subjective. one needs to function ☑, the other you either like it ☑, or not. I like the Silverado☑ the more I see it!
As for playing it safe, the 2019 Ram looks just like a 2000 Durango, it’s lost it’s “big Rig” styling, but I guess it had to.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/dodgeforum.com-vbulletin/1066×800/80-20170204_164643_0a97523fa069fb007408ecd74396726bbb11ca28.jpg
Sounds like sour grapes to me.
In regards to frames and Ford; what you’re referring to was back in 2014 – one generation before the current. Ford’s frames are much stiffer than before.
I also think that Ford’s new interior (2015+) are better than GM’s.
I hope GM updates the interiors pronto because I’ll be buying a new truck late next year so maybe a 2021 MY.
Someone please educate me on why GM pickups are better than Ford or Ram…
Chris, very well said!!
Who cares…. you’re comparing Dodge to Chevrolet, which if you’re a fan of either what does it matter because you’re going to stick with the truck of choice. Besides it’s a truck, which is meant for work and play, not to be princessed up with some WOW features. If you want that WOW factor go drop 80k+ on a high end vehicle meant for luxurious designs and fashion.
“Besides it’s a truck, which is meant for work and play, not to be princessed up with some WOW features.”
I guess you haven’t been paying attention to the market. Almost nobody is buying a truck because they need a truck.
But the real problem for GM right now is that they are trying to sell more expensive trucks with less expensive interiors than Ram.
Again… who cares… if a truck interior is the selling point, good for you. Newsflash: everything being made now is made cheap with a high price tag… I’m not a fan of dodge trucks and would prefer Chevy and Ford keep their identity and not worry about pretty over mechanics (as someone else stated).
So GMs new trucks brought their interiors up to par with the older Ram and F150. Nothing new, just on par with their rivals. I was so looking forward to the new trucks as I was in the market for one. But after seeing it, I was very disappointed. I’ve been a loyal GM customer for over 20 years. Unfortunately after GM played it safe it delivered a new truck with a 5 year old interior, I bought a F150. Sadly I love the truck and not sure when I’ll move back to a GM. But I will keep my eye out for the interior makeover and hopefully it will be enough to move me back to a Silverado/Sierrra.
I was more disappointed with the exterior honestly. They Look downright gaudy with the giant “SILVERADO” on the top of the fender.
I guess it isn’t anything a heat gun and fishing line can’t fix, but the rest of the exterior isn’t a lot better.
Your going to compare the Silverado’s fender badge with the crap Dodge has been putting on their trucks for decades? LMFAO! About the only thing that comes close to the obnoxious “Ram” badge’s and huge “1500” we’ve had to look at is the continuously expanding Taco badges.
“Tacoma”
“Tacoma SR5 V6”
“Tacoma SR5 V6-TRD”
“Tacoma SR5 V6-TRD-PRO”
Was “Toyota Racing Development” (TRD) an amateur effort?
That’s as bad as “FedEX Express” = “Federal Express Express”?
What’s next, is Ford going to introduce a “Super Super Cab”?
Considering every trim level of the current Ram 1500 is plastered bumper to bumper in gaudy crap… bright red interiors in the Rebel… rhinestone cowboy interior of the Laramie Longhorn… the instrument panels wim a huge glowing RAM! smack dab in the middle of it just in case you didn’t already know what you were driving. The rest of the IP looks like it was designed by a teenager. Tacky gauges galore. Tacky tribal stitching everywhere in the Limited… hopefully Ram is doing better quality stitching than my SIL’s 2017 Chrysler 300. And in case anyone behind you wasn’t sure what you were driving, the guys at FCA felt that the truck needed a massive R A M plastered across the tailgate. Like a redneck that thinks his giant belt buckle is ‘cool’.
but yeah… the Silverado fender badge is ‘gaudy’.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t the Silverado *also* have its name, taillight to taillight, in big block letters along the tailgate?
And it’s not mutually exclusive. Both trucks can be gaudy in their own way. At least GM finally figured out how to make round wheel wells and stopped turning their trucks into 90% fender flare
The F150 interior is filled with even cheaper plastics than the 2019 GM trucks. Warped plastic dashes have been an ongoing issue with Ford for over 4 years now with little progress on a true fix for it. Plus Ford is extremely cheap on features. No LED headlights or keyless ignition for the meat and potatoes XLT trim. I can get a 2019 Silverado 1500 LT with both but Ford tells me I have to spend a whole lot more for a higher trim to get those kinds of features.
To me the last generation interior look better then this generation an let’s face it yes it’s a truck but if you spend 40 to 60 thousand for a truck you expect to get an interior that’s worth that an to me Gm authority you shouldn’t praise gm for being 2nd rate even if it was just chevy an ford the should be doing there best to out do them in every way then look at some of the FEATURES they left out of 40 to 50 thousand dollar truck like no power adjusting seat for the passenger a lack of interior colors kill me
That’s what GM is good at – lacking basic features. They sell one vehicle under 4 brands and 7 trims per brand, so features that are *standard* on a Toyota (like auto-up windows) become available only on higher trims of higher brands, like a Denali. I don’t remember exactly how it went, but looking at the Traverse/Enclave/Acadia/whatever, the speed-sensitive steering wasn’t available at all on Chevy and required an SLT3 or Denali on GMC. This is such a basic feature for every other manufacturer.
Sometimes you get ridiculous mutually-exclusive options. “Well the vented seats are only on Cadillac, but the panoramic sunroof is only on the Buick until next year.”
They should drop Buick entirely, sell their Cadillacs as Buicks in China, and limit themselves to just 3 trims per model. Maybe then they could afford to break their reputation of garbage plastic. Just for laughs, take a look at the radio cluster on a 2014 Escalade. Supposed to be a “luxury SUV” but still has a giant slab of grey counterfeit plastic surrounding the cd slot.
Speaking of features… I’m not sure about the new models, but with the previous models the W/T trim didn’t appear to have a harness for truck topper brake lights. What kind of crap is that? The one trim most likely to have a topper doesn’t include a 10¢ pigtail for a basic safety feature. Just GM being an idiot with lights again.
It’s sad to see ram outselling Chevy. The interior looks very similar to the 14-18’s and the engines are the same with the exception of the diesel and 4 cylinder.
The v8s in LT and up are updated. They get better mileage, drivability and performance. I drove a 2019 for a week and powertrain alone is an upgrade over my 2018. Not huge, but noticeable.
They should have gone 10 speed in every case that the 8 speed was offered though.
The biggest performance upgrade they made was lightening up the truck. Problem is that most people see the same horsepower as the last generation. The limited availability of the 6.2 was also a big mistake by GM.
The 6.2 has been expanded for 2020. Also the 10 speed is available on higher trim 5.3’s and the 2.7 is offered on lower trims now. That should help a lot.
And Ram didn’t use the same engines? They haven’t done a single thing to improve the gas guzzling 5.7 Hemi in the last 10 years. The 2019 5.3 Silverado is tied with the 2019 Ram 1500 with the “big bad 5.7 Hemi” in acceleration tests in Car and Driver magazine.
@CharBennett
Correct me if I am wrong but can’t you get the Ram with E-Torque on both the V6 and V8 engines?
Does GM offer anything like that?
I am not a Ram fan but facts do matter.
Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t E-torque just a lazy version of any other start-stop system. It’s a plain old mild hybrid setup not much different than the hybrid setup GM has offered in the half-tons in the past. Despite the hyped up rumors that it was going to give the Ram a Tesla-like electric boost, it didn’t it was just a plain old start-stop hybrid. Why would Ram get credit for that, yet no rocognition given to GM for upgrading the 5.3 and 6.2 with DFM? A superior version of AFM that’s hard to even sense it’s working and doesn’t require frame vibrators like Ram is using to mask their tired old MDS system’s vibration.
It is not the same as any Start/Stop system. I could be wrong on the actual number here but E-Torque adds well over 100 pound feet of torque. So yeah that is not the same as simply adding Start/Stop. You know who else is doing this in their vehicles?
Audi and Mercedes. That is what Ram has added to their Cash Cow and GM is falling drastically behind and they need to catch up real quickly.
I love GM but they need an Emergency MCE ASAP.
They need to add the following…
A completely new interior obviously
Panoramic Roof Option
Reclining Rear Seats with Ventilation Cooled cushions
Swap out the 8 Speed Auto across the board with the 10 Speed ASAP
Add E-Torque system or Voltec to their engine lineup
Add more power to their engines
Get rid of the Column Shifter at least as an option (I think the Tesla Column System would work)
Better Sound System
Thicker Steering wheel
And this will not happen but a proper Raptor Competitor
I am sure I am missing some stuff that others can add to the list
I agree. I’ll add one:
– New Management
All of GM’s blunders are due to incompetence at the top. The notion that these trucks were “good enough” was a gross error by Mary & Co.
Great, so they finally caught up to a truck that hasn’t changed its engine in 10 years.
Still waiting for the day when Ram’s “half-ton” catches up to mid-size truck payload capability. I read that the 2019 Ram 1500 Limited had a 7200 gross vehicle weight rating but a payload capacity less than 1,000 pounds. What happened to the days when Ram built real trucks? My F-150 has over 2,000 lbs of payload.
The 2019’s have DFM and an aggressive powertrain tuning. They feel fast and responsive unlike a stock 2014-18. The new lighter 2019 Silverado 5.3 supposedly tied a 2019 Ram with the more powerful 5.7 Hemi in testing by Car & Driver. That’s another sign of how much better the new 2019 GM’s powertrain is. I drove a 2019 Siloverado and DFM is so good you can’t even tell it’s doing anything aside from the fuel economy climbing up towards 25 MPG while cruising the highway. Their new diesel is the only one that shows any real promise. The Ram 3.0 ED has been a massive turd from day 1 and Ford’s 3.0 diesel was a complete lack of effort. The GM I6 has good acceleration based on first test drives by journo’s and its tow numbers are realistic instead of the laughable ratings Ram pushed out to the media.
I agree to a point except that the previous gen k2xx interiors are nicer, more intricate and use better materials. They don’t have blank buttons, the clusters (in Z71 trim especially) have more style.
If the k2xx interiors were a 9 out of 10, the comparable t1xx interior is a 7.5 or 8.
With previous gen trucks, an argument could be made for any of the trucks having the nicest interior. I liked the GMs the most.
With the 2019s it goes Ram, Ford, GM.
Sorry but the K2 dash design was terrible. The whole design of it meant it would creak or squeak when temps dropped below 32. The T1 desigm is leaps and bounds better. The only thing the K2 trucks did better was the metal column shifter.
Creaks I’m not sure of mine doesn’t but it’s only a year old. but the t1 interior is not an improvement.
I really wanted a t1, but decided to go k2 when I sat and drive a 2019. It’s really, really bad. The k2 interior is a major step up.
The T1 trucks are better in every way.
Ya, still ahead of Nissan’s and Toyota’s complete joke of of nav screen and infotainment system not to mention how the jap trucks never update engines, Nissan did a little but Toyota has had the same engine and trans for 15 years now, and it shows….10 mpg lol, all the American half tons couldn’t get away with it, why does Toyota? Because they’re “more reliable” not if they get used like a truck.
Being ahead of completely irrelevant trucks isn’t really something to be proud of, especially when you’re talking about a new product.
Add me to the list that thinks the previous interior was actually nicer. The digital cluster in the Denali had 3 different themes to choose from and cool entry graphics. There was more padded surfaces on the lower dash. The center stack and console were better laid out. They had adjustable seat belts and peddles. They still played it safe but it was a nice cabin overall that competed well. Despite the tech and room improvements in the current model it just comes across as being low rent and low effort. I can’t even begin to imagine GMs mindset going into this project. Why on earth would you purposely put a 3rd place interior in your top trim trucks? Even the exterior lacks some of the polish of the competition. I’m tired off the anything is good enough attitude. Where has the desire gone to be the best? The new HDs are the most capable trucks they have ever been but the details are what’s killing me. I wanted to get into a new truck this year but I’m waiting to see what the interior refresh brings. I’m hoping they bring their A game but I’m already bracing to be disappointed. Come on GM, life long customer here that needs a truck to get excited about!
I have a ’16 High Country diesel. I see nothing in the comparable ’20 version to warrant any consideration of trading the current truck in. In fact, I do not want a black interior – period. In the new High Country you get a choice of black or mostly black. There is a choice that gives you a brown (partial) interior but for some reason that is not available with many of the exterior colors. From a design perspective there is not much difference in the IP or console layout. I’m standing pat. Show me something that justifies a trade and I’ll consider it. Until then – well, the diesel should be good for another 10 years, anyway.
Well it depends on what you use your pickup for. If your pulling anything substantial the 2020 offers a lot. At least 8K more capacity towing. The L5P is a good bit more powerful than your version. The interior while not substantially different is better than previous, especially the infotainment system. More cameras than you know what to do with. So if your towing with your current Dmax than it could be worth stepping up to the new one. If your not, then there about the only reason would be to get out of the CP4 injection pump. I had a ’15 3500 and traded it on my current ’18 3500. The L5P is noticeably more powerful. The one reason to wait is the updated interior which is soon to come on the LD trucks and usually is a year later in the HD versions. I pull heavy and recently built a new 2020 3500 and as built would have a 40K gross combined capacity. That is amazing.
“GM thought it would be fine.”
Well isn’t that the catch-all tag to use to explain so many of GM’s questionable decisions about design, interior materials, and feature omissions. I mean, I understand the logic behind it in this case, but geez, that’s taking the fast lane on the road to mediocrity.
I watched quite a bit of the C8 Corvette development team’s presentations from last weekend, and I don’t recall anyone saying anything like, “Nobody really complained about it on the C7, so we thought that it would be fine to keep the same on the C8.” I wish that GM’s other products (especially Cadillac!) would get the same kind of love and attention to detail that the C8 got. The results would speak for themselves.
This is what makes being a GM fan so dang frustrating.
As proven by C8, Bolt and Volt, GM can make a committed effort and deliver a market-leading product.
But when it comes to other products – and here Cadillac springs immediately to my mind – they phone in details like it was government work and give the market something good enough.
That’s a C grade level work. Meanwhile Ram is eating their lunch – and Ford is mowing their lawn.
What happened to the Mark of Excellence?
Maybe it doesn’t translate well in Mandarin…
When our new Silverado work trucks arrived, it’s was kinda surprising how the “all new” truck looked virtually identical on the inside. It felt more like a facelift than a proper new generation.
Plus holy CRAP the backup camera, nearly 1/3 of your view is just the tailgate itself, and the image quality is underwhelming.
As far as I’m concerned, every GM vehicle is garbage until they stop using reverse lamps as anything other than “actively in reverse gear”
Can you please clarify your last sentence? Aside from perimeter lighting I’m not understanding what other applications reverse lamps could be used for.
The reverse lamps should be used for two things: Indicating to other cars you are in reverse, and providing extra illumination while in reverse.
I don’t care that it’s ‘technically legal’ to use them as perimeter lamps, there’s a reason no other manufacturer does it. You’re pulling up to the spots in a gas station or driving down the aisle at the market and see white lights on the rear of a vehicle and you’re not sure if they’re actually backing up or it’s just a Chevy owner unlocking their doors, 30 feet away.
GM has proven time and time again that they have no idea what they’re doing with lighting. Between the reverse perimeter lamps, excessive glare on their projectors, and the tendency for lamps to burn out on cars still under warranty, they really need to get their act together.
You’d think with how often they have halogen lamps fail, they’d embrace LED a little more. But no, that’s reserved for the highest trims of the highest models because they sell one car under 4 brands and 7 trims so they need to withhold basic features to make a distinction between an SLT2 and SLT3.
Yes, GM’S use of the back up lights to me is infuriating, for all of the the reasons you state. It should not be legal to use back up lights for this.
Maybe you would prefer something more like this
https://youtu.be/w-qH-TvtQSY?t=00m03s
Over a perimeter light that could help keep your wife, daughter or even your mother a little more safe from predators or a distracted driver
You know, to sooth your aching eyes!
That will not help. What will help is gm not using lights that are supposed to tell you that the vehicle is about to back up, for their intended purpose.
WTF are you talking about? GM made LED headlamps standard on the 2019’s. Both a Sierra SLE and a Silverado LT trim has LED headlights standard. The “excessive glare” you whine about is being driven by the fact that vehicle safety organizations are pushing for brighter, more intense headlights. “Still, we continue to see headlights that compromise safety because they only provide a short view down the road at night.” – IIHS 2017
That’s because they want people to buy the HD backup camera. It cost them 20 cents instead of 12.
The base backup camera on the 2019s is junk. Worse than the 2018s.
The list of mis-steps on the 2019 is comical.
No adaptive cruise
24 gallon fuel tank
3.23 gears across the board (3.42 max tow only)
Cheap interior complete with a lame center console, blank buttons and cheap materials.
Park bench seats
Low quality backup camera
Very limited 10 speed availability
Poor jittery ride.
No really good powertrain on the mainstream trucks.
To top it off – high prices.
Some of these are being addressed for 2020, some for 2021. They better offer a larger tank option in 2021 too.
Love GM pickups but the new interior has minimal change and feels cheaper than my 2017. Ram’s interior is fantastic but a bit distracting when trying to learn the 12 inch screen. Some things can just be a button.
Love The GM
All my cars been GM
3 Astro vans
2 Blazer
2 Cadillac Escalade
Silverado
And my baby my 86 C10
Can wait for the 2021
I was going to get the 2019 but I’ll wait for the new interior design
Sorry, the “new” 19 interiors of any of the Sierra/Silverado are not as nice as the 4+ yr older f150’s. The ram is the nicest interior, but that rotary shifter sucks. Also, being a FCA product, anything with electricity to it is suspect at best. Maybe gm will get it right in 2021?
Have you paid attention to the 2015+ F-150’s? The interior plastics are so cheap that the dashes warp if the truck is parked in the sun in hot weather. The top of the dash curls up, the glove box distorts and becomes hard to shut. The distortion causes uneven gaps that look awful. Cheap cheap cheap.
Frank,
Have you paid attention to the GM hard plastic dashes that have warped and cracked and GM has done nothing ?
How about the Cadillac CUE screen delamination do to heat in the interior ?
So what are you exactly saying here ?
That RAM had outdone both GM and Ford ?
If so, you are correct !!!
And why would you comment be an excuse for GM exactly ?
We here at GM make our dashes just as good as the others that crack, warp, and delaminate ?
Any way GM should once try to lead somewhere, anywhere, once again !!
Just my opinion !!
I haven’t seen that on any of the 2015+ f150’s that I’ve looked at. I looked at a lot of them too.
I own a 2015 double cab Silverado z71 and in 6mo and it will be gone ,not impressed at all.
I find it funny that the main difference is the size of the infomat screen. Underwhelming? Seriously? Dodge is seriously the biggest pile on the road for reliably it’s a good thing they got that huge screen to entertain the owners waiting for a tow truck…..
It’s true. The higher the trim level, the more junk that goes wrong too. A co-worker with a Laramie had constant glitches with the tailgate sensor, the air ride system acted up, the screen would randomly quit working all the time. He had to have his transmission replaced last month. Chrysler had a hard time building reliable trucks before. Adding a ton of new electronics and features is only going to make it worst. There’s a reason their brands are at the bottom of the CR reliability rankings year after year.
It’s a lot more than the screen man
I went to check out the dodges and thought the interior was just ok (own a 16 5500 very happy with ) and then went to gmc came home with a 19 at4 package 1500 really nice inside leather and a.c n heat seats frt and back and has lighting package tows great very happy and with 8 speed trans.w optional 20s cant tell 3.23 from 3.42
Brian – Your AT4 does not have AC seats in back…just heated in back of GMC. The Ram has both AC and heated front and back. Also, that 8 speed tranny in your GMC is junk! I know because I had two of them. One was in a 2014 Sierra SLT that vibrated badly every time you accelerated and the other was a 2016 Sierra Denali. Tranny began failing at 16,000 miles on the Denali. I test drove 2019 GMC AT4, 2019 Sierra Denali and the 2019 Ram limited. Ram is light-years ahead of those GMC trucks in handling, comfort and design! All GM trucks have stiff hard leather seating and cheap plastic interiors that squeak and rattle. I’ve owned them all and am not brand loyal. I just purchase who’s best at the time…and right now it the Ram hands down!
lou,
Interesting you talk about junk transmissions then buy one with several pending lawsuits for being just that. The 10 speed in that Ram is the worst part of that truck.
Check your facts there slick, the what speed in the Ram?
My bad its a 8 speed, doesn’t change the fact its still junk and has several service bulletins and 1 recall already. Lots of pissed off owners on the forums.
Guess you should have researched before you commented, eh 😉
Everything I posted was true. I actually owned the GMC 8spd tranny for several years. This 8spd in the Ram is far smoother and has zero glitches. The issues on the Ram forum are just TSBs that are mostly being addressed with software updates, which is typical for a first year model run. For GM, there is a class action lawsuit for ALL of the 8spd trannys in ALL GM vehicles from 2015 to current. The new GM trucks are having loss of braking issues…now that’s a serious issue!!!! Not trying to stir anything, just stating facts. I’ve been a lifelong GM guy and am tired of GM’s cheap quality. When I bought my truck this year I decided “even if Ram and GMC had the same level of quality, at least the Ram provides a far superior interior and comfort untouched by the GM twins. I owned a 2011 F150 platinum for three years too and it had its share of issue. I realize all manufacturers are going to have issues, especially on redesign years, but GM didn’t even try on the 2019 trucks. I will say that GMC knocked it out the park with the new tailgate design, but I spend most of my time in the interior, not in the tailgate, LOL! GM is scrambling now because the Ram is the superior vehicle available right now and the numbers show it.
The 2019 Rams have as many problems as the GM 8-speed. My coworkers 2019 Ram just had its junk transmission replaced last month and a lot of others online have reported need a replacement transmission too. You shift it into drive and it won’t do anything at first, then suddenly slams into drive so hard it feels like somebody ran into the back of you at 30 miles per hour. The 2019 Rams bang into 1st gear when you come to a stop again. They had that problem a few years ago and its back again. Sometimes they get stuck in 2nd gear when you come to a stop too. What did they do to mess the ZF up for 2019?
True, but it’s not every Ram having tranny issues, only some. Mine is flawless and the others in my office who have them report the same exceptional performance. It’s a first year model, so bugs are expected. Not the same for the GM 8spd. Every person I know that has the GM 8spd has the “feels like being rear-ended” when coming to a stop issue. “Every” GM 8spd suffered or is going to suffer from the dreaded torque converter shudder… trust me I know because I had three of those “shaker” trucks. All the GM vettes, Camaros, pickups and cars with the 8spd have this issue, thus the reason for the looming class action lawsuit against GM.
But for the sake of your comments where you’re stating that Ram has similar issues as GM….we should ask ourselves… if the mechanical and durability quality is equal between the two manufacturers, then my choice should be for the one that delivers better in styling and comfort. Ram wins hands down in that category. I have never been a Chrysler fan, mostly due to bias from their poor quality in the 70s and 80s. In the last decade, I have seen all of the Big Three pretty neck-in-neck when it comes to performance, quality and durability…until now. Ram has raised the bar on pickups, especially with styling and comfort, which now has GM scrambling,LOL!!!
I’m curious to see what 2021 will bring with Ford and GM pickup interior redesigns in their effort to keep up with Ram!