Should GM Trucks Offer A Barn-Style Tailgate?
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These days, truck buyers have a wide variety of tailgate styles and options to choose from. When it comes to the General Motors pickup line, there are two general categories – a regular drop-down tailgate (offered in various configurations, such as powered, not powered, etc.), or the popular MultiPro tailgate offered on the GMC Sierra. Meanwhile, GM trucks rival Ram offers a “barn-style” tailgate that can split down the middle upon opening. Which makes us wonder – should the GM trucks line offer a barn-style tailgate as well?
Ram 1500 with Multifunction tailgate
According to the automaker, Ram’s barn-style tailgate adds utility and enhanced cargo management compared to a standard tailgate design. The tailgate comes with the usual benefits of a dampened drop-down tailgate, while also offering a 60-40 split and swing-away functionality thanks to dual side-mounted hinges.
The Ram tailgate has four different configurations – opened flat, left open only, right open only, and both right and left open. Each individual “door” can swing open 88 degrees.
Ram 1500 with Multifunction tailgate
The design provides easy access to the bed and the ability to walk right up to the rear bumper. As a result, loading and unloading bulky items is much easier, and the design allows for forklift loading as well. What’s more, the design does not require the trailer or hitch to be removed before opening, unlike the GM trucks MultiPro tailgate.
Finally, the barn-style Ram tailgate comes with a 2,000-pound load rating.
GMC Sierra with MultiPro tailgate
Which leads us to ask – should GM trucks offer their own version of the barn-style tailgate design? Is this design superior to the MultiPro tailgate offered on the GMC Sierra? We want to know, so make sure to vote in the poll below and voice your opinion in the comments as well. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevrolet Silverado news, GMC Sierra news, Chevrolet news, GMC news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
No these are so lame. Just make the GMC tailgate an option on all models.
Most trucks today are short beds and the tailgate is valuable bed space today.
The only way I would accept a tailgate like this is if the bed floor would slide back to extend the bed floor.
GMC toyed with this on the Granite truck prototype.
I like it as an option over making everyone the same.
What they should do is design an extendable box. Since the manufacturers are making short boxes, it would be great if we could extend the length of the box for those items that are longer than 5.5 feet, plus that way when you are done with the need for the long box, it can be shortened back to original giving it better for parking.
Let the market decide, make the feature available on all trucks and let the consumers pick what they want.
While I agree with you to a point, I would think added cost to make the multiple types of tailgates might not be worth it. I doubt a buyer is thinking “I’d buy a Chevy but it didn’t offer the barn door tailgate”. I think the Honda Ridgeline tailgate is a better option as you can open it 2 different ways and I’d imagine that type is less likely to have issues as it’s not as complex as the barn door gate. With that being said I like GM tailgate as is.
Also remember, the consumer does not decide !!!!
Only the % of consumers that order a new vehicle decide !!!!!!
Most GM decision made by the consumer, are decisions GM has made by only stocking certain optioned vehicles to the dealerships !!!
Most consumers today in 2020 don’t even have a clue what options are offered, they just pick something off the dealer lot !
Dealer stock mostly what sells not a lot of odd combo’s that don’t Because each dealer has to pay interest on floor plans.
They make payments on inventories just like we do car payments. Vehicles that don’t sell cost more to stock if they don’t sell and they lose money.
Be happy you can order what you want as many imported models are limited to what is shipped only.
C8.R,
Yes I know what dealerships do and how they run.
However this is just another systematic problem of GM they can’t seem to understand today.
With all of your vast knowledge, could you please give me a history lessen on how the options on came to be !
You see, my history is like this, tell me if I am wrong.
GM gave us a vehicle X, as the years progressed, the customer wanted X with Y for an option. Most of the time, the customer asked for Y because some competition offered Y. If no other manufacturer offered Y, the customer themselves created Y ( in the back yard under a tree ).
As more customers ORDERED a vehicle with Y, the manufacturer made Y a standard option !!!!
Look at Cadillac for an example, if GM stocked Cadillac on the lot with crank windows, yet everyone ordered with electric windows, soon Cadillac made electric windows standard !!!
OK
That same electric windows scenario today, would go like this, ( Please mansplain how I am wrong ). Today the dealership would only stock crank windows, because the crank windows are cheaper. and even as most ordered vehicles have electric, more vehicles sold would have crank, and GM, today would publish the data saying ” more vehicles are sold with crank windows ” Yet most ordered vehicles have electric !!!!
I know for a FACT this is happening, Just look at Cadillac again !! MOST ordered Cadillac vehicles have MORE options and the LARGER engine , yet still Cadillac sells more with , lets say, the 2.0T, ( do to thats all they stock).
However NOW GM ” fixed even that trouble ” Like the XT4 for instance, I can not say ” see scott3, more XT4’s are ordered with the 3.0TT or 2.7T ” Because GM doesn’t even offer another engine !
This exact thing will be true with your beloved Canyon.
You see I wanted the diesel in my Canyon. I stopped at the dealer, at least 15 times to see if I could test drive one, NOPE, one has NOT to this day been stocked at the closest 4 dealerships !! OK so yes, today, I could buy one, yet now I would never buy a new OLD Canyon, when I know I can get the 2023 Canyon with more. YET now, the way it sounds, I will not even be able to order one with the diesel !!
And GM’s response is, ( again telling me the customer what I want ) you won’t need the diesel, the new 2.7T will be ” Good Enough ” for you. Even though, if GM looked at what Canyon was ordered, it was the diesel, because you had to order them, no dealer stocked them !!!
GM simply is NOT going to figure out this 2020 and beyond vehicle market because GM simply has NO WAY to communicate with the customer, and what the customer wants.
And EV’s are NOT going to help, most GM customers, do NOT want an EV, especially Cadillac. Sure GM needs an EV Cadillac, and GM needs an EV Vette ( yet the mid engine Cadillac EV Vette will do the trick, if GM isn’t broke by then.) GM needed to ” transition ” Cadillac, from a reliable, high quality vehicle, to an EV of the sort. Yet now GM wants the customer to believe GM that the Cadillac EV will be something that Cadillac has not been for 30 years. And still will NOT make Cadillac standard with what most Cadillac customers want, and order, because when GM releases the new EV’s, it will once again be what GM tells you, the customer, is what you need.
You are wrong!
Options were given because many companies only had one model and to set them apart or to make more money options began to be offered. The more expensive the car the more options offered. In the past even the most expensive cars would offer you a choice of body builder to construct the body and style of your choice.
As time went on option came to be selling points but also to let the customer choose how much they would pay for a cars. For two decades power windows were offered but most people chose crank to keep the price down in the average car.
As time went on the cost to develop and build a car has gotten very high. Cars like the Camaro went to standard tilt wheels and windows because it is cheaper than to put a crank window in and to offer two different columns.
Today they build many packages as they are more cost effective. They do a lot of research to offer packages that are popular and profitable even sold at a lower price.
Then they also are challenged to build say vehicles with very expensive diesels or carbon beds. To offer them in a base model would be a very undesirable car at a high price. Or like the carbon bed on the Denali. They can package a number of options with it to make it more appealing with the added options and to help off set the cost of the much more expensive bed till the new material becomes cheaper as volume climbs.
Often more choices lead to higher prices due to higher development and assembly cost. That cost added on top of a vehicle already expensive will drive the price up or the profits down. Offering 10 engines per model line is a thing of the past for most models anymore. As it is most companies are getting close to only harp ing a couple engines anymore.
Ford has nearly killed the V8 and the V6 is on the way out at GM. Many MFGs are mostly 4 and 3 cylinder. Your choice due to cost will be very limited.
EV on the other hand will offer mostly the same motors but with 1/2/3 motors and different sized batteries. Add in specific programming and that will be your power. Cheaper to develop and no emissions or mpg testing cost or regs.
In the future the bodies will be different as will the suspensions but the batteries and power will only vary in size of the battery the number of motors and if they program it for a truck or other vehicle.
I love that !
You are wrong !
Agree with paragraph #1
I mostly agree with paragraph #2
I don’t understand paragraph #3 are you saying Camaro went to standard tilt wheel and electric windows, because it was cheaper than offering a non tilt wheel, or a tilt wheel, and crank windows ? Here again is where I think you are wrong ! There is no way, electric windows, are cheaper than crank windows, EVER ! In the past, or now !! Electric motor VS cheap plastic crank lever – Regulator, same ! Hole in door panel VS switch bezel, I think the hole is cheaper ! – Now lets move on to fuses, copper wire, relays, switches, wire grommets, NO WAY ! there is simply NO WAY ! electric windows are cheaper than crank windows, then or now !
And GM has proven they are willing to cut costs of a 2 cent spring ion an ignition switch, if GM could sell a vehicle with crank windows, GM would build every vehicle they could with crank windows !
Look at interior lighting, ambient lighting, GM price slashed that, yet retained customers, even though most mid to high end customers would prefer it.
I disagree totally with #4, GM is horrible at what they clump together as a option package, sure GM will make more profit this way, by forcing the customer into an unwanted higher priced package, rather than one cheaper option ! MOST customers would pay more for the single option they want, over options they do not ( they add the cost of troubles related with the non wanted option) I would pay the same, for a larger center stack screen, and triple configurations in the vehicle information screen, and do not want, XM, OnStar, or NAV, just Android Auto, and a larger screen !
#5, They GM is challenged to build this higher end stuff, do to the competition !! GM would not spend a dime on an upgrade, if the competition was not steeling customer cash ( the best example of this just happened with the truck interiors and RAM ) Even the Duramax, GM will not spend to increase the CC even though the competition has, GM just 10 speeded it to stay in the torque band longer, GM finally did the 6.6 gasser, because RAM and Ford BOTH have a large gasser and GM was cheap and squeezed every bit of cash out of the 6.0 !
#6, I love how you jumped to 10 engine options, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, per model line, Ha, Ha, Ha !You do realize GM doesn’t offer an average of ONE engine option per model line, RIGHT ! Again, when you are talking the full sized lineup, sure GM offers three in some model lines, and always at least two of those options are great options. Yet the midsized lineup, most engines are just ” Good Enough ” and there is no other choice !
#6, I love the EV world coming, yet I live in South Dakota and we are the last state to do anything new so it will be years ( at least 5 ) before you will be able to charge an EV anywhere other than home or a Tesla station ( 7 in the whole state )
C8.R, you do realize your regulation cost excused and development cost excuses and all other excuses you have for GM, that EVERY AUTOMAKER IN THE WORLD that sells in the USA have those same excuses.
It is competition, and GM has not been able to compete since before their bankruptcy, around 30 years now, give or take a few !
You said ……..
“ You see, my history is like this, tell me if I am wrong.”
So I did………………
Yeah I’m ok with that, no big deal !
You just continue to amaze !!!
Just more proof of how your generation has bankrupt and continues to weigh down GM !!!
Just look at your response, how many times can you use the excuse ” Make money ” and it cost to much ?
How, just how, is this not clear to you yet !!
GM has cut its way to bankruptcy already once, and just continues down the same path !
And you and the people on here like you, just keep making excuses on why thy can’t keep up with any competition !
You know when I was talking, people would make the options in their back yard, because GM would not do it until the competition FORCED GM to try to keep up !
Elon Musk, is this generations, back yard mechanic !! The automakers, and the world, didn’t give him the options he and so many !!!!!!! CUSTOMERS !!!!!!!!! wanted, so he made it in his back yard !!
And here we are, a generation later, you and GM are trying to figure out how to keep up and compete !!
Let me help you both out, you and GM !!
Its going to take !!!!!!!!! SPENDING MONEY !!!!!!!!!
Not !!!!!!! MAKING EXCUSES !!!!!!!!!!!!
Spend the money to fix the GM 8 speed junk transmission !!
Spend the money to fix the interior on 75% of your offerings !!!
Spend the money on just to many things here I don’t even think the internet can handle how many things GM is just so, so, so f0cking CHEAP on !!!!
But what I love is, we always find out how being cheap has worked out, and is working out !
Good points and I find that peer pressure forces a lot of these decisions. Like, “it’s not a real truck if it’s not a 4×4” or “who buys a double cab just get a crew cab”. Well I don’t go off road or live in an area where I need 4×4 and I don’t have kids so I don’t need a crew cab. GM wants a bunch of crew cabs with a fancy tailgate on the lots as far as the eye can see. So when you ask for what you want, you can be made to look like an oddball. They want to pressure you into to wanting what they want you to have. And the dealer plays along with it because duh, they make more money. I have no use for 4×4, a crew cab or that cumbersome tailgate.
that would literally be a downgrade. and last time I checked, it was the multipro tailgate that got an innovation award, not something you can get on a 1935 suburban.
Barn door tailgate does have some benefits though wouldn’t be a dealbreaker on a new truck. For someone who wants to put ramps on the back to put a garden tractor in the bed, it would work well. You would keep the weight off the conventional tailgate and wouldn’t need to remove it.
If I remember the correctly the Astro Van had the Barn Door in the back, if anything
I would like to see that van come back
Avalanche midgate that allows the back window to be stowed away the same way or keep it on while the midgate is open. This is the best ever idea to come back. It allows to have a 6 ft box or (5,5ft) 4 door truck opens up to 8ft long inside with 3 top panels for the back bed.
I would take the traditional or multipro tailgate all day long over the barn door tailgate.
Hell no !!!!!!!! They don’t need to have a barn style tailgate but I don’t know why they didn’t mention Lincoln blackwood had that first that’s what the people at ram do take other manufacturers ideas like the ram box taken from the avalanche
Reminds me of the dual-action old station wagon tailgate of years ago.
You cannot leave the talgate/s open to for longer items without blocking the tail/brake lights. Just like the tahoe/ astros fords version on the expodition, they all went away and shoud stay away
The RAM tailgate opens like a normal tailgate AND can open as barn doors. Your point is moot.
No. they should not. These are a joke. The tailgate is also used for support of items while maneuvering them in or out of the bed, not just to hold things inside the bed.
The RAM tailgate opens like a normal tailgate AND can open as barn doors. So the RAM tailgate can support longer items. Your point is moot.
I had a 2002 Astro with the barn style doors. Thought sometimes it was a pain opening and closing three doors, it had more benefits than not. I would prefer the barn style tailgate over the current multi fold that GM has though for me it wouldn’t be a deal breaker.
It would save a lot of back pain to at least offer a dual hinge tail gait. It would also make it easier to get into the bed. I would love to see the aftermarket get busy on this and offer a dual opening solution for those of us with bad backs and drive the 99% of trucks on the road right now with neither option!
Ah, so much ink needlessly shed. The “barn door” idea is nice; no doubt. The barn door is a no-brainer decision if you only have the choice between the barn door and the traditional drop gate. When you throw in the “multi-pro” it becomes the no-brainer across all options. The barn door is the “also-ran” version of what GMC has. Why is this even a discussion?
Not sure everyone understands the RAM version of this tailgate can function as a full, one-piece fold down tailgate OR a split barn door gate. As a folded down one-piece gate RAM states a 2000lb load rating, more than enough to load a 4-wheeler or road bike via ramps. I had the Barn Doors on my Suburbans and now my Excursion and find them very convenient for loading and trailering. They seem more usefu/beneficial than the Multi-Pro gate on the GMCs.
Yep. Folks on here would rather complain that actually read and comprehend the article.
I mean, there is a picture of the RAM with the tailgate down and another picture of the RAM with the barn doors open.
I should add that the reason I only mentioned a dual function door is because the Ram set up would be more expensive. Who hasn’t seen a pickup with a nice dent right in the center of the top edge of the tailgate ? Now what if that tailgate has that fancy GMC mini door or all of the extra latches for that Ram multi door. How do you give a thumbs down to common sense?
So GM will not let you get a 6.2 or 10 speed unless you go 4×4 and they delete the double cab SLT. But, they continue to produce this silly tailgate. Let’s be honest, everyone has been talking about the Ram interior. The Ford, GM and Toyota guys are impressed. I am hard pressed to find anyone outside of GM claiming to want a tailgate like this. The Ford guys said they wanted a better interior like the Ram but did not want a tailgate like the GMC. Give us our options back instead of trying to force other manufacturers into a tailgate war. The owners of other brands have spoken, they don’t want it. I am so tired of GM telling me what I should want and staging awards for themselves.
GM probably doesn’t make a rear wheel drive 6.2 because nobody would buy it. the only people who buy 2wd trucks are businesses who want to save a buck. Also, i would like the new tailgate if i could afford a higher trim. speaking of higher trims, the LT and LTZ trims have nicer interiors than the RAM bighorn and Laramie which are just tacky. IT will be hard to get any ford fanboys to buy GM, considering they drive fords with all the associated ford engine and electronic issues. ever tried working on a 5.0? its atrocious. ecoboosts just get even worse.
I refuse to agree with everything a certain brand does. They all have issues but atleast let me get what I want. This is a very competitive market and your options should be competitive with other brands.
Why not copy the Ram tailgate? They have already copied Tundra styling. Must be why they dropped to third place.
All points/opinion’s sound great. Although not sure if I would want to try and make a final decision from them. Remember what a pickup box is used for. Frankly, with the rear camera mounted in the tailgate I now have to disconnect the electrical plug in order to remove the tailgate. There are several incidents where it’s great to be able to easily remove. Weight is another factor. That’s my 2 cents.
WE TRIED THAT OPTION ON THE ASTRO VANS YEARS AGO IT WAS NOT VERY POPULAR.ITHINK WITH THE TWO TAILGATES THEY HAVE NOW WILL BE FINE.IF YOU WANT BARN DOORS BUY A DODGE/RAM
Not very popular? GM sold 3.2 million Astro/Safari vans over their 20 year production lifecycle.. averaging 160,000 per year. Pretty sure GM would like to have those sales on their ledger today. “If you want Barn Doors, buy a RAM” is exactly the kind of thinking that’s cost GM 30 points of market share over the past 25 years or so.
I understand the 3.2 million units total production but not all of those were Dutch door configuration units the hinges used to always break and staying open was an issue I should know I sold enough of them
no, what we want is 2 door trucks in the Trailboss and AT4 trim. Not everyone wants a 4 door pickup truck. Let the damm tailgates alone. Your messing with the wrong end. Build a 2 door pickup that people can get in higher trim levels than just a work truck. Wake up GM.