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Here’s What Powers The Kicker Audio System In GMC MultiPro, Chevy Multi-Flex

In 2019, GMC introduced a ground-breaking multi-function tailgate called MultiPro on its bread-and-butter Sierra pickup. And now, Chevy is launching the same tailgate under the Multi-Flex moniker on the Silverado. Both the MultiPro and the Multi-Flex are capable of six unique positions that help with using the pickup’s box. Additionally, both have the option of a Kicker audio system which allows owners to use their trucks as mobile concert venues, if they so desire. One common question that often arises from owners as well as those interested in this system is how it draws power. GM Authority has the answer.

The Kicker audio system in the Sierra’s MultiPro and Silverado’s Multi-Flex uses a low current draw from the vehicle which, according to GM, “allows it to play for hours”. Meanwhile, Kicker refers to the effect on the vehicle’s electrical system as being of “minimum impact.”

That means that one could use the Kicker tailgate system while idling the engine in order to keep the vehicle’s battery at optimum levels, but that sounds like a good way to waste a healthy amount of fuel. And besides, having the engine running while trying to play some tunes or listen to a live broadcast doesn’t sound like the best of ideas.

It seems reasonable to suppose, then, that Silverado and Sierra will have enough juice left in its battery to start up without any trouble after the stereo has been switched off. Switching off the Kicker audio system in either truck can be done by simply folding the tailgate’s inner gate step, since a tilt switch will sense then that portion of the tailgate has been folded. It’s worth noting that there should be no reason to do this prematurely, since the Kicker stereo is robustly protected from moisture and dirt, and therefore unusually safe in the hostile environment of a truck box.

The Kicker audio system is available as an official GM accessory. It’s priced at $1,249 for the GMC Sierra equipped with the MultiPro tailgate. Pricing for the system on the Silverado’s Multi-Pro has yet to be announced.

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Comments

  1. This is neat, back in the day we took our box speakers out of the back seat, put them on the roof. We’ve come a long way!! Indeed.

    Reply
  2. It’s marine system they use in personal watercraft. It plays load but without too much bass which is how they keep the draw down. The range of the Bluetooth is pretty impressive too. They claim hours of playback time without the need to have vehicle running.

    Reply
  3. Think that BOTH the multi position tailgate & the stereo speakers in the tailgate are GREAT
    FEATURES especially when the drawdown on the battery is minimal.

    Trust the ingenuity of GM! Truthfully, many advances in our vehicles in last seventy (70) years have originated from the GENERAL

    Reply
  4. overpriced buy a nice boom box for 2 or 3 bills will sound better and you will have 1 large in your pocket

    Reply
  5. The price is listed incorrectly here. The $1100+ price is for the interior subwoofer package if they don’t have the Bose sound system. The kicker tailgate multi-pro sound system is $600+. Still pricey, but more reasonable.

    Reply
  6. Nope… It’s about 699. Not 1149. Geez. Do your research. It’s on GMC’s website.

    Reply
    1. I’m getting ready to replace my 2016 SLT crew cab with a 2021 AT4 crew, and though I have no interest in and no need for the Kicker, my dealer did bring it up. Factory installed the Kicker lists for $815, while $699 is list to buy the Kicker over the counter, but it can be had for less if you shop around. The $699 does not include the cost of installation though, which runs about another $100, making it about the same, or maybe even a little cheaper to install it after buying a truck?

      Reply
  7. I have Bose sound system in my 2021 GMC Canyon Denali, and the multi-pro setup as well, and it is almost like being in a concert hall! Yes it’s about $699., but I got a bit of a discount on mine when I ordered the truck. Both the truck and sound systems are unmatched by any other manufacturer!

    Reply

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