2022 GMC Sierra Denali 1500 Interior Revealed In New Spy Shots
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Last October, GM Authority brought you an early look at the 2022 GMC Sierra Denali 1500 interior, delivering a preview of the highly-anticipated refresh to the truck’s cabin. Interior camouflage covered most of the dash on that prototype, but our spies were just able to catch the vehicle with the tarp pulled back, revealing the overhauled center stack, instrument panel, and other noteworthy elements.
Before we continue, we should note that this model appears to be the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali thanks to its trim-specific grille lurking behind the camo, along with full-length chrome running boards and chrome tow hooks. As such, keep in mind that the non-Denali models could very well wind up with a different center stack treatment, much like what GMC offers on the 2021 GMC Yukon Denali compared to regular models. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at that interior.
The center stack has been completely overhauled, which GM Authority was first to report over a year ago. The air vents, now slim and horizontally-oriented, have been moved to the top of the stack. They are followed by a new wide center screen with a physical volume control on the left side of the screen.
That center screen is running GM’s implementation of the Google Android Automotive OS (AAOS), with several cloud-connected search and app capabilities that will initially launch in the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup.
Immediately below the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali’s new screen resides a new HVAC control panel, tilted at a 45-degree angle. A row of switches resides immediately below the HVAC control panel. This switchbank appears to be similar (if not identical) to the one used on the current, 2019 and newer Sierra 1500.
We can also clearly see the digital instrument panel, which was previously teased by GMC along with the new console shifter. As GM Authority was first to report, the column-mounted gear selector is being retired for this refresh.
Meanwhile, the steering wheel on this particular prototype does not have the tell-tale Super Cruise indicator strip, suggesting that this model does not feature the Super Cruise hands-free driving assistant. That said, GMC has previously confirmed that Super Cruise will be offered as an option on 2022 GMC Sierra Denali.
The upcoming 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 refresh will feature a variety of changes and updates over the current 2019-2021 truck, including revisions to the styling with a new front end, new tail lamp design, along with a new rear bumper treatment. More importantly, the 2022 GMC Sierra refresh will also include a revised interior with the elements described above.
GM initially planned to launch the refreshed 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 later in the 2021 calendar year. However, that timeframe will be pushed back due to the ongoing microchip shortage. Meanwhile, the 2022 GMC Sierra Heavy Duty, including the 2500HD and 3500HD, will continue on with only minor changes compared to the fully refreshed light-duty 1500 model. The Sierra HD will, however, get its own refresh for the 2023 model year.
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Yes, this is the interior I expected!!!!!! Floor shifter, very car like, high end materials to rival Range Rover and Mercedes, soft touch in all the places, big screens, plus seats that are or so comfortable. Way to go GM, knocked it out of the park. I cannot wait to buy one of these next year. GM for life, RAM and Ford have nothing on these new trucks and you already know Toyota isn’t going to make a splash. No more crappy interiors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
B…S….
I don’t think you’ve seen the competition if you think the rivals have nothing on this. This could be great, could be just enough. They need more than an interior though.
Anyone noticed the paddle shifters?
The floor shifter is for wimps. Column shifter gives the truck balls
calm down Francis. I hope you’re wearing a bib.
I really like it but shiny black buttons for the hvac controls would drive me nuts. Gets full of scratches.
Wow. This is actually looking really good so far, although the piano black buttons were never my thing.
They are going to have to update the Yukon after the Sierra one-ups this. IMO this looks better than the Ram. I wonder what the non-Denali version of the Sierra looks like.
Plus it doesn’t have that child push button gear selector! The same shifter from the Hummer EV. I feel bad for people who recently bought a sierra as this interior looks way better so far.
Don’t feel bad for people who bought Sierra’s recently. The folks that got new Sierra’s last year probably have a truck that is worth almost what they paid if not more.
Used car market is insane now. Since new vehicle inventory is low (chip shortage) people are buying used models, consuming more and more of that inventory. Hard to find a good deal on a relatively new pre-owned truck now. And a desirable, low mileage model like a Sierra AT4 or Denali could very well be worth more than they were when new. It’s compounded by the buyer behavior to “put off” buying a car during the height of the pandemic a year ago with reduced production of 2020 and 2021 models because of factory closures. Then a lot of buyers ended up getting a lot of stimulus payments to add to all the cash they saved last year by NOT traveling or dining out for months.
Used 4Runners are going for more than what I paid for my new one 4 months ago. This is especially the case with the TRD and TRD Pro models. I honestly wasn’t excited about the deal I got, but it ended up working out very well.
I have seen similar trends with the Tundra pickup too, as they are very low in inventory just like the GM trucks.
I have a 2019 Silverado CC RST Z-71. Currently, it’s worth more than I paid for it.
I plan on selling it after the summer. Will buy an updated Silverado.
The console shifter is the most disappointing aspect followed by the less utilitarian setup. Looks too fancy for a truck, hopefully the mid and lower level models are laid out differently like the Denali vs the SLT Yukon’s as this wouldn’t work or stand up in a work vehicle. Glad they kept the volume knob at-least.
Please don’t put the shifter on the console for all models, that is the most silly thing ever in the day in age of advanced automatics. It wastes so much space it is ridiculous. You can’t put anything there to eat when on a road trip with the stupid shifter sticking up and it doesn’t do anything for sportiness (it is a truck). Put it as a button, knob or anything else., same applies for cars. You literally touch it three times in a drive, once when you start to reverse, once when you go to drive and once when you park, a button or dial or anything is better. We lost the manual, a floor shifter is useless with the advent of paddles. Guess we will see when he reveal comes, hoping the middle and lower level trucks stay in their lane.
I am doing a research design study in the next few weeks for my Silverado, I hope they show some fancy car interiors in them or wasteful shifters, I will vote them down to zero every time if it inhibits any usefulness and write the exact reason why. Ditto if they just pop a screen on top of the dash like an afterthought that is the fad today. Speaking of fads, I hope black wheels are brought up, that fad can die in a fire….
Maybe I will get an insight in the next gen Colorado design or interior? I’ve done a few of these over the years and a few years ago they showed some sketches that turned out to be very similar to the overseas Colorado interior and even got to sit in the G8 ST (the Pontiac G8 sport truck ute they were supposed to bring over before it was killed), that was cool except it had a GTO interior in it. We shall see.
Yes to much of what you say regarding shifters and consoles. Trouble with these trucks is that advanced technology is stuck in the console, so you can get a bench type seat in a lower trim level but not the high end safety features to aid driving.
To look for GM screens in the future maybe the Cadillac Escalade shows the way.
I don’t know about food on the shifter but I know neither my girl friend or my dog likes to sit on it.
I agree on the black wheels….I’m so sick of them being on everything from minivans to econoboxes. Especially when like Hyundai/Kia sometimes if you get the top trim level you have no choice but black wheels.
Yes, bring back the cheap, crappy interior along with plastic seats, must be truck like!
What a whiner!
Shoot, just copy the button shifter from the SUV’s. We have that in our 2021 Denali and is easy to use, up out of the way and only took a few times for it to be second nature. Ditto with the dial in the Dodge’s I’ve rented.
Looks pretty good to me.I like that it still has knobs for the HVAC and the infotainment.I dont know why some get all upset over a column shifter, it does not matter to me,at least with a column you have manual +/- conveniently located even though I rarely use it.
Please let this be GMC exclusive, if not quit making the Sierra already.
Looks really good from what we can see. Now the question for me is if the 5.3 will get an update and 10spd standard. Currently on the fence over 3.0 or 5.3.
Hopefully 400hp for the 5.3 and 450hp for the 6.2, can’t let F-rd have the fun.
They should offer a 5.7 to bring up the HP I know on the LS you can easily bore a 5.3 to a 5.7. They should have enough capacity for 10 speeds for at least V8 4wds LT trim and up.
Get the diesel, 5.3 is a boat anchor, no power unless you push it hard, and then fuel economy sufferers. The 3L Duramax is a nice piece, and much more pleasing to drive, and easier on your wallet at the gas pump. Turbo diesel just better than aspirated gas engines for drivability. EV beats them all.
EV wins in acceleration, try towing with one any distance outside of the city…
The 5.3 is a boat anchor huh? Let’s look in to that. It out performs everyone except the 3.7 ecoboost. All numbers from Motortrend to keep them consistent. I really wish people would do a little homework before posting misleading info or regurgitating what a few people incorrectly spout (usually the ego driven 6.2 guys)…
2019 Silverado 5.3 – 1/4 mile 14.9 @ 94.6, mpg 16/22/18 (real not given), power 355/383
2019 Silverado 6.2 – 1/4 mile 14.4 @ 98.3, mpg 16/20/17 (real not given), power 420/460
2017 Titan 5.6 – 1/4 mile 15.0 @ 93.9, mpg 15/21/18 (real 12.6/19.2/14.9), power 390/394
2019 Ram 5.7 – 1/4 mile 14.7 @ 93.7, mpg 15/21/17 (real not given), power 395/410
2015 Tundra (no one tests these same old dogs anymore) 5.7 – 1/4 mile 15.2 @91.8, mpg 13/17/15, power 381/401
2018 F150 2.7 – 1/4 mile 15.5 @ 89.5, mpg 19/24/24 (real is shown as 14.9/23.2/17.7), power 325/400
So the Silverado has less power than all yet is faster (it is two tenths behind the Ram but faster through the traps) and beats them all on MPG (probably 2.7 as well as we all know how it really does). What I think is funny when the 6.2 guys talk about how much of a dog the 5.3 is yet it is a half second slower and less than 4 mph behind at the traps on regular 87. It can also run on E85 giving it a nice power bump. The 5.3 is a sweetheart of a motor, plenty of power, good mpg and a proven reliability rating over the years while running on 87 and being able to get a shot in the arm on E85.
Still think it needs updating?
Notice I said the 5.3 is a boat anchor and no power “UNLESS YOU PUSH IT HARD” How about at part throttle? Around town in overdrive, when you step on it suddenly? Clearly you have not owned a turbo diesel, or you would know what I am talking about. Go Duramax, you are never coming back to the 5.3…
Yes, it needs a power bump and 3.42 gears with the 10 speed. In the real world the 2.7 and 5.0 Ford walk all over and it and that is a fact.
375hp, 395 tq minimum, and if they’re going to put 33″ tires, 3.42 needs to be an option with max tow getting 3.73.
3.0 for sure! Bought one 3 weeks ago and love it.
Another vote for the duramax , last week traded up from 19 SLT new body with the 5.3 litre / 8 speed to Denali with the 3.0. Fuel economy is just silly in this thing, I’m averaging well into high 20’s, and power is great. Little laggy on the roll up to power but it is a diesel and should be expected, that and I’m still getting used to it.
eeh…. its an improvement. but nothing to really brag about. I’ll reserve my full thoughts until we see it 100% uncovered.
Still looks like crap compared to RAM!
Very interesting that they went away from the push|pull transmission buttons. Wonder if this will migrate to the other GMC’s…
well….it’s different!!!
That screen is still small and not class leading, and most of the interior looks lifted from the Yukon Denali which Doug DeMuro reviewed yesterday and still found it too have lots of cheap hard plastic and questionable fits.. Not good enough for 2022-2026 GM, Ram and Ford are still nicer on the interior today.
Maybe GM expects a participation trophy, but not going to get it from me…
How do you know how big the screen is?
Keep in mind that bigger (screen) does not mean better, especially in trucks. People want physical HVAC controls.
Haha, Listen Dummy, people still wanted a faster horse that ate less before they were introduced to something better. There are some controls done better with physical buttons, and some better in a touch screen. Volume should still be a knob, and windshield wipers still a stalk, even window and mirror adjustment buttons work better, but for many other operations they should be automated with setups behind the touch screen. I have an E-Tron and a Tesla and the things I though would drive me crazy in the Tesla (single screen in the center, all controls in the screen, etc) don’t bother me at all, and as a mater of fact when I step into my GMC Denali It feels cheap and antiquated by comparison. Many operations in the GMC are less convenient, and in 2020 GMC still not offering adaptive Cruse Control… huh? talk about behind the times. E-Tron struck a good balance between physical controls and touch screens, although I think I prefer the Tesla low dash so you can see out better (forward anyway rear visibility in the Tesla Y sucks) and in a parking lot the Model Y is great and drives much smaller than it is. Model Y has same cargo capacity as Lyriq, more range, and cheaper, even with AWD and all the options.
First Doug Demuro isn’t a good person to rep interior quality. Second, operations are less intuitive? Seriously? Having rented multiple Tesla’s (wife loves them, I think they are the apple fan boy of cars and will buy an actual electric car for her from a reputable brand) our 2021 Yukon Denali is hands down more user friendly. Tons of buttons to push as opposed to screens to scroll through is the big thing. I am with you on the gear selector as I hate the floor shifters. Finally, the quality is very good with it (GMC), harder plastics down low which it is a volume brand but you also find that in the others such as the Navigator…
I have a 2020 Denali 2500HD, its the cheapest interior materials I have ever seen in a car (my 2011 was actually nicer), and missing a lot of features found in Ford SD or Ram… GMC loves hard plastic…
You don’t have Denali. You are just liar and troll.
Hands down the best looking light duty truck, and when equipped with the 3.0 there is no
match. Currently my 2020 Carbon Pro Sierra gets 25mpg on the highway . Pulls my boat or camper without any issues. 1 year and 18000 miles on the odometer and no issues, a solid truck.
I like the 3L diesel, but the existing interior is worst in class, and the new interior is a small upgrade, but not class leading like it should be. Gm’s love of cheap hard plastic needs to get dumped.
I really like the design of this.
My questions and or concerns are the following…
Will this design be ONLY for the Denali version and the other Trucks get a much cheaper interior (as the Yukon & Denali SUV)
Is that the smaller Infotainment screen or the biggest on offer? If it is the biggest, completely missed the Boat on that.
Will the NON Denali versions also get the Floor shifter or will they still utilize the Column shifter that GM has been using since like 1950 HAHA
But overall muuuuuuuuuuuch, muuuuuuuuuuuuch better interior than the Current one.
Clearly most of this was lifted from the Yukon Denali, so look at the base Yukon for the the style in the base Sierra.
Real question I got… Will the glove box and console storage be felt lined???? Will the lower dash and mid doors be leather (or pleather on the SLE trims)???? To me those were the biggest quality issues. I’m not a fan of “ooohhhh a bigger iPad!!!” And I’d like the column shifter left in lower trims as well. I’m a big fan of practicality, and am really hopeing for a newer 5.3 with the update more than anything else. Id also like to see carbon ceramic brakes added to both the higher trims and the max tow package. In theory if they produce them in bulk they should be a long term cost savings.
Let let the whole thing be seen before we get too worked up. Let’s see what options and the complete package is first.
As for the shifter the main key is to be able to use it for things like plowing snow where you are shifting all the time. The push buttons are not much for this. The column worked well and a mechanical floor shift worked fine. It depends on how sensitive the electric shift is as to how well it will work.
Not many people plow snow with half ton trucks…
Want a convenient shifter, look at Tesla Model Y, just a stalk, its the best design I have ever seen (stolen from mercedes) Its so good, Cadillac is putting it in the Lyriq too…
Appears to be the same shifter from the Hummer. Personally, I like that.
I’m not sure what’s wrong with a column shifter. Its functional and doesn’t clog up the center console.
I like the digital shifter stalk, like Mercedes, and Tesla, its just like using a turn signal. GM is going that direction in the Lyriq
No way, you’re delusional. That vertical screen from Ram is a fad and it won’t last. This refresh looks great!
Those large vertical screens look cool to get that wow factor. But they are not all that useful once people start actually using them. People will learn from that when buying the next truck or vehicle.
Ya, I hear all my friend that have owned Tesla model S for years say “gosh I hope my next car has a smaller screen” NOT!!! They will not buy a car that does not have the large screen, although horizontal is a better basic design but the most important feature is real estate for maps, or video. The new Escalade has a large screen, but its mostly not usable for maps, so not as convenient as the Tesla solution.
Hummer got the screens right, but the center screen should have more active area, and less bezel.
Do you watch sales? Ram has added more market share than anyone since 2019, so who got it right? and who is playing catch up? GM blew the interior on the refresh, I was at the Detroit auto show when the Ram and Sierra were unveiled, the GM guys knew they blew it, they did all their talking around the bed, and tailgate. This refresh is long overdue, and gets GM into the conversation, but not class leading. GM is also lacing some tech that Ford has like the trailer backing assist, and adaptive cruise control on the mid tier models. Hopefully GM will fix this and not hold back adaptive cruise for only the higher end customers.
I agree that Ram’s design was class leading at the time and still looks great. I disagree that every person wants a huge screen in their truck. When a screen starts getting over a certain size I personally think it looks tacky and takes away from the other design features. This screen size will fit the truck nicely and provide the refresh look that most Chevy loyalists were hoping for. Also, this pic was taken from an angle and everything’s covered up so the screen size make look disproportionate. We will know what it looks like soon, hopefully. Now I just hope they add some interior leather colors and make their seats more comfortable. I’m excited to see what’s next!
Fair enough, the screen does not have to be HHHHHHUUUUUGGGGEEEEE, but should optimally be at least 15″ and I like landscape format.
Just here for the comments from the haters and apologists for GM.
I’m sure it will be just ok enough to not let most customers leave the brand.
I think the 2022 Toyota Tundra will be the best truck on the market this fall.
Lol. Tundra and best are two diabolically opposed words.
The Toyota truck guys went to sleep in 2010 and just woke up to find the market has left them far behind. They have a lot of catch up to do. But at least Toyota has made bank charging current truck prices year after year for their old technology.
Toyota has thrown billions at the Tundra program with limited success, Not my favorite, just looks awkward in design.
Looking forward to the ’22 Tundra debut.