2022 GMC Sierra 1500 readies to take on competition with new interior

With the rivals getting more modern, the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 arrives with an updated styling, new interior, two new trims, and more tech.

The most important change in the Sierra 1500 is the new interior. It borrows the design from the GMC Yukon and gives it a more upmarket feel, both in the luxury-focused Denali and off-road-focused AT4X trims. Touchscreens in the 2022 Sierra grow up to 13.4-inches for the infotainment system and 12.3-inches for the digital instrument cluster.

The opulent Denali Ultimate trim adds a suede headliner, 12-speaker Bose sound system, and Adaptive Ride Control over the regular Denali trim. There is also an exquisite Paldao wood trim on the dashboard. In the AT4X trim, there still is wood, albeit in Vanta ash wood form. The Bose audio system is offered in this model as well.

The exterior of the 2022 Sierra gets a nip and tuck as well. The grill grows wider and sports a different texture. A new bumper design hides new LED fog lamps. The headlamps are LED units as well, and they sport a new design. There are new colour options as well, including Titanium Rush Metallic, Dynamic Blue Metallic, and Desert Sand Metallic.

At the rear, the clever MultiPro tailgate is retained. So is the CarbonPro construction. To differ the new model from the old at the side, new wheel designs are brought in. For a new range-topping Denali Ultimate trim, there are 22-inch black wheels and a “Vader chrome” dark front grill. For the off-road-focused AT4X trim, it gets bespoke 18-inch black wheels with LT265/70R18 Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac Mud-Terrain tyres and an optional rocker guard.

Under the skin, the Sierra 1500 AT4X trim gets a new set of Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers for the suspension, balancing between off-road and on-road performance. The wheel travel is upped by 50 mm in the front and 25 mm in the rear. This trim also gets front and rear electronic locking differentials as standard and a two-speed transfer case, with selectable modes for different off-road conditions – including Terrain Mode, which allows one-pedal rock crawling.

Another big addition to the Sierra 1500 range is GM’s new Super Cruise advanced driver assistance technology suite. This is offered as standard with the top dog, the Denali Ultimate, while the lower Denali gets it as an option. This tech adds adaptive cruise control, automotive lane centering, and automatic lane changes and overtaking. It even factors in the length of a trailer if you are towing one.

The 2022 Sierra 1500 carries over the large V8s, the 5.3-litre and 6.2-litre with no big changes. But the smaller turbocharged 2.7-litre inline-four unit makes more torque now, at 569 Nm.