GMC recently introduced their Sierra C3, a high-performance full-size pickup truck. Kinda sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? And theirs isn't the first of the breed; Ford has offered the F-150 Lightning since the early 1990s. And don't forget Chevy's 454 SS pickup of a few years back that rumbled through the streets with over 400 foot-pounds of torque at the driver's disposal.
But the GMC has one thing those others don't: all-wheel drive. Why "all-wheel" versus "four-wheel"? Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, most often all-wheel drive (AWD) means that all the wheels are capable of being powered for the purpose of better traction on pavement, whether said tarmac is dry, slick with rain or slippery due to snow. And there is no action (such as pulling a lever or pressing a button) required by the driver. The goal is better handling on-road. All-wheel drive is usually found on cars, not trucks. "Full-time four-wheel drive" may sound like the same thing, but typically this term means that the system is found on trucks or SUVs and is geared toward off-road use (often having a low gear suited for this purpose) as well as increased traction in dicey driving conditions.
In any event, the C3's system is referred to as all-wheel drive and is designed to give the 5,000-pound beast sporty performance on-road, hence the street-oriented handling package and meaty (P265/70R17) Michelin touring tires. Another benefit of having all four wheels sharing the power transfer comes when there is a lot of power to put to the ground. This is definitely the case with the C3, whose Vortec 6000 (6000 cubic centimeters, or to be more conventional, 6.0 liters of displacement) V8 kicks out a muscular 325 horsepower and 370 foot-pounds of torque. The big Vortec makes the C3 the most powerful naturally aspirated (not turbocharged or supercharged) half-ton pickup currently available. All this power is routed through a heavy-duty, electronically controlled four-speed gearbox and then to all four wheels.
The aforementioned hardware allows the C3 to dig in and launch itself with authority, hitting 60 mph from rest in just 7.3 seconds and dispatching the quarter-mile in only 15.5 seconds. So smooth and potent is the C3's drivetrain that our road test editor, Neil Chirico, was moved to say, "You feel like you are driving the Corvette engine in a truck body." But impressive as the raw numbers are, they don't tell the whole story. They don't convey, for example, the pleasingly throaty rumble that issues forth from the beefy chrome tailpipe, or the velvet-smooth, yet lag-free gear changes of the superb automatic tranny that occur right on time.
And just as impressive as this pickup's pickup is the ability of the C3's braking system to bring all that mass to a halt in short order. Antilock (ABS), four-wheel disc brakes with twin-piston calipers brought the C3 to a stop from 60 mph in only 128 feet, a stellar performance for a two-and-a-half-ton truck. To put this into proper perspective, consider that a BMW 323Ci Convertible, a car that's no slouch in braking ability, produced a distance of 126 feet. The C3's ABS is fairly unobtrusive when called into action, merely emitting a low buzz while providing excellent directional stability and minimal nosedive.
When it's time to work, the C3 is ready with a standard, heavy-duty towing package that includes a switchable "tow/haul" mode for the transmission (which provides firmer shifts that occur at higher rpm), and a transmission temperature gauge in the instrument cluster. The C3's burly 8,800-pound trailer rating should be more than enough for most folks.
In terms of handling and ride dynamics, most comments were favorable. Running through the Greater L.A. canyons showed surprisingly competent cornering ability, aided by fairly crisp steering and a flat, planted attitude through the twisties. Of course, the all-wheel drive didn't hurt, inspiring confidence with its substantial grip. As expected, the ride is on the firm side, though usually not uncomfortably so. However, during freeway running on the infamous 405, the C3 demonstrated a dislike for the concrete sections of the tarmac by getting jiggy with it and subjecting the occupants to a slight but constant fore and aft bouncing. This choppiness vanished when the truck was driven over asphalt portions, which comprised the majority of this roadway's surface. Our guess is that the slightly raised seams on those concrete sections, combined with the C3's suspension settings, produced this odd effect.
Whether tearing up the boulevard or towing a camper cross-country, the C3's cabin is a pleasant place to spend time. Comfy front seats feature power lumbar supports (which adjust up and down as well as fore and aft) as well as bun warmers (seat heaters). The two-tone leather interior trim is attractive, as is the dash design with its rounded edges and simulated wood accents. One editor, however, felt that there was still too much hard plastic trim evident. For a laptop, cell phone and any other gadget one may have, there are plenty of power points, five in all, located in easy view.
Now for the gripes. Although a full-feature stereo (with cassette deck, six-disc in-dash CD changer and steering wheel-mounted controls) is standard, the sound quality just isn't there. Turning up the volume more than halfway resulted in distortion, and below this setting the sound was somewhat flat. The one-touch down feature on the driver's window is too sensitive, causing the window to go all the way down nearly every time the button is pressed, no matter how lightly. Hitting the button again (toward "up" and before the window has gone all the way down) will stop the window, but still, this trait is frustrating after a while. And although virtually anything one could desire in a vehicle is standard equipment, a few things were missing, namely, a power antenna (as opposed to the standard whip antenna), a bedliner and a cargo divider for said bed.
GMC's "Professional Grade" boast in their advertising campaign became a source of a few jokes around here when the C3's build quality was examined. Our editor-in-chief discovered the cause of a creaky driver's door was a loose bolt on the middle hinge. Adding insult to injury was the driver's interior door panel itself that squeaked when the door handle was used to open or close the door. These flaws on a truck with only 3,200 miles on it raised a few eyebrows as well as concerns over durability down the road. Though our criticism may seem somewhat harsh, we would probably cut GMC some slack if not for our long-term 1999 Sierra's less than exemplary history.
But the GMC has one thing those others don't: all-wheel drive. Why "all-wheel" versus "four-wheel"? Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, most often all-wheel drive (AWD) means that all the wheels are capable of being powered for the purpose of better traction on pavement, whether said tarmac is dry, slick with rain or slippery due to snow. And there is no action (such as pulling a lever or pressing a button) required by the driver. The goal is better handling on-road. All-wheel drive is usually found on cars, not trucks. "Full-time four-wheel drive" may sound like the same thing, but typically this term means that the system is found on trucks or SUVs and is geared toward off-road use (often having a low gear suited for this purpose) as well as increased traction in dicey driving conditions.
In any event, the C3's system is referred to as all-wheel drive and is designed to give the 5,000-pound beast sporty performance on-road, hence the street-oriented handling package and meaty (P265/70R17) Michelin touring tires. Another benefit of having all four wheels sharing the power transfer comes when there is a lot of power to put to the ground. This is definitely the case with the C3, whose Vortec 6000 (6000 cubic centimeters, or to be more conventional, 6.0 liters of displacement) V8 kicks out a muscular 325 horsepower and 370 foot-pounds of torque. The big Vortec makes the C3 the most powerful naturally aspirated (not turbocharged or supercharged) half-ton pickup currently available. All this power is routed through a heavy-duty, electronically controlled four-speed gearbox and then to all four wheels.
The aforementioned hardware allows the C3 to dig in and launch itself with authority, hitting 60 mph from rest in just 7.3 seconds and dispatching the quarter-mile in only 15.5 seconds. So smooth and potent is the C3's drivetrain that our road test editor, Neil Chirico, was moved to say, "You feel like you are driving the Corvette engine in a truck body." But impressive as the raw numbers are, they don't tell the whole story. They don't convey, for example, the pleasingly throaty rumble that issues forth from the beefy chrome tailpipe, or the velvet-smooth, yet lag-free gear changes of the superb automatic tranny that occur right on time.
And just as impressive as this pickup's pickup is the ability of the C3's braking system to bring all that mass to a halt in short order. Antilock (ABS), four-wheel disc brakes with twin-piston calipers brought the C3 to a stop from 60 mph in only 128 feet, a stellar performance for a two-and-a-half-ton truck. To put this into proper perspective, consider that a BMW 323Ci Convertible, a car that's no slouch in braking ability, produced a distance of 126 feet. The C3's ABS is fairly unobtrusive when called into action, merely emitting a low buzz while providing excellent directional stability and minimal nosedive.
When it's time to work, the C3 is ready with a standard, heavy-duty towing package that includes a switchable "tow/haul" mode for the transmission (which provides firmer shifts that occur at higher rpm), and a transmission temperature gauge in the instrument cluster. The C3's burly 8,800-pound trailer rating should be more than enough for most folks.
In terms of handling and ride dynamics, most comments were favorable. Running through the Greater L.A. canyons showed surprisingly competent cornering ability, aided by fairly crisp steering and a flat, planted attitude through the twisties. Of course, the all-wheel drive didn't hurt, inspiring confidence with its substantial grip. As expected, the ride is on the firm side, though usually not uncomfortably so. However, during freeway running on the infamous 405, the C3 demonstrated a dislike for the concrete sections of the tarmac by getting jiggy with it and subjecting the occupants to a slight but constant fore and aft bouncing. This choppiness vanished when the truck was driven over asphalt portions, which comprised the majority of this roadway's surface. Our guess is that the slightly raised seams on those concrete sections, combined with the C3's suspension settings, produced this odd effect.
Whether tearing up the boulevard or towing a camper cross-country, the C3's cabin is a pleasant place to spend time. Comfy front seats feature power lumbar supports (which adjust up and down as well as fore and aft) as well as bun warmers (seat heaters). The two-tone leather interior trim is attractive, as is the dash design with its rounded edges and simulated wood accents. One editor, however, felt that there was still too much hard plastic trim evident. For a laptop, cell phone and any other gadget one may have, there are plenty of power points, five in all, located in easy view.
Now for the gripes. Although a full-feature stereo (with cassette deck, six-disc in-dash CD changer and steering wheel-mounted controls) is standard, the sound quality just isn't there. Turning up the volume more than halfway resulted in distortion, and below this setting the sound was somewhat flat. The one-touch down feature on the driver's window is too sensitive, causing the window to go all the way down nearly every time the button is pressed, no matter how lightly. Hitting the button again (toward "up" and before the window has gone all the way down) will stop the window, but still, this trait is frustrating after a while. And although virtually anything one could desire in a vehicle is standard equipment, a few things were missing, namely, a power antenna (as opposed to the standard whip antenna), a bedliner and a cargo divider for said bed.
GMC's "Professional Grade" boast in their advertising campaign became a source of a few jokes around here when the C3's build quality was examined. Our editor-in-chief discovered the cause of a creaky driver's door was a loose bolt on the middle hinge. Adding insult to injury was the driver's interior door panel itself that squeaked when the door handle was used to open or close the door. These flaws on a truck with only 3,200 miles on it raised a few eyebrows as well as concerns over durability down the road. Though our criticism may seem somewhat harsh, we would probably cut GMC some slack if not for our long-term 1999 Sierra's less than exemplary history.
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