GMC Sierra: Has Science Gone Too Far?

The new 2019 GMC Sierra has some super cool options including a 6-way tailgate that is all over the car sites and Twitter right now and a carbon fiber bed for ultimate strength.  Is all this just going to alienate an average truck guy?

The 6-way tailgate on this truck is sweet, there is no question about that.  Carbon fiber is the hottest thing in materials right now and this is the first to have that feature also.  It seems like each new truck debut convinces me that it is finally time for me to cave and buy a truck.  I was going to buy the new Ram, now the GMC Sierra is the hottest thing in trucks…

It seems trucks are getting more and more technically advanced.  This 2019 Sierra not only has the 6-way tailgate and carbon fiber box.  The GMC Sierra also has adaptive ride control which constantly monitors the road to make the ride as smooth as possible.  For towing there is a new app to aid with safe trailering.  Finally, there is a new color heads-up display.

All of these things make for an attractive vehicle for high-end truck buyers.

The new truck is setting a new bar for truck tech, is it too much though?

Most, and I mean most, truck buyers still purchase for some kind of workload.  Whether it is as a contractor or on the farm, at least in my area, trucks are used for truck stuff.  I should note there is a definite buying trend of people getting crew cabs instead of SUV’s.

All this tech has me wondering how it will hold up once the truck is being used in the field.  On dirt and gravel roads or on salt covered winter drives, how will some of these features last?  Will these just become very expensive things to fix down the road?

I like to assume GMC has tested these things heavily in all types of conditions.  It does look like the buttons on the multi-position tailgate are rubber covered.  This should hold up fine to dust but will cold cause the rubber to crack.  However, I am unsure how the electric actuators could possibly be fully shielded from gravel dust and salt.

Next: Fully charged: Jaguar uncovers electric I-Pace

Maybe this is a symptom of where I grew up, the midwestern US, but I sometimes feel trucks are getting too complicated.  Very cool, but complicated.  We will see what truck buyers think of the tech.