The big trucks are getting meaner. The market is increasingly flooded with aggressive rigs offering an increasing focus on extreme power and extreme off-road capability—or at least the appearance of capability. The Ford F-150 Raptor started the trend, but others, like the Ram 1500 TRX, have no shortage of fans.
Photo: Tim Stevens
The 2024 GMC Sierra HD AT4X AEV Edition isn't as extreme on the power side as those. Still, with 975 pound-feet of torque, a 2-inch lift, and Multimatic DSSV dampers, this truck promises big off-road capability in an even bigger package. All that, combined with more displays and active safety systems than before, creates an impressive package.
But it comes at an impressive price and a dizzying array of configurations. Looking at the 2024 GMC Sierra HD range, on the low end is the 2500 Regular Cab Long Bed Pro 2WD with a price of $47,395, including the $1,995 destination charge. On the high end is the Denali Ultimate 4WD with a starting price of $94,895. In between are the SLE, SLT, AT4, Denali, and AT4X trims available in either two-wheel or four-wheel drive (4WD). They come in regular, extended, or crew cabs with standard or long beds.
In the sections that follow, our independent expert analyzes a 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 Crew Cab AT4X 4WD equipped with the following options:
The test vehicle's price was $103,075, including the $1,895 destination charge to ship the truck from the Flint, MI, assembly plant to your local dealership.
Photo: Tim Stevens
Getting into the Sierra 2500 AT4X AEV, with its additional 2-inch lift beyond the already tall 2500 suspension, requires a little effort. Running boards are a nicety in most trucks. On this one, they're a necessity for anyone but the gymnast.
Once inside, you'll find plenty of room, whether you've climbed into the front or rear seats. The Sierra 2500 has seating for five, and that's a realistic number, even if your five are full-grown adults. There's ample legroom in the rear, plus enough width for those broad shoulders and height for anyone long in the torso.
The front seats are even more generous. They're wide and flat without much support, but given the rate with which this truck turns, that's perfectly acceptable. While the outer two rear seats are heated, the fronts add ventilation and a massage function. The heating and cooling systems are highly effective, but the massage function is less so.
Materials are a mixed bag. While the primary upholstery surfaces and seats have reasonably good-feeling leathers and vinyl, hard, loud plastics are easily found, even high on the dashboard.
When it comes to layout and controls, the 2500 packs a lot of buttons, but everything has a logical placement. The steering wheel has primary controls for cycling through settings on the 12.3-inch gauge cluster, plus controls for the adaptive cruise control system.
A simple drive-mode toggle is to the left of the wheel, next to the light controls. Heating and cooling controls are on the right, beneath the central touchscreen. Finally, you'll find the trailer brake controller on the center console between the front seats. This location is far more convenient than up on the dash, where it usually lives.
Photo: Tim Stevens
Infotainment in the Sierra 2500 lives within a 13.4-inch touchscreen with a wide aspect ratio and a high enough resolution and contrast to deliver good-looking imagery. The software here is Android Automotive, which means that even without your smartphone, you can access the full suite of Google services, including Google Maps, YouTube Music, and Google Assistant.
This is a boon if you're all-in on Android because once you sign in, you'll have everything from playlists to contacts at your fingertips. If, however, you're happy in Apple's walled garden, the integrated services will be a little less plug-and-play. But, with wireless Apple CarPlay, you're still supported. (Android Auto is also here, wirelessly.)
In my experience, Google Assistant is among the best voice-activated systems on the market when it comes to looking for points of interest or even asking for answers to random questions, like just how tall the Sierra Nevada mountains are. (For the record, they are 14,000 feet.) However, GMC didn't hand Google the keys to the car's systems, so you cannot use your voice to change any vehicle settings.
Everything is easily accessible via responsive, easy-to-use design. Occupants play media through a 12-speaker Bose sound system that has plenty of power to fill the cabin but won't do much for you if you prefer listening to the finer details in music.
Photo: Tim Stevens
You don't drive the GMC Sierra 2500 AT4X as much as you navigate it through the world. From up in that driver's seat, every space looks smaller, as does every other vehicle. Out on the move, you'll rarely encounter anyone with a taller vantage point than you unless they're on stilts or astride a particularly tall horse.
Despite the big numbers from that turbocharged 6.6-liter diesel, the 2500 doesn't move with much enthusiasm. It'll spin the rear tires if you leave it in RWD mode and floor it, but the speed comes on slowly from there.
GMC tuned the 10-speed Allison transmission for smoothness and fuel efficiency, and it manages the former at least with aplomb. It glides from one gear to the next so gently you'll have difficulty feeling the shifts.
The steering is similarly relaxed, requiring a fair few rotations to turn this thing quickly. The brake pedal is similarly long and slow, so be ready to plan those turns and stops well in advance.
Regarding ride quality, the Sierra 2500 AT4X with the AEV package isn't exactly unpleasant. Neither, though, is it refined when you're rolling around unladen. It crashes over bumps and is easily unsettled over rough roads, but that's no surprise, considering it can haul up to 1,380 pounds in the bed.
Wind noise on the highway is admirably limited, but there is a fair bit of road noise from the all-terrain tires. That isn't that bad either, primarily thanks to how far those tires are from the cabin.
When the highway ends and the dirt begins, the Sierra AT4X with the AEV package should be a monster. That Multimatic suspension with an additional 2 inches of lift, plus the locking rear differential, should enable this big truck to be relatively capable. However, I have to keep saying "should" because the General Motors loan agreement prohibited any sort of proper off-road antics.
Photo: Tim Stevens
The Sierra HD Pro Safety suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) comes standard on all 2024 Sierra 2500s. This includes:
Add on the Pro Safety Plus package (standard on the AT4X) and it adds:
The lane-departure warning chimes early and often, but thankfully, you can silence it without disabling the feature. Instead, the Sierra 2500 can simply buzz the seat, which is far less annoying. It'll be up to you to correct for any wandering, though, as the truck lacks lane-keeping assistance.
The adaptive cruise control works well, readily detecting traffic and appropriately managing the truck's speed.
Photo: Tim Stevens
The AT4X in AEV trim is good for 18,400 pounds towing 1,380 in payload. Those are some solid numbers, but they pale in comparison to the base Sierra 2500 Crew Cab, which can tow a maximum of 22,500 pounds and haul up to 4,178 pounds.
That's a significant trade-off if you're not going to take your Sierra off-road. Beyond the reduced numbers, loading any cargo into the bed is a real chore. The additional lift of this trim means that, even with the MultiPro tailgate folded down, its lowest step is at thigh height.
Not particularly, no. While the Environmental Protection Agency does not officially rate the Sierra 2500 or any other large pickup trucks with a GVWR over 8,500 pounds), in my testing, I scored 15.7 mpg. Given the Sierra's 36-gallon fuel tank, that means a theoretical maximum range of 565 miles.
The Sierra 2500 offers a reasonably comprehensive active safety system for a full-size truck, including forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane-departure warning.
However, regarding crashworthiness, the official testing organizations aren't very helpful. As of this writing, neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has tested this truck.
The base price of an option-free 2024 Sierra 2500 4WD Crew Cab AT4X is $82,800. However, you can get the 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD for as little as $47,395 in Regular Cab Long Bed Pro 2WD trim. On the high end is the Denali Ultimate 4WD, with a starting price of $94,895. All prices are inclusive of GMC's $1,995 destination charge.
Competitors to the 2024 Sierra HD include the Chevrolet Silverado HD, Ford F-Series Super Duty, and Ram Heavy Duty.
Photo: Tim Stevens
The 2024 Sierra 2500 AT4X with AEV package is a solid truck. Standing next to it, it's hard not to be impressed by its sheer bulk, if nothing else. That gold Multimatic suspension peeking out from behind the all-terrain tires, plus the ready-for-business skid plates and bumpers, also make a bold statement.
However, these packages sour the Sierra 2500's otherwise excellent workman capability. Towing and hauling are significantly reduced, and your knees and back will hate you whenever you need to hike yourself up into the truck's bed. You may even tire of clambering up into the driver's seat.
This is a lot of money for a lot of truck. But unless you really need serious capability with off-road prowess, you're better off going with a truck that focuses more on work or play.
Tim Stevens is a veteran automotive and technology journalist with over 25 years of experience covering everything from smartphones to supercars. In addition to JDPower.com, his expert perspectives have appeared in numerous national and international outlets, including print, online, and broadcast television.
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