Recently, my truck needed to have some work done and ended up staying in the service shop over night. I was able to take home and test the All New 2019 GMC Sierra AT4. I was drawn to this AT4 model as it comes standard with a 2″ lift, a more aggressive All Terrain tire and colour matched bumpers/trim.

Right away I noticed that the key fob is proximity based, and the vehicle has a push button start. I believe this to be one of the last passenger vehicles in the GMC lineup to receive this treatment. I was able to enter the truck by pushing the keyless button on the door’s handle, rather than removing the fob from my pocket and touching the unlock button as I do with my current truck.

Once inside, the first thing I noticed was the feeling there was a substantial amount of extra space. Though the cabin is larger by 3″, it felt noticeably larger than that. The redesigned interior- dash, console, and head unit are what I was drawn to next. I found the head unit a little easier to navigate than in the last generation, and everything I needed to adjust for my drive was marked clearly and within easy reach.

Once I started to physically drive, it was obvious that the new generation headlights are much brighter making the road and it’s objects easier to see. As I pulled to the first stoplight, I was made aware of the the Stop/Start technology this truck now includes. There’s a needle mark on the RPM gauge marked AUTO STOP just below the 1,000RPM, but above the resting position when the motor is off, that made me aware the truck was using this new technology. Once I removed my foot from the brake, the motor restarted and I was on my way.  As I made my way home I felt comfortable, and found the truck easy to control and maneuver.
On my next trip out that evening, I noticed a few more of the subtle details than I didn’t see while leaving work. As I unlocked the door, all of the exterior lighting illuminated. This included the puddle lights built into the side view mirrors and cargo lights in the truck box. Once illuminated, it was easy to see that the box size is quite a bit larger than the previous generation’s truck. I then took this opportunity to use the Multi-Pro Tailgate, which is a GMC exclusive. The gate has 7 possible positions and it’s obvious that it would come in handy when travelling with larger cargo, and when used as a step for entering and exiting the truck box when loading. On this trip I was again drawn to the Start/Stop system once the vehicle reached operating temperature. At nearly every stop, the motor briefly shut off and restarted when I was ready to keep moving.

The next morning when I made my trip back to work I opened the rear crew cab door to place my bag inside and noticed that the rear seating section is quite a bit larger. The 3″ of extra cab space is really noticeable here. There are a couple seat back storage compartments that would come in handy, I could see myself storing tie-down straps or gloves etc. in them. Also, I saw the buttons that would operate the rear heated seats. I drove a different route than I did when driving the night prior and the 6.2L motor and 10 speed transmission performed much better than my own truck. I noticed that the engine was running at less RPM while travelling and I was able to enter the highway from the merge lane easily because of the response of the motor and transmission combo. The ride was quiet and comfortable as I made my way to work.Though my truck’s repair work was completed the next day, I enjoyed the time I spent in the 2019 1500 AT4. I could certainly see myself being a customer of this truck in the future.

Jennifer Bueckert | Davis GMC Buick-Lethbridge