Spied! 2011 GMC Sierra Denali Heavy Duty

Spied! 2011 GMC Sierra Denali Heavy Duty

Until now, the GMC Sierra Denali has only been available as a luxury light-duty pickup with a 6.2-liter V-8 gasoline engine. But at the 2007 SEMA Show, GMC showed off a diesel-powered Heavy Duty Denali concept, strongly suggesting that the 'Professional Grade' brand wanted to go head-to-head with Ford’s top-of-the-line King Ranch Super Duty.

Judging from the latest spy photo, it looks like GM is about to make its Denali HD concept a reality.

Our spies have just caught this 2011 GMC Sierra Heavy Duty pickup out and about, trimmed in Denali livery. It has a unique four-bar chrome perforated grille, instead of the three-bar grille we’ve seen in other Sierra test trucks. It also sports chrome trim, door handles and wheels – Denali hallmarks. Look even closer and you’ll see the bell of a large two-piece venturi tailpipe (which helps cool high exhaust temperatures) indicating that there’s a next-generation 6.6-liter "LML" Duramax V-8 under its hood. The uncamouflaged hood features new reverse-power-dome styling with prominent center mounted louvers.

GM's 2011 HD pickups are also expected to ride on an all new chassis and start production in the first half of 2010.

Comments

Looks good, a level kit and some bigger tires and it will look awsome.

The GM/Chevy styling has nothing on Ford or Dodge this gen. I want a truck that looks and handles like a truck.

Herb - I like when the back is up a bit,if you put a heavy load it doesnt go down as much...Plus it just looks better. The new Dodge ..er..Mopar truck is level and it would look better with a little lift in the back like the 2008 and older !!

Looks like they added a buldge in the hood..I like it !! Dont like the grill at all.does nothing for the truck,I guess people will add a custom grill to improve the lame one it now has !!

Also ,whats with the huge emblems and nameplates on cars/trucks these days?It ruins the look on most..

What are the details on the all new chassis?

plastic part on the hood looks very bad,front bumper looks too low, it just dosent look right.i am guessing interior is gonna be same wich i dont like about current gm trucks,it looks too much of SUV like.If you building a truck make the interior truck like not SUV.And the color choices terrible,they are way too bright.Other than that truck looks ok.

It looks like GM is finally added side step bars as an option. It's about time. My 2001 F250 steps are awesome!! GM should have started offering these 10 years ago.

No on the grill and I just don't like the very rounded jelly bean mirrors on the Gm/Chevy, they are just not truck enough. And after market Wheels and tires will improve it a lot.

I agree Ian, the plastic part on the hood looks like a cheap add on. Also the truck looks like a 2009. Give me a Dodge HD over this any day. The grill looks like a Ford grill also.

What a hideous truck. That front end looks like a Sierra 1500. Why can't they build two different truck designs like the F150 & F250. That's why GM is in the gutter. Cheap bastards could never do that.

@ Frank....your comment kinda made me laugh. The Denali is a 1500. The reason why GM doesn't separate the LD from HD is the same reason Chevy and GMC look so similar. It is because GM likes to try to save as much money as possible and loves badge engineering the hell out of their lineup.

This truck looks decent, but IMHO it has nothing of Dodge's Laramie trim level or Ford's King Ranch.

It has IFS (no solid axle) and cant tow or haul as much as Fords or Dodges. To me GM trucks dont feel as solid and well put together as Ford or Dodge trucks. There still good trucks, but I would pick a HD Dodge Ram or Ford Super Duty over the GM trucks.

Farmboy,

The picture shows the Denali HD which looks identical to a Sierra 1500.

It looks like they took the 1500 front end and slapped it on a HD. It looks hideous. Such a small front end on a big truck. No wonder FORDs front end is enormous.

Bye the way, the grill looks like it was taken from the FORD SHO Tauras.

I'm laughing as well.

BlahBlahBlah what about the frame ? if GM still has torsion bars under there , there is no hope for GM .

The grill looks exactly like my razor scaled up about 1000%

Frank,
They are so cheap it looks almost exactly like the 2009:
http://www.gmc.com/sierra/denali/index.jsp


I looked at the hood scoops from another picture..and they look cheap,doesnt even fit properly !!!This day and age it should be a 1 piece molded hood..look at the Dodge ram nice bulged hood..The grill is still hideous,as the wierd small mirrors!!

So in my astute point of view Chrysler's,Dodge Ram trucks look the best,followed by the General Motors then Ford ,Ford ruined them by the huge wrap around headlights,alot of trucks will have cracked lights if they drive on gravel roads..so the Dodge is still king !!!

I agree that the Dodge Ram - light and heavy duty are the best looking trucks out there.
I think the GMC 1/2 ton looks much better that it's Chev sibling. Chev/GM's front end styling did not transition well from the 1/2 tons to the HD trucks. I loved the razor analogy. The plastic cowl on the hood looks very very cheap.
Ford botched the looks of their pickups with those weird shaped headlights. The Raptor looks good but that's because it's almost 8 inchs wider which seems to make those headlights "fit" better.
The bumper does look very low. All of the manufacturers have made them lower. I have read that it was to improve survivability of occupants of small cars involved in collisions with pickups. Another reason was improved fuel economy. Less air under the truck means less drag=better MPG.
It doesn't help on the job site though when your bumper becomes an earth moving device.

Lou,

How about people with lifted trucks like myself. Will they be mandated to lower there bumpers.

I'll do a search on the net, wait I got more work. I guess not.

Like the looks. Still looks like a truck, not over-the-top 'trailer park' like Ford and Chevy. New chassis will match Ford for capacity and towing. I hear the LML Duramax will surpass the 6.7L Duramax, too.

Whoops, ment to say '6.7L Powerstroke'!

Since when has gm not offered side steps? And dodges are giant piles, they are cummins carriers not trucks, the only good thing about the dodge is the cummins, the rest of the truck is shi* trans is weak interior is horrible unless you get the overpriced laramie, fords finally stepped their game up

@Anthony the new dodges aren't. The styling and the cabin is actually very comfortable. The 4th gen dodges are on my list with the F-Series. The Tundra is on my possible next truck half ton list with the F150 and Ram 1500 as well alot of nice trucks to choose from now a days.

The GMs however have been disappointing me lately. The new gm HD lines I think they could have done way better with the looks at least, it looks like a 10 years ago truck almost to me.

@ Frank- you should check your local/state regulations to see if your truck is legal. This web site had an article on lifted trucks and the new regulations concerning stability control systems being implemented in 2012.
Here are 2 excerpts from that article:
"So far, nobody really knows exactly which alterations can be tolerated without compromising a stability system, but it’s clear the arrival of these systems will be a game-changing event for both owners and the aftermarket."
"Legally, should an accident occur, the aftermarket parts manufacturer and installer could be targeted, whether the accident was caused by the alterations or not. Once the safety equipment becomes government-mandated, altering a vehicle’s dynamics might even be considered tampering -- a federal offense. The worst-case concern is that aftermarket modifications for pickup trucks could be legislated out of existence."

Frank - looks like you got some homework to do :)

PS - you must get some short coffee breaks.

This truck is nowhere near a King Ranch Super Duty... Where's the solid front axle? Apparently GM chooses to stick with bumper stops and junk torsion bars. It has baby mirrors, cheap plastic on the hood, baby tires with 'bling' rims.. That's not a REAL Truck. It's a glorified 4x4 grocery getter. Is it real leather like the King Ranch on the interior? And why is the stance of the truck so uneven? The front end sits way too low. It's harder and harder for me to be a GM truck guy anymore... In decades past GM really defined what a real truck should be. Unfortunately they haven't cared about a good truck in almost 20 years. Go to any ranch/rodeo event, Nothing but Ford country... Those guys need real trucks for farm work not this city slicker crap to look cool going to the home depot in.

hey Chevy Guy, I live in the heart of farming country and i see more GM trucks on the farms then any other brand.... I don't know where you live but here in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin the truck of choice on the farms is GM, They are reliable and they are good in the muddy fields... My friends 98 Silverado is one of the toughest trucks i have ever seen, I'm not brand loyal but when i see people like Chevy Guy talking BS i have to say something.

Shut up all of you Tundra haters! Tundras will still be on the road @ least 10 yrs after your Chevy and pos GM's are in the junkyard. :)

Tundra Guy...I guess you have not heard about rusting Tundra frames..as same as the Tacoma !!! Tundra's blowing up camshafts,tailgates that split in half,bad trasmissions...how about the 3.5 million Toyota's recalled for SUDDEN EXCELERATION !!! It's not the floor mats Toyota blamed it on !!! We had a customer that plowed in the back of a Taco Bell and they had no floor mats,also he is a Highway Patrol Officer, so I guess he knows how to drive !!

anthony,I guess my 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 transmission is garbage and its still going strong at 150,000 miles !! My only Dodge transmission that failed was from my 1997 Dodge SST truck,360 ci,supercharged,4.56 axle,4spd automatic shift kit stall conv ..now,low 12 second 1/4 mile truck on street tires, that I do block long burnouts in..Funny my(wifes) 2010 Dodge Ram Sport 1500 has very nice leather interior,even my 97 has nice cloth interior,my 2003 Ram has nice interior,leather/suede...obviously you only looked at the Dodge trucks with the low model ST rubber floors ect..Open your eyes !!!! Its common for transmissions to fail at 80,000 and over on ALL trucks Ford/Gm/Toyota/Dodge if you tow or it is fully loaded all the time,also it depends on how you drive/maintain it..

Jake, I live in Iowa. I have a 3 Chevy trucks one of which is a 98 as well. I'm a GM man at heart but have to shake my head at what their 'truck' line has become. Low slung frames, torsion bars with bump stops, little wheels, cheap interior plastics etc.. GM's idea of a Heavy Duty truck is nowhere near heavy duty. The engines and transmissions are fine. It's the rest of the truck that's the problem.

This package just isn't gonna compete with the King Ranch. Not hating on the truck its nice but its not enough to even touch the King Ranch which is so much nicer Ford really got that right when they came up with that a few years ago.

I will agree Chevy Guy, the clearance and tires on the GM trucks annoy me too, I can't agree with you on the interiors though, I don't think GM's interiors are fantastic but i don't think they are really any worse then Fords or Dodges, All of the brands top of line interiors are nice IMO.

and Tundra guy, you are an idiot. The Toyota Tundra has had more problems then any other truck over the last three years...

Have to get in about the Tundra. If you want a truck to work hard and last - Tundra is the last truck to consider. And it just looks like an afterthought compared to the trucks with truck DNA. IMO.

Frank, basically they took the 1500 face on the Sierra nand Silverado and beefed it up with a taller grille and bumper valence with causes the chrome piece to be lower than it actually is. The new (2010) Dodge Ram is the same way.

I know Tundra is the worst work truck on the road. I was just serving up some softballs. Hence the smiley. Have a good day.

gm always sold more light truck,and this is only normal they make the denalie on heavy duty,

Having an uncle in Iowa who farms 6000 acres I can tell you the farmers who use their trucks for farming arent driving gm. Their truck is parked at home and are driving a dodge or ford for the real work because lets face it. Anybody with half a brain knows the gm hd's are about as worthless as tits on a boar. Unless they start putting a sfa under the front they shouldnt even be considered a hd.

Ram and Ford ought to be laughing all the way to the bank over the lates gm fumble. It seems as though gm could screw up a wet dream.

The wheels seem to be very small or the same used on the LD truck and ugly. There by indicating LD truck brakes(I'm guessing). It's my opinion that if you require a HD truck to haul or tow more weight, then you should also get larger HD brakes. DUH! I think the tires look like passenger car tires. Not real truck tires. Now, I understand the whole lower rolling resistance tires thing. But not on a HD especially a diesel for crying out loud!
Why not just make the louvers stamped into the hood? I understand their purpose, but the plastic thingy looks very un-truck like and cheap. I really couldn't care less about how the grill looks. Although it appears to me that they simply reduced the mass in order to keep the higher rated engine cool. The mirrors on this truck are not HD material, meaning only that their not good for towing anything of any consequence. But okay for a daily driver I suppose. If the truck pictured is 2WD then I feel the stance is appropriate. However, if it's 4WD then WTF?



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