So, this thing is supposed to be good for the environment? How can a vehicle with a 6.0L

Great truck... and about as fuel-friendly as full-size pickups get. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

V8 possibly be good for the environment?

If you need a vehicle to carry big loads or tow big trailers, you don’t have much choice but to buy a full-size pickup. A good chunk of the house, workplace, or whatever building you find yourself in, was built with materials and equipment transported in full-size pickups. So if there is a less (focus on the word “less”) environmentally corrosive alternative to your typical full-size pickup, this GMC Sierra Hybrid is a good first step.

The Sierra’s 2-mode hybrid system basically adds some brains to the brawn of the 6.0L V8. The name 2-mode means the Sierra can run on electricity alone (up to 48 km/h), gasoline alone or use both at once.

As functional as a Sierra 1500, less a little towing capability. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

When the truck slows down, energy is recollected by the electric motor and stored in the 300-volt battery underneath the rear seats. Start/stop technology allows the internal combustion engine (ICE) to shut off completely when the electric system can get the job done on its own.

While driving, if you didn’t pay attention, you wouldn’t have any idea that there is a hybrid system at all. You might notice how quiet it is though. At a traffic light, the ICE will actually turn itself off because fuel used when idling is fuel wasted. Unless you stomp on it when you take off, the Sierra gently rolls forward with only the subtlest whirr sound from the electric motor. It is very subtle, because you have to turn the fan off and stop talking in order to hear it.

A nice interior that's well put together. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

The near silence is broken up when the ICE kicks on again, and delivers the real punch needed to get up to speed. Once at speed, when coasting or under situations of low power demands, the engine will run on just four cylinders instead of eight thanks to GM’s Active Fuel Management cylinder-deactivation system. When the next light turns red and you get on the brakes the electric motor doubles as a generator to capture the truck’s kinetic energy and stores it for later use. If, while rolling, the smart little computer decides that you are in fact stopping, it will shut off the ICE while slowing down.

This all happens seamlessly. If you’re sitting in a parking lot the engine will fire on and off,

Flexible rear seats are handy for storing items that need to stay dry and secure. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

as the system needs to maintain its charge. The air-conditioning will even keep running if the ICE is off, meaning you can sit in the drive-thru without feeling guilty. Pretty cool eh.

If you look under the hood on the passenger side there’s a milk-crate sized box adorned with a metal hybrid decal, with big orange cables running out of it. You can’t see much, although this is not something you should be poking at anyway.
All this is supposed to provide a 23% fuel economy improvement. My tester’s EnerGuide numbers are 10.5L/100km city and 9.8L/100km highway, compared to the same non-hybrid Sierra, which gets 15.1L/100km city and 10.3L/100km highway. There are a lot of numbers there, but in real everyday driving you could expect a fuel savings of 15-20%.

The

Fun for the whole family. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

Sierra Hybrid makes 332hp and 367 lb-ft of torque, which is slightly less than when the 6.0L V8 is on its own, at 367hp and 375 lb-ft of torque. Towing capacity is reduced as well, down to 2,767 kilos (6,100 lbs) from 4,717 kg (10,400 lbs). The Hybrid is not quite as capable as a standard truck, but only at the upper limits, so for four out of five pickup owners it’ll do just fine.

The Hybrid system is not available through the wide Sierra lineup. It only comes as a Crew Cab with a 5 1/2-foot box. It starts at $46,275 for a 2WD model or $50,875 for 4WD. My tester was outfitted with leather, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, a power sunroof, power folding mirrors and a few other little bits raising the price as tested to $57,860. It is hard to line up a standard Sierra

Friendlier on fuel yes, but a serious work truck when push comes to shove. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

to directly compare prices, but the premium for a Hybrid Sierra is roughly $3K.

It is not cheap, but on its own it is still a very nice truck. GM’s big boys ride extremely well and feel like rolling living rooms. The console between the two front passengers is nearly a foot wide. There is an ocean of room inside. Three adults can comfortably sit in back, which few vehicles can claim. The black leather of the tester felt to be of good quality, while the dash and door panels, albeit made of basic plastics, are well put together.

This is a big truck, with big door handles, big mirrors and a big console shifter that requires a manly paw to wrap fingers around. It will not give you a light step on the planet by any measure, but if size matters the Sierra Hybrid at least provides the option of being a little more environmentally responsible.

Significant changes in the automotive marketplace rarely happen quickly, so kudos to GM for putting one foot in front of the other. The Sierra Hybrid is a great truck, which just happens to be a hybrid.

Interior

Exterior

Mechanical

Safety

Dimensions

Misc

(J004) Standard Black Paint

(J005) Standard Gloss Paint

(V76) Recovery Hooks

(K05) Engine Block Heater

(AG1) Power Driver Seat

(1SJ) Select-a-Unit 1SJ

(CF5) Power Sunroof

(C49) Defogger: Rear Window

(UVC) Rearview Camera System

(58U) Carbon Black Metallic

(A95L) Leather Bucket Seats