By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica.com

(August 21, 2023) Yikes! I'm well aware that full-sized pickup trucks have gotten expensive but wowser — over $90,000 for the well-equipped half-ton GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X AEV Edition? As it is we were already impressed with the GMC AT4X sans the AEV Edition gear add-on package that's an extra $6,895 to its standard vehicle price of an already stratospheric $81,700.

New for 2023 along with the help of the world's premier supplier of off-road performance American Expedition Vehicles of Montana, the AEV Edition adds five hot-stamped boron steel skid plates (Hot stamping is a stamping method that heats metal within a specific temperature range. Its benefits include the elimination of internal stress to prevent hardening, increased material plasticity, reduced deformation resistance, decreased equipment power consumption, and high hardness. Who knew that?).

It also includes stamped steel front and rear bumpers with heavy-duty recovery points if you need help getting towed out of a jam and also comes with winch capability. The AEV adds 18-inch 12-spoke high gloss black aluminum wheels with recessed valve stems designed to prevent getting snagged on trail rocks, lower rocker protection, and AEV identification branding on included all-weather floor mats, front head restraints and an AEV Buffalo themed tailgate decal. There's also a bump in tire size to 33.2-inch diameter 275/70/R18 Goodyear Wrangler Territory Mud-Terrain tires that replace the slightly smaller Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac Mud-Terrain tires on the non AEV AT4X, yet still seem too small for the rugged off-road purposed AEV.

GMC first launched its AT4 trim on the Sierra 1500 back in 2019, with the intent to blend some of the uber luxe Denali trim's appointments with more rugged off-road accouterment capability that was more at home in country club and Galleria shopping parking lots than trips to the lake down gravel roads grassy farm trails. The AT4 has been a huge sales success for GMC making it easy to recognize a subset market with the natural addition of the AEV Edition package.

The AT4X comes standard with GM's 6.2-L 420-horsepower V8 and 10-speed automatic transmission. Last year the Sierra AT4X added even more capability from the factory with its Multimatic's magical DSSV spool-valve dampers. This year AT4X added new springs with the dampers for an addition 2-inches of suspension travel up front and an extra inch in the rear. There's electronic-locking differentials on both axles, a larger transfer case shield and additional interior niceties like ash wood trim.

Unfortunately, do to extremely hot weather and "High" fire red flag dry conditions in the Arizona rugged off-road trails I was unable to test the AEV's off-road performance capability since the state has closed those trails to off-road vehicles. We were anxious to test it's elevated capability over the standard issue AT4X but have a strong hunch customers will be more than pleased and happy with GMC's new off-road brute abilities.



Given the plus $90,00- price tag of the AT4X AEV we did a bit of comparison shopping with competitors similar type off-road trucks and found the similar Chevy Silverado ZR2 some $17,000 less, the Ford Raptor with it's beefier 450 horsepower has a starting price of $78,385 and the off-road king, the massively 702-horsepower RAM TRX at $86,450.

Vital Stats
Base Price: $81,700
Price as Tested: $90,935
Engine/Transmission: 420-horsepower, 6.2-liter V8 and 10-speed automatic transmission
EPA Fuel Economy: 14/17/15 - MPG - City/Highway/Combined
Seats: 5

Where Built: Silao, GJ, Mexico

Crash Test Safety Ratings: Overall "Good" from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and highest possible overall 5-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Safety Administration

Competes With:
Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Bison
Ford F-150 Raptor
RAM 1500 TRX

Likes:
Serious off-road capabilities
Impressive on-road sophistication and manners
A new era of performance for GMC

Dislikes:
"Eye-popping" price tag
Mega thirsty MPG
Needs bigger tires