Vehicle Overview GM says the Sierra 1500 Hybrid’s gasoline V-8 and electric motors team up for an overall mileage improvement of 25 percent compared with the regular Sierra. The Sierra Hybrid is only available as a rear- or four-wheel-drive crew cab, both with a newly flex-fuel capable 6.0-liter V-8 and two electric transmission motors. Standard features include a trailering package, locking rear differential and side curtain airbags.
Exterior Alongside the Sierra Hybrid’s lower panels are optional green stripes with “hybrid” in capital letters. There’s also hybrid badging on the cab’s rear window, ahead of the side mirrors and on the tailgate.
Interior Depending on the Silverado Hybrid’s seating configuration, the crew cab can seat five or six people.
Hybrid badge on tachometer
Fuel economy gauge
Optional navigation system
Under the Hood GM’s two-mode hybrid system enables “full” hybrid operation with the capability to cruise on electric power up to 20 mph. The gas engine kicks in if more acceleration is needed, as well as at higher speeds; for maximum grunt, the electric motors and gas engine work together.
At the heart of the Sierra Hybrid is a 6.0-liter V-8 that teams with GM’s Electrically Variable Transmission, which integrates two 60-kilowatt electric motors. The motors draw power from a 300-volt battery pack, which recharges itself off the friction generated when you hit the brakes. The engine makes 332 horsepower and enables a towing capacity of 6,100 pounds with rear-wheel drive and 5,900 pounds with four-wheel drive — not as much as the regular Sierra’s 10,500-pound maximum towing capacity, but not too shabby for a hybrid.
GM says gas mileage is up 40 percent in the city and 25 percent overall versus the gasoline Sierra
