Up Close With the 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1

There’s been a lot of growth in the electric pickup truck class lately, with entrants from both startup and established brands alike. GMC already has one electric pickup truck in the off-road-focused Hummer EV, and now it has another: the 2024 Sierra EV Denali Edition 1, which is set to arrive early in the 2024 calendar year.

Related: 2024 GMC Sierra EV Joins Growing Avalanche of EV Pickups With Denali Edition 1

The Sierra EV is a full-size crew-cab pickup truck that shares its chassis and propulsion system with the Hummer EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV, but it has unique styling and features inside and out.

Up front, there’s a new interpretation of GMC’s front lighting signature, and a shield-style plate replaces a traditional open grille. The perimeter of the shield is illuminated, as is the GMC badge that’s affixed to the plate, and while the front-end design is assertive and fresh, there’s still a family resemblance with the brand’s other full-size pickups. The Denali Edition 1 is the first version that’ll go on sale, and it gets massive 24-inch wheels and all-terrain tires that look big even against the truck’s substantial profile.

Like the Silverado EV, the Sierra EV offers more cargo-carrying flexibility than your typical full-size crew-cab pickup thanks to its MultiPro midgate and tailgate. The folding midgate, which expands the cargo box length from around 6 feet to 9 feet — or nearly 11 feet with the tailgate down and the load stop in position — gives you extra box space for long items when you need it and rear seating when you don’t. The folded midgate does open the interior somewhat to the elements, but for occasional use, it makes a lot of sense. Like the Ford F-150 Lightning, the Sierra EV has a front trunk under the powered hood for additional storage space.

At its debut, GMC asked us not to sit in the Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 because it was a very early version of the pickup. So while we weren’t able to get a sense for certain practical considerations like comfort, space and outward visibility, we were able to see how the brand intends to differentiate the truck from its Chevrolet sibling by giving it a unique, luxurious interior. Even in this early form, the interior has a premium, upscale appearance, with the centerpiece being a 16.8-inch vertically oriented dashboard touchscreen. There’s also an 11-inch digital instrument panel in front of the driver and a color head-up display.

GMC only showed the Denali Edition 1 version of the Sierra EV, but there are more variants slated for later as 2025 models. These include an AT4 trim level that’s more off-road-focused with a 2-inch suspension lift and an Elevation model that’s more value-oriented. If you’re interested in the Denali Edition 1, pricing starts at $107,000 (before destination and tax credits) and you can make a reservation starting today.

More From Cars.com:

• 2023 GMC Hummer EV Pickup Review: Awesome in Nearly Every Way
• Up Close With the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST First Edition
• How Does the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV Compare to Other Electric Pickups?
• 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Review: Lightning in a Bottle Is Too Cliche, But Damn if We’re Not Impressed
• Ford F-150 Lightning Vs. F-150 Hybrid: What We Learned Towing and Hauling With an Electric Truck

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