Orlando Sentinel's view

This could be an interesting year for full-size trucks, the hottest selling vehicles on the market.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the GMC Sierra finally moves out of the shadow of its more popular stablemate, the Chevrolet Silverado, and makes a run at the Dodge Ram. Sierra easily could knock the Ram out of third place on the sales charts.

In my estimation, Chevy goofed by making the all-new 1999 Silverado look too much like the old version. The Silverado is a great truck mechanically, but its boring styling could lull to sleep a heard of stampeding buffalo.

GMC took a different path.

GMC stylists have carved a handsome truck with the new Sierra. Instead of the tough, rugged, pump-you-up look of the Ram or the Ford F-150, the Sierra has a softer, more luxurious face. This truck – not the Silverado – is the best pickup General Motors offers.

Not only do you get a powerful, high-tech and well-made vehicle in the Sierra, but you get one that looks different, distinctive and elegant.

Performance, handling

GMC serves up the Sierra with a choice of engines. For an appetizer, there’s a 200-horsepower, 4.3-liter V-6. Entrees include a 255-horsepower, 4.8-liter pushrod V-8; a 270-horsepower, 5.3-liter pushrod V-8; and a beefy 300-horsepower 6.0-liter V-8.

Those with a hefty appetite for power will want to know that there’s a new diesel engine in the works that will likely be available in the 2001 model year. It’s a 6.6-liter engine being developed jointly by GM and Isuzu.

Our test truck sported the 5.3-liter engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. And though ours was a two-wheel drive model, the Sierra is available with four-wheel drive with most engines.

The Sierra with the 5.3-liter engine takes a little getting used to. Because the engine cranks out so much power, you have to train yourself to step lightly on the accelerator. Several times I spun the rear tires when accelerating from a stop.

In the rain, the extreme power is even more noticeable. You have to be very careful when starting off. The wheels spin and spin, and the tail of the truck skids sideways. In fact, this is the only area where a major upgrade is needed. The answer is simple: traction control. Because the Sierra already has standard anti-lock disc brakes, GMC engineers easily could adapt a traction control system from GM’s vast arsenal of parts.

You just don’t expect a truck to accelerate as quickly as the Sierra. The four-speed automatic transmission delivers crisp, well-timed shifts. A button on the end of the column-mounted shifter switches the gearbox into a tow/haul mode, which delays the shifts for better low-speed performance. Overall, Sierra’s drivetrain is terrific.

So is the suspension system, which is mounted to the stiffest truck frame on the market. The new frame not only prevents the Sierra from flexing, it also allows the engineers to fine-tune the suspension system to absorb the energy from bumps.

On the roa d, the ride is as comfortable and controllable as that of a car. Sierra doesn’t wallow around corners, and bumps don’t cause the truck to bounce much. The power-assisted steering works smoothly and responds quickly. The four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes are the strongest I can recall on a pickup truck. The anti-lock system engages smoothly and quietly and does a commendable job of slowing the 4,000-pound vehicle.

From performance to handling to braking, the Sierra sets the standard for performance in many areas.

Fit and finish

The interior of the Sierra is nicely furnished with a long array of power accessories and storage compartments. Unfortunately, the attention to style doesn’t carry over from the outside to the inside. The big dash is a bit of a clunker compared to the stylish, more modern one in the Ford F-150. Sierra’s long dash is slightly concave but also boxy. Something smaller and curvier would open up more interior room.

Still, I found the switc hes, butto ns and controls easy to reach and use. The analog gauges – speedometer, tachometer, oil pressure and water temperature – are easy on the eyes.

Just under the air conditioner is a pull-down dual cup holder. And just above that is a compartment that has a plug for a radar detector, cell phone or some other electronic device.

There are storage areas on the roof console, in the doors, in a fold-down center console and behind the seat. But these places hold only small items. If you need more interior room, you’ll have to opt for the extended-cab model.

The $625 convenience group option in our test truck includes power seats and an electrochromatic rear mirror, which helps reduce glare.

The cloth-covered split bench seat is very comfortable over the long haul. A standard feature is adjustable lumbar support.

Other nice touches include a sliding rear window, remote controlled door locks, front fog lights, automatic headlights, AM/FM radio with CD player and a thick black plastic bedliner. Also, a switch on the dash allows the driver to turn off the passenger-side air bag. This makes the Sierra safer for infants and children.

Our vehicle was assembled as well as any Toyota or BMW vehicle I’ve tested recently – which is to say, almost flawlessly. Sierra is very quiet. There isn’t much wind or road noise that finds its way into the interior.

If I were in the market for a full-size pickup truck, there’s a good chance this is the one that would be in my driveway. It’s a good-looking machine that is a truck that you could easily love.

1999 GMC Sierra 1500 2WD

Base price: $19,713. Safety: Dual air bags, daytime running lights, anti-lock brakes and side-impact protection. Price as tested: $23,853. EPA rating: 16 mpg city/20 mpg highway. Incentives: None.

Truett’s tip: GMC’s classy new Sierra pickup looks great, runs great and offers excellent value for the money.