2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD Review: Towing Test
Too big for its britches? The perils of oversized practicality.
Benjamin Hunting
Off-road trucks are increasingly popular, becoming prime profit centers for Detroit's Big Three. This is true even in the world of task-focused, contractor-friendly, heavy-duty pickups that go above and beyond in towing and hauling capacity, blending their immense size and ponderous weight with trail-ready equipment intended to convince owners to blast through a mud pit after dropping a load off at the job site.
With price tags as towering as their tippy-toe ride heights, it's only natural to wonder if paying up for rock-crawling capability diminishes the blue-collar quality inherent in a heavy-duty pickup truck. Do models such as the
After nearly 900 miles of towing my race car through northern New England with this oversized beast, I've found that the answer is more nuanced than one might expect.
Benjamin Hunting
All the Brawn You'll Ever Need
The Sierra 2500HD is a serious rig capable of tugging up to 22,500 pounds with a ball hitch and featuring a maximum payload of 4,178 pounds. My AT4X AEV test truck's capabilities are lower than that, with a tow rating of 18,400 pounds due partly to the extra accessories added by
Refreshed for 2024, the restyled Sierra 2500HD offers several enhancements tied to towing. Among the changes, the 6.6-liter Duramax turbodiesel V8's impressive (but not class leading) 975 pound-feet of torque is now tuned specifically to overdeliver in the low end of the rev range where it's needed most. In addition, the adaptive cruise control system takes trailering into account when setting the following distance, and the truck also warns drivers if they exceed the gross combined weight limit with too heavy a load.
Benjamin Hunting
Software Solutions to Hauling Extra Hardware
The 2024 Sierra 2500HD I drove featured the Duramax diesel and the ProGrade Trailering System. That software suite offers checklists to ensure everything is connected correctly before hitting the road, a trailer-lighting test, and 15 camera views that cover the area immediately surrounding the truck, the back bumper, the angles alongside the trailer, and the hitch.
For those towing an enclosed trailer, you can also add a remote camera at the rear, rendering what you're hauling "transparent," as though you're looking through the trailer to the road behind it.
The system is easy to use, and you can set up an individual profile for each trailer in your fleet. The truck kept track of the fuel mileage and the total miles traveled while towing my track car to New York's Watkins Glen International raceway and back (12.2 mpg), and the lighting test proved helpful after hooking up. The checklist is also a useful reminder, even for those experienced with towing.
Benjamin Hunting
Over-the-Top Off-Road Gear Can Hurt Your Hauling
There are two distinct sides to towing with the Sierra 2500HD AT4X AEV. With a combined weight of less than 4,000 pounds — not even a third of the truck's maximum rating — my Datsun and open aluminum trailer barely made a dent in the GMC's forward progress. Towing alongside my father, I could easily pace his gas V8 2019 Ford F-150 and its 6,000-pound load by merely brushing the throttle, especially when scaling a grade.
Thanks to the trailer braking system, downhills were a breeze, with the engine exhaust brake barely ever engaging. The Multimatic DSSV shocks also kept the truck surprisingly planted over rough asphalt, which is not a given for stiffly sprung heavy-duty trucks.
The flip side is that the AT4X AEV's off-road upgrades posed significant towing challenges in several key areas. For starters, with a 1.5-inch suspension lift on top of massive 35-inch tires, even my 2-inch drop hitch wasn't tall enough to line up the Sierra's receiver with my trailer's tongue at full jack. I had to decrease the air in the pickup's tires by 30 psi and then lift the tongue onto the ball to make the initial connection. I also had to perch the jack on a block of wood when decoupling and recoupling.
The sheer bulk of the 2500HD was also a hassle in all but the widest of open spaces. My driveway features a mild kink with trees and shrubs on each side, and reversing a 20-foot trailer into the spot beside my garage proved impossible due to the considerable length and width of the pickup.
After 40 minutes of trying, I dropped the trailer and connected it to my considerably shorter 1987 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Despite having none of the cameras or sensors of the GMC available, I parked the trailer on the first try with the Jeep.
Benjamin Hunting
Leave the Off-Road Gear at Home
Save for its smooth DSSV shock absorbers, the AT4X AEV package was largely an impediment to my modest towing plans. Trucks this big are best for towing trailers and hauling cargo equal in stature and suitable in situations with larger clearances than most residential driveways.
Unsurprisingly, I question the wisdom of ordering an off-road package on a vehicle far better suited for meeting hardcore towing needs. Direct rivals for the trail-ready version of the Sierra 2500HD include the Ford F-250 Super Duty Tremor and the Ram 2500 Power Wagon.
As with the GMC, you'll likely find the standard versions of these trucks more convenient for towing, as I did the same route last year with an entry-level F-250 and found it less cumbersome, even with a larger and heavier trailer tagging along.
GMC provided the vehicle for this 2024 Sierra 2500HD AT4X AEV review.
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
Benjamin HuntingBenjamin Hunting is a writer and podcast host who contributes to a number of newspapers, automotive magazines, and online publications. More than a decade into his career, he enjoys keeping the shiny side up during track days and always has one too many classic vehicle projects partially disassembled in his garage at any given time. Remember, if it's not leaking, it's probably empty.
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