2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid

While the market for full-size pickups has seriously shrunk due mostly to unpredictable, and sometimes painfully high, fuel prices, the need for them as serious work and recreation haulers for substantial numbers of buyers have not. Most of those who have abandoned big pickups for smaller, more fuel-efficient cars and crossovers didn’t really need them anyway. And for those who still do, the challenge is choosing the best fuel efficiency without compromising capabilities. Things still need to be hauled and towed, sometimes off-road.


Both GM and Ford offer extra-efficient models of conventional full-sizers, and Dodge’s new Ram trucks do an excellent job of conservation compared to thir not-so-efficient predecessors. But no other full-size trucks today come close in efficiency to GM’s Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 2-Mode Hybrids, easily the most miserly pickups on the planet. Both are powerful full-size trucks that can deliver 40 percent better city and 25 percent better overall economy compared to conventional counterparts without sacrificing too much capability. They are rated, for example, at 1459-lb. maximum payload and 6,100-lb. towing capacity. Of the two, GMC’s Sierra is the more upscale and, at the same time, the more seriously work-oriented—at least in terms of image.

2-Mode Hybrid System

GM’s 2-Mode hybrid powertrain—co-developed with Chrysler, BMW and Mercedes-Benz—marries a 332-horsepower aluminum 6.0-liter gas V-8 to what looks like an extended automatic transmission with a highly sophisticated control system. Lightly loaded, it can deliver 21 EPA mpg city and 22 highway with two-wheel drive and 20 city and highway with available four-wheel drive—city numbers comparable to 4-cylinder mid-size sedans. And with a light load and a gentle touch, it can operate battery-only up to 30 mph yet drives like a normal large pickup under most conditions. Its 26-gallon fuel tank can deliver a range of 500 miles or more.


The heart and brains of this sophisticated system is an advanced electrically variable transmission (EVT) that continuously and seamlessly chooses the most fuel-efficient blend of torque from the V-8 engine and the two compact 80-hp AC electric motors. In addition to those motors, also stuffed inside that extended case are four multiplate clutches, two hydraulic oil pumps and three conventional planetary gearsets. The “2-Mode” designation indicates that—unlike Toyota and Ford’s parallel hybrid systems, which significantly improve fuel economy in around-town driving—it also reduces consumption at highway speeds.


Additional efficiency enhancing features include the V-8’s cylinder-deactivating Active Fuel Management (AFM), which disables half of its cylinders at light loads, and late intake valve closing (LIVC), an electric air conditioning compressor (which operates even when the engine is off) and electric variable-assist power steering. The truck also boasts some aluminum body panels to lower its weight and aerodynamic aids to reduce its drag.

Exterior and Interior Design

The Sierra Hybrid shares the GMC signature wide-mouth grille, domed hood, muscular fenders and broad-shouldered stance of its conventional stablemates but wears a deeper black air dam under its front bumper, a drag-reducing tonneau cover over its bed and contrasting stripes with “hybrid” badging on its sides. Rear-seat access and entry are eased by doors that open a wide 170 degrees, and the large, grab-style door handles are designed for easy use with gloves.