The Sierra is GMC's nameplate for its line of large pick-up trucks. These trucks are among the most popular and best-selling models in the U.S. because of their power, reliability, and luxurious features. If you're considering a Sierra for your new truck, you might be wondering how long it is. We've compiled our research on this topic for your reading pleasure.
The GMC Sierra's overall length depends on the model, the type of passenger cabin, and the choice of pick-up bed. The shortest Sierra 1500 is almost 211 inches long, while the longest Sierra 3500 is over 266 inches long.
Are you curious about the dimensions of the different models and trims of GMC's Sierra pick-up truck line? If yes, then you're in the right place. Do read on, and we will help you understand more about the sizes of these big and powerful trucks.
How Long Is A GMC Sierra
GMC's Sierra line includes three different pick-up truck models of varying classifications: half-ton, three-quarter-ton, and 1-ton. Although these tonnage classifications originally pertained to much older trucks' payload capacities, modern trucks have far exceeded these capacity ratings.
Nevertheless, after decades of categorizing specific truck models in such a way, the ton-based classification still persists today.
Throughout this article, we will be using standardized vehicle dimension measurements for the GMC Sierra. These measurements will help us compare the Sierra against its competitors, and they will also help us estimate the parking or garage space that we need to allocate for the vehicle.
Overall length is the distance between a vehicle's farthest point in front and back.
Half-Ton Sierra 1500
The smallest of these large vehicles is the Sierra 1500, which is GMC's full-size or half-ton truck. Its overall length varies depending on the number and type of passenger cabins and the length of the truck bed or "box."
A regular or single cab has one row of seats. A double cab, in turn, has four doors and two rows of seats, but the back row is much smaller than the front row. Finally, a crew cab also has four doors and two rows of seats, but the back row is bigger than that of a double cab.
The Sierra also comes in three pick-up bed or box sizes - short, standard, and long.
- Regular Cab with standard bed - 210.97 inches
- Regular Cab with long bed - 229.73 inches
- Double Cab with standard bed - 231.94 inches
- Crew Cab with short bed - 231.92 inches
- Crew Cab with standard bed - 242.45 inches
3/4-Ton Sierra 2500
The Sierra 2500 is GMC's 3/4-ton pick-up truck. If the 1500 doesn't have enough grunt and carrying capacity for your cargo or trailering requirements, the 2500 is your next viable choice.
- Regular Cab with long bed - 235.5 inches
- Double Cab with standard bed - 240.45 inches
- Double Cab with long bed - 256.46 inches
- Crew Cab with standard bed - 250.08 inches
- Crew Cab with long bed - 266.09 inches
1-Ton Sierra 3500
The Sierra 3500 is GMC's 1-ton pick-up truck. The 3500's largest trim comes with dual rear tires that can withstand the extra punishment from heavy loads.
- Regular Cab with long bed - 235.5 inches
- Double Cab with long bed - 256.46 inches
- Crew Cab with standard bed - 250.08 inches
- Crew Cab with long bed - 266.09 inches
How Wide Is A GMC Sierra?
Overall width refers to the measurement of the vehicle's widest point, often excluding its side mirrors or flexible mud flaps if installed.
- Half-ton Sierra 1500 - ranging from 81.15 to 81.24 inches
- 3/4-ton Sierra 2500 - ranging from 81.75 to 81.85 inches
- 1-ton Sierra 3500 - ranging from 81.75 to 81.85 inches
How High Is A GMC Sierra?
A vehicle's overall height is measured from a flat and non-sloping ground up to its highest point. This measurement usually excludes any antennae, roof rails, or any other accessories installed on the vehicle's roof.
Moreover, overall height measurement is taken only if the vehicle has no cargo and/or passengers. Finally, manufacturers also measure overall height when the vehicle's tires are properly inflated to the recommended pressure.
- Half-ton Sierra 1500 - from 75.5 inches up to 78.24 inches
- 3/4-ton Sierra 2500 - from 79.82 up to 79.95 inches
- 1-ton Sierra 3500 - from 80.67 up to 80.94 inches
What Are Half-Ton, 3/4-Ton, And 1-Ton Trucks?
The U.S. Department of Transportation has two separate classification systems. These systems use (a) vehicle type and the number of axles as well as (b) gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle.
Another type of truck classification depends on the size. This classification method includes mini, compact, mid-size, and full-size trucks.
Despite these existing classifications, truck enthusiasts and manufacturers still retained the traditional and popular payload-based classification method. These traditional classes and their examples are as follows.
- Half-ton trucks: Ford F-150, GMC Sierra 1500, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan (also our full-size pick-up trucks)
- Three-quarter-ton trucks: Ford F-250, GMC Sierra 2500, Chevrolet Silverado 2500, Ram 2500
- One-ton Trucks: Ford F-350, Sierra 3500, Chevrolet Silverado 3500, Ram 3500
What Is The Difference Between A Silverado And A Sierra?
At first glance, GMC's Sierra and Chevrolet's Silverado pick-up trucks look very much alike. Why is this so? The answer is quite simple. Both GMC and Chevrolet are owned by a single parent company - General Motors.
GMC and Chevrolet started out as independent American automotive brands. Back in 1918, General Motors merged with Chevrolet. Then, just a quarter of a century later, General Motors also acquired GMC.
Today, aside from these two brands, General Motors also owns Buick and Cadillac.
The current generation of Sierra and Silverado trucks have already digressed from each other's exterior and interior looks. Whereas the Silverado positions itself as a more mass-market workhorse, GMC designed the Sierra as a more luxurious option for truck customers.
Although each truck catered to different target markets, both the Sierra and the Silverado still maintain the same frame and drivetrains.
Finally, both the Silverado and the Sierra belong to what diesel truck aficionados refer to as "Duramax trucks."
What Is A Duramax Truck?
A Duramax truck refers to any of General Motors' pick-up platform truck models that use a Duramax engine. Based on this diesel truck enthusiasts' definition, some of these Duramax nameplates are as follows:
Duramax from GMC:
- Canyon - This new member of GMC's pick-up truck stable debuted in 2014.
- Sierra - As discussed previously, the Sierra, often referred to as the Siera 1500, is the half-ton model in the GMC lineup.
- Sierra HD - This group, which includes the 2500 and 3500, represents the heavy-duty pick-up trucks of GMC. Although GMC calls them heavy-duty, the U.S. Department of Transportation classifies them as medium-duty trucks.
- Topkick - The Topkick is GMC's medium-duty counterpart of the similarly-sized Chevrolet Kodiak. General Motors produced the Topkick as well as the Kodiak from 1980 to 2009 for use as cargo haulers, fire trucks, and others.
In the Transformers live-action movies, the GMC Topkick was also used as the vehicle basis for the Autobot character, Ironhide.
Duramax from Chevrolet:
- Silverado - This is the full-size, half-ton cousin of the GMC Sierra from the Chevrolet stable
- Silverado HD - As with the Sierra HD models, Chevrolet's Silverado HDs also included the three-quarter-ton Silverado 2500 and 1-ton Silverado 3500 pick-up trucks. However, unlike the Sierra, the Silverado also offers much bigger options like the 4500, 5500, and 6500.
- Kodiak
- Colorado - Like the GMC Canyon, the Chevrolet Colorado also represents the General Motors group in the mid-size truck segment.
Below is an image of the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado
Other Duramax Vehicle Applications:
- H1 Alpha - This one-off model was a re-engineered Hummer H1. The H1 Alpha used a 6.6-liter Duramax engine as well as a 5-speed Allison transmission system.
What Is A Duramax Engine?
Back in 1998, General Motors and Isuzu came together and created the DMAX, Ltd. company. Their first mission was to create the first high-pressure common-rail direct injection (CRDI) diesel engine for the U.S. automotive market. The two automotive groups succeeded.
The DMAX company released its first 6.6-liter V8 diesel engine in 2001, and the company baptized it the Duramax LB7. This 300-horsepower, 520 lb-ft engine pioneered several diesel engine technologies and also led the diesel truck engine sales of that time.
Because of this new diesel technology, the Duramax engine helped raise GM's market share in the U.S. tremendously. From a mere 5% in 1999, GM increased its pie share to a whopping 30% by the end of 2002. Below is an image of the first Duramax engine, the LB7.
After more than 20 years, DMAX Ltd. has already produced twelve different Duramax engines. These powerful oil-burners had a lineup consisting of four, six, and eight-cylinder powerplants that used inline I or V configurations.
Today, over two million Duramax engines have rolled out of the factory and powered General Motor vehicles.
How Much Is A GMC Sierra?
There are as many price points as there are trims for every Sierra 1500, 2500, and 3500 models. However, to give you a better idea of the price range, we will list a few of these price points.
Below are the starting prices of the most affordable trim, a mid-level trim, and a range-topping trim for every model.
- Half-ton Sierra 1500
- PRO 2WD (entry-level) trim, regular cab with standard bed - $37,395
- Elevation 2WD (mid-level) trim, double cab with standard bed - $50,095
- Denali Ultimate 4WD (top-level) trim, crew cab with short bed - $83,695
- 3/4-ton Sierra 2500
- PRO 2WD (entry-level) trim, regular cab with standard bed - $41,995
- SLT 2WD, (mid-level) trim, double cab with standard bed - $56,895
- Denali 4WD (top-level) trim, crew cab with long bed - $71,595
- 1-ton Sierra 3500
- PRO 2WD (entry-level) trim, regular cab with long bed - $43,195
- AT4 4WD (mid-level) trim, crew cab with long bed - $66,295
- Dual Rear Wheel Denali (top-level) trim, crew cab with long bed - $73,995
Wrapping Up
The GMC Sierra's overall length ranges from 211 inches for the half-ton Sierra 1500, up to 266 inches for the bigger 2500 and 3500 models. Aside from the models themselves, the different pick-up cabin and bed types also account for many length variations.
Thank you very much for reading. We hope we were able to help you understand and appreciate more about the GMC Sierra's dimensions and some of its features.
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