How long has it been since General Motors built a bad-ass off-road truck? It’s hard to examine the convictions of a public relations ‘suit,’ which was my dilemma when I saw the GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept a few years back.
Me: “You’re gonna build it – right? I mean, it’s too cool not to build.”
GM Suit: “It’s a concept”
Me: “I know, but there’s demand for trucks like this, so you’ll build something like this – right?
GM Suit: “Maybe.”
That was a few years ago and nothing has come of it.
Damn-it! General Motors hasn’t built a full-on, bad-ass off-road truck since Hummer.
The GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept had a 397 horsepower, 6.6-liter turbo-diesel V8 that made a massive 765 lbs-feet of torque fed through a six-speed automatic. Fox shocks connected to a beefier, 3-inch higher suspension, on top of 35-inch BFGs and a stance reminiscent of the Ford F150 SVT Raptor (73-inches wide) made the GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept a potentially bad-ass off-road truck.
What a change a few years brings about. I’ve driven all of the Hummers and some of them were outstanding off road. I was never a fan of the H2, but the H1 and H3 were a hoot to take into the rough stuff. Having dedicated off road vehicles was a boon for GM and gave them a line of vehicles that went toe-to-toe with Jeep, Ford and the mighty Ram Power Wagon.
Things have changed.
The only off-road capability GM seems to offer is with a $295 Z71 Off road Suspension Package, ” For the true off-roader. The Z71® Off-Road Suspension Package gets serious capability from twin tube shock absorbers and a 33 mm front stabilizer bar. Jounce bumpers are designed specifically to handle huge suspension variants so you can hit the deep stuff. The skid plate package includes a frame-mounted shield to help protect the underbody, oil pan, differential case and transfer case. And don’t forget the automatic locking rear differential that sends maximum drive power to the wheel with grip whenever rear-wheel slippage happens. As a finishing touch, Z71 decals are included on both rear quarters.” – – Chevrolet. com
This is a good package, but the Z71 setup does little to compensate for the Ram Power Wagon‘s tank-like ability and the Ford F150 SVT Raptor’s Baja/trophy-truck bent. Simply put, GM could use a bad-ass off-road truck like the GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept.
Let’s hope GM’s new batch of trucks inspires a competitor for Ford and Ram’s bad boys.
Here’s some fun muddin’ video in a GMC Sierra Denali!
I truly love the V8s General Motors builds and I’m chomping at the bit for GM to put a thumper in a bad-ass off-road truck. So are you.
