2012 GMC Sierra 1500 Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 GMC Sierra 1500 review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Sierra 1500, and includes GMC Sierra safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The 2012 GMC Sierra is mechanically and structurally identical to the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado, equipped with different styling and unique interior detailing. It is a light-duty pickup truck.

GMC upgrades the 2012 Sierra 1500 with a new grille on SLE and SLT models, a 20-inch chrome-clad wheel option, and a Quicksilver paint color. Trailer sway control and hill-start assist are included with the stability control system for 2012, and cruise control is standard on all models. The Sierra SLT can be outfitted with heated and cooled front seats this year, and the SLT’s optional navigation system is hard drive-based and equipped with CD/DVD capability and a USB port.

Like the full-size pickup trucks with which the 2012 GMC Sierra 1500 competes, it is offered in Regular, Extended, and Crew Cab body styles with short, regular, or long cargo beds and equipped with two-wheel or four-wheel drive. Five different trim levels are available, in addition to Sierra Denali and Sierra Hybrid models that are covered in a separate review.

The least expensive Sierra 1500 is the Work Truck model. Standard features include air conditioning, a tilt steering wheel, cruise control, an AM/FM stereo, and, if you get the Crew Cab model, power door locks with remote keyless entry. Chrome bumpers are a rarity for an entry-level pickup, but the vinyl 40/20/40 bench seat, rubber floor covering, and simple 17-inch steel wheels are typical and designed for no-nonsense grunt work. The Sierra Work Truck does include a driver information system, a spare tire lock, cargo box lights, and automatic headlights.

On Regular and Extended Cab models, a Work Truck Plus Package adds chrome wheel and grille trim, fog lights, dark tinted rear glass, frame-mounted recovery hooks, power door locks with remote keyless entry, and a locking EZ-Lift tailgate. Additional options for all Sierra 1500 Work Trucks include Bluetooth, a better stereo with a CD/MP3 player and satellite radio, a rear defogger, carpeting, cloth seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, power heated side mirrors, enlarged camper mirrors, a trailer brake controller, and on models with 4WD, a Skid Plate Package.

If you’re selecting an Extended or Crew Cab version of the Sierra 1500, you can upgrade to SL trim. These trucks include Work Truck Plus equipment plus most of the optional upgrades on the base truck: CD/MP3 player, satellite radio, carpeting, cloth upholstery, and heated outside mirrors. Additionally, the SL comes with power windows, lumbar adjustment for the driver’s seat, a handling/trailering suspension, and a V8 engine. OnStar telematics is standard, too, and includes a free six-month subscription to service with turn-by-turn navigation, stolen vehicle tracking, and Automatic Crash Notification, which allows an OnStar operator to send rescuers to the Sierra’s exact location after an airbag deployment, even if nobody inside the truck can respond. Options for the SL mirror the Work Truck, except where noted as standard.

On the face of it, the SLE trim level offers little reason to spend more: Front seats with six-way manual adjustment, premium fabric upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and illuminated visor vanity mirrors don’t amount to much. (It should be noted that a Regular Cab SLE is a huge improvement over the Work Truck, as it includes these features and SL equipment.) Additionally, Sierra SLE 4WD models get Autotrac instead of a manual transfer case.

Clearly, the main reason to upgrade to the Sierra SLE is to partake from a wider variety of options. Preferred Equipment Packages include features like Bluetooth, remote vehicle starting, polished aluminum wheels, upgraded stereo components, dual-zone climate control, a power driver’s seat, power adjustable pedals, rear parking sensors, and a Homelink universal remote. Additional extras include an auxiliary audio input jack, a USB port, a Bose premium sound system, and a reversing camera with the display embedded into an auto-dimming rearview mirror. Leather, bucket front seats with a center console, a power front passenger’s seat, floor mats, and a choice between 20- and 22-inch chrome-clad wheels also make the Sierra SLE compelling.

GMC offers a number of unique packages with the SLE trim level, too. With 4WD, an All-Terrain Package adds a Z71 off-road suspension, Rancho off-road shocks, on/off-road tires, and 18-inch chrome-clad wheels. A Trailering Package, brushed aluminum interior trim, and “All-Terrain” badges and graphics are also included on this model. In addition to the All-Terrain Package, GMC provides PowerTech and Value Packages that bundle popular features with a 5.3-liter V8 engine, a Max Trailering Package with a 6.2-liter V8 and a bunch of hardware for tugging heavy loads, and an SLE White Diamond Edition with White Diamond tri-coat paint and chrome exterior detailing.

The Sierra 1500 XFE is the most fuel-efficient Sierra aside from the Sierra Hybrid model. It is packaged as a two-wheel-drive Crew Cab, and benefits from a specially calibrated 5.3-liter V8 engine, a six-speed automatic transmission, a 3.08 rear axle ratio, an automatically locking rear differential, aerodynamic enhancements, and a tonneau cover to achieve 22 mpg on the highway. Unique badges and polished cast aluminum wheels help set the XFE apart, and this model also comes with a Trailering Package with a heavy-duty radiator, a transmission oil cooler, and an engine oil cooler. Otherwise, the XFE is equipped like the SLE, though not all options for SLE models can be added to the XFE.

The Sierra 1500 SLT is sold only in Extended and Crew Cab format. It is a luxurious truck, equipped with a standard 5.3-liter V8 and six-speed automatic transmission, and loaded with leather, dual-zone automatic climate control, 10-way power heated front seats, heated outside mirrors with integrated turn signal indicators, fog lights, and 18-inch chrome-clad aluminum wheels. A Bose premium sound system includes a CD/MP3 player with an auxiliary audio input jack and a USB port, and Bluetooth hands-free connectivity is standard on the SLT. Other standard features include remote vehicle starting, steering wheel audio controls, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and bucket front seats separated by a center storage console.

The optional SLT Convenience Package adds an EZ-Lift locking tailgate, power adjustable pedals, a HomeLink universal remote, and Ultrasonic rear parking assist sensors. The SLE White Diamond Edition adds special tri-coat paint, chrome exterior trim, and 20-inch chrome-clad wheels. Additionally option availability is similar to the SLE, but the SLT is exclusively offered with a navigation system, a power sunroof, a rear entertainment system, and heated and ventilated front seats.

As if this list of equipment isn’t enough, any 2012 GMC Sierra 1500 can be further customized through a wide variety of dealer-installed accessories.

When buying a 2012 Sierra 1500, you’ve got a choice between four different engines. The Work Truck Regular and Extended Cab models are equipped with a 4.3-liter V6 engine making 195 horsepower at 4,600 rpm and 260 pound-feet of torque at 2,800 rpm. A four-speed automatic is standard, and this engine gets 15 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway with two-wheel drive. Add four-wheel drive, and those figures drop to 14-city/18-highway.

A 4.8-liter V8 engine is standard on the Crew Cab Work Truck, and on SL and SLE models. It generates 302 horsepower at 5,600 rom and 305 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm, and is bolted to a four-speed automatic transmission. It gets 14 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway with 2WD and 13-city/18-highway with 4WD. All of the Sierra’s V8 engines are E85-compatible.

A 5.3-liter V8 with Active Fuel Management technology is standard on the SLT and available on other models. Active Fuel Management shuts down half of the V8’s cylinders under low-load conditions, improving fuel economy. This engine, available with a choice between and iron or an aluminum block, makes 315 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 335 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm. A six-speed automatic transmission helps the V8 achieve fuel economy ratings of 15-city/21-highway with 2WD or 4WD. In Sierra XFE guise, the highway rating rises to 22 mpg.

A 6.2-liter V8 with 403 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 417 lb-ft of torque at 4,300 rpm is optional on Extended and Crew Cab models. Premium fuel is recommended but not required, and power flows through a six-speed automatic transmission. Mileage ratings are 13-city/18-highway with 2WD and 12-city/18-highway with 4WD.

GMC has Sierra owners covered when it comes to safety. Six airbags, traction control, stability control with roll mitigation technology, trailer sway control, and antilock brakes are standard on every model. All except the Work Truck come standard with six free months of OnStar Automatic Crash Notification, which activates when the airbags deploy and allow the OnStar operator to send help to the Sierra’s location even if occupants cannot respond. An integrated trailer brake controller is optional on any Sierra 1500, and depending on the model selected there’s a reversing camera system and Ultrasonic rear parking sensors.

As far as crashworthiness is concerned, all GMC Sierras get a 4-Star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Broken down, the ratings are 4 Stars for the frontal-impact test, 5 Stars for the side-impact test, and 4 Stars for rollover resistance.

Test results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) are roughly equivalent, with the Sierra doing better on the frontal-impact test and worse in the side-impact test. The frontal-impact score is Good, while side-impact and rear-impact injury prevention scores are Acceptable. No roof crush strength test has been performed on the Sierra 1500.

As is common for full-size pickups, dependability ratings are average. Both Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates predict that the Sierra will return average reliability over time.

GMC uses two different interiors for the Sierra 1500. Work Truck, SL and SLE models are equipped with a design that provides controls that GMC says are easier to use while wearing gloves. Get the Sierra 1500 SLT and the dashboard and door panels are identical to those found in the Yukon SUV lineup.

In Work Truck and SL trim with four-wheel drive, the transfer case is manual and includes a shifter on the floor. The SLE and SLT 4WD models are equipped with Autotrac, and automatic system engaged with the twist of a knob on the dashboard. Sierra XFE models are rear-drive only.

The maximum payload rating for the Sierra Regular Cab is 1,794 pounds for the 4WD long bed model. Regular Cabs with a long bed and 2WD can tow up to 10,000 pounds (9,800 with 4WD).

For the Extended Cab, the maximum payload rating is 1,908 pounds for a 2WD model with a standard bed. That same truck tows up to 10,700 lbs., properly equipped.

Crew Cabs with 2WD and the shortest cargo bed offer a maximum payload rating of 1,937 pounds. The maximum tow rating applies to that same truck, at 10,600 pounds when properly equipped.

Five different suspensions are available for the 2012 Sierra 1500, depending on whether you’re driving on the road and want a smooth ride or better handling, off the road, or towing.

Truck buyers interested in “buying American” will want to know that Regular and Extended Cab models are made in Indiana. Crew Cabs are built in Mexico

To our eyes, the GMC Sierra is the best looking light-duty pickup truck on the market, clean yet muscular, inside and out. Better yet, it’s a capable truck, features decent crash-test and reliability scores, and comes with plenty of available features depending on your needs. Still, the competition from Ford and Ram is stiff, the former offering lots more technology and the latter featuring the innovative Ram Box and interesting segment-splitting models. There’s also the Toyota Tundra, built in Texas and made of mostly American-sourced parts. Looks can only take the Sierra so far. It’s time for a serious overhaul.

By Christian Wardlaw