2020 GMC Sierra 1500

The 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 RegularCab is offered in 1 basic trim. The base trim sports a price tag of $31,195 and is powered by a standard 4.3L Ecotech3 V6 engine. The set of standard features include HID headlamps, 3.5-inch monochromatic display amongst other features.

The decision of picking up the rear-wheel-drive version or the 4X4 version totally depends on the usage of the user. For all-weather drivability and off-roading, 4WD is the one to go but if hauling cargo is the main motive, the RWD version might sound more attractive as it has a higher towing capacity. 

The 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 has a big bad standard 4.3L V6 upfront. The engine, on paper, does sound a bit underpowered but out in the real world, this engine pulls. And it pulls hard. Right from down low in the rev range, the V6 feels super torquey. Mated to a 6-speed conventional automatic transmission, hauling this massive truck uphill is not an issue either. Apart from the V6, a 5.3L V8 is also available as an option.

There is no getting away from the fact that the 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 is one heavy truck. For the amount of heft, this thing has to lug around, it accelerates fairly swiftly. From standstill, the truck picks up the pace in a linear fashion with the gearbox assisting the engine all the way. The 2020 Sierra completes the 0-60 MPH run in 7.1 secs.

The 2020 GMC Sierra handles like a much smaller vehicle than it really is. Out on a straight and wide road, the truck feels stable and safe at high speeds. Encounter a set of twisties? Not an issue for the GMC as the suspension is not overly soft and keeps the body control under check. That being said, push this massive beast a bit too hard and the inert truck personality steps out and it rolls all over the place which is something that is expected from a giant like the GMC Sierra. 

How does the 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 Regular Cab fare on the towing capacity front?

The GMC Sierra 1500 is an outright beast in the sense it can haul almost twice its body weight and this is just the base pick-up with a V6. That being said, the rear-powered Sierra is rated above the AWD version in terms of outright towing capacity which is down to 9800 pounds.

The champ of the towing world is the Ford F-150, with a maximum towing capacity of 12,100 pounds. The Silverado and the Sierra are the same here too, with a towing capacity of 9800 pounds.

Keeping in mind that GMC Sierra tips the scale at more than 4000 pounds, it performed fairly well in our fuel economy tests. The V6 under the giant hood of the Sierra is clever than most V6 engines on sale. The 2020 Sierra 1500 does 16 miles to the gallon in the city and 21 MPG out on the highway. It gets an intelligent fuel management system that shuts off three cylinders when cruising out on the motorway thereby reducing the fuel consumption. 

The Sierra and the Silverado share the same exact fuel economy rating. The king of the hill here is the Ford F-150, with a combined average of 22 mpg, considerably higher than the others in the class. Where the F-150 lacks is the range available due to its smaller fuel tank.

The 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 is massive inside and out. It gets a square-ish-looking dashboard, it’s upright and sports equally big air-con vents which match the whole vibe of the pickup truck. Most parts of the dashboard and the doors are covered with hard plastics and feel downright cheap which is expected from a base regular cab truck.

The seats of the Sierra 1500 are humongous and high on comfort. They are snug and long distances should not be a problem at all. For absolute comfort, while grand touring, the Sierra 1500 gets a truly massive and one of the biggest armrests in the history of armrests, and underneath gets cubby storage which might be able to fit even an i-pad. 

The bed in the back of the 2020 GMC Sierra Regular Cab is downright massive. GMC claims that it can carry 20% more cargo than its competitors. For better accessibility, there are grab handles are incorporated in the design itself. Three cargo tow hooks are present in the back and each of them can bear up to 500 pounds which is super impressive. Ford F-150 falls short of cargo space in its rear bed and thus is not the most practical truck of the lot.

The 2020 GMC Sierra regular cab is at the bottom of the Sierra trim levels and lacks the flair on the outside. It is devoid of any sort of chrome treatment except for the chrome strip around the grille. The lights are not fancy, in fact, the headlight cluster houses HID lights and not the LEDs. 

At the side, the Regular Cab gets steel rims that look retro and have an old-school charm to them and feels like a breath of fresh air in the sea of similar-looking diamond cut alloys. These wheels do look rugged and can actually go anywhere. The GMC Sierra is a total workhorse and that’s exactly what it looks like on the outside. 

Both the GMC and the Chevy trucks are exactly identical in terms of dimensions. Both share the same platform and the powertrain as well. The Ford F-150 is a much lighter truck in comparison and has long overhangs which makes it that much longer than the GM trucks. However, they all have tons and tons of street presence. 

The 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 gets a respectable 4 stars out of 5 from NHTSA in the safety crashworthiness test. The set of standard safety features includes dual-stage frontal airbags, lane assist, and forward collision alert and tire pressure monitoring system amongst others. There is definitely a lack of active safety features on the Sierra 1500.

Some of the other safety features are as follows:

• 4 Wheel ABS
• Engine Immobilizer
• Post-Collision Safety Systems
• Stability Control
• Emergency Braking Assist

2020 GMC Sierra 1500 vs 2020 Ford F-150

Both of the trucks have their own quirks and features. The Ford F-150 excels in some regards and lacks in others. The F-150 is lighter by quite a margin, has a more powerful engine, can haul more cargo and has better interiors.

On the other hand, the 2020 GMC Sierra is that much more practical than the Ford as it has a bigger bed behind the seats and more room inside the cabin. They both are quite closely matched. 

2020 GMC Sierra 1500 vs 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

The GMC and the Chevy Silverado share the same engine, gearbox, chassis and what not. Even dimensionally both these trucks are exactly identical to one another.

The only deciding factor can be the interiors that feel a tad bit better on the GMC as the 2020 Sierra is positioned as a luxury counterpart of the 2020 Silverado.

The GMC Sierra 1500 is a very capable and trustworthy truck that has proved its mettle over the many years of service that it has endured. With a lot of experience under its belt, the 2020 Sierra iteration with better interiors is a potential candidate when it comes to light-duty pickup trucks, except for when the time calls for some hauling, in which the F-150 should be the one you should go for.