SANTA BARBARA, CA: People have been buying pickups as personal use vehicles rather than as work trucks for some time, and now GMC has crafted a model devoted directly at that demand.
When it arrives this fall, the extended-cab, half-ton Sierra C3 is supposed to provide the "ultimate on-road performance and control" with an "international class" character and the segment's "most complete interior."
According to Jim Kornas, brand manager for Sierra, the C3's "components and systems are, for the most part, unprecedented in the pickup truck world."
Kornas says the C3's "unprecedented driving character" stems from a Sierra-exclusive package of specially integrated powertrain and chassis components that are summed up by the GMC-coined concept of a "Performance Biased Driveline."
Kornas makes the point that pickups have historically had 4-wheel-drive systems intended to dig through deep mud, snowdrifts or severe off-road terrain. The Sierra C3, he notes, "uses the superior traction of four driving wheels to yield a completely different benefit: the best on-road, wet or-dry pavement handling performance ever engineered into a full-size pickup."
Key elements of the "Performance Biased Driveline" system include:
- a 6-liter Vortec 6000 V8 that puts out 325 horsepower and 370 pound-feet of torque, 90 percent of which is available between 1600 and 5200 rpm, making it by far the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in its class
- a heavy-duty 4L60-E HD electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transmission with a 3.06 first gear ratio and a 3.73 final drive ratio to maximize C3's launch ability
- a full-time, all-wheel-drive transfer case with a viscous coupling technology that's meant to deliver the optimum balance of handling characteristics and all-weather control by maintaining a continuous 38/62 front-to-rear torque split
- Michelin 265/70R 17-inch all-season touring tires tuned to maximize the full capabilities of the AWD system.
- high capacity, front- and rear-twin piston caliper 4-wheel disc, anti-lock brakes, previously available only on heavy-duty GM pickups.
- an increased capacity suspension system designed to control roll damping while cornering and trailering, and to provide a firm, controlled ride on all road surfaces.
- GM Truck's "Dynamic Rear Proportioning" brake system, which monitors vehicle wheel speed during braking and balances front-to-rear pressure to ensure effective and predictable brake response, regardless of vehicle load.
- a standard heavy-duty Z82 trailering package, which allows the C3 to tow the maximum size trailer without requiring any additional optional equipment.
The Sierra C3's full-time AWD system is always "on" and always fully operational, Kornas notes, so the driver doesn't have to do a thing-neither throw a transfer-case lever nor push a button-to engage it and realize its benefits.
Keeping control of the C3 under different situations is highly advisable, since the power from the Vortec 6000 will make things happen in a hurry. In testing on a prototype model, the C3 did 0-48 km/h in 3.4 seconds, 0-96 km/h in 8.3 seconds, and a quarter-mile in 16.40 seconds with a speed of 140 km/h.
Sierra C3 is also designed to do well in something besides a straight line, Kornas says, thanks to its specially tuned Increased Capacity/Firm Ride suspension system it has torsion bars in front, twostage leaf springs in back, and extra roll damping. This "maintains an even keel during trailer towing and heavy-load hauling."
In ordinary driving, Kornas says, the C3's suspension "provides a comfortable ride with no trace of float or wallow. During aggressive driving, suspension calibrations synchronize with the Performance Biased Driveline to support high-g cornering with an unprecedented level of poise for a half-ton pickup."
The C3 has a 3,084 kg GVW rating and a 6,350 kg GCWR, and it can tow trailers weighing up to 3,946 kg with no extra equipment. Its standard Z82 heavy-duty trailering package includes a 5,443 kg weight-distributing platform trailer hitch, a seven-pin trailer harness connector, and a "plug and go" trailer brake controller jumper harness. A transmission temperature gauge is also standard.
Kornas says that, to enhance its "international class" appearance, the C3 has door handles, rear-view mirrors, and 4-piece bodyside protective moldings that are all body colored. The same theme continues at the rear and encompasses the step bumper, tailgate-release handle, and the tailgate's upper-edge protective molding.
The C3 features standard chrome assist steps with mud flaps, and it also offers a choice of two dealer-installed running boards: one color-keyed, with contoured spats that integrate with the wheel well, and a second with a chrome-plated tubular design and protective flaps to help manage tire splash.
A receiver hitch is integrated into the step bumper design, and the exhaust pipe has a polished stainless steel, oval-shaped tip. The C3 also comes with a soft vinyl tonneau bed cover that's color-keyed to the exterior, which is available in Pewter Metallic, Onyx Black and Polo Green.
Sierra C3 is outfitted with what Kornas calls "the most comprehensively complete interior GMC-or any other manufacturer-has ever provided in a full-size pickup truck."
Advanced audio and communications capabilities include an enhanced stereo system with steering wheel and rear seat audio controls, OnStar navigation and communications and HomeLink remote control systems. These systems "join a wide range of comfort and convenience features to round out the C3's highly contented cabin."
The first thing you notice are the tone-on-tone leather buckets, which have about every feature available, including articulating 4-position headrestaints.
C3's entire interior, including its steering column and leather-wrapped steering wheel with stereo controls, is color-keyed and accented with subtle offsets.
The instrument panel has new white pointers, with teal-colored cluster backlighting. It features a 120-mp/h speedo and analog gauges, including an odometer with trip, tachometer, fuel, voltmeter, oil pressure and engine temperature.
Extra floor-area sound deadening and plush, heavy-duty carpeting continue the upscale interior theme, and carpeted floor mats are also standard.
Kornas describes the C3's centre console as "a model of functional convenience, highlighted by an exclusive Driver Information Centre and 6-disc CD changer mounted in an extension assembly that blends the centre console into the instrument panel."
Along with calculating average and instantaneous fuel economy, the available range for remaining fuel, trip mileage plus trip information for the previous 15 days, and total annual mileage, the driver information centre also provides fingertip control for personalizing many of the C3's automatic vehicle functions. So the driver can adjust the length of time for the headlamp delay, or the activation of the horn or exterior lighting in conjunction with use of the remote unlock feature on the key fob.
The centre console's storage space locks and provides a power plug and enough room for a half-dozen cassettes or CDs. A leather-covered secondary lid hinges upward to reveal a place for cell phone or writing material storage, and the console's forward areas provide dual cupholders, an ashtray and two more power plugs.
The console's rear areas has dual headphone jacks with the audio controls, Kornas explains, so that rear passengers can adjust audio volume and make their own program selection choices while front seat occupants enjoy different audio material.
The rear surface of the centre console also has two fold-down cupholders, two additional power points, and a courtesy lamp.
Additional amenities can be found on the overhead console, which houses a storage pocket for sunglasses and dual map lamps and buttons for the C3's standard HomeLink remote-control system, which memorizes activation codes for three remote-controlled functions.
