A multiple award-winner since its redesign for 2007, the Sierra is a hard-working truck with a long-standing reputation to uphold. The only update for 2008 is an available integrated trailer brake controller.

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A key to the Sierra's success is its customizability. There are four engine options for the 1500, with the long-serving 4.3 liter V6 at the bottom of the pile. It makes 195 horsepower at 4,600 rpm and 260 lb-ft at 2,800 rpm. Next up is a 4.8 liter V8 with 295 hp at 5,600 rpm and 305 lb-ft at 4,800 rpm. A 5.3 liter V8 with Active Fuel Management is rated at 315 hp at 5,200 rpm and 338 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm. An E85 version of that engine is available only on 2WD Extended Cab models. The biggest engine option is a 6.0 liter V8 with Active Fuel Management. It is solely available on the Extended Cab model with short and standard box lengths. It flexes to the tune of 367 hp at 5,500 rpm and 375 lb-ft at 4,300 rpm. All the engines are mated only to a four-speed automatic transmission.


Then there are the cab / box combinations. There are six permutations in all. The Regular cab is available with both the short and long boxes, the Extended cab adds a short box option, and the conventionally-hinged four-door Crew cab can only be had with a short box.

A tire-pressure monitoring system for the 17-inch wheels is standard across the board, as is an anti-lock braking system and an MP3-capable CD player in the AM/FM stereo.

The options and packages are too numerous to get into here. Suffice it to say, there are five separate trims of the Sierra 1500, but some are restricted to a specific body-style.

Maximum payload of all Sierra 1500s is handled by the 2WD model with Regular Cab / Standard box at 1,947 lbs, while the Regular Cab 4WD model with the 5.3L V8 manages to tow 8,900 lbs when also equipped with a 4.10:1 axle.