In addition to mild exterior and interior updates, this model year brings the Sierra 1500 a new luxury version of the AT4 variant that avoids the truck’s asphalt—because running in rough terrain doesn’t have to mean roughing it. (It’s like!) The AT4X features countless off-road appointments, as well as a black grille and mirrors to guide the point home. That’s in addition to the only powertrain setup: a 6.2-liter V-8 engine mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission delivers an impressive 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. Inside, ersatz off-roaders are treated to a plush, roomy cabin full of high-quality materials and convenient tech features that put the Sierra’s cabin in the same ballpark as the Ram 1500’s plush trims.
“The new AT4X can easily go into the mud and does well in such environments, but given the truck’s impressive price tag, you have to wonder how careful its owners are squishing their luxury rigs in places like this,” he writes in his review. “The AT4X seems designed more for leaders of very specific industries (such as construction company owners)—drivers are more likely to use their abilities on poor terrain, site building, roads, logging, and the like.”
For our full review of the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X—which includes a specific number on that “amazing price” mentioned above—follow the link below to access article #2 on this week’s countdown.
Meanwhile, checking in at No. 3 this week is a remake — which returns for the New Year as a teenage girl in an ’80s high school movie who just needed to take off her glasses and let her hair down. Down to go from homely to homecoming queen. As Bragman explains again, the new Prius ditches its quintessential Prius exterior design for a sleek, attractive new look that takes it from the “huh?” to “hubba-hubba.” The price of beauty, of course, is height, outward visibility and luggage space, but the driving dynamics and ride quality impress while the outstanding fuel efficiency persists.
“What Toyota has done with the new 2023 Prius is reorient it toward a new audience, one who wants to look great in something eco-friendly and is willing to accept some compromises in packaging and interior material quality in exchange for new performance and pizzazz,” Braggman writes.
For our comprehensive review of the 2023 Toyota Prius, follow the link below to our #3 article of the week.
