403-horsepower Vortec V8
20-inch wheels
Six-speed automatic transmission
StabiliTrak stability control
At this moment, the 2007 GMC Sierra Denali is the most powerful pickup in regular production that money can buy.
Dodge let the insane Ram SRT-10 fade away last year, Ford hasn't built the beloved F-150 Lightning since 2003 and the newly muscular Toyota Tundra is more than 20 horsepower behind. In fact the only open-bed contraption that matches the Sierra Denali pony-for-pony is the Cadillac Escalade EXT, which shares GM's 403-horsepower, 6.2-liter OHV V8 and six-speed automatic transmission.
But the short-bed Escalade EXT with its coil-spring live axle might as well be a wimpy sport-utility, while the GMC Sierra Denali has a separate 5-foot-9-inch cargo bed behind its four-door crew cab, plus a pair of beefy leaf springs supporting its rear axle. And while the Cadillac is rated for just a 1,362-pound payload and can tow only 7,600 pounds, the Sierra Denali can handle up to 1,719 pounds and tow 8,500 pounds.
The 2007 GMC Sierra Denali is GM's top-of-the-line luxury pickup, but it emphasizes the truck part of the equation as much as the luxury part. It's for well-heeled buyers with an indulgent sense of comfort and convenience who nevertheless insist that a truck retain its ability to do hard physical labor.
Think of it as the perfect truck for the contractor who actually loves his job and happens to have hit the Lotto. And just bought a boat.
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