2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD AT4X AEV Edition First Test: So Big, We Couldn’t Even Get It Dirty

Is there a bigger flex than a six-figure off-road truck festooned with enough lights to land a commercial jet, and towing nearly 10 tons of stuff like it's easy? People scoff at trucks with huge price tags, but they serve myriad purposes compared to more single-dimension luxury or sports cars in the same price bracket. If a zombie apocalypse ever happens, who do you want to be friends with? Someone with a Porsche 911 or a neighbor with a 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 HD AT4X AEV Edition?

A truck that works as hard as the Sierra 2500 HD deserves to play hard, too—pre-apocalypse—and the AEV Edition offers extra style and function. But is it too big to play hard? Is it too big to be practical? Disable the standard automatically deploying running boards, and we'd bet the zombies couldn't even reach the door. If that isn't practicality, then what is? The GMC's size limits it from a lot of tighter ORV trails, but we had no problem finding a spot to test its off-road prowess. And because the clarity of the cameras on GM trucks is hard to beat, it isn't hard to maneuver around urban environments, either.

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AEV Edition

As conspicuous as the HD AT4X already is, the AEV branding isn't excessive, adding to the AT4X base instead of mounting a complete takeover. The only AEV badge affixed to a part that didn't come from AEV is the one on the lower left corner of the tailgate. Gloss black door handles and a black tailgate accent are unbranded features that look great against the new Thunderstorm Gray paint option.

The most significant exterior components of the AEV Edition are the front and rear stamped-steel bumpers with integrated recovery points and an integrated block heater socket up front. The red-painted tow hooks found on GM's off-road packages are a brand staple, but the Sierra HD's commanding presence can speak for itself without the splash of color. AEV seems to be more about function, adding steel underbody protection for the engine, steering rack, transfer case, and exhaust. Even the gloss black 18-inch AEV Salta wheels do more than just look awesome. They stayed cleaner than expected in the suck-your-shoes-off-sticky Michigan mud, saving our precious traction from excessive buildup.

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We were surprised when GMC told us that the AEV edition has a lower approach angle compared to the AT4X—down from 31.6 to 29.8 degrees—because it looks like the GMC bumper extends much lower. It's a small difference, but the AEV bumper is the one we would rather scrape through the dirt. On top of that, GMC offers a Comeup winch—different than the Warn offered on the Sierra 1500—available through dealerships, and which will be added to the online configurator in the future. The AEV Edition maintains the 11.8-inch ground clearance and 25.7-degree departure angle of the standard AT4X, and slightly improves breakover to 22.6-degrees.

The embroidered AEV headrests complement the Obsidian Rush interior, and the branded all-weather floor mats are top-notch. Altogether, the $9,395 AEV package adds about 320 pounds to the truck, but the 11,350-pound gross vehicle weight rating goes unchanged while maximum towing capacity with the refreshed 6.6-liter turbo-diesel V-8 is reduced by a mere 100 pounds to 18,400 pounds.

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Pounding the Pavement

What kind of performance can you expect from an 8,562-pound 4WD behemoth that is 82.7 inches tall after a 1.5-inch suspension lift at the front and rear, 81.9 inches wide, and 250.8 inches long on a 158.9-inch wheelbase with a crew-cab and standard-length bed? Going from zero to 60 mph in only 7.1 seconds is possible with 470 hp and a twisting force of 975 lb-ft from the Duramax diesel under the hood. And as impressive as it is to clear a quarter mile of pavement in 15.5 seconds, the stopping power is what impressed us the most; an emergency stop from 60 mph needed only 131 feet. That's better than, but within range of, other GM 2500HD trucks we've tested, while a comparable 2023 Ford F-250 King Ranch Tremor needed a staggering 154 feet despite weighing 600 pounds less.

Around the figure eight, the 29.3-second lap from our burly Sierra at a 0.58 g average is on par with what we expect, but nowhere near as clumsy a full-grown Great Dane blissfully unaware of its size. It doesn't let the rear wheels go easily, even in 2WD, and it maintains a 0.70-g average around the skidpad with not elegance but respectable composure after putting the two-speed transfer case in automatic 4Hi.

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Forging Its Own Path

Our instrumented performance metrics can assess real-world behavior, but there's only one way to understand what happens when the pavement runs out. That's where the off-road park comes in. A total mess underneath a layer of snow, the surface (on an above-freezing day) could render lesser trucks DOA. The Sierra's 35-inch Wrangler Territory MTs are a perfect choice, and the control of an electronic locking rear differential is always a plus. With big torque from the Duramax, the Sierra crawls through inches of rutted muck with control and ease.

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The MultiMatic DSSV shocks provide excellent control but are too stiff for higher-speed runs over anything rough. That's not the intent of the AT4X AEV edition, though, and preserving the towing ability and payload is a must-have for most buyers. The truck would be most at home for overlanding adventures loaded up with gear, and the dynamics would change very little because of the versatile MultiMatics.

It isn't a dealbreaker, but a locking front axle would be welcome on something as specific and expensive as the AEV Edition. The extra traction could come in handy on some surfaces due to its potential gross weight. Underbody cameras would only help, and both features are available on the smaller midsize GMC Canyon AT4X. We do commend the addition of the winch, but adding a few more could make it the de facto ultimate heavy-duty off-roader with the added luxury of a GMC rig. We're talking refinements at this point, though, adding to already impressive capability.

For all that we put the truck through, it stays oddly clean. Is it just too big to get dirty? Even after some massive donuts and splashing through puddles, the Sierra manages to route everything mostly away from the truck and windshield. And for anyone worried about the bougie automatic running boards, think again. They tuck up high, so if you bash them into something, you probably bashed up something else, too. Driving our AEV Sierra around on the over-salted Michigan roads, they were flawless, and we never collected road debris.

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Perfect It Is Not

We have only two complaints about this one. We've already vetted the off-road and towing capability of the GM 2500HD trucks extensively, and besides small mirrors that are redeemed by excellent blind-spot cameras, there aren't glaring problems. (We prefer the ergonomics of the mechanically related Chevy Silverado interior, but you can read about that here.) The grille looks tough and refined, with a gloss black header and copper insert bars for contrast. But with 1,003 miles on this truck's odometer, the copper is already flaking off. At a starting price of $84,795 and an as-tested price of $104,175 after adding the AEV package, Duramax diesel, and paint, that is not the quality GMC customers expect.

The second issue GMC can kick back to, well, Kicker. The Kicker stereo in the MultiPro tailgate sounds good, but connecting to it is a nightmare. Choosing a source is done by repeatedly pressing the power button, not what look like buttons for Bluetooth, USB, Aux, or SD sources. Our phone indicates it connected, and Spotify recognized it was playing on the Kicker device, but no sounds came out. After about 20 minutes of fiddling around, it finally worked after no real solution. It does remember the last device well and automatically turns on and connects when the tailgate is opened—which is great as long as there is sound.

Lighting the Way

Remote-start this thing in Whoville, and they'll forget all about the tree the Grinch stole once the LED head- and taillights, roof lights, fender lights, and underbody LED strips light up the scene. Looking back at the spectacle elicits the kind of satisfaction only American pickups can deliver, signaling a thread of hope that the American Dream is still alive as the animated headlights say "hello" and "goodbye." OK, maybe that's not everyone's dream, but if you own one or plan to, you're likely too busy to worry about what anyone thinks about it—six-figure trucks are far from free, and money trees aren't as lucrative as they sound.