2025 Ram 1500 Tungsten vs. 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate: Luxe Trucks Face Off!

If you’re looking for the best light-duty luxury pickup, the Denali Ultimate version of GMC’s Sierra 1500 would seem to be, er, the ultimate. It has a big V-8 and an elegant interior, and it’ll even drive itself down the freeway, automatically passing slower traffic as it goes. But wait—here comes Tungsten, the new top-of-the-line model in Ram’s updated 1500 lineup, burning bright with technology including a powerful twin-turbo Hurricane six-cylinder engine. Has the Denali Ultimate met its ultimate match?

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As Good as It Gets From Ram and GMC 

Let’s take a closer look at our contenders. GMC’s Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate is distinguished from other Sierra 1500s by its standard 6.2-liter V-8, 22-inch seven-spoke chrome wheels, dusky “Vader chrome” grille, unique (from the lesser, non-Ultimate Denali) leather and wood trim, and Bose stereo. Four-wheel drive comes standard, and the base price for 2024 is $84,495. Super Cruise, a carbon-fiber bed, and metallic paint brought the sticker price of the truck you see here to $87,305. 

The Tungsten differentiates itself from cheaper Rams with a unique chrome-trimmed grille, 22-inch wheels, LED taillights, black-and-white interior trim, and a 23-speaker Klipsch-branded audio system. Power comes from the high-output version of Ram’s new 3.0-liter Hurricane twin-turbo straight-six, and as with the GMC, you can only get it as a 4x4. Our 2025 model had a base price of $89,070, and options—trailering and bed-utility packages and metallic silver paint—increased the as-tested price to $90,505.

Park ’em up side by side, and we think the GMC stands out as the posher pickup. The Ram is handsome, and we like the Tungsten’s unique front fascia treatment that eliminates the gap between body and bumper, but does the Tungsten look twice as expensive as a Ram 1500 Tradesman? Not to our eyes. As for the Sierra, maybe it’s the boss black paint, or maybe it’s the fact that it doesn’t share showroom space with its low-trim Chevy siblings, but there’s something about the Denali Ultimate trim that says, “This is the guy in charge.”

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The View From First Class

Hop in. Both trucks ease the climb up with power side steps that obediently deploy when you open the door. Once you settle into either truck’s big, comfy driver’s seat—power adjustable, with heating, cooling, and a massager in both trucks—you’ll know you’re sitting in each brand’s best.

The GMC’s handsome stitched leather and open-pore wood speak of luxury on a truck-size scale. Nearly everything in the Sierra’s cabin feels good under your fingertips, but there are a lot of buttons, and the placement of some makes very little sense. The video screen instrument panel is handsome and well organized, though the center display feels rather generic despite its GMC-specific graphics.

The Ram Tungsten’s cabin greets the GMC with a cheery “OK, boomer!” There’s no shortage of finely stitched leather, but there’s also not a trace of wood to be found. The star attraction is the Ram’s big, portrait-style center screen, which finds more gainful employment than the GMC’s horizontal widescreen display. And while the Sierra’s front passenger faces a slab of dead tree, the Tungsten’s shotgun seat gets its own screen, filtered so it’s not visible from the driver’s side. A gimmick, perhaps, as it can show little more than the Ram’s cameras or input from an HDMI port (and wouldn’t it be easier to watch a movie on a laptop or tablet?). Still, it’s a metaphor for the Ram’s future-is-now design ethic. Other Ram advantages include a better-organized center console with more storage space (love it or hate it, that rotary shifter is a real space saver) and a back seat that is more generously padded and comfortable.

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Old-School V-8 or Revitalized Straight-Six? 

The generation gap widens when you press the engine-start buttons. The Sierra’s 420-hp 6.2-liter V-8 comes to life with a big-block roar and settles into a rumbling idle, whereas the Ram’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six practically whispers its 540 horsepower into existence. The GMC V-8 puts on a great show, but the Ram’s Hurricane engine has the go; it rushes the 1500 Tungsten to 60 mph in a rapid 4.4 seconds, leaving the GMC 1.3 seconds in its wake, and this despite carrying an extra 400 pounds of weight. The Ram rammed through the quarter in 13 seconds flat at 105.0 mph, 1.1 seconds quicker and 6.0 mph faster than the GMC.

Real-world performance is better, too. With 521 lb-ft of torque, 61 more than the GMC, the Ram Tungsten gives a harder mid-rpm shove than the GMC can manage. But what about style? Our younger testers liked the sound of the Ram’s straight-six well enough, but boomers and Gen-Xers will hear echoes of the fervent rattle of AMC Hornets and Chevrolet Novas of old. There’s no replacement for the basso profundo soundtrack of the big 6.2, and we’re willing to bet most luxe-truck customers would gladly pay the 1-mpg EPA fuel economy penalty to hear it.

In terms of ride quality, we expected the air-sprung Ram to have the advantage over the steel-sprung Sierra. We should not have prejudged. Despite weighing a quarter-ton less, the Denali has a soft ride and a heavy-on-the-road feel, whereas the Tungsten feels lighter and busier. But the Tungsten handled dirt roads better, absorbing the bumps and feeling all of a piece. Instrumented testing showed little difference between the two trucks in terms of handling, though. The Sierra’s skidpad grip was slightly better, while the Ram 1500’s figure-eight speed was slightly faster. The Ram feels a tad more agile, but the ride and handling differences come down more to personal taste than actual advantage. 

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Technology, Take the Wheel 

Where the Sierra takes the techno spotlight is with Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free driving system. We’ve written extensively about Super Cruise and will spare you the rehash—suffice it to say that, yes, it’s all it’s cracked up to be. Super Cruise allows the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel on certain mapped roads, and it will even change lanes to pass slower traffic (and pull back into the right lane when it’s done—thank you for that, GM!). The latest version even works with a trailer attached.  

Ram’s less eloquently named Hands Free Active Driving Assist seems to be one generation behind Super Cruise. It, too, will steer the truck down pre-mapped roads with no hands on the wheel, and it will automatically change lanes when the driver flicks the turn signal (provided the way is clear, of course). Like Super Cruise, it will still steer the truck on non-mapped roads, though the driver must keep their mitts on the tiller. What the Ram won’t do is initiate lane changes on its own, as Super Cruise will, nor will it operate with a trailer connected. We found the Ram’s system worked well in both hands-on and hands-off modes, though its parameters to switch to full hands-free mode seemed to be a little stricter than with Super Cruise.

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In the Box and on the Bumper

Given that both the Denali Ultimate and Tungsten trucks are only available in a crew-cab, short-box configuration, it seems the manufacturers expect them to do more cruising than hauling. Still, they're pickup trucks, and we duly inspected the beds. The GMC has a 5-foot, 9.5-inch box festooned with 14 usefully placed tie-downs, and our truck had the optional ding- and dent-resistant carbon-fiber bed, which struck us as a no-brainer option at $115. The Ram’s 5-foot, 7-inch lined bed countered with a rail-and-cleat system as part of its $545 Bed Utility Group, which also includes a fold-down bed step. The GMC already has that last part covered, with a corner step in the bumper and a tailgate that unfolds like a staircase. It’s great for access, but the tailgate itself feels heavy and under-sprung. The Tungsten comes with lockable Rambox storage compartments in the box walls, which reduces the width of the bed itself. Opinion on their real-world utility is divided among MT staff—some like lockable outdoor storage, others lament the loss of box area—but the argument is moot because you can’t get a Tungsten without them. 

In terms of capability, it’s a question of whether you want to put stuff in the truck or behind it. If it’s the former, the Sierra has you covered, with 1,490 pounds of payload capacity versus the Ram Tungsten’s 1,140 pounds. (The Ram’s spec sheet says 1,170, but when we weighed the fully fueled truck and subtracted that from its gross vehicle weight rating, 1,140 pounds is what was left—and don’t forget, that figure includes occupants). If towing is what you want to do, the Ram is advertised to pull 9,150 pounds, as opposed to the 8,900 pounds on the Sierra’s sticker. That said, by subtracting curb weight from the gross combined weight rating, we found the Ram should have another ton or so of capacity, while the GMC would have an extra 500 pounds. (The numbers vary based on how each truck is equipped, so we recommend all truck owners check the capacity sticker on their own truck, then get it weighed. Most truck stops have scales you can use for a nominal fee.)

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Tungsten vs. Denali Ultimate: Which Is the Better Luxury Truck? 

Two good trucks, but there can be only one winner—and these two pickups left us quite the conundrum.

No question, the GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate is a magnificent luxury truck. It’s handsome and functional, and although its cam-in-block V-8 may be a relic, there’s a reason some things endure; we will never grow tired of the 6.2’s soundtrack. The GMC’s bed arrangement and payload make it a better hauler than the Ram, and the optional Super Cruise system is, at this moment, the best hands-free driving system out there. (Sorry, Cybertruck fans, but the calamitous, unpredictable nature of Tesla’s so-called “Full Self Driving” system puts it out of the running.)

The Ram Tungsten can’t initiate its own lane changes, and some might lament the lack of wood trim, but it has several notable advantages. Its Hurricane engine brings better performance with no fuel economy penalty, its air-ride suspension (mildly) improves handling over the GMC, its interface is more advanced, its back seat is more comfortable, and its passenger-side screen (if perhaps not exploited to best advantage) reflects a more modern sensibility. The low payload gives us pause, but given how many of these posh pickups we see with empty beds, we think it’s safe to assume this isn’t a red light for the target buyer. 

We’re giving the win to the Ram 1500 Tungsten, but if you disagree and think the GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate is still the ultimate, we won’t argue very strenuously. These are two excellent luxury pickup trucks; we just think the Ram 1500 Tungsten is a bit more ultimate-er.

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Second Place: 2024 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate

Verdict: A luxury truck that makes you feel like the person in charge.

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First Place: 2025 Ram 1500 Tungsten

Verdict: A first-class ride with one eye fixed firmly on the future.