Trucks are a hot seller in the United States, and the list of the top sellers compares with Canada’s list, showing us that trucks are popular pretty much everywhere. The popularity of GMC vehicles has stayed pretty steady over the years. Even if it can’t compete with the top seller, the Ford F150, it still makes the top five list put together by US News. But the 2021 GMC Sierra HD is confusing reviewers with its price increase because some of them don’t feel it’s justified. Read on to find out why.

2021 GMC Sierra HD gets mixed reviews

The 2021 GMC Sierra HD is like any other vehicle; most earn mixed reviews. But some people feel that it might be better to downgrade to the GMC Canyon, and even the Sierra 1500HD gets higher marks on JD Power. Starting at $38k for the most basic model and going up to $83k on the high end, the truck’s package options make a difference. It’s also completely redesigned for 2021. With its V8 engine, standard six-speed automatic transmission, rear or four-wheel drive, and horsepower range of 401-445, it seems to be a performer.

In a review put out by The Car Connection, the 2021 GMC Sierra 2500 HD received a 7.0/10 overall. The truck scored a 6 in performance and styling, a 7 in features, and a 9 in comfort and quality. The overall rating might seem low until you see that it beat out the Silverado, Ram, and F250, among others. Of course, that rating didn’t include safety or fuel economy because official numbers weren’t available. The reviewer made sure to point out that the number would surely tank if those things had been rated. According to him, the truck doesn’t have standard safety features found on many other new vehicles, and the mileage it gets is laughable. 

Is the Sierra HD worth the price increase?

Despite having some luxury features and a pretty luxury price tag, reviewers feel it didn’t do enough to deserve the price increase. Part of that is due to having to jump to the highest trim if you want some features that should be included at lower trim levels. For example, the reviewer from The Car Connection says that while the Sierra 2500 HD impresses on the outside, it lacks that same feeling on the inside. 

In the top trims, the dash and interior are made of soft materials, but not enough to feel luxurious or prove worthy of the added cost. It’s OK for the outside to be big and bulky, but the inside shouldn’t be. The 8-inch touchscreen that gets lost in the massive dash and the cheap-looking, too-thin plastics make it feel underdone. 

Here’s what else you can expect from the Sierra HD

Aside from the issue with the cost, the reviewer felt that overall, the truck was incredibly capable. He shared that the lineup is “impressive in its capability and performance,” noting how while it is mechanically similar to the Silverado HD, the Sierra is a little more “rock ‘n’ roll.” But just as he mentioned before about the truck lacking standard safety features, he expanded on that by sharing that things like automatic emergency braking and active lane control don’t come standard. Neither do parking sensors, blind-spot monitors, or any of the 15 available camera views that would make towing easier. 

New for 2021, you’ll enjoy updated tech and interior layout, increased towing and hauling capacity, features including a jack-knife alert, standard multipro tailgate on the SLE trim, some changes in available paint colors, standard 360-degree camera and bed-view camera on the Denali trim, and the off-road AT4 trim now has mud-terrain tires and a high-clearance step accessory. Lots of package adjustments were made, taking out features in addition to adding them. It was a whole lot of changes considering 2020 was the first year of this fourth-generation model. 

Is the 2021 Sierra HD your next vehicle?

Whether you agree with the reviews or not, it might not matter how much the price increases if you’re a fan. If you’re interested in the 2021 Sierra HD as your next truck but can’t justify the cost, consider the diesel version — GMC dropped the price of the upcoming 1500 diesel model.