2026 GMC Sierra EV AT4 Max Range Fixes A Lot Of The Issues I Originally Had With The Truck

When I first reviewed the GMC Sierra EV Denali in November of 2024, I was not kind to it. I said the truck's driving dynamics "verge on dangerous" in everyday conditions and lamented the fact that it felt like a truly half-baked product. Now, more than a year later, the Sierra EV and I are taking another crack at each other to see if anything has changed. Well, it seems that quite a few of the issues I brought up in my 2024 first drive have been addressed and almost completely fixed with the AT4 off-road package.

Of course, the Sierra EV AT4 Max Range is by no means perfect. I've still got plenty of philosophical issues with a vehicle of this girth, and I could honestly use a bit more AT4-ness out of a truck like this, but I will say this: it's much improved. I no longer feel like a menace when I'm behind the wheel of this truck, and while that's not exactly a high bar to cross, it was one that the original Sierra EV Denali failed to pass when I drove it the first time.

We're all about improvement here at Jalopnik, and I just hope the Sierra EV thinks I've gone through as much of a transformation as it has in just 16 months.

Full Disclosure: GMC lent me a fully charged 2026 Sierra EV AT4 to do with as I pleased for a week, so I loaded it up with stuff and things.

One of my chief complaints with the Sierra EV Denali was that it felt very unstable, especially at speed and under hard acceleration. I cannot speak for how that particular model drives in the big 26, but the AT4 Extended Range does a lot to fix the issues I had. First of all, it's a bit down on power compared to the Denali. This truck produces a still-mind-bending 725 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque via its dual-motor setup, and that's enough power to rocket the 8,800-pound beast from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds, according to Car and Driver's testing. For reference, the Denali makes 760 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque, and it knocks a couple of tenths off the 0-60. Trust me, you won't miss it.

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Combine the power difference with the added sidewall and width of the AT4's chunkier 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler tires, its fixed suspension setup instead of the Denali's air springs, and two years of rear-steering calibration and development, and the entire truck feels a hell of a lot more stable when driving down the road. I think the main culprit here might be the tires, though. The 18-inch wheels of the AT4 are a full 6 inches smaller in diameter than those of the Denali I tested, and its tires are nearly 0.4 inches wider. That makes a big difference.

Because the laws of physics are as infallible as ever, it's still not a sports car, but the Sierra EV AT4 doesn't have quite the same penchant for changing lanes without warning under hard acceleration that the Denali had. Unfortunately, the steering does go a bit lighter than I'd really want as the rear squats down, but the coil springs do a better job than the Denali's air suspension at mitigating the issue.

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Still, despite all the off-roady bits that I'll get to in a minute, the Sierra EV AT4 has a truly fantastic driving range. GM says it can travel up to 478 miles on a single charge, and in my experience, that number seems just about bang on. Obviously, the faster you go, the quicker it drops, but that 205-kWh battery pack is huge enough to get the truck where it needs to go. Thanks to its 800-volt architecture and charging speeds up to 350 kW, this rig can even juice up pretty quickly. GMC says it can add 100 miles of range in about 10 minutes when DC fast-charging. Be warned, though, charging the battery to 100% will take about 5,000 years and cost about a billion dollars, depending on what charger you use.

It's a small tradeoff to make, because the Sierra EV AT4 is a really solid daily... provided there's a lot of space. Super Cruise comes standard, and that Level 2 hands-free advanced driver-assist system is pretty much second-to-none in the industry. The Sierra's seats are plenty comfy and there's tons and tons and tons of cargo room. Even if you fill up the 5-foot-11 bed, there's an 11-cubic-foot power-operated frunk to store your precious cargo. Hell, the tech isn't half-bad either — especially the 16.8-inch vertical infotainment screen. It's easy to use, there are hard buttons for volume and climate controls, and it's customizable enough that all of your most-used features will fall easily to hand. The 11-inch driver's display is equally solid. It's fairly customizable and can show a full navigation map. There's even a 14-inch head-up display and a bunch of cupholders.

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Other niceties include a standard panoramic sunroof, GM's trick MultiPro MidGate that is definitely a gimmick (but I love gimmicks), and its incredibly useful MultiPro Tailgate that made getting in and out of the bed while I was doing Truck Stuff™ that much easier for my aching bones. What more could you want?

Oh, you want your truck to crab walk? No worries, the 233.4-inch Sierra AT4 can do that, too. Is it particularly useful? Not at all, but it never fails to entertain passengers. That rear steering also helps the AT4 achieve a mighty impressive turning circle of just 39.1 feet.

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Like the Denali, its driving is also very customizable. One-pedal driving is selectable, and even if it's turned off, there's a small plastic paddle on the back of the steering wheel that can be progressively tugged to engage regen braking. Drivers can even turn off the rear steering if they dare, which is only good for parallel parking.

If it's not clear, a big reason this particular Sierra EV is so much better than the one I previously drove is down to the trim level. Trading a Denali for an AT4 seems to have made a world of difference here. It's not like going for the more moderately equipped and off-road-ish-focused AT4 is much of a tradeoff, either. This truck is very much a softroader, a far cry from GMC's other AT4 products. If you've come here looking for an electric alternative to the Ram 1500 TRX and Ford F-150 Raptor, keep dreaming.

For the most part, this is a slightly enhanced appearance package with some upgraded tires and suspension as well as red tow hooks and blacked-out trim, and that's really okay. Yeah, it would be cool if the AT4 were a bit more off-road focused, but GMC was clearly realistic about what owners would be using this truck for, and it's not off-roading.

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Regardless, the AT4 comes with those 18-inch wheels wrapped in 285/75R18 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires that very much look the part, and add an extra 2 inches of ground clearance over the base Sierra EV Elevation, giving it an even 10 inches of clearance in total and besting the Denali's air suspension by over an inch.

Further helping the AT4 drive over things is the model-exclusive Terrain drive mode, which you can think of as a sort of overlanding mode enabled by software. It gives the Sierra EV more precise one-pedal off-road braking control at speeds below 25 mph, using the two electric motors and four friction brakes in tandem. It also activates smoother throttle mapping and, when turning, engages the rear steering at an earlier point in the steering wheel's rotation. It makes the truck's 145.7-inch wheelbase far more manageable, that's for sure.

While the Sierra EV AT4 costs less than the GMC Sierra EV Denali Max Range I drove in 2024, it's still not cheap by any stretch. The base Sierra EV Elevation will set you back $65,490, including a hefty $2,595 destination charge, but who cares about that? The AT4 Extended Range, saddled with its reduced-capacity battery and "only" 390 miles of range, starts at $82,390. That truck also has to make do with just 625 horsepower, slower charging speeds and fewer niceties, missing things like the Max Range's standard panoramic sunroof and MultiPro Midgate.

To get the Sierra EV AT4 Max Range — second in line only to the 2026 Sierra EV Denali Max Range in the truck's hierarchy — buyers will have to fork over $92,195. At the very least, take some solace in knowing that the price means the truck is pretty much fully loaded. My tester came with just one option: a $1,950 dealer-installed hard-folding truck bed cover from Real Truck Advantage, bringing the as-tested price to $94,145.

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There aren't many other options to choose from, anyway — just some floor mats, bed organizers and charging accessories, for the most part. Everything I've mentioned in the review thus far has been a standard part of the Sierra EV AT4 Max Range.

The Sierra EV AT4 has taught me an important lesson, one I'm going to pretend I didn't already know: second chances are important. To this day, my review of the original Sierra EV is one of my harshest. I got a very angry call from GMC about it, which I don't blame the PR person for. I'd be miffed, too.

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The AT4 is a testament to two automotive truths. Firstly, vehicles aren't set in stone once the design and engineering phases are over. They're constantly tinkered with and refined, even after they're launched. Secondly, a few small changes can make a holistic difference. From the outside, you wouldn't think that changing the tires and suspension and slightly reducing the power of a vehicle would make a world of difference, but it did.

The Sierra EV AT4 Max Range may be missing some of the luxury features and trick electronics that come on the Denali, but that doesn't stop it from being a lot better.