Luxury is the name of the game in today’s match-up. Which of the two 2022 half-ton pickups does luxury better? Is it the Sierra 1500, or is it the Silverado 1500? That’s what we’re going to be looking at today, breaking down the ins and outs of the luxury trims for GMC’s full-size truck versus Chevy’s full-size truck. Most people familiar with the Sierra 1500 probably already know how this might go, but even still, it’s a fun match-up to see the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 vs 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 on the grounds of which one provides the better luxury features in their topmost trims. This means we’ll be comparing the GMC Sierra 1500 Denali and the Chevy Silverado 1500 High Country trims against one another.
Now it’s easy for some people to think that this is an easy curb-stomp for the Sierra due to the all-new 2022 model year Denali Ultimate trim, but that’s luxury in another league compared to anything the 2022 Silverado has to offer. For the sake of some fairness, we’ll try to limit any comparisons to the Denali Ultimate and mostly stick with the Sierra 1500 Denali versus the Silverado 1500 High Country since both trims are very close to one another in pricing and features.
Exterior Styling
Both the Silverado 1500 High Country and the Sierra 1500 Denali come with some modified exteriors to improve the appeal of each respective truck. For the Silverado, the exterior luxury items include 20-inch all-terrain blackwall tires on aluminum machined-face wheels. There is also the availability of 22-inch carbon metallic wheels if you so choose. The High Country features body-color bumpers both in the front and rear, as well some chrome accents, such as door handles and recovery hooks.
Some of the other exterior features for the High Country consist of the power tailgate and rear wheelhouse liners. If you want to spruce up the wheel options along with accessing a power sunroof and all-weather floor liners, you can get the High Country Deluxe package for the Silverado 1500. It doesn’t quite bring all of the luxury and expectations with it like the GMC Sierra Denali trim, though.
The GMC Sierra 1500 Denali carries many of the same exterior amenities as its Chevy counterpart. The Denali features 22-inch painted aluminum wheels with chrome inserts, along with a matching chrome grille. The rear can also be outfitted with a CarbonPro carbon-fiber composite bed. Specifically for the 2022 model year, GMC’s engineers opted to redesign aspects of the exterior truck to refine the fascia and bumpers. The wheel design for the Denali trim has also been slightly altered from the previous model year, creating a visual synergy across the A-line.
One other neat feature that both the Sierra and Silverado share is LED animated light sequences that can be triggered whenever approaching the vehicle. The Silverado High Country, much like the Sierra, also comes standard with LED reflector headlamps and LED fog lamps. So if you like light shows, both trucks deliver.
Interior Styling
Once you step foot inside the cabin of both trucks, there’s a fairly significant separation between the two in terms of the quality of the luxury. Even though they’re built on the same problem, there are still some fundamental differences when it comes to how their style emerges to drivers and passengers. For the Silverado High Country, the interior starts with the leather interior, including a leather steering and up to 10-way power seats that are clad in perforated leather. The High Country also has the option of having the seats outfitted with Jet Black perforated leather-appointed seats if you so desire. Heated steering and heated seats also come standard with the High Country.
The GMC Sierra 1500 Denali, however, features an interior that is oftentimes considered one of the best in the segment. The Jet Black perforated leather seats are offset with premium carpeted floor mats and embroidered Denali badging on the head restraints. There are also open-pore ash wood panels sprinkled throughout the interior and along the inner door and center console, with aluminum trimming to help accent the contrast of the dark interior.
The Denali also keeps the comfort levels ratcheted up quite high, with heated and ventilated 10-way power seats for the driver and front passenger. The added standard leather-wrapped steering wheel and available Denali-exclusive interior illumination further raise the value of the pickup. There’s also the option to outfit the Denali with a two-tone interior consisting of Dark Walnut and Dark Ash Grey color scheme, further adding to the luxury appeal.
Infotainment Options
Luxury isn’t just defined by how comfortable the seats are and how fancy the exterior looks. Sure, those are extremely important facets of what we define as being luxurious when it comes to automotive excellence, but there are also a few other facets that help us determine what we consider to be luxurious as well, such as the infotainment options. This can alter everything from how easy it is to drive the vehicle to how relaxing the ride is, thanks to audio and visual features.
The 2022 Silverado 1500 High Country features a robust infotainment suite in the form of the Chevrolet Infotainment 3 Premium System with a 13.4-inch diagonal HD color touchscreen. It comes with all the basics you would expect, from smartphone integration to Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity and wireless Bluetooth support. There is also the availability of a 15-inch multi-color heads-up display that offers telematics without the driver having to take their eyes off the road.
If you’re an audiophile who needs a robust surround sound system to actually enjoy the ride, the High Country comes with a Bose premium surround-sound audio system. The 7-speaker setup features a Richbass subwoofer, which makes it easy to take advantage of the included SiriusXM 360L package that comes standard with the High Country. It’s basically everything you could need to enjoy the interior of the Silverado 1500 unimpeded and unaffected.
The GMC Sierra 1500 Denali goes a step further, though. The entire infotainment system features a class-defining 40-inches of diagonal available combined HD display space. This includes up to 13.4-inches of diagonal real estate for the touchscreen-based GMC Infotainment System. An additional 12.3-inch diagonal driver information cluster is available, as well as a 15-inch heads-up display.
The GMC Sierra 1500 Denali also has one of the best interior audio setups within the segment. While it still features a Bose premium configuration, it features 12-speakers stationed throughout the cabin instead of 7-speakers. It also comes with the built-in AudioPilot noise compensation system, which dynamically adjusts the volume within the cabin so that it keeps out external noise while keeping the audio inside.
2022 GMC Sierra Denali Keeps the Crown
The Silverado 1500 may be one of the most popular pickup trucks on the market as it battles for dominance with the Ford F-150, but when it comes to luxury, you can’t deny that the GMC Sierra 1500 continues to dominate the conversation. The 2022 GMC Sierra Denali, in particular, is just on a completely different level. The base Denali offers higher quality interior features, infotainment, and stylings over the Silverado 1500’s highest-end trim, the High Country.
The fact that GMC decided that the luxury that the Sierra 1500 offered with the Denali in recent years wasn’t enough and opted to go a step further with the GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate could be seen as overkill. But at the same time, it further seems to highlight just how committed GMC is to separating itself from the competition with the Sierra. It’s still a work truck, but one with more style and panache than some high performance sports vehicles out there. So it should go without saying that the 2022 GMC Sierra vs 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 showdown on the luxury front is an unequivocal win for the GMC Sierra 1500.
