Cyle Hendricks, an owner of a 2024 GMC Sierra EV 2024 Denali Edition 1, yesterday offered this comprehensive review of the truck in the GMC Sierra EV Group on Facebook after driving it for 32,000 miles. The reason I liked Cyle's review is because it seems sincere, and honestly compares the first edition of the Sierra EV with the Ford F-150 Lightning, which he previously own and makes occasional reverences to Rivian and Tesla, when necessary. And since Cyle's review was in a public Facebook group, I decided to quote him fully in this article and bring it to our Torque News readers' attention.
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I myself reviewed this vehicle last year. The 2025 GMC Sierra EV Denali Max Range delivers an unexpected blend of 507-mile real-world range, rear-wheel steering magic, and near-silent comfort, making it feel more nimble and luxurious than any full-size truck has a right to be. What can I say, GM took a classic machine and turned the 2025 Sierra EV Denali max range into a super nice state-of-the-art truck.
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But here is Cyle in his words, which he titled "32k miles review, ‘24 Denali Edition 1."
THE GOOD - The reason why I kept this (2024 GMC Sierra EV) over my Ford F-150 Lightning, is the range on a single charge and charging performance. The software of the GMC Sierra EV alerts you that it starts preconditioning the battery around 30 minutes before your charging stops. And as long as you have no issues with the charger, and if it is capable, you will see max 350kwh charging speeds and can sustain over 200kkwh over 50%. I travel a lot for work and this comes in clutch, especially during the winter. That, and I got a new battery at 17k miles.
Comparing to my Ford F-150 Lightning: Another reason I chose the Sierra EV over the Lightning was the native navigation. It is the closest to that of
Tesla and
Rivian in terms of user experience and is accurate.
Speaking of software, obviously it doesn’t compare to Tesla and Rivian, both the in car and app experiences, with the app being worse. That being said, I love having the video streaming and Google browser now available and provides a Tesla/Rivian-like experience while charging.
Love the rearview camera mirror, even when it is pouring rain outside, I can see clearly what is behind me.
I typically charge Sierra EV to about 80%, even when starting long trips and in ideal weather at highway speeds (75-80mph), can cover 220-260miles and still have around 15% battery remaining. In the winter, I remember driving a 205 mile stretch in 0 degrees and went from like 90% to 7% at 75-80mph.
THE BAD. Sadly, overall, this truck is a gigantic misfire on GMs part. It feels like they had to reinvent the wheel on so many basic things such as the dash, materials, the enclosure in B pillar that houses the seatbelt. Instead of carrying over what they do much better in their ICE variant, this implementation is just a mess. Dash rattles, I’ve got a really annoying rattle coming from the plastic part where the seat belt comes out of that resembles a buzzing sound. There is persistent rattle coming from the headliner.
My point is that when I had a 2023 GMC Sierra Denali ICE truck, that was built like a tank. The only one issue was with rattles, and that was with the glove compartment which apparently, was a common issue with it. But, that was it. Everything in the ICE Sierra Denali truck that I drove felt more high quality and much better pieced together.
There was an issue in the glass and the midgate that caused constant creaking that, so far, seems to have been mostly resolved. The physical button controls on the bottom of the inner display, the most frequent used ones become loose over time.
The sound system is lackluster. Sure, it may have the Bose branding, but if it is not programmed to its fullest potential that name don’t mean jack. We saw this with Rivian and their Meridian sound system when they released an update that made the sound comparable to that of a Tesla. I usually listen at 50% volume or less and it still rattles the door panels at times.
And there are other nitpicks such as lacking accessory support, the app, and questionable choices in finishes such as the chrome on the running boards.
RIDE QUALITY. Comparing to the Ford F-150Lightning I had, the Lightning was better all around. It was much quieter (less wind/exterior noise, better sound isolation with the motors, and a more comfortable suspension. You can tune some of the suspension in the settings of the Sierra, which helped a little bit, but still not nearly as good.
There also seems to be a persistent wind noise coming from the drivers side window that sounds like you have the window open ever so slightly.
MECHANICAL ISSUES: I’ve had included a one time occurrence where the truck was completely dead, but still had plenty of juice in the battery. Was able to get it fixed after being towed to the dealer and they could never actually figure what happened. Most recently there is an issue with the air intake control valve or whatever it is called that assists in cooling the battery. Have a part on order for that.
One thing I noticed, and I am not sure what GM does differently than Ford, but one time when I left home for several months and had to leave my F-150 Lightning truck, it was around a 70% charge. And when I flew back home a couple months later it was still around that percent charged. This was August-November. So whatever battery protection Ford implemented, GM needs to copy, but whatever they do, if you leave your truck out, in the summer, unplugged, it will drain the battery to assist in keeping from overheating. And you risk frying your battery once it is completely out of juice.
Super Cruise has not been so super. I have no idea what the issue is, though, part of it seems to be related to the forward collision alert system.
Panel gaps, and trim pieces flying off have been other QC issues I’ve dealt with.
GM doesn’t seem to have much faith in their truck keeping together, because, with only a 3 year/36k miles basic warranty, once that is up you risk being on the hook $$ for when the truck continues to fall apart, and given my experience so far, it will. Other EV manufacturers offer 4 years/50k miles.
Overall, I’m not mad I kept it. The Sierra EV suits my needs better than what the Lightning or R1T would have, but if I could do it all over again, I would have kept the Ford or Rivian.
If you are in the market for a EV truck, it really comes down to what you value, your needs, and finances. If you need the extra boost in range, a full size truck and especially, if you travel a lot, the Sierra EV will be your better choice, maybe.
If you want a better quality vehicles, better basic warranty coverage, better software support and experience, and seemingly less QC issues, I would stick with a Rivian or a Lightning. Or wait until the GEN 2 Sierra EV, should GM continue with this line of vehicles.
As a side note, one thing I never thought of when purchasing, is the Denali has 24' wheels, which only offer 2 tire options, each costing over $2500 for a set.
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This ends Cyle's 2024 Sierra EV review. But other group members commented back, writing positive comments in support of the luxury in this truck, despite praising Tesla's technology. One of them, a user named John Duvall, write, "I have loved my Denali EV. Range is fantastic. Ride is smooth. Rattles are minimal (I have the same issues with my Tesla, but I still love it). Turn radius is a game changer. My sound system quality is very good."
"Its an amazing vehicle. Beautifully engineered and unsurpassed in almost every way. You must have got a bad one. RJ and Elon could only dream of making a truck this good," wrote yet another person in the group, named Lloyd Johnson.
I also, tend to think that Cyle may have had a truck, that needs a little servicing attention as they are easy fixed, and not all Denali Sierra EVs are with rattles. "Mine, also a 2024 have none of the problems you have, I’m at 18k now. When I said none is none, not even rattles that I can’t considered a problem. Since they are easy to fix," replied Leandro Nesi.
In any case, I would like to thank Cyle for this sincere and in-depth review of the 2024 Denali Sierra EV. Remember that this is the first edition, and in my reviews I always tell Torque News readers that you can suspect there would be issues with the first year or two as Cyle described. Many people have no issues at all.
We should remember that the automotive industry makes great trucks, but in reality many of them are far from perfect, but issues are fixable, and usually they are easy fixes. Not always, but usually.
Have you had any issues with a first year truck or any vehicle? Were they easy fixes? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below for discussion, as your experience may help one of our readers with their car-buying decision.
Images by Cyle Hendricks, used from the above-mentioned Facebook public group under under news reporting clause of the US Copyright Law.
About The Author
Armen Hareyan is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Torque News and an automotive journalist with over 15 years of experience writing car reviews and industry news. Now based in the Charlotte region (Indian Land, SC, he founded Torque News in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News on X, Linkedin, Facebook, and Youtube. Armen holds three Masters Degrees, including an MBA, and has become one of the known voices in the industry, specializing in the landscape of electric vehicles and real-world stories of actual car owners. Armen focuses on providing readers with transparent, data-backed analysis bridging the gap of complex engineering and car buyer practicality. Armen frequently participates in automotive events throughout the United States, national and local car reveals and personally test-drives new vehicles every week. Armen has also been published as an automotive expert in publications like the Transit Tomorrow, discussing how will autonomous vehicles reshape the supply chain, and emerging technologies in vehicle maintenance.
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The Google navigation…
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The Google navigation systems with android automotive are great and raise the bar for every other system