After Five Months in a Sierra EV, a GMC Owner Says a 6.2L V8 Loaner Felt “Sluggish” and Returned Just 14.1 MPG, Comparing It to His “Grandmother’s Plymouth Fury”

The shift from internal combustion to electric propulsion is often debated in abstractions, but convictions are formed in far more ordinary places. Service departments, commutes, and boat ramps tend to clarify things quickly. For owners of the GMC Sierra EV Denali, that clarity is arriving not through advertising but through experience, particularly when they are briefly returned to gasoline power after living with electric torque.

That was the case for Randall Pickett, a Texas-based owner who brought his 2025 Sierra EV Denali with the extended range battery in for a minor dash rattle repair. The dealership handed him a Sierra equipped with GM’s familiar 6.2-liter V8 as a loaner. On paper, this should have been comforting, a return to a well-proven formula. Instead, it highlighted just how much his expectations had shifted after five months behind the wheel of the electric truck.

“I took my 2025 Sierra EV Denali with my extended-range battery to the Dealer for the dash rattle repair yesterday, gave them the TSB % I got from this group, and they gave me a Sierra ICE with the 6.2L V8 as a loaner. It’s a nice truck, but after driving my Sierra EV Denali for the last 5 months, I feel like I am driving my grandmother's Plymouth Fury when I punch the gas. Furthermore, it is getting a whopping 14.1 MPG in town. I live in Texas, so as long as I’m close to a Buc-ee’s that has the Mercedes-Benz Chargers, I’m in good shape for any distance. I have the GM level 2 charger at home. The extended-range batteries are not a big deal for me. I sure hope GM doesn’t back off continuing to improve and manufacture these trucks; they’re totally superior to the ICE trucks on the market.  I occasionally have to tow my boat & trailer, which weighs roughly 7000 pounds, but the distance is a little over 80 miles, and my extended range battery handles that just fine. I can barely notice that the boat and trailer are behind me in this truck.”

Pickett shared his reaction in the GMC Sierra EV Group on Facebook, noting that while the V8 truck was perfectly nice, it felt strangely lethargic when accelerating. His comparison to his grandmother’s Plymouth Fury was less mockery than realization. Electric torque had reset his sense of responsiveness. The pause between throttle input and forward motion, once accepted as normal, now felt dated. What had changed was not the V8, but the driver.

GMC Sierra EV: A Premium Approach to Electric Trucking

• The Sierra EV emphasizes refinement, pairing electric propulsion with a focus on ride quality and interior quietness.
• Its long wheelbase contributes to stable on-road behavior, particularly at higher speeds or while carrying heavier loads.
• Interior materials and layout reflect GMC’s premium positioning, offering a more upscale experience than many traditional pickups.
• Integrated technology features support both utility and comfort, reinforcing the Sierra EV’s balance between work capability and everyday usability.

Fuel economy only sharpened that contrast. The loaner returned 14.1 miles per gallon in town, a figure that would not surprise anyone familiar with large displacement engines and urban traffic. Yet compared with charging at home on a Level 2 setup and topping up at fast chargers along Texas highways, the constant drain of the fuel gauge felt inefficient in a way it never had before. Convenience, once synonymous with gasoline, now had competition.

Towing, often cited as the electric truck’s Achilles’ heel, proved to be one of the Sierra EV’s strongest arguments. Pickett regularly tows a roughly 7,000-pound boat and trailer over distances of about 80 miles, and reported that the extended range battery handles the task without strain. The lack of noise, shifting, or perceptible effort reframed towing as something smooth and composed rather than mechanical and busy.

Other owners echoed the experience. Clifford Tennyson, who previously owned a Tahoe RST and a High Country truck, both with the same 6.2-liter engine, described the Sierra EV Denali Max Range as a night-and-day improvement. He noted that his earlier vehicles sagged noticeably under the weight of a 7,500-pound boat, while the electric Denali remained level in tow mode. He also pointed to its tighter turning radius, an often-overlooked advantage that matters greatly when maneuvering trailers.

Practical questions followed naturally. Tim Shannon, preparing to take delivery of an AT4 extended range model, asked about towing range with a similar load. Pickett estimated roughly 175 miles while towing, based on partial trips rather than theoretical calculations. It was not a headline-grabbing number, but it was honest, and honesty carries weight among people who use their trucks for real work.

There was also an undercurrent of concern about the broader market. Some commenters wondered aloud whether manufacturers might retreat from electric trucks altogether, citing recent industry pullbacks. Pickett’s hope was simple and telling. He wanted GM to keep improving and building these trucks because, in his experience, they were already superior to their internal combustion counterparts.

The most revealing aspect of the discussion was its tone. There was no hostility toward gasoline engines and no evangelism disguised as outrage. Instead, there was acclimation. Once drivers adapt to the immediacy, balance, and composure of an electric truck like the Sierra EV Denali, returning to a V8 can feel like stepping into a different era. Not a bad one, just an older one. For these owners, the future is not theoretical or controversial. It is parked in the driveway, charged overnight, and quietly waiting to tow a boat without making a fuss.

Image Sources: GMC Media Center

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.