We Get Our Hands on the GMC Sierra 1500’s MultiPro Tailgate
The MultiPro is part tailgate, part Transformer. Chevrolet Forum‘s Derek Shiekhi does some flipping and folding to see just how versatile it is.
I experienced a few firsts recently. I attended the Texas Motor Press Association‘s inaugural Texas Off-Road Invitational. It was a day-and-a-half event in which I drove 19 trucks and SUVs on the trails that snake through General Sam’s Offroad Park. A variety of manufacturers, including Ram, Kia, Toyota, Nissan, and even Rolls-Royce showed up in Huntsville, Texas, with all-wheel- and four-wheel-drive vehicles in hopes of winning the titles of Off-Road Truck of the Year and Off-Road SUV of the Year.
General Motors brought down two pickups: a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison and 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4. The first day of the invitational, after light rains had softened the well-traveled trails, I got the chance to drive the all-new Sierra. Before that moment I had never even sat in one. I had heard the monstrous roar of the Sierra’s available 6.2-liter V8 as other writers charged through the surrounding wilderness, but now I had the chance to use that 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque myself.
I was going to need more than just the EcoTec3, though. The weight of all of the vehicles that spent hours crawling over the trails and the precipitation had formed deep, muddy ruts. Those weren’t that big of a deal on flat surfaces, but they had the potential to make uphill portions even more difficult.
One look at the Sierra AT4 inspired confidence. It was more than a regular four-wheel-drive pickup. My sheet-metal Sherpa had the standard AT4 two-inch lift, 11 inches of ground clearance, and a set of available mud-rated Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires (its Ram 1500 Rebel competitor wore the same kind of rubber).
Certain off-road trails can prove a little troublesome for full-size trucks. Their long wheelbases can cause them to drag their bellies or scrape one of their bumpers, depending on whether they’re going up or down a hill. Surprisingly, I had no clearance issues in the Sierra AT4.
One particular incline proved to be a little too much for its Goodyears and my original line of attack. Multiple climbs up to the top by other rigs had carved grooves into the soft earth, which had degenerated into a slick clay-like substance. After trying and failing to get to the summit twice, it was clear I had to pick a better line and be more strategic with my throttle application. For my third attempt, I chose a slightly different course, started off with a healthy dose of throttle, and kept it steady. That still didn’t make for an effortless ascent, but it got the job done. A trouble-free trip all the way up would’ve been pleasant, but having to be more engaged and calculating to set the Sierra AT4 up for success was much more satisfying and memorable.
The next day, I filmed myself getting familiar with the MultiPro Tailgate for my YouTube channel, There Will Be Cars. I had seen the press release about it months earlier and was glad to finally get the opportunity to explore its six different functions in person.
I started at the top of the two-piece tailgate. By folding the top panel down, I saw how it could be used as a work surface and ease access to taller cargo in the bed.
I flipped the flap inside of that panel up to see how it can be used as a sort of high-level bed extender (GMC calls it a “load stop”).
Then I lowered the entire tailgate. It dropped softly and had useful cupholder indentations on both sides (because “tailgating” is not just an aggressive thing to do when someone cuts you off). That also had its own load stop panel.
All of those features were quick and easy to deploy. Lowering the main tailgate’s assist step took a little searching because it wasn’t immediately obvious (the release was on the outside, not the inside). GMC states it can handle up to 375 pounds. A flip-up assist bar was on the driver’s side of the cargo box to make getting into the bed even easier.
In the end, the 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4’s capabilities and hardware weren’t enough to help it to win the top spot in the invitational as Off-Road Truck of the Year. That honor went to the Ram 1500 Rebel. However, the Sierra AT4 is at the top of my list of trucks I want to spend more time with on- and off-road.
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