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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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Derek also contributes to other outlets. He started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to get even more automotive content out to fellow enthusiasts.

He can be reached at autoeditors@internetbrands.com.

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