Let’s face it. Test drives are great, but they’re usually pretty quick. You leave the dealership, go down a side road for a mile or two, maybe hit the highway, then circle back around to the showroom.
If you’ve been wondering what it’s like behind the wheel of the 2015 GMC Sierra 2500HD, I’ll be happy to tell you. I’ll have one until next Wednesday.
More specifically, it’s the Crew Cab SLT model with the 6’6″ box, the $9,785 Duramax Plus Package that includes the 397-hp/765-lb.-ft. Duramax turbo-diesel V8 and Allison 1,000 six-speed automatic, and the $1,005 All-Terrain Package that features the Z71 off-road suspension with twin-tube Rancho shocks, underbody shielding, and Hill Descent Control.
Other features include 20-inch chrome wheels, a 3.73 rear-axle ratio, a built-in OnStar 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, and an eight-inch color touchscreen for the navigation/IntelliLink system. All in all, my tester stickers for $62,300.
Feel free to ask me questions (on here or in my Twitter feed) about my time with the Sierra. I’ll be using it to move large pieces of furniture. If I have time this weekend, I might even take it to an off-highway vehicle park for some off-roading.
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.
