The Chevy Silverado is one of the most driven pickups in the US and has been for years. The GMC pickup has almost been around as long as the Chevy has. The specs are very similar, but we will take a more detailed look at the finer details between the trucks.
The 2020 base Silverado and Sierra have the same internals. Both of the trucks are equipped with 4 Wheel-drive, both are powered by the 5.3 L V8 engine, and both of them have an 8-speed automatic transmission. The key differences are in the finer details and come down to personal preference.
Keep reading to see all the differences between the Chevy Silverado High Country and the GMC Sierra Denali and whether or not one of these trucks is the right fit for you.
Exterior
Both of these trucks have a very similar looking exterior to the plain eye, but I have taken time to point out all the differences I could find here.
GM has made a big effort to differentiate the Silverado between the Sierra. They look completely different going down the road. some of the main differences are how the body wraps around the wheels.
The GMC Sierra has 3 rounded angles around the wheel wells and they are very noticeable, I personally like the look and it gives the truck it’s own unique look.
The trucks do not share tail lights or tailgates. The Silverado and the Sierra both have the same step-up, cut out of the bumper. The Silverado tailgate does have a slow drop that is similar to the Tundra’s. The GMC Sierra has a 7 multi-position pro tailgate.
The tailgate can drop down the inner tailgate which helps when loading up some heavy cargo, the next position is a 48-inch step plate that will give you easy access to getting in the truck bed, which lets you in and out of the bed easily. It also has its own grab handle to be used while getting out of the bed.
The tailgate does also have a load stop, and a way to keep larger boards and such, some will say it’s redundant and I am not sure if I would use every feature of the tailgate, but it is pretty cool.
The Chevy has the Split grille design, while the GMC has it’s signature bold chrome mesh grille. They both have high intensity LED headlights and LED FOG lights, just with very different designs.
The GMC Sierra has more chrome trim around the windows and the wheel wells on the Sierra are plastic and give it a new look.
The Chevy Silverado High Country’s tailgate has the ability to power down and up, the GMC Denali’s tailgate does not have this function and it reminds of most minivan hatches.
The running boards on the GMC Sierra Denali and Chevy Silverado High Country both have very nice power running boards that can slide backward for side access.
They both come equipped with 22-inch Alloy Wheels. The Mirrors are similar and come with LED lighting, heating, power-folding, and auto-dimming.
When it comes to safety both are the same and come with blind monitoring, emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert and auto high beam headlights when fully equipped. Neither has adaptive cruise control at this time.
They both have 24-gallon fuel tanks and the same towing capacity of 9,300 lbs with the maxed out trim models.
Interior
The interior between the trucks has a very similar look. The fully loaded models both have remote start on the truck’s keys. The High Country does have a Brown interior option that the GMC Sierra does not have.
GMC Sierra Denali does come with an exclusive wide grained leather that is different than the Chevy’s and has a more premium look and feel. The Sierra has a real aluminum trim around the display in the cabin and gives it a better feel.
The Display on both of the trucks is 8 inches and looks the same. Both GMC Sierra Denali and Chevy Silverado High Country have the same Heads Up Display that looks amazing and offers quite a bit of help visually to the driver.
The GMC’s steering wheel is a bit more box-shaped as compared to the Chevy’s more round wheel. It has real Aluminum trim and a very nice leather wrapped around it.
They both have column shifters that activate the rearview camera’s and they offer a very good resolution
They center consoles look and feel about the same, the center displays have the same control buttons as well.
They both have the same Bose premium 7 speaker audio system that has a great sound on each truck.
Both premium packages come with Android Auto and Apple Carplay.
Performance
The 5.3L V8 in each of these trucks has been upgraded in the 2020 model with active fuel management. It will shut down different cylinders in any possible combination to save fuel on highway driving.
The High Country Silverado and the GMC Denali both have the upgraded 6.2L V8 also has this option and produces 420 HP with 480 lb-ft of torque. These models have an upgraded 10 speed transmission that was jointly developed by FORD.
The Sierra Denali comes with adaptive ride control and will make some adjustments for road control that the driver can feel at the wheel.
Price
As of right now the Chevy Silverado starts off at $56,300 with the High Country Deluxe Package adding an additional $3440. With every additional option such as the 6.2L V8, the technology package, power running boards, wheel locks, and Destination Package the Chevy Silverado is the most expensive truck that Chevy has ever produced at $66,425.
The GMC Sierra Denali starts out at $58,000. The Denali Ultimate Package will run $4,850. With the 6.2L V8 and destination package, the Sierra Denali comes in at $67,340.
The price difference between the two trucks with every option is about $915 and is not as big of a difference compared to the previous generations.
Conclusion
To summarize the differences in the two trucks, there is not a lot other than what we already looked at.
The GMC Sierra has a much more complex and functional tailgate which could be a major buying point for some who are constantly using their truck bed.
The Chevy Silverado High Country does have the option for that nice brown leather, but the GMC Sierra Denali has that not plush tumbled leather option.
The GMC has more of that premium aluminum trim on the inside of the truck, while the Chevy’s is still nice it does not quite stack up to the GMC Sierra Denali’s.
The GMC has a more boxy front end as compared to the more sleek looking Chevy Silverado, but the GMC has that nice signature chrome mesh grille. Some drivers may not like the big grille as they are becoming increasingly popular among all new cars it seems.
A good suggestion is to not only go and test drive both trucks at a dealer, but maybe you could rent at least a base model of the trucks from a local auto rental service, it might be worth it. If I ever do any traveling I make sure and rent a different truck that I have not driven in the past.
Most of the rental services will let you pick one from the lot so you end up getting a better feel of the truck and it beats just a couple of test drives. Some rental services may have a fully loaded one as well, look for an enterprise high-end rentals or any other luxury rental service.
They can be pretty pricy, but a dealer will only usually let you borrow a truck for a weekend and the most and usually for a truck that has all the options you may be lucky if you can take it home for the night.
The difference between the two in price, when both maxed out in terms of options and accessories is going to be about $1,000 which is not a big difference at all, meaning you should really take your time and find out which truck you want to buy.
