A 2027 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali was recently spotted driving around giving us a first look at what the new model will look like later this year.
2027 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Photographer’s Notes
The Sierra 1500 Denali prototype has its production lighting hiding under the wrap, with a portion of its LED signature, projector beam headlight units, and bumper-mounted fog lamps exposed. The Denali 1500’s grille—consisting of approximately 10 thin horizontal slats—is seen without its camouflage mesh for the first time. The prototype is running on Bridgestone Alenza tires—a staple of the Denali trucks running on 22- or 24-inch wheels.
More Expressive Body Design
The wrap can’t hide the new Sierra’s more chiseled surface development applied to its front and rear fenders. The haunches and flared fenders take some inspiration from the aggressively-styled GMC Canyon—the Sierra’s midsize brother. The shape of the squared-off wheel arches look like they’re lifted off of GMC’s Sierra EV.
Unique GMC Styling vs Chevrolet Counterpart
In addition to its unique body-side surface development, we see further differences between the 2027 GMC Sierra 1500 and its Chevy Silverado counterpart. The GMC gets a unique hood design—showing a wide power bulge down the center of its hood (the Silverado has twin bulges covering the hood’s outer thirds). The front bumper also shows differences from what we’ve seen on less-disguised prototypes of the 2027 Silverado, with the GMC showcasing vertically-oriented tow hooks and a revised lower air-intake.
MultiPro Tailgate Adopts Sierra EV’s Design
Tailgate details show through the camouflage, and we can see the cut-lines for the new Sierra 1500’s multifunction tailgate. These new shots strongly suggest that the GMC’s new full-size truck will adopt the MultiPro tailgate used on the Sierra EV, albeit incorporated into unique ‘gate with different overall styling.
Revealing Look Inside
We managed to get an excellent look inside another 2027 Sierra 1500 AT4 prototype, revealing key elements of the new truck’s interior. We can now see the Sierra’s all-new interior—a dash design and screen set-up unlike anything we’ve seen in the GMC lineup. The ’27 Sierra 1500 gets a big landscape infotainment screen that dominates the center stack. The HVAC vents have moved below the screen, just above a row of GMC’s now-familiar toggle-style buttons. Another row of buttons resides at the bottom of the stack. The transmission tunnel has a storage cubby with what looks like inductive phone chargers. Cup holders from the Sierra EV pickup look to be in use of the new ICE pickup. A generous arm rest and storage bin is also in place, covered in camo.
The same driver instrumentation screen found on the Sierra EV looks to be in use on the ’27 Sierra 1500, but while the EV’s screen sticks up from the dash area, the ICE truck has everything encased by a clean-lined dashboard.
The new Sierra 1500 will get its transmission selector from the Sierra EV, removing the clunky gear selector from the transmission tunnel, really cleaning up the space between the frontal occupants.
What Engine Changes?
As I stated with the 2027 GMC Sierra 1500 spy photos, there will be one of the most significant engine overhauls in years. Expected for 2027:
- Staying:
- 2.7L “TurboMax” Turbo High Output four-cylinder
- 3.0L Duramax diesel
- Going away: Existing 5.3L and 6.2L V8s
- Incoming: Two all-new V8 engines, supported by an $888 million investment at GM’s New York engine plant.
GM has confirmed that the new V8s will include hybrid or plug-in hybrid technology, designed to meet the stricter 2027–2032 EPA emissions rules.
The recent changes from the Trump EPA on the GHG emissions rules, CAFE rules and elimination of the auto start/stop credit now throw into question what GM will ultimately do on these new engines.
Let’s break all of this down.
First, as I’ve covered, the GHG emissions don’t have any impact on criteria pollutants. These are the gases coming out of diesel and gas engines. This means gasoline particulate filters, such as those found on the 2026 Ford F-150 could still be a thing.
Next, auto start/stop credit. There’s a lot of guessing at this point on that feature. The fact is automakers plan out for generation of a truck to be on the market for 7 years. A new administration could simply issue an executive order and reestablish the credit. This new 2027 Silverado 1500 will be the first big indication from automakers if they are taking the GHG credit elimination seriously. It is anybody’s guess right now.
Then, there is the cylinder deactivation system. This is really part of meeting the CAFE rules. While President Trump eliminated fines, CAFE is still a thing and the EPA is working on their new CAFE rules that will still include fuel economy goals.
Taking this into consideration along with their new cylinder deactivation system, seen in these patent filings, this system is going to stay. It will use rockers instead of lifters.
GM is also investing an additional $300 million to upgrade its Michigan transmission plant, signaling ongoing refinement of its 10-speed automatic transmission.
If they follow the script of years past, the new 2027 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali should debut in the Spring of 2026 and be on sale in the Fall of 2026.
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