The best
thing about the new GMC Sierra Denali isn’t the standard
six-disc CD changer with Bose speakers, the luxurious interior,
the adjustable leather seats, the extended cab or even the powerful
325-horsepower Vortec 6000 V8 engine. Not for hunters and anglers,
anyway. The best thing for us outdoorsfolk is the Denali’s
four-wheel steering system, Quadrasteer. Previously found only
in small, imported sportscars from the late ’90s, four-wheel
steering was introduced to the pickup world in 2002 when GM
added it to the Denali—the largest of its full-sized pickups—and
several other products.
The benefit of the Quadrasteer
is immediately clear: it makes towing a boat or trailer an absolute
breeze. The system works by turning the back wheels at an angle
opposite to the front wheels when the vehicle moves at low speeds.
This makes it ridiculously easy to parallel park or get into
a tight spot in the lot as the turning radius decreases considerably.
It also means that you can manoeuvre a boat or trailer a whole
lot easier, giving you more time on the water—not at the
boat launch. At highway speeds, the back wheels turn in the
same direction as the front wheels, which improves the vehicle’s
stability, particularly when towing a boat or trailer.
We put the Denali’s Quadrasteer
through its paces in tight parking lots, on winding backroads,
along small-town streets and on a variety of boat launches accessing
Ontario’s Sturgeon Lake, Rice Lake, Lake Simcoe and Muskoka
River. Not once were we disappointed with its performance. Our
only beef was with the truck’s thirsty fuel consumption,
but heck, if you can afford the Denali—a mere 59 grand
for this particular, fully-loaded test model—you can pony
up for the petrol.
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