Got a surprise call Monday that my truck was in, which was interesting because it was built on the 6th of January and wasn't scheduled for delivery until March/April.

Anyway, went and swapped my 2021 Ford Lariat Tremor for a 2024 AT4X 2500.

I've had GM products off and on, my wife has had a couple of Tahoe's and Suburban's and is currently in a GM SUV, I've had a 1500 Chevy and one son drives the same currently. Decided to give GMC a try as I wasn't all that thrilled with the "updated' 3/4 ton trucks Ford is putting out, and compared to the GMC, the Chevy version is, Imo not up to the same level of aesthetics as its cousin.

Waffled back and forth between the AT4 and the AT4X, eventually decided to go all out and get the X.

It just turned 100 miles on the ODO and wanted to write up a initial review for those who are or may be looking in the near future.


Exterior Appearance: The truck has a very bold stance. Much more so than a standard 2500 HD in any trim, even the AT4. It comes equipped with the metric equivalent of 35x12" Goodyear all terrain tires, which is noticeably wider than the Tremors 35x11" tires they are equipped with. They say it has a factory 1.5" lift, but I question that as it sits so much higher than the other 2500 Models. One thing I always loved about Ford was the tall ride height of the 3/4 tons, most GM products are low to the ground, even the 4-wheel drive models. They got it right with this truck. Bedliner came sprayed from the factory. I ordered this truck with a gooseneck prep package, which came drilled from the factory with 4 holes plus the ball mount for a gooseneck or 5th wheel towing.
Front end does not have a low hanging Air Dam ( truck does not have one at all ) so it has that beat over the Ford Tremor (even though the Air Dam on the Tremor is shortened). I prefer the look of the stock front end of the GMC over all others ( Ford, Chevy, Dodge) but as soon as they are released from Ranch Hand, its getting a Summit Series front and rear replacement.


Interior: - Very nice interior- Unique leather seats and trim, its more edgy than the Denali although it's an equivalent trim level. Prefer the screen and dash controls over the Ford, although generous enough, it does not have the center compartment space or deep console storage the Ford has. It also does not have the bottom door storage that the Ford has. Its adequate, but I live out of my truck most days and prefer to have the storage space at the expense of cupholders and small compartments for my day-to-day items I carry around. I'm not an engineer, some misses Imo are the poor placement of both the Ignition button ( its now part of the center dash control cluster instead of bottom right of steering column) and the extremely poor placement of the trailer brake controller. It's just below the center console next to the cupholder, if it was placed on either side of the steering column, where it is with every other truck, there would be room for additional console/cupholder storage. If you used it every day in a live action setting, it would be perfectly placed, but not for a feature that you set once every so often and then forget about. Back seat is roomy and although not quite as big as Ford, it's certainly big enough for 3 adults. Headspace also got a boost with a recessed ceiling. Back seats sit a little higher than the Ford for better visibility; I ordered a under seat storage that comes with a removable lid, I decided to forgo the lid for a while and keep it open. The storage box appears to be a little narrower, but when i filled it with the same contents, it actually has more room due to it being deeper than the Ford. There are also storage compartments INSIDE the center of the back of the rear seats where you can store small items, tools, etc. that you would want easier access to. Big win here for GMC. Everything else its on par with the competition; both have heated/cooled front seats, heated rears, etc. I do wish GM would have a true selectable auto feature for the headlights, so you don't have to turn them off every time you got into the truck.

Driveability & Performance-This one surprised me. I've never spent much time behind the wheel of a Duramax, the last one I drove was in 2016 and was, lets say, less than impressive. I've owned a number of diesel trucks and my family had them going back to the Mid 90's, so I'm no stranger to Ford Diesels. I started this one up and immediately noticed how quiet it is. Standing outside, you can barely hear it running. Inside the truck, it's almost imperceptible at an idle. I'm approaching 40, I'm way past wanting a loud vehicle, so I appreciate the low decibel level. Put it in drive and take off, the truck runs smooth with almost zero turbo lag. For people who remember driving stock 7.3's and 5.9's, you know all about the lag. Every year model they have gotten a little bit better, but with this truck it's pretty much non-existent, which was my original complaint with the Duramax in 2016. Truck accelerates to speed effortlessly. The gear shifts are seamless and butter smooth, which they were not with either the 6 speed or 10 speed Ford. Ford was smooth, but this almost feels like the truck has a CVT tranny and not 10 gears. Driving at highway speeds, truck stays planted and does not wander. I have not gotten thru break in so my accelerations have been gentle, but this truck does not seem to have the same de-tune settings in 1st, 2nd and 3rd like my last Ford with plenty of USEABLE power down low. There were times in my Ford where i would mash the gas and the truck would barely move until it figured out I was trying to go somewhere and then would launch. The Ford beats it by a good margin in numbers (475 hp/1200ft. lbs vs. 470 hp/970 ft. lbs) , but I don't think at these power levels if you can really tell a difference. Ride quality is AMAZING. Think rides like a half ton. Turning radius is much improved over previous year model GMs. The AT4X has DSSV multimatic spool dampers that claim to deliver a smooth ride on and off the road, I won't take it off road until tomorrow but the on-road ride quality is much, much better than my Tremor, which was pretty dang good in its own right compared to the FX4. I was hoping for and needing a good ride and so far, this one delivers. Fuel economy isn't in yet as I've only done some light highway and driving on rural backroads but will report back tomorrow.


Some other items of importance- Few other differences that are of notable mention is this truck is a smidge wider, a smidge taller and about 4" longer than the Ford F-250 with the standard bed. This translates into a slightly longer and deeper bed. Fuel capacity is also greater, this one featuring a 36 gallon fuel tank. Although for what I do, an overall bigger truck is more of a negative than a positive, it's a trade-off that has its pro's in relation to the cons.


Things the Jury is out on- Durability is the main one. The solid axle Ford is a tough truck. By design, an IFS system, especially with a diesel, isn't as stout as a live axle, but is it stout enough to endure many, many miles of rough, rocky ranch roads, washboard caliche roads and cracked and pothole filled pavement? Only time will tell. One thing I will say, is that I think GM is missing the boat on not having a front limited slip/locker in this truck. Its standard feature in the half ton, but I'm a believer in how much of a difference it makes after driving the Tremor off road. It's a game changer. The Tremor, off road, was hands down the best 3/4 ton truck I've ever been in, much improved over the 17' FX4 I was in before. With those skinny pizza cutter M/T's and the limited slip, it would crawl up hills and go thru muddy washes like no other. I had a lot of confidence in it off road once the conditions got bad. While not an apples to apples set up, I hope the AT4X performs close to the same. No questions this rig will be more comfortable, only question is will it hold up.


The Final Takeaway- GM has produced probably the most Badassed Heavy Duty truck on the market in terms of looks and comfort. I'm hoping its not all hat and no cattle. Ford has some, I'll say more practical features both inside and out but its wrapped in an ugly and i dare say outdated design. I was not as thrilled with the Ford this last go around due to some issues with the truck , which in large part prompted my shift of brands. For anyone in the market, give the GM 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton platform a look. I'm sure you will be as impressed as I was.

The new Super Duty my 23 3.31 gears and a 10 speed I am averaging 20 city highway combined. My 2017 was 16. This 23 Highway consistent 25. That’s driving with the speed of traffic.

18,000 miles on her now.

On your truck, the pick up bed is too small. I like the color, but still cannot get over the square fender wells and the teenage braces grill. There is a reason that there are different varieties. Not everyone will like the same look. The Ford is more classy and the GM is rugged, imo.

The new Super Duty my 23 3.31 gears and a 10 speed I am averaging 20 city highway combined. My 2017 was 16. This 23 Highway consistent 25. That’s driving with the speed of traffic.

18,000 miles on her now.

On your truck, the pick up bed is too small. I like the color, but still cannot get over the square fender wells and the teenage braces grill. There is a reason that there are different varieties. Not everyone will like the same look. The Ford is more classy and the GM is rugged, imo.

Im impressed with the multimatic shocks. Buddy as a 1500 at4x.


Becareful though. The doors are aluminum

How was the trade in value of the Tremor?

The 2017 and up Fords are aluminum too. Look at it hard enough they dent.

Pig,

Cummins 6 cyl always seemed to get better mileage than the V-8’s. I do remember the original D-Maxes would get 21-22 mpg ( pre def) but they wouldn’t pull a door closed.

Reliability wise, I can’t say what you’ll be better off going with. This last truck had issues that would imo have prevented it from being a 10 year ride. My 17 probably would have been, aside from an oil leak that was common for that year model, thing ran great. Had 164k on it when I traded it out, but ran like a top.

The Rams in a 3/4 ton platform ride too rough for me to consider them for what I do, but they have probsbly the nicest interior of them all in the Limited Longhorn. That truck price wise is gonna run neck and neck with the others though.

To replicate my last truck it was gonna cost $88k. $95k if I moved into the King ranch or platinum. The Laramie longhorn was $93k. Trucks are just outrageous these days.

I found a 2024 Ram 2500 Limited Mega Cab listed for $80,500, really piqued my interest in a new vehicle. I’d have to send it off to get an electric locker in the rear though. That’s the only reason for looking at the Tremor or AT4X. I could add a locker to my current truck and just keep on rolling to 300,000 miles.

I’m too cheap to buy myself anything, so I’ll probably keep rolling the Beached Whale for a while.

Mine has a rear locker, Lariat Ultimate.