GMC has announced that its advanced, carbon fiber
composite bed will debut this June in the CarbonPro Editions of the Sierra
Denali 1500 and Sierra AT4 1500. The first application of its kind for carbon fiber composite, the
CarbonPro bed is said to deliver “best-in-class dent, scratch and corrosion
resistance.”
Besides being tough and durable, the CarbonPro bed
is also 25 percent lighter than a conventional steed bed, helping the 2019
Sierra shed 27.2 kg. As a result, payload increases by at least 26.7 kg, depending on the configurations and equipment. Furthermore, its
grained surface means there’s no need for bed liners, potentially saving more
pounds. Rear wheelhouse liners are not needed either because of CarbonPro’s
increased dent resistance.
Other benefits of the CarbonPro bed include a
“best-in-class cargo volume,” as it adds 28 liters compared to
2019 Sierra’s standard roll-formed steel bed thanks to its sidewalls being
pushed out farther. Finally, GMC points out that the CarbonPro bed’s
indentations are specifically designed for tires of dirt and street bikes and
feature two additional tie-down locations at the front of the bed.
GMC says it has subjected the CarbonPro bed to
rigorous validation testing including dropping large and heavy loads on it from
varying heights and driving a snowmobile with metal studs on the track into the
bed and accelerating it at full throttle to test scratch-resistance.
The only downside we see so far (as pricing has not
been announced yet) is that the CarbonPro bed has limited availability. The
innovative bed debuts on the Sierra Denali 1500 and Sierra AT4 1500 only as
part of CarbonPro Editions for the 2019 model year. For 2020, the CarbonPro bed
will be available in greater quantity, but only on the two aforementioned
trims.
