Woodside, California — Forget Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul. The heavyweight fight to watch is GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate vs GMC Sierra Denali EV.

That's right, the gold-studded GMC brothers are facing off in a V-8 vs. battery death match.

Along with Honda, General Motors Co. is the most committed legacy automaker to an electric future. It even says it will beat Honda there by 2035. So confident is GM of its transition to electron power that it isn't testing the EV waters with a separate EV model line — think Honda 0 Series or Hyundai Ioniq or Volkswagen ID.

No, the General is hitting the EV front lines with battery-powered versions of ICE badges like the Chevy Equinox, Silverado, Blazer and GMC Sierra. Heck, it's ditching its entire Cadillac lineup for EVs — even accelerating the demise of its popular ICE ute, the XT4.

So far the EVs have struggled to better their ICE peers — take the Equinox EV and ICE I recently tested back-to-back with the EV giving up a whopping 148 miles of range to the ICE while having to call in $7,500 government subsidies to make up for its $5,000-more-expensive sticker price. And that taxpayer sugar is in political peril with a new sheriff in D.C.

The GMC heavyweights, meanwhile, are a straight fight. Sure, the $91,995 Denali EV is five grand more expensive than the $86,995 Denali ICE, but that's pocket change when we're talking near-six figure automobiles.

GMC knows, like Porsche, that EVs are a luxury niche, so its first electric is the top-line Denali trim. Porsche did the same for its first EV with the Taycan sedan EV at the same price point as its Panamera sedan ICE.

And for the extra $5K, the Sierra EV comes loaded with tools you won't find the in the Sierra ICE tool box.

OK, Payne, since this is a heavyweight fight, let's talk some smack. Better tools than the Sierra Denali ICE’s, ferocious, growling, 420-horsepower, 6.2-liter V-8? Seriously? The same small-block V-8 as in the Corvette C8?

Oh, yes. On California Route 35, I floored the Sierra EV throttle and flattened my face. The 760 horsepower from the 205-kWh battery came on like a light bulb and I hit 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds, a second quicker than the Denali V-8.

Holy Mother of Pearl. But, dude, a 205-kWh battery? That must weigh as much as the Titanic! No way it'll stay with the 5,586-pound Denali ICE.

Yeah, the Denali EV weighs, ahem, 8,960 pounds — a shocking number for a brand known to make the lightest-weight, best-engineered pickup chassis on the planet.

But with all that weight down low plus four-wheel-steer (another Sierra EV-exclusive tool), the Denali EV was surprisingly nimble through the Route 35 twisties. I even had some fun with an Alfa 4C that came up behind me. I would have loved to see the look on the driver’s face when I came off corners like a rocket ship.

Speaking of that carbon-fiber Alfa 4C, the Denali ICE has a carbon-fiber bed. How's that for a sharp punch?

Punch absorbed, and right back ‘atcha with another haymaker. The Denali EV brings the most unique bed in large trucks: a midgate. I dropped the midgate behind the second row seats, stored the rear window in it and promptly opened another three feet of length to the standard, 5-foot-11-inch bed.

I grabbed a kayak, dropped the MultiPro tailgate in back and walked up the steps into the bed. I secured the kayak — its nose extending into the cabin — then stored my luggage in the frunk where the engine used to be. I activated Super Cruise when I hit the Route 101 freeway so I could drive hands-free.

Dragging a 5,500-pound trailer behind me like it was a matchbox, I merged onto the freeway with authority. Did I mention the EV has 300 pound-feet more torque than the Denali V-8 and can tow more weight?

Holy Mother of Pearl ! But I repeat myself. Frunks, midgates, and Denali EV has the same MultiPro gate and Super Cruise as the Denali ICE?!

Of course. It's a Denali, a luxury suite on wheels. And with a Sierra-first: 24-inch wheels, I might add. The interior is exquisite just like the Denali Ultimate ICE: tasteful materials, jumbotron screen, head-up display, open-pore wood trim, even the longitude/latitude of Mt. Denali etched in the dash.

Though, to be fair, the blank fascia leaves me cold. Sierra Denali ICE grilles are such works of art, they could hang in the Met.

Art is nice, but what if your passions run to race cars or boats? Can the Denali EV go 480 miles without refueling like the ICE?

Ah, what took you so long to get to towing and range anxiety, the bane of EV pickups?

GM has done a good job addressing range with its 460-mile Ultium battery platform. The Denali EV should be able to tow the same distance as a Denali ICE — losing about 50% of range. That’s a big gain from, say, the Ford F-150 Lightning, which can only tow 100 miles (30% of range).

But head up I-75 with a sailboat behind you in a Denali ICE and you'll sail though Marathon service stations with their parallel docking stalls and generous space to turn around. GULP! A Denali ICE will take on 480 miles of gas in two minutes and be on its way.

Not only is charging infrastructure for EVs poor, most stations aren’t designed for towing. Pull into, say, Electrify America chargers in Bay City and you'll have to unhook the trailer ...

Whaaaat?!

... then back into the stall on the edge of the Meijer parking lot for an hour to get your full, 390 miles of charge. At least you won't have to wait too long if the four EA chargers are occupied, because GM EVs can now charge on Tesla fast chargers at the Meijer, too — with an adapter, of course.

That's important if you’re towing in rural America, where often the ONLY fast chargers are Tesla's.

Oof, Payne. Another EV KO'd by charging.

Charging will be the deal-breaker for many, no doubt. Eighty percent of Sierra pickup drivers tow, after all. But if you have $90K to spend on a Denali and don't tow long distances, the EV is a superb product with a frunk-full of features that will have your buddies in awe. Did I mention Crabwalk is standard, too?

Holy Mother of Pearl!

Next week: 2025 Ford Ranger Raptor vs. Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro

2025 GMC Sierra Denali EV

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel drive, five-passenger pickup truck

Price:$91,995, including $2,095 destination ($100,495 Max Range battery as tested)

Powerplant: 205 kWh lithium-ion battery mated to electric motors

Power: 760 horsepower, 785 pound-feet of torque (Max)

Transmission: Direct-drive automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.5 seconds (mfr.); towing, 10,500 pounds

Weight: 8,960 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA est. range, 390-460 miles

Report card

Highs: Pickup bed versatility; long range

Lows: Deep screen; charging challenges while towing

Overall: 4 stars

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