2023 GMC Sierra 1500 vs 2023 Toyota Tacoma

Take a step back and think about a full-size truck from the early 2000s. The nicest creature comforts included leather upholstery, an upgraded stereo, and, if you were lucky, heated seats. Today, nearly every luxury-car feature has found its way into high-end pickups. We’ve blown past heated leather seats; you can now get features like massaging seats in a full-size truck. The same brinksmanship that applies to pickup-truck capability now also applies to the luxury trims.

This is very evident in the 2023 GMC Sierra 1500. The Denali trim is what kicked off the idea of a “lux truck,” and it has been joined by the Ford F-150 Limited and Ram 1500 Limited. Those competitors deliver a higher grade of refinement than the Denali was providing. But upping the ante is a constant state in the truck market, and GMC now offers a Denali Ultimate trim that includes nearly every single option and package. So is the Denali Ultimate the new standard of luxury among full-size trucks?

The Toyota Tacoma has reached “Legend” status: It’s the default choice for many shoppers, and for good reason. The Tacoma enjoys a hard-earned reputation for bullet-proof reliability. It’s the ideal size for many situations. It looks cool and, in TRD Pro trim, it can back up those looks with genuine off-road brilliance.

But heavy is the head that wears the crown, and the current Tacoma may be starting to buckle under the weight. With more powerful and more efficient options emerging in the compact and midsize truck space, Toyota is no longer the one-stop shop for shoppers. Luckily, a new Tacoma is just over the horizon.