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Everything is expensive today. From groceries to cars, we are all feeling the compounding marking up of every industry. Although it’s widespread, at this point, the car market is seeing price increases in huge globs that are rubbing up against utter insanity. The newest insanity in pricing is the 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X AEV, which retails at a cartoonish $90,000. 

How much do you have to pay for a pickup truck in 2022?

With the production difficulties of the past two years, there has been an increase in inflated used cars due to the short supply of new cars and the high demand for used ones. It sucks, but at least that makes sense with what we learned about basic economics in high school.

The crazy part is how many new cars are coming out with price tags like the Sierra. $90k is basically $100k. When I was a kid, $100k cars were a Ferrari 348, Rolls-Royce, Dodge Vipers (more like $50k), and other such high-end luxury and sports cars. These days $100k gets you a GMC? Come on! I’m not hatting on GMC, but no GMC should cost $100k. 

Again, car prices are up. We have to live with that, but you can still buy a number of pickup trucks for under $35k, like the Hyundai Santa Cruz, Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma, Ford Maverick, and more. Hell, you can get Ford Raptor or a Ram TRX for less. 

2023 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X: price and specs

2023 GMC Sierra 1500 off-roading
2023 GMC Sierra 1500 | GMC

Ok, we have established that the price for the new off-road-focused Sierra pickup truck is wildly priced, $90,440, to be exact,  but maybe it’s worth it? 

It’s worth mentioning this price is reflective of the AT4X with the $6,895 AEV package. GMC partnered with truck outfitters, American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), to add more capability and toughness to the already off-road centric AT4X. 

Adventuring ain’t cheap, apparently

2023 GMC Sierra 1500-at4x aev edition
2023 GMC Sierra 1500-at4x aev edition | GMC

According to Car and Driver, the AEV package trades the Sierra’s normal bumper for a specially made steel bumper that allows it to fit the 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory Mud-Terrain tires. This new bumper also increases the truck’s approach angle. The ride height is also increased from .4 inches to a towering 11.2 inches. The undercarriage benefits from five hot-stamped boron steel skid plates. 

This AEV package stacks on the already enhanced AT4X package that most closely compares to the Chevy Silverado ZR2 with larger tires, off-road bumpers, a suspension lift, and skid plates – the AT4X package comes at a $17k premium on its own before the AEV package.

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Staff Writer

Peter Corn

Peter Corn joined MotorBiscuit as an Autos Writer in 2020 and brings his quippiest Southern drawl to our table. Having, in his words, “helped” rebuild his dad’s 1959 MGA as a small child, Peter grew up loving vintage cars and trucks, adding motorcycles and all things 4×4 as he went.

Peter earned a Bachelor of Archeology and Creative Writing from the University of Alabama and has since melded his love of driving with storytelling. His voice, full of pleasantries and witticisms, can be enjoyed in The Gentleman Racer, The Vintagent, Gear Patrol, Iron & Air Magazine, and Classic Car Club Magazine.

Peter is a co-founder of both The Colloquial Magazine and The Fire Escape, the official podcast of The Colloquial. In an effort to increase his abilities in “ramping anything with wheels,” Peter has taken track training from Classic Car Club Manhattan and attended Rally School at Monticello Motor Club, where he was coached by eight-time Performance Rally motorsport champion Chris Duplessis.

On a lucky day, we get to hear Peter tell the story of his first car, a jewel of a 1958 Ford Fairlane, into which he dumped more time and money than made sense, but he has no regrets.