2023 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X AEV Edition Has Beefy Bolt-On Hardware

• The 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X will get the AEV treatment, which includes special steel bumpers and tougher skid plates.

• The AEV upgrades also allow increased clearances and bigger 33-inch mud-terrain tires like on the Chevy Silverado ZR2.

• The AT4X AEV Edition will arrive later next year, and GMC says the beefy bolt-ons will eventually be standard on every 2023 AT4X.

When GMC pulled the covers off the new-for-2022 Sierra 1500 AT4X, it was billed as the brand's most off-road-capable model ever. It was essentially the GMC version of the rugged and ready Chevy Silverado ZR2. While the two shared exclusive equipment, such as Multimatic spool-valve dampers and electronic locking front and rear differentials, the AT4X's compromises made it somewhat inferior to the Chevy for off-roading. That changes with the 2023 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X AEV Edition and its beefy bolt-on hardware.

ZR2 vs. AT4X vs. AT4X AEV Edition

The most notable difference between the ZR2 and the regular AT4X is their drastically different front bumpers. The former looks like it was designed to clear tall obstacles, while the latter looks like it was designed to crash into tall obstacles. During our first drive of the AT4X, we learned that GMC decided against adopting the wilder front bumper because the company felt it deviated too much from the front styling that customers preferred. Not only does this limit the truck's approach angle to 25.5 degrees, but it also means the AT4X can't accommodate the 33-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory Mud-Terrain tires found on the ZR2. Instead, the regular AT4X is stuck with slightly smaller mud-terrain tires.

But the AT4X AEV Edition is different. With its specially designed steel front bumper from American Expedition Vehicles (AEV), this version of the Sierra can fit the bigger Goodyears. Its approach angle also increases to 32.5 degrees, earning bragging rights over the ZR2's 31.8-degree pitch. The factory-installed, AEV-supplied front bumper includes a section to install a winch, too, which GMC claims no other half-ton pickup truck offers. The AEV-enhanced AT4X also has a unique steel rear bumper and a 23.4-degree departure angle (0.4 degrees higher than before). Along with a slighter higher breakover angle (23 versus 22.7 degrees), the AEV Edition raises the AT4X's ground clearance an extra 0.4 inch to 11.2 inches.