The AEV Sierra Grande Looks Like An Overlander's Dream

Wixom, Michigan-based American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) has, in recent years, become GM's go-to upfitter for off-road trucks. For SEMA, AEV is bringing this, the Sierra Grande concept, a truck it boldly proclaims is the "most capable overlanding rig designed to date."

Based on a diesel-powered GMC Sierra HD, the Sierra Grande is the stuff overlander dreams are made of. AEV worked with GMC in sourcing components from the new Sierra HD AT4X, including the truck's Multimatic DSSV dampers, control arms, and steering knuckles. The Sierra Grande sits an inch-and-a-half higher than the standard Sierra HD and sports enormous 40-inch Goodyear all-terrains. This, my friends, is A Rig.

AEV added an eight-foot aluminum bed to the single-cab pickup, front and rear winches, off-road lights, an ARB air system, and a snorkel for the Sierra's 6.6-liter Duramax diesel. There's also the front bumper and skid plates from the Sierra HD AT4X AEV edition, and a new prototype brush guard. The whole thing is wrapped up in custom light green paint that suits the truck perfectly.

"The idea behind this concept stems from our team envisioning the most adventure-capable truck possible," said AEV marketing manager Matt Feldermann in a statement.

It's one thing to add off-road accessories to a vehicle, but AEV has done something a bit different with the Sierra Grande concept. Marrying a single-cab Sierra HD with the off-road components of the AT4X requires automaker support of a level that most aftermarket suppliers don't enjoy.

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