Does Denali with air ride drive similar to Escalade Sport?

[Lucky Lindy]

Hi all. Can’t find a denali reserve to test drive so I drove a ‘21 Escalade Sport with 12,000 miles. Wow. I loved it. Drove sporty and much improved experience to my 2019 Yukon XL (without the air rise and magnetic suspension). Sales guy said Yukon Denali I want to order will drive the same. I’m not sure I should trust that.
What are your thoughts? Would buy that Esky but used is as much as new and we have an employee discount to use on new. Also over our budget, but either way I just want to know what I am buying or settling for if we place an order for the Denali and wait 6 months for it.
Thank you!

 

[Banks22]

They all are on the same platform and same suspension, depends then if they have mag ride and/or air ride also. Denali should have mag ride, esky depends on trim level I believe

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

I have a Denali w/ Air ride, it is AWESOME! And, with the 6.2, when you put your foot in it...you smile! (Well, except for at the gas pump).

 

[Lucky Lindy]

Yes the Escalade Sport had both magnetic suspension and air ride. We played around mostly in sport mode. And if I order the Denali with the Reserve trim it will come with both air ride and magnetic suspension. Good to know that the drive will be the same because I did smile when I hit that gas!

Now my next question - what changes in that experience if I order it in diesel?

 

[UsualSuspect]

I ordered my Denali with the air ride and a Duramax. My BIL has a 2022 with it, it rides like an Escalade. The Duramax on the highway he has at 65-70 averages around 28-29 mpg. I was hesitant to go with the Durmax amd not the 6.2, but after driving his I will be happy. That is if I ever see mine lol

 

[Stbentoak]

Yes the Escalade Sport had both magnetic suspension and air ride. We played around mostly in sport mode. And if I order the Denali with the Reserve trim it will come with both air ride and magnetic suspension. Good to know that the drive will be the same because I did smile when I hit that gas!

Now my next question - what changes in that experience if I order it in diesel?

You accelerate a little slower, your wallet is a lot fatter for years to come, you can drive all day on trips without refueling, and you have no worries of lifter issues.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

You accelerate a little slower, your wallet is a lot fatter for years to come, you can drive all day on trips without refueling, and you have no worries of lifter issues.

Agree on all counts, however, depending on your driving habits/geography...diesel may or may not be a good idea.
Net, my commute to the office is 5 miles, each way.
My Yukon is my daily driver, and my road trip and fun machine (read that as boat puller to the lake).
I thought hard about getting the diesel -- but was worried those daily commutes of 10 min and the fact I live in Minnesota, meaning for 5 months out of the year the happen in sub-freezing temps, may not be the best application for the diesel.
If I lived south of the Mason-Dixon line, my ride would be a Duramax. At least something to think about.

 

[DenaliCountry]

Agree on all counts, however, depending on your driving habits/geography...diesel may or may not be a good idea.
Net, my commute to the office is 5 miles, each way.
My Yukon is my daily driver, and my road trip and fun machine (read that as boat puller to the lake).
I thought hard about getting the diesel -- but was worried those daily commutes of 10 min and the fact I live in Minnesota, meaning for 5 months out of the year the happen in sub-freezing temps, may not be the best application for the diesel.
If I lived south of the Mason-Dixon line, my ride would be a Duramax. At least something to think about.

Exactly why I went with the 6.2 instead of the Duramax. I work from home and make a lot of short trips with the longest usually being the MSP airport which is only a 15-20 minute drive. With the couple of diesel trucks I have owned I have learned that unless you're putting on 40-50K miles minimum a year you're not going to see great long term results from a mechanical standpoint. Diesels are meant to be worked. I suppose these smaller diesels may be better built for shorter drives but I am not 100% sold on that yet so will wait to see how they hold up long term before making the switch.

 

[Lucky Lindy]

And do take a lot of short trips but most are 20 minutes of more and it would be our family hauler on trips etc. plus towing. Also I live in Michigan. So we have winter for way too long. A lot to think about. Currently test driving a Wagoneer. Its more cloud like. But feels like a truck. My husband likes it. I liked the Escalade better it felt more grounded and car like in the handling. but still unsure if that’s the same drive experience I will get in a new Denali.

Thanks for your input. It’s all very helpful.

 

[Stbentoak]

Exactly why I went with the 6.2 instead of the Duramax. I work from home and make a lot of short trips with the longest usually being the MSP airport which is only a 15-20 minute drive. With the couple of diesel trucks I have owned I have learned that unless you're putting on 40-50K miles minimum a year you're not going to see great long term results from a mechanical standpoint. Diesels are meant to be worked. I suppose these smaller diesels may be better built for shorter drives but I am not 100% sold on that yet so will wait to see how they hold up long term before making the switch.

This engine is not a 6.6 Dmax or a 6.7 Cummins. It was designed from the ground up to be a daily driver/light duty diesel. It has been in-service for at least 2+ years and I have not seen one report here or on Duramax forums of any instance of "Short tripping" DPF plugging or "Not driving it very much" emissions issues. Occasional bad from the factory parts causing problems ? Yes. But when working as designed I haven't heard a thing. It doesn't even have a "Keep driving" or DPF approaching full warning light, which all larger engines do....
If we were talking the big aforementioned engines, then yes I would agree on running them hard and working them. But, they put out a lot more soot and need to hustle to stay well. This engine is not in that category. Mine sometimes goes less than 10 miles a week and has for the last 3 months... Zero issues. But, 3-4 times a year it goes on 3k trips and really shines. If you take it on occasional 20-30 mile trips or pull something on any kind of basis, unless there is some faulty equipment, I gather say you would have no issues....

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

This engine is not a 6.6 Dmax or a 6.7 Cummins. It was designed from the ground up to be a daily driver/light duty diesel. It has been in-service for at least 2+ years and I have not seen one report here or on Duramax forums of any instance of "Short tripping" DPF plugging or "Not driving it very much" emissions issues. Occasional bad from the factory parts causing problems ? Yes. But when working as designed I haven't heard a thing. It doesn't even have a "Keep driving" or DPF approaching full warning light, which all larger engines do....
If we were talking the big aforementioned engines, then yes I would agree on running them hard and working them. But, they put out a lot more soot and need to hustle to stay well. This engine is not in that category. Mine sometimes goes less than 10 miles a week and has for the last 3 months... Zero issues. But, 3-4 times a year it goes on 3k trips and really shines. If you take it on occasional 20-30 mile trips or pull something on any kind of basis, unless there is some faulty equipment, I gather say you would have no issues....

I think you are mostly right...except I have read some instances of people getting a check engine light when the DPF regen didn't complete successfully after 3 tries (from short tripping). But, my big fear was the days here in MN in January where I drive it work work (10 min max), turn it off, and it cold soaks at -15F for 10 hours, then I walk out at 5:30PM, when the temp has fallen to -22F, and I try to start...I think in this environment, the glow plugs will kick on, I would get the "pelase wait message" for about 30-45 seconds, then it would start...my next question was, what next...Drive 10 min home and turn it off...it cold soaks in my garage at +20F, and next day I do it again. How long does that work well? Maybe its fine, but I didn't want to risk it. 1000% agree its a great powertrain, and I seriously considered it...but I did talk to a very trusted mechanic (at a GM dealership) about my usage, and he came to same conclusion I did..

 

[UsualSuspect]

I have an 07 classic with the 6.6. I ordered a Denali with the 3.0. What most forget is GM's diesels are designed based off current and past Isuzu engineers side by side with GM's. Isuzu has been building diesels for years. My 6.6 has over 300k on it, tows most of the time. Other than routine maintenance, 1 glow plug the engine has been rock solid, which is why I went with the 3.0 over the 6.2 gasser. Neighbor has a 2020 Sierra with a 3.0 in it approaching 25k, mainly drives it to work, the grocery store and back. So far no issues and his runs are all short.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

I have an 07 classic with the 6.6. I ordered a Denali with the 3.0. What most forget is GM's diesels are designed based off current and past Isuzu engineers side by side with GM's. Isuzu has been building diesels for years. My 6.6 has over 300k on it, tows most of the time. Other than routine maintenance, 1 glow plug the engine has been rock solid, which is why I went with the 3.0 over the 6.2 gasser. Neighbor has a 2020 Sierra with a 3.0 in it approaching 25k, mainly drives it to work, the grocery store and back. So far no issues and his runs are all short.

Short and cold was my worry…not just short. And by cold, I mean Minnesota, high temp over a 2 week period of -10F cold. Frozen DEF, etc…

 

[UsualSuspect]

Short and cold was my worry…not just short. And by cold, I mean Minnesota, high temp over a 2 week period of -10F cold. Frozen DEF, etc…

I would not worry too much about frozen DEF, it will freeze when your in the teens. The DEF tanks have heaters in them so it will thaw quickly. If freezing DEf is an issue I would think there would be hundreds of towed diesels every morning when it gets cold. My 6.6 doesn't have DPF, or DEF. My BIL drives a 6.6 to work and back everyday, 7 miles round trip, and he lives in Fairbanks. In the 4 years he has had it, no DEF issues.

 

[MAYukoner]

I have a Denali w/ Air ride, it is AWESOME! And, with the 6.2, when you put your foot in it...you smile! (Well, except for at the gas pump).

These are facts