New Rig Needed. Z71 Burb vs Yukon Denali XL

Hey all.

Every 3 years for the last decade I’ve leased either a Tahoe, Burb, and most recently a Yukon Denali. I owned a lot of cars and trucks and I still love these things .. cant beat the room, comfort, reliability and true utility they offer (a real damn suv).

This time around I’m looking to buy just because I plan on keeping it for 10 years or so.

I like the Z71 suburban. The LT is plenty for me, I like the light off road capability it offers because we often camp and and hit the mountains in winter. Dealer is offering me about 10k off msrp and I like that it’s already much cheaper tha the Denali..

My biggest dilemma is the 6.2.. I have it on my current non xl Denali and I love this motor. Great tourqe and tows really well. I’m only towing about 5k lbs so I know the 5.3 will suffice, but I’m afraid I’ll miss the 6.2. The dealer is offering me 15k
off this one but it’s still in the 68k range.(fully loaded)

Also I’d ditch the 22’s anyway for larger rubber amd do a leveling kit on the Denali.. z71 id probably leave stock except for an exhaust.

Last thought would be to wait a year for the next gen, but haven’t even looked at how different it’s gonna be

Any thoughts here guys? Sorry for the long post

Sounds like a substantial savings going with the Z71. If the 5.3 makes you miss the 6.2 you could always supercharge it.

I've owned several suv's with the 5.3 and now have a Denali XL. I don't think I could ever go back to the 5.3. I would definitely miss the 6.2 too much.

If you're towing much, I wouldn't wait for the new one because if the independent rear.

HiHoeSilver said:

If you're towing much, I wouldn't wait for the new one because if the independent rear.

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And the general wisdom of staying away from first year models.

I’d go with Burb based on your description of needs, but the swing factor is the personal fun/pride/smile/whatever you want to call it factor of the 6.2l only you can decide. Costs def add up for the displacement. I was in a similar position recently and went with the Denali. Good luck, fun process.

Agree with the utility of these! I have a Yukon XL Denali and it’s perfect for our family. I honestly never thought much of the 6.2L and enjoyed the effortlessness of towing our 7500lb boat once or twice a year.
Then I went on vacation and rented a base Yukon XL with the 5.3. There’s a big difference. Just driving around it feels underpowered. I’m constantly noticing I have to get on it more than my truck at home. I never thought much of mine because it just worked practically perfectly.
Stay with a Denali, level it and change the rims. Life’s too short to choose a V6 over a V8.

JP Manor said:

Hey all.

Every 3 years for the last decade I’ve leased either a Tahoe, Burb, and most recently a Yukon Denali. I owned a lot of cars and trucks and I still love these things .. cant beat the room, comfort, reliability and true utility they offer (a real damn suv).

This time around I’m looking to buy just because I plan on keeping it for 10 years or so.

Click to expand...

If I were you I'd make sure you got a vehicle with the 6.2 for this exact reason. You've been trading out vehicles every 3 years, you've gotten to enjoy that new vehicle "honey moon" stage every 3 years. Now on the last one you sprung for a vehicle with a 6.2 and you like it, you've experienced how different it is than the 5.3 in a good way.

You state this time around you want to purchase and keep it for 10 years or so. There's a huge difference between wanting to keep a vehicle for 10 years or so and actually doing it. Part of that is having a vehicle that will keep you happy, satisfied, and interested enough to hold onto and have reasons of it's own not to trade-in after 4-5 years.

IMO if you are serious about buying this one and holding onto it for a longer time than you have your previous 3 vehicles, you better get the 6.2 for reason of keeping yourself happy, satisfied, and having 1 less reason not to trade-in. If you get a vehicle with the 5.3, I guarantee you'll be trading it in after 3-4 years because you'll wish you would have just got what you knew you wanted in the first place.

I'm going to say go with the 5.3 but make sure it has the max towing package on it.
The gearing on the towing package is different and makes the 5.3 feel like a completely different engine.
If you are only towing light trailers or a few times a year the 5.3 with the max towing package works great.
I pulled a 6500lbs travel trailer and the suburban had 7 people in it for about 155 miles and the 5.3 handled it great. This was up and down hills and it was great, just not as quick up hill as the 6.2 could be. Also you won't have the extra cost of premium fuel.

6.2 all the way.