Those Who Moved From an '07-14 to '15+ generation... How Was It?

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

fozzi58

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2017
Posts
380
Reaction score
280
Location
North Jersey
I concur with @CMoore711 and @pwtr02ss

I went from an 08 Avalanche to a 17 Burb. I liked that I got android auto, a nice screen, more features without having to buy and install a Pioneer head unit, like I did for Avy. Ride was more comfortable stock for stock on the Avy vs the Burb. I actually like the seats better in my Burb over the Avy - I feel the side bolster are more "sporty" and the Avy was more "couch-y" if that makes sense.

I had a broken valve in my Avy at 8800 miles but was promptly fixed. I have not had any of the issues people complain about in my Burb - no booming on the interior (roof issue), no lifter issues, no ride quality issues. My issues are mostly self inflicted wounds (E.G ****** 24" wheels with cheap tires, trying to replace factory headlights with a HID kit, etc).

I'm very happy with the K2 platform personally. I think it was overall an improvement over the 900, and the looks I thought was better.
 

vcode

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2015
Posts
354
Reaction score
213
Just went from a '10 Tahoe to a 19 Yukon XL. Ride is a bit better in the Yukon as is acceleration (5.3L 6 sp on both). Seats were a bit more comfortable on the Tahoe, but I am still finding the sweet spot. Despite what others may say, the Yukon is orders of magnitude quieter than the Tahoe. And I spent time playing with trim and stuff to get the Tahoe as quiet as I could. MPG's are actually a bit better on the Yukon. As to the floor in the rear, if you don't care about having a flat floor, that cargo tray/organizer is easily removable, lowering the load height similar to the older version. Going to do that on mine real soon. I probably would have kept the Tahoe for a few more years, but 14 years of midwest salt were finally catching up with it.
 

Bult

TYF Newbie
Joined
Feb 19, 2024
Posts
2
Reaction score
0
I drove a 98' Yukon for 14 years. Went to a 99' Suburban for the 3rd row of seating. 100% loved them both.
My husband recently bought a 2017 ppv Tahoe, to be my new daily driver. We looked at a lot of Tahoe & Yukons between 2007-2019 models. I didnt care for the body of the 2007-2014 and wasn't sure I wanted the bells and whistles of the 2015 and up. I was happy with my 99' Suburban.
A year ago we bought a 2016 Chevy Impalla ppv for our son. It's a fun little car to drive. So, we decided to look at some ppv Tahoes and liked the way they drove, better than the civilian models. My husband understands the mechanics of it, I just know what I do and don't like.
So, we found one with a clean body and decent mileage. Then my husband made some upgrades to it, for me. He wired in a nice center console, a new Kenwood DDX9907XR radio, upgraded seats to really nice leather upholstery and heating elements, lowered the stance a bit to have equal spacing around the tires, installed a 3rd row seat, got the cargo box for the back, installed a nice backup camera, added some badging...probably other things I don't know about.
It's a beautiful vehicle...added benefit of being the same as our State Troopers drive...which means I don't get crowded much, when I drive. As most aren't sure if I might be a state trooper ;-) There are three things that I don't love.
One is the way the back seats fold and the shape of the cargo box align, makes a slope going out the back hatch. It is just dumb. Horrible design flaw. Though the seats are very easy to fold and put up and that is nice. Everytime I get groceries, if I'm not really careful I have some fall out of the Tahoe when I lift the hatch. I need to research for a quality cargo net. Which seems like a hassel to use, but is a necessity.
The 2nd I hope in time I will get used to. The visibility when driving, to me, is awful. My 98' & 99' had amazing visibility. I see why the new ones have cameras, lane assist, etc...it feels like one great big 360° blind spot.
The 3rd is the drivers seat doesn't seem to adjust as high as I would like. I'm very short, with a very short torso & I feel like I need a booster seat. I also haven't figured out an optimal way to hold or rest my arms when driving. I could drive my last two cars for twelve hours with no fatigue. My shoulders and neck get sore, if driving more than an hour in this newer Tahoe.
It's very pretty. It's very different, from what I am used to. I hope to get used to it. If not, we kept my Suburban. My husband could take this one or I'm sure it would be an easy sale with all of our upgrades.
 
Last edited:

tdebacker

Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2022
Posts
49
Reaction score
55
The K2 has all of the problems the 900s have plus more of their own. I want to like the K2 because I like the way they look and the T1 is ugly and bloated with bad lines, but the quality gets worse with each body style. The biggest issue with the K2 is the ride quality. They’re very rough and these body style is prone to vibration issues at highway speeds if the tires aren’t perfect (read: buy nothing but Michelins). You’ll have better luck with 18” wheels and non-MagneRide suspension, but the 18”s look terrible and then you’re stuck with a lower trim level and a 5.3L. You can feel every imperfection on the road. My 2008 rides better than almost any K2 I’ve driven (and I’ve driven 100s of them since they came out and was the go-to for fixing the vibrations for years). The T1’s have much more plush ride, which is probably why people like them despite the massive amount of issues they have and the ugly looks. The other big issue I have with the K2 is they’re all boomy inside. From the pickups to the XL’s, they just get worse as the cabin size increases. Some are almost unnoticeable and some are very noticeable. The 15-16’s were the worst and had a bulletin about the roof but they all do it.
I got a 2017 Suburban Premier and I don't have any highway shaking. I'm pretty sure it's in the factory torque converter. I upgraded mine with a Circle D one and it's been great.

Winter I run Bridgestone Blizzaks and summer I run Nittos (which I'd argue are more perfectly round than Michelins).

No vibration whatsoever.
 

CaptainMurray

TYF Newbie
Joined
May 3, 2022
Posts
21
Reaction score
25
I had a 2007 Tahoe with 250K miles no issues with engine or tranny. Traded for a 2020 Yukon. So far no issues with it either. The dealer did flush the tranny as a precaution to bad fluid from factory. I get 21.4 mpg on the last tank, a whole lot better than the 14 mpg on the 2007. It is quieter, smoother and the cool seats are nice in SC summer. I also pull a 5,000 lb boat with no issues. I did add the Motorola MA-1 adaptor so my phone connects wirelessly to the stock radio. I know this will be an issue with this comment, I did like the ability to remove the 3rd row seats.
 

vcode

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2015
Posts
354
Reaction score
213
I drove a 98' Yukon for 14 years. Went to a 99' Suburban for the 3rd row of seating. 100% loved them both.
My husband recently bought a 2017 ppv Tahoe, to be my new daily driver. We looked at a lot of Tahoe & Yukons between 2007-2019 models. I didnt care for the body of the 2007-2014 and wasn't sure I wanted the bells and whistles of the 2015 and up. I was happy with my 99' Suburban.
A year ago we bought a 2016 Chevy Impalla ppv for our son. It's a fun little car to drive. So, we decided to look at some ppv Tahoes and liked the way they drove, better than the civilian models. My husband understands the mechanics of it, I just know what I do and don't like.
So, we found one with a clean body and decent mileage. Then my husband made some upgrades to it, for me. He wired in a nice center console, a new Kenwood DDX9907XR radio, upgraded seats to really nice leather upholstery and heating elements, lowered the stance a bit to have equal spacing around the tires, installed a 3rd row seat, got the cargo box for the back, installed a nice backup camera, added some badging...probably other things I don't know about.
It's a beautiful vehicle...added benefit of being the same as our State Troopers drive...which means I don't get crowded much, when I drive. As most aren't sure if I might be a state trooper ;-) There are three things that I don't love.
One is the way the back seats fold and the shape of the cargo box align, makes a slope going out the back hatch. It is just dumb. Horrible design flaw. Though the seats are very easy to fold and put up and that is nice. Everytime I get groceries, if I'm not really careful I have some fall out of the Tahoe when I lift the hatch. I need to research for a quality cargo net. Which seems like a hassel to use, but is a necessity.
The 2nd I hope in time I will get used to. The visibility when driving, to me, is awful. My 98' & 99' had amazing visibility. I see why the new ones have cameras, lane assist, etc...it feels like one great big 360° blind spot.
The 3rd is the drivers seat doesn't seem to adjust as high as I would like. I'm very short, with a very short torso & I feel like I need a booster seat. I also haven't figured out an optimal way to hold or rest my arms when driving. I could drive my last two cars for twelve hours with no fatigue. My shoulders and neck get sore, if driving more than an hour in this newer Tahoe.
It's very pretty. It's very different, from what I am used to. I hope to get used to it. If not, we kept my Suburban. My husband could take this one or I'm sure it would be an easy sale with all of our upgrades.
You should be able to take out the cargo box and have a flat floor. They actually did this on later versions in LS trim (Custom trim?) and removed the rear seat. Might want to look into that. My wife is 4'-11" and has no problem finding a good seat position with the power pedals and tilt/tele steering wheel. Visibilty is as good as my 2010 and way better than the new models.
 

91RS

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Posts
2,483
Reaction score
1,847
Location
GA
I will say, if you’re trading a GMT-900 Chevy or GMC SLT, there is probably much more to like about the K2 compared to coming from a Yukon Denali and especially an Escalade. I couldn’t own a 900 Chevy because the 5.3L is very underpowered, all the cheap rubber interior parts, and how noisy they are. And before anyone says it, yes, they are different. The Denali and Escalade have an acoustical insulation package (there’s a RPO code for it) that makes a massive difference and the later Escalades have dual-pane front windows that make a little more difference as long as all the window appliqués aren’t cracked letting air around them.
 

Bult

TYF Newbie
Joined
Feb 19, 2024
Posts
2
Reaction score
0
You should be able to take out the cargo box and have a flat floor. They actually did this on later versions in LS trim (Custom trim?) and removed the rear seat. Might want to look into that. My wife is 4'-11" and has no problem finding a good seat position with the power pedals and tilt/tele steering wheel. Visibilty is as good as my 2010 and way better than the new models.
Yes, the box and 3rd row seat can come out. We put them in. Defeats the purpose of having the 3rd row of seating, though :) I need more space for groceries, than just removing the box allows. I put the 3rd row of seats down for groceries. It's different. I'll hopefully adjust to it. My 98' Yukon didn't have a 3rd row of seats. So, plenty of cargo room. My 99' Suburban with 3rd row of seats, had an extra two feet of cargo room. As far as visibility, I have been spoiled with my last two cars. Most anything else I've ridden in through the years, I've noticed the limitation in visibility (all around the vehicle) compared to mine. It's very different. I've had about 20 years in the others, it's going to take some time :) mine does not have power pedals or a steering wheel that moves forward. We drove some that did. As this is a police model, it doesn't. The steering wheel can tilt up and down like any older car, but that is all.
 

blackelky

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2023
Posts
510
Reaction score
617
I actually thought about this the other day. I have a retrofit projector lights in the plans and switch out headunits for android auto to make the gmt900 more modern. 3.73 gear swap. Run the motor until lifters crap out than cam and lifter swap. We'll see what happens after that.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
129,280
Posts
1,813,237
Members
92,384
Latest member
rick9667
Top