2007 Tahoe LTZ vs 2005 Escalade

[drb007]

I am shopping for a winter truck as I am hoping to go buy my first Corvette this week. I drive about 100 miles a day, mostly highway. I haul trailers frequently, mostly boats (4500 lbs) and enclosed utility trailers. I have been pulling with BMW X5's for the last few years, and they actually do pull very well.
However, my daughter is going to inherit my current X5, and I would like to get a Tahoe or Escalade for my winter commute. Given the pulling that I do, should I opt for the older Escalade with the 6.0L or the newer Tahoe with the 5.3L?

 

[ivin74]

If you are not in a hurry you can find Tahoes with the 6.2 ls engine. They are rare but they are out there.
I think GM started putting 6.2s after 2009.

 

[intheburbs]

2007+ Yukon Denalis are a dime a dozen, and have the 6.2. Ditto the Escalade.

 

[mikeyss]

The Escalade doesn't have AFM like the 5.3 Tahoe will, that is a bonus. The Escalade has a slightly stronger transmission, but has torsion bar suspension instead of struts the 07 Tahoe will have. The Escalade dash is solid and won't crack into pieces like the 07 Tahoe will/already does. The escalades will have MUCH more comfortable seats.

Both have their pros and cons, it sort of depends on what issues you'd like to resolve as the owner. I prefer the 09 and up because of the 6 speed auto transmission. I have an 06 Sierra Denali, and an 09 Tahoe. I love both of them, the Tahoe is my favorite though. It's easier to work on, and it rides and handles so much better than the 06.

 

[drb007]

I found a 2008 Escalade I will be looking at....

 

[mikeyss]

I found a 2008 Escalade I will be looking at....

08 Escalade is a good year for the L92 6.2 because it doesn't have AFM.

 

[91RS]

If you're looking at a Tahoe LTZ you can usually find a same year Yukon Denali or Escalade for the same price or a little less. People are scared of the Denali and especially the Escalade because they think they're somehow different underneath than a Tahoe and are more expensive to own. I love the GMT-800 trucks still but the GMT-900 just drive so much better because of coil springs instead of torsion bars and because of the rack and pinion steering.

 

[mikeyss]

I love my 09 LTZ, the Tahoe has the best looking front end, IMO. Mine is like a Denali in disguise since it has a 6.2.

 

[91RS]

I do agree the Tahoe front end looks the best (I spent a lot of money deleting most of the chrome on my Escalade and now I think it looks better) but the interior is what sold me on the Escalade and Denali. I went and looked at an 09 LTZ (not a 6.2L though) and everything was rubber and the leather is rubbery feeling. The Denali and Escalade have better leather, steering wheel, sound deadening, glass in the Escalade, etc. that for the same price I wasn't going to pass on. If the Tahoe were a good bit cheaper (and it can be if you give up the LTZ and find a well optioned LT) I might have ended up with a Tahoe. I also knew the Escalade would be good for me because it already had projectors and LED tail lights and I still ended up buying my wife a Denali and had to do a retrofit and Escalade tail lights! Luckily the silver on the Yukon hides the ugly on the front end.

 

[mikeyss]

My 09 has same leather seats as the Denali, they are heated and cooled. It's the LT and the 07-08 LTZ that had the rubbery feeling as they have the non perforated leather. 09 and up LTZ had improved the interior and added the center speaker to the dash. I also have added the sound deadening that the Tahoe is missing that Denali and Escalade have, and have the window glass on order. I used to be a GM tech and part pusher, it still gets me the small things GM changed or omitted between the years and trim levels