Suburban or Denali XL?

[bd1980]

Hey guys, new to this forum, lurking and searching for a while though lol.
I am in search for either a Suburban or Yukon/Denali XL. My family is simply outgrowing my OBS Escalade. It kind of irritates me that I will be getting rid of it because I spent a lot of time finding a nice garage kept original owner plus I've done most of the "upgrades" i. e. Nickel slip yoke, tranny is pretty new, fixed BCM, etc..
Anyway, are the Denali's that much more trouble with full time AWD? My wife loves them, I do too, but if the Suburban is more reliable, I will search more for those. I drive a good bit but do most of my own wrenching. Whichever I choose, I will go top to bottom replacing fluids, common problem parts etc. Oh yeah, my price point I'm trying to be is around 10-12,000.
Many thanks in advance!

 

[Gzes]

Put a trailer on the esky and put the kids in lol. But i would get a suburban. Im frm tx so the saying everything is bigger in tx is the reason

 

[07Burb]

Put a trailer on the esky and put the kids in lol. But i would get a suburban. Im frm tx so the saying everything is bigger in tx is the reason

I'm not even sure what you're talking about gzes.


OP, I'd find the cleanest one of either one that is in your price range. Both are reliable assuming they've been taken care of by the previous owner.

 

[SCbarber]

Looking forward to more replies, I am in the same dilemma and my price cap is 14k but I can not for the life of me find a 04-05 Black (first choice) XL Denali with decent miles on it for my range, everything around 60-80k miles they want BIG money for like 18-20k range, it is just unreal. I have to go 130k miles if I want something in my range and I don't want that many miles on it. I am checking ebay, craigslist, and auto trader multiple times a day.

 

[Cerberus66]

get the sub with the 5.3 great power great econ. plenty of parts etc

As for the Denali, I own one, the larger engine gets about 2-3mpg less and the only time you notice the power is when you are............You dont unless your drag racing or whatever.

I will buy a sub next time likely a z71

I love my denali but i just dont need the 6.0 motor. FOr any reason.

 

[Rivieraracing]

I absolutely love our XL denali, love having the bigger motor and the AWD is awesome!! We've had ours since '07 and didn't think I would really like our AWD but it's perfect for our location!! Its rains alot here and is sometimes slick, that truck gets anywhere all the time for us!! If you pull anything, then the 6.0 will be more useful than not, and for me offsets the slightly, and I mean slightly, less gas mileage for normal driving then the 5.3! And the denali trim package is the icing on the cake!

 

[doylee4693]

I would get the nali.Just altogether looks better imo.

 

[PwtrSS_OakCliff]

I got a fully loaded Yukon XL. Came fully loaded (leather, sunroof, Bose, etc etc). I have pulled lots of trucks and cars across the states. Love the truck. Pulled fine. Struggled a little on the hills to Mississippi but I was pulling a half ton and the trailer was another 1.5k plus the weight if the truck and me and my brother (550#). Not bad. Very reliable but I am the second owner. Financed her at 10,995 with 103k. I would just go ahead and get the Denali. It's just luxury edition of the Yukon and Suburban. Better than the plain Jane.

 

[rob3827]

It all depends on what you like. You can get some if not all of the Denali features on the Suburban. In my experience the Denali has a softer and quieter ride. The 6.0 engine and the 4L80E transmission are a very strong combination, great for towing. I have a suburban with the 5.3/ 4L60E. However, a friend of mine has a Denali XL and he loves the power and ride. The only other thing that can sway you to one or the other is the look. The Denali is luxury like the esky. The only other thing to think about is the cost of the suspension ( autoride with the air shocks and air pump). both are very good choices!

 

[bd1980]

Thanks guys. Helps me out. One local choice I'm gonna check out is a black Denali, can't beat that for looks. The gas mileage is something to think about, although I was unaware that they have the 4l80, that makes my decision harder now lol. There are good and bad points to either choice. Probably is gonna come down to which one my gut goes with as far as being maintained properly. Either way I go I'm sure I'll be happy as long as I find a good clean one.

 

[kses123]

Denali's do not have 4L80E. They have 4L65E.

 

[Cerberus66]

Denali's do not have 4L80E. They have 4L65E.

I didnt know that, I thought all 6.0 got the 80?

here is a good article on the 4l65E vs the 60

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticle...4l65e_gm_transmission_conversion/viewall.html

 

[kses123]

Only the 2500 models of the Suburban and Yukon got the 4L80E.

 

[bd1980]

Thanks for the correction. So according to that article, all 1500 after 2001 is the 4l65? Are they any better (reliability)?

 

[Cerberus66]

Thanks for the correction. So according to that article, all 1500 after 2001 is the 4l65? Are they any better (reliability)?

I have never seen any problems with them, they commonly put them behind hotrods etc.

Service and go. The article shows that the upgrades are typical reliability upgrades, LS based motors are strong as hell. SO I would have to assume they work pretty darn well.

I have always been taught to keep your tranny cool and they will last for a very long time behind a standard street driven vehicle.

Once you start adding HP and and making a binch of full throttle shifts (abuse according to GM) they will bomb.

 

[DeepSeaFish]

It's all personal preference really. Think about what you're going to be using it for primarily. I chose the Denali simply because I pull a boat and I love the extra power and extra amenities the Denali has to offer. I've pulled my boat with a 5.3 and it just can't hang with the 6.0 and burned more fuel. In addition, my old '04 F150 crew cab with the 5.4 pulled better than the 5.3. Both are great vehicles with respectable drivetrains. Biggest issue I've seen personally with a 5.3 is they've been known to go through alternators quicker than usual. Know someone who has an '04 with the 5.3 and 140k on it and he's on his 3rd one! But not all will experience this. If you're towing over 3500-4000 lbs, then get the Denali for sure! Better ride when towing to.

KSES123, nice to see someone from the same area.... Nice truck btw!

 

[bd1980]

Thanks, I'm just gonna have to be patient. Barely got out of my truck to look at the Denali at the dealership it was at and was looking at a nice run in the paint from crap bodywork (I used to do body work) walked around and could tell over half of it was not original. No thanks. Oh well, at least mine is nice and I'm happy with it, just need more room lol.
The search continues...

 

[chacho44]

Pm'd you. I'm selling my 03 ESV if your interested

 

[tx01tahoe]

I'm a big fan of the 6.0, I say go with Denali

 

[1Agerry]

Welcome to the Forum!