Denali Vs Silverado Ltz

wayland1985 · March 23, 2010

I'm back... I started shopping away from GM, thinking a Tundra was a better vehicle... Well, the Tundra turned into the tacoma in my shopping (cheaper truck = bigger house), and then the tacoma turned into the ridgeline (honda = solid solid reputation, and toyota=possible hit in resale value??).

I dabbled looking at the fords again (said to have great quality these days), but it was short-lived...

Now, I've come full-circle back to GM.

My question is as follows: what differences are there between Silverado LTZ with the 6.2 and the Denali? My truck will be mostly a mall crawler, with the occasional ATV in the back, and occasional boat on tow.

Any idea what a denali has that the silvy doesn't????

Insurance costs? Up-front costs? Maintenance costs????

ArkansasHellRaiser · March 23, 2010

if you can afford a denali go with it, they're the best looking trucks on the road. they have a denali exclusive wood pattern on the dash and heated steering wheel. matching bumpers. the denali grille and rims. 6.2l is fast, it'll beat a tundra, and i think denali's have different suspension

Matt_ · March 23, 2010

The main thing you get with the Denali is the AWD, which btw comes in handy with the 6.2L

Other than that, there's a few "Denali" trim pieces and taillights, etc... but nothing that should sway a purchase. I'm not sure how the Denali package affects resale value.

There should be practically no difference in terms of insurance/maintenance/etc.

Why aren't you considering the high end Sierra? (i like how the Sierra looks over the Silverado)

Wires · March 23, 2010

As far as I know it would just be the AWD (more HP with the Denali?), and the interior/exterior trim.

I bought my 08 SD, because I wanted the AWD, 6.2L, and 6 speed. The latter 2 are available in their other trucks now.

When I did the GM site build thingy, it as for pricing, the Denali ended up being the same price as a fully loaded Sierra (with all the extras, and not getting the AWD, 6.2l and 6 speed). At least at the time it was.

wayland1985 · March 24, 2010

Why aren't you considering the high end Sierra? (i like how the Sierra looks over the Silverado)

Weird story really... I personally like the Silverado's looks better overall, at least i the Extended cab trim. When it comes to double cab trim, I tend to feel the Sierra looks better.

I only started looking at the Denali recently, after seeing a few in town. On the outside, they are a sharper vehicle, but they are a bit in the higher price range.

I think the double cab will be more useful overall, although I do see the extended cab as quite comfortable as well...

tonygxp · March 24, 2010

Denali. Nuance leather, AWD (for your application would be more desirable) and heated steering wheel with much nicer "faux" wood trim lol. I liked the denali so much more than the Tahoe LTZ i traded it in only 5mos old and bought the Denali.

cc1999 · March 24, 2010

I am not sure if it applies to the GM AWDs, but everything AWD that I ever owned seemed to like the taste of fuel, a lot more than I liked feeding it. I do love the 6.2L. So I kind of second the notion of a loaded SLT4 pkg Crew Cab GMC with the 6.2 and part time 4wd. My personal favorite looking GM truck is the GMC All terain pkg trucks, where you still get some of the denallie trim work on the outside, but you also get the part time 4wd.

ArkansasHellRaiser · March 24, 2010

i talked a dealer down $10,000 off of the sticker price this previous weekend for my slt sierra. if the denali is in your price range i'd go with it

snyderfarms · March 24, 2010

the denali is the cady of trucks...........

wayland1985 · March 24, 2010

Here's a question: Do you need the heavy duty trailering pack for the 6.2 in the LTZ? One would think that the suspension pack would mean rougher ride...

Or can you get the 6.2L with the Z71 pack? And does it come with 4 wheel disc brakes?

BBC71Nova · March 25, 2010

I've been going through this same decision myself lately. I've pretty much decided against any current model besides the Denali. Primarily because I'm not a huge fan of AFM and that's the only way you can get the 5.3L now. I figure I'll just wait until they release the trucks with the direct injection and hope they drop AFM or make it an option again. At the same time though I'm not convinced I want to get into a truck that pricey thinking I'd be concerned to ever use it as a "truck". Decisions decisions

So here is my rationale behind why the Denali is the way to go. First, you get the 6.2L with no AFM, and 4 wheel disc brakes. It also seems like this is the only way to get the more MPG friendly 3.42 rear gear with the 6.2L. You also get nicer exterior with the Denali specific grilles along with chrome door handles, side moldings and painted bumpers. You also get "chromed aluminum" 20" wheels instead of the "chrome clad aluminum" aka chrome->plastic->aluminum that is prevalent on the other models. On the inside you get nicer leather, little nicer door panels, fake wood accents, carpeted floor mats, adjustable pedals? and the 6 disc CD/MP3 player. The base price difference is about $4k. If you "want" the 6.2L anyway, then the rest of the pkg makes it almost a "value" even though that seems crazy in the context of a 46k+ truck .

John

BruceW · March 25, 2010

I dont understand how you went from Tundra to Tacoma for budget and then to a Sierra Denali.

I vote for the Denali if it fits your budget. Or for the best combination a Denali with All Terrain wheels.

brantmacga · March 25, 2010

the denali is the cady of trucks...........

i thought the escalade EXT was the cadillac of trucks?

wayland1985 · March 25, 2010

I've been going through this same decision myself lately. I've pretty much decided against any current model besides the Denali. Primarily because I'm not a huge fan of AFM and that's the only way you can get the 5.3L now. I figure I'll just wait until they release the trucks with the direct injection and hope they drop AFM or make it an option again. At the same time though I'm not convinced I want to get into a truck that pricey thinking I'd be concerned to ever use it as a "truck". Decisions decisions

So here is my rationale behind why the Denali is the way to go. First, you get the 6.2L with no AFM, and 4 wheel disc brakes. It also seems like this is the only way to get the more MPG friendly 3.42 rear gear with the 6.2L. You also get nicer exterior with the Denali specific grilles along with chrome door handles, side moldings and painted bumpers. You also get "chromed aluminum" 20" wheels instead of the "chrome clad aluminum" aka chrome->plastic->aluminum that is prevalent on the other models. On the inside you get nicer leather, little nicer door panels, fake wood accents, carpeted floor mats, adjustable pedals? and the 6 disc CD/MP3 player. The base price difference is about $4k. If you "want" the 6.2L anyway, then the rest of the pkg makes it almost a "value" even though that seems crazy in the context of a 46k+ truck .

John

All good arguments, I'd say... Although I would tend to agree that I wouldn't be as tempted to use the truck as a truck... Heck, I'd be worried about parking the damn thing, which may be a reason I shy away from the denali, and more towards the extended cab LTZ silvy... Maybe with the 6.2L option..

or maybe I'll just go absolutely blasphemous, and get the Ridgeline I've been cross-shopping as well

jbroussard · March 25, 2010

I would definetely go with the LTZ. The Denali is full time 4wd. A buddy of mine has an 09, and it just drives different. He was averaging 15.5 mpg on the truck computer, which i think is pretty good. Another buddy of mine has decked Tundra, its nice but the interior doesnt compare to the silverado/sierra and the gas mileage is horrible. Another plus with the ltz is the auto 4wd, i have a sierra sle and a silverado ltz and for me, that auto 4wd is money in my part of the country. I love being able to be in rwd/2wd when i want and auto/4hi when i want. My vote is definetly LTZ!