The reasons I am disappointed in my 2019 Custom Trail boss

Trail Boss 1 · August 5, 2019

i agree the center console is a stupid delete on GMs part. if they offered a replacement part that opens for a reasonable price that might make a lot of people happy. we will see if they do.

my biggest complaint is no CD player. bought my wife a 19 Edge and ford has done the same thing. deleted the CD player. Now i'm older and i get it the younger crowd dictates what all the rest of us get to have in life but 50K plus vehicles are usually not in the reach of folks just starting out in life. Best Buy stopped selling CDs and told me that everyone streams music these days. Well i and about 50Million other baby boomers probably will never do that. i like my CDs and i liked 8 tracks and cassettes. i aint paying for sxm or onstar. i'll listen to talk radio i guess and be happily cantankerous, as long as the truck starts every day.

steveved · August 5, 2019

13 minutes ago, Trail Boss 1 said:

i agree the center console is a stupid delete on GMs part. if they offered a replacement part that opens for a reasonable price that might make a lot of people happy. we will see if they do.

my biggest complaint is no CD player. bought my wife a 19 Edge and ford has done the same thing. deleted the CD player. Now i'm older and i get it the younger crowd dictates what all the rest of us get to have in life but 50K plus vehicles are usually not in the reach of folks just starting out in life. Best Buy stopped selling CDs and told me that everyone streams music these days. Well i and about 50Million other baby boomers probably will never do that. i like my CDs and i liked 8 tracks and cassettes. i aint paying for sxm or onstar. i'll listen to talk radio i guess and be happily cantankerous, as long as the truck starts every day.

If you have a home computer or laptop, you could just rip all of your CD's to your computer and put them on a usb stick as album folders. Then you don't ever have to swap CD's anymore, you can fit them all on one stick. There are multiple USB slots on these trucks that can read a usb stick.

Just takes a bit of time to rip the CDs.

And no, you don't have to buy some custom software for this. Windows media player can rip CDs for you.

Thomcat · August 5, 2019

3 hours ago, Trail Boss 1 said:

i agree the center console is a stupid delete on GMs part. if they offered a replacement part that opens for a reasonable price that might make a lot of people happy. we will see if they do.

my biggest complaint is no CD player. bought my wife a 19 Edge and ford has done the same thing. deleted the CD player. Now i'm older and i get it the younger crowd dictates what all the rest of us get to have in life but 50K plus vehicles are usually not in the reach of folks just starting out in life. Best Buy stopped selling CDs and told me that everyone streams music these days. Well i and about 50Million other baby boomers probably will never do that. i like my CDs and i liked 8 tracks and cassettes. i aint paying for sxm or onstar. i'll listen to talk radio i guess and be happily cantankerous, as long as the truck starts every day.

Of course Best Buy says that, they don't sell albums on flash drives or SD cards. Albums are easily transferable to storage media using a PC. I have over 80- albums transferred to a flash drive and '19 even gives you a slot for an SD card. Can you imagine all the space and effort storing 80 separate CDs, locating the right one and then playing it.....searchable and voice operated. Good riddance to CDs trey belong to the trash heap of obsolescence along with reel to reel, 8 tracks and cassettes.

KARNUT · August 5, 2019

I put all my albums, cassettes, CDs on MP3 and iPods. Between my IPods and I-heart, pandora, and amazon prime I don’t mess with anything else. I find I just go through my phone for everything, including navigation.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

UncleDave · August 7, 2019

I'm one of those old curmudgeons that grew up with featureless cars that lacked cup holders or any electronic doodads, and only had manual controls. I even prefer manual transmissions which have all but disappeared. But most all modern vehicles have basic common amenities that really aren't expensive at all to include. How expensive could it be to provide a plastic bin with a hinged cover on a center armrest? Or a fold-down center armrest with cup holders in the back seat? One would think the elimination of these very simple and common amenities on lower trim levels is nothing more than an attempt to force people into more expensive models. Pretty underhanded, IMHO.

For $286.80, you could grab one of these and bolt it in: Center Console. But what is the true cost difference between that part and the non-storage armrest? Is it really such a big expense to just include one on the WT? Gimme a break, GM!

Regardless of the seemingly ridiculous cost-cutting measures GM takes on the WT & Custom, I bought a Custom anyway. The things that matter most to me are there, and I can either live with the omissions or make some modifications. When I think about it, 99% of the time my center consoles just seem to collect old papers, receipts, and loose change, and they remain there until I trade the vehicle in. For $286.60 I don't think I'll miss it that much.

Sin City Trail Boss · August 7, 2019

LMFAO.. So did you not, you know, ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE TRUCK BEFORE BUYING IT??

I took mine on a 60 mile test drive, and had it for 2 hours before agreeing to buy it. All I had to do is ask the dealership to let me take it for a long test drive.

Sorry man, but this is all on YOU not GM.

Edited August 7, 2019 by Sin City Trail Boss

Cpl_Punishment · August 7, 2019

1 hour ago, UncleDave said:

I'm one of those old curmudgeons that grew up with featureless cars that lacked cup holders or any electronic doodads, and only had manual controls. I even prefer manual transmissions which have all but disappeared. But most all modern vehicles have basic common amenities that really aren't expensive at all to include. How expensive could it be to provide a plastic bin with a hinged cover on a center armrest? Or a fold-down center armrest with cup holders in the back seat? One would think the elimination of these very simple and common amenities on lower trim levels is nothing more than an attempt to force people into more expensive models. Pretty underhanded, IMHO.

For $286.80, you could grab one of these and bolt it in: Center Console. But what is the true cost difference between that part and the non-storage armrest? Is it really such a big expense to just include one on the WT? Gimme a break, GM!

Regardless of the seemingly ridiculous cost-cutting measures GM takes on the WT & Custom, I bought a Custom anyway.

Fully agree. It can't be cost cutting because it requires them to have two different bench seats, rather than one. But GM would never be happy if everyone bought a Custom and had all the features they could want or need when they can instead package things to force people into LTZs and SLTs.

UncleDave · August 7, 2019

8 hours ago, Sin City Trail Boss said:

LMFAO.. So did you not, you know, ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE TRUCK BEFORE BUYING IT??

I took mine on a 60 mile test drive, and had it for 2 hours before agreeing to buy it. All I had to do is ask the dealership to let me take it for a long test drive.

Sorry man, but this is all on YOU not GM.

Not sure if this is directed at me, but if so, you're making a bold assumption. If you read my last paragraph, I imply that I will not miss the storage in the center arm rest. I want a bare-bones truck, and if a feature is lacking that I consider critical to my use of the vehicle, I would not have bought it. I did weeks of research during which I evaluated and drove several base models from various manufacturers. In the end it came down to who offered me the best deal on a truck with the features most important to me, and Chevy won.

My rant was regarding the fact that GM purposefully leaves off common, inexpensive features that other manufacturers include on their base models, not for cost, but to up-sell buyers. For some people that's a deal breaker, and they'll go buy an F150 XL or RAM Tradesman instead because GM doesn't offer what they want, and that IS on GM as much as the buyer. It could potentially cause them to lose sales to Ford and RAM, and would seem counter-productive in such a competitive segment.

Edited August 7, 2019 by UncleDave

Sin City Trail Boss · August 7, 2019

1 hour ago, UncleDave said:

Not sure if this is directed at me, but if so, you're making a bold assumption. If you read my last paragraph, I imply that I will not miss the storage in the center arm rest. I want a bare-bones truck, and if a feature is lacking that I consider critical to my use of the vehicle, I would not have bought it. I did weeks of research during which I evaluated and drove several base models from various manufacturers. In the end it came down to who offered me the best deal on a truck with the features most important to me, and Chevy won.

My rant was regarding the fact that GM purposefully leaves off common, inexpensive features that other manufacturers include on their base models, not for cost, but to up-sell buyers. For some people that's a deal breaker, and they'll go buy an F150 XL or RAM Tradesman instead because GM doesn't offer what they want, and that IS on GM as much as the buyer. It could potentially cause them to lose sales to Ford and RAM, and would seem counter-productive in such a competitive segment.

Directed at the OP.

protovack · August 7, 2019

the center armrest thing is so annoying and I bet they change it in a couple years. I can understand not having steering wheel phone controls on a Custom. That is what some would call a luxury feature, and, 10-20 years ago, in fact WAS a luxury feature only on super high end vehicles. So it makes sense that things like that would be stripped in the Custom. But center armrest storage? Really? Also in this category is tilt and telescoping steering wheel. Come on! Every truck should have that.

I think the custom should be a truck with all the basics needed to be comfortable and convenient, and no extra tech gizmos or extraneous features.

So I'm fine with small screen, no auto climate, less steering wheel buttons, etc etc. But the basic features missing like center armrest storage and adjustable steering wheel is just unforgivable and I'd never even consider a custom truck because of it. Of course that just means I'll buy an LT which is what they want anyway. The LT is the volume seller and the bread and butter. The trim levels above and below the LT are sort of designed to make you pick the LT. The custom, makes you sacrifice certain features that most would consider essential. The LTZ forces you to have features you might not care about, just to get the things you do. Both funnel people towards LT.

Edited August 7, 2019 by protovack

HondaHawkGT · August 7, 2019

12 hours ago, Cpl_Punishment said:

Fully agree. It can't be cost cutting because it requires them to have two different bench seats, rather than one. But GM would never be happy if everyone bought a Custom and had all the features they could want or need when they can instead package things to force people into LTZs and SLTs.

They all do that kind of stuff these days. Ford in particular has been doing a lot of it to try to get you out of an XLT and into a Lariat or higher trim level. They arbitrarily limit what payload packages and axle ratio options you can get with the 2.7 EB to get you to pay for an upgrade to the 5.0 or 3.5EB too.

HondaHawkGT · August 7, 2019

1 minute ago, protovack said:

the center armrest thing is so annoying and I bet they change it in a couple years. I can understand not having steering wheel phone controls on a Custom. That is what some would call a luxury feature, and, 10-20 years ago, in fact WAS a luxury feature only on super high end vehicles. So it makes sense that things like that would be stripped in the Custom. But center armrest storage? Really? Also in this category is tilt and telescoping steering wheel. Come on! Every truck should have that.

I think the custom should be a truck with all the basics needed to be comfortable and convenient, and no extra tech gizmos or extraneous features.

So I'm fine with small screen, no auto climate, less steering wheel buttons, etc etc. But the basic features missing like center armrest storage and adjustable steering wheel is just unforgivable and I'd never even consider a custom truck because of it.

AND, that's exactly why they have it set up that way. Sadly.

That's capitalism 101.

GM knows that if they put too many features in the CTB, nobody is going to pay $10k extra for an LT TB. I'm surprised GM is going to offer the 6.2 in a CTB for 2020.

protovack · August 7, 2019

I guess there are some people who want a 6.2L engine but not center armrest storage

"I'm so powerful and fast!! But I have nowhere to put my sunglasses, usb cables, lighter, pens, fishing license, jerky, coins, receipts, headlamps, etc etc. Ah well, who needs that stuff anyway. MOAR POWER!"

SILVER SLED · August 7, 2019

10 minutes ago, protovack said:

I guess there are some people who want a 6.2L engine but not center armrest storage

"I'm so powerful and fast!! But I have nowhere to put my sunglasses, usb cables, lighter, pens, fishing license, jerky, coins, receipts, headlamps, etc etc. Ah well, who needs that stuff anyway. MOAR POWER!"

I'm in that group. But knowing I will probably spend $15,000 less than my current truck will make the storage issue not so bad.

HondaHawkGT · August 7, 2019

The dash has a holder for stuff like sunglasses. The rest of the junk can go in the glove box. Guys complained for years that the 6.2 was only available in the LTZ and HC. It's a good thing that they're offering it in a cheap Custom TB.