AT4 VS ELEVATION

superhighsierra · May 17, 2020

On 5/16/2020 at 2:52 PM, Sierra_Kayaker said:

I do mind all the chrome! I think the AT4 is hindered somewhat by what the elevation trim offers. The older All-Terrains were the only way to get color-match bumpers. I do however, agree that the suspension is probably mediocre at best and will be easily topped by aftermarket options. The benefit lies for those that feel piece of mind from it being fully warrantied from the factory, and perhaps in addition it being wrapped up in the final cost of the vehicle itself. I am looking at upgrading to a 2020 elevation and for an extra 1800 bucks it sure is tempting to take delivery of a fully warrantied vehicle with a lift in place, already. I don't need the extra cameras or creature comforts the AT4 trim offers and I can get the multirpro added onto the Elevation if I decide I have to have it (I probably will).

AT4's are way more than $1800 vs an Elevation (more like 5-6k more most same major creature comforts) because of the other miscellaneous crap the glom on, but hypothetically let's say you are right and it is just $1800. For $1800 you could buy:

Fox or King 2.0 Coilovers ~ 900

Uniball Tubular UCA's ~ 600

Fox or King 2.0 Rear Shock ~ 300

and have a very nice suspension. It's literally that easy. Instead people put money into junk that is cosigned by the beancounter manufacturer whose sole goal is to turn a profit and cut costs. Putting a aftermarket suspension does not void any warranty FWIW so that is an imaginary non-issue.

A lot of this stuff (like Chrome vs color matched) is personal preference and opinion as what you like is what you like and there is no right answer. But the suspension is quantifiable and again the Trailboss and AT4 have a garbage suspension that is all marketing. The fact that people pay 50+ k for one of these vehicles it truly is crazy that GM chose to put those parts on these trucks. At least put some Bilsteins on there. Would you pay 50k for a truck with plastic bumpers? How about with a $100 Sony Xplod sound system? How about if it had a V6 with 200 horses? It's literally the same idea.

To each his own, I understand the convenience factor, I just don't think most people even understand what they are buying as the AT4's are being branded as some "off-road" version of the vehicle. The average consumer wouldn't believe that a 50k off-road vehicle would come with a Walmart suspension that is less capable than someone with a lower trim level truck who was smart enough to put even just 5100's on their truck. I'm not hating on anyone with an AT4, just trying to put the information out there so others can make knowledge driven decisions. I find most would look at a different trim, if they fully understood. Buying an AT4 for off-road use is like buying something that you are going to want to replace the parts that make it different from the other trim levels lol

Most people who spend 50k on a truck can afford another 3-5k for a bad@$$ aftermarket suspension. I won't go on my rant of how most people on here put the most garbage 6" RC lifts and roller-skate wheels and tires that not only don't look good, but also kill the ride quality of their 50k vehicles, but knowledge is power. And again, I think if most people understood some of this stuff a little better, they would understand things like ride quality/proportions/etc. That guy with the clown 6" lift, china knockoff Specialty Forged wheels and 35's probably doesn't understand that he could put on a nice 4" lift with valved Fox/King/Icon/etc coilovers keep the OEM wheels, tubular UCA's and run valved rear shocks, all for 1-2k more than the Walmart lift and run those exact same 35" wheels. Because if he did understand, he would understand that his 6" lift only makes his truck 2" taller if they are both on 35's and that 2" goes straight to the wheel well which looks terrible! Again this stuff seems to be pretty standard on most other platforms of vehicles i.e. Jeeps, 4Runners, FJ Cruisers, Tacomas, F150's, etc. but everyone with a GM and Dodge wants a roller skate LMFAO. To each his own I guess...

Again, I'm not here to hate I'm just trying to inform and put the information out there so people can make informed decisions. Everything in the "truck world" is headed away from roller skate lifted trucks with specialty forged wheels to off-road capability here in the next 5 years, and for good reason. Just trying to put my fellow GM brothers ahead of the curve. Better to do it right in the long run anyway and will also help your bank account in a variety of ways.

Edited May 22, 2020 by superhighsierra

Demi X31 · May 17, 2020

They're all gorgeous IMO

Is the GM factory lift a 2" level kit?

Thanks and enjoy your sick f$&@in trucks

sweatandsteel · May 17, 2020

The 6.2 engine and the technology package were must have items for me so I went with the AT4. Loving it so far!

Cpl_Punishment · May 17, 2020

12 hours ago, superhighsierra said:

AT4's are more than $1800 an Elevation (more like 5-6k more for the exact same creature comforts), but hypothetically let's say you are right and it is just $1800. For $1800 you could buy:

Fox or King 2.0 Coilovers ~ 900

Uniball Tubular UCA's ~ 600

Fox or King 2.0 Rear Shock ~ 300

and have a very nice suspension. It's literally that easy. Instead people put money into junk that is cosigned by the beancounter manufacturer whose sole goal is to turn a profit and cut costs. Putting a aftermarket suspension does not void any warranty FWIW so that is an imaginary non-issue.

A lot of this stuff (like Chrome vs color matched) is personal preference and opinion as what you like is what you like and there is no right answer. But the suspension is quantifiable and again the Trailboss and AT4 have a garbage suspension that is all marketing. The fact that people pay 50+ k for one of these vehicles it truly is crazy that GM chose to put those parts on these trucks. At least put some Bilsteins on there. Would you pay 50k for a truck with plastic bumpers? How about with a $100 Sony Xplod sound system? How about if it had a V6 with 200 horses? It's literally the same idea.

To each his own, I understand the convenience factor, I just don't think most people even understand what they are buying as the AT4's are being branded as some "off-road" version of the vehicle. The average consumer wouldn't believe that a 50k off-road vehicle would come with a Walmart suspension that is less capable than someone with a lower trim level truck who was smart enough to put even just 5100's on their truck. I'm not hating on anyone with an AT4, just trying to put the information out there so others can make knowledge driven decisions. I find most would look at a different trim, if they fully understood. Buying an AT4 for off-road use is like buying something that you are going to want to replace the parts that make it different from the other trim levels lol

Most people who spend 50k on a truck can afford another 3-5k for a bad@$$ aftermarket suspension. I won't go on my rant of how most people on here put the most garbage 6" RC lifts and roller-skate wheels and tires that not only don't look good, but also kill the ride quality of their 50k vehicles, but knowledge is power. And again, I think if most people understood some of this stuff a little better, they would understand things like ride quality/proportions/etc. That guy with the clown 6" lift, china knockoff Specialty Forged wheels and 35's probably doesn't understand that he could put on a nice 4" lift with valved Fox/King/Icon/etc coilovers keep the OEM wheels, tubular UCA's and run valved rear shocks, all for 1-2k more than the Walmart lift and run those exact same 35" wheels. Because if he did understand, he would understand that his 6" lift only makes his truck 2" taller if they are both on 35's and that 2" goes straight to the wheel well which looks terrible! Again this stuff seems to be pretty standard on most other platforms of vehicles i.e. Jeeps, 4Runners, FJ Cruisers, Tacomas, F150's, etc. but everyone with a GM and Dodge wants a roller skate LMFAO. To each his own I guess...

Again, I'm not here to hate I'm just trying to inform and put the information out there so people can make informed decisions. Everything in the "truck world" is headed away from roller skate lifted trucks with specialty forged wheels to off-road capability here in the next 5 years, and for good reason. Just trying to put my fellow GM brothers ahead of the curve. Better to do it right in the long run anyway and will also help your bank account in a variety of ways.

You make a lot of good points but I feel like the average person who isn't an enthusiast (and probably isn't on any forums) just wants a truck they think looks cool without having to do any work.

Pyroman_28 · May 17, 2020

I went back and forth for 2 months between an Elevation and an AT4 (I did not consider a Denali as I'm tired of chrome). At first it was an AT4 or nothing but the more I thought about it, I eventually decided that I didn't need or want any of the driver babysitting options and would likely be swapping out the suspension anyway. I ended up purchasing a loaded up Elevation for WAY less than what the AT4 would have cost me. Even after putting on a lift kit, wheels, tire etc I'm still far ahead of what I would have paid for the AT4.

Edited May 20, 2020 by Pyroman_28

Demi X31 · May 17, 2020

On 5/15/2020 at 7:42 PM, Kchampagne said:

Nice!!!!! I did the same thing as you. 47,500 out the door with lift. Much cheaper than an AT4.

Help me understand...is it a 2" lift all around, or just a leveling up front?

sweatandsteel · May 17, 2020

If it's the AT4 lift is will be 2" all around...............

Jac365 · May 17, 2020

On 5/15/2020 at 10:13 PM, superhighsierra said:

Yeah the AT4 is arguably the worst value of any trim level because you are paying for the "Off-Road suspension/lift" which is a garbage lift/suspension in the grand scheme of things. All of the AT4's are 6.2's if I understand correctly which is certainly worth a little extra but IMHO, the SLT is by far the best bang for your buck so long as it comes with both convenience and tech packages and the 20" wheels if you don't mind all the chrome.

For example, my truck has:

Built in nav

Color Matched wheel wells

Bose

Leather

Full Console

20" wheels 33" AT Goodyear Tires

Power Sliding Rear Window

6'6 Bed (Double Cab)

White Frost Tri-Coat

GMC All-Weather Mats

Heated/Cooled Seats

Camera Package

Remote & Push Button Start

Rear AC/Heated/Cooled Seats

etc.

and I paid 42,500 OTD for a '19 SLT. The Denali's are obviously the nicest as the grill looks better, it comes stock with power steps (Amp steps are close to $1500 aftermarket), and nicer (full digital gauges) but to me the color matching looks cheap and the HUD is a gimmick. I'm not spending another 15-17.5k for power steps, gauges and a nicer grill...

To me the things that actually are worth the money in these trucks are:

Built in nav

Leather

6.2

Power Steps

Tricoat Paint

Full Console

OEM Wheels 20's & 22's and decent 33" tires off the lot

Bose

Full Camera Package

All Weather Mats

Color Matched Fender/Wheel well arches

Denali Grill

Full digital gauge Cluster

Remote & Push Button Start

Rear AC/Heated/Cooled Seats

Performance Exhaust

Power Running Boards

I would find the truck with the most of those options for the least amount of money. Since there are so many different trim levels with so many different options/packages on these trucks sometimes it's hard to see what a good deal is/isn't. IMO the AT4 is the least bang for your buck as you could buy an Elevation with a comparable interior and put a much nicer suspension on it for less money and the Elevation would be the better truck. I'm all about keeping your truck close to OEM but the suspension on all of these vehicles is trash. At least put some Bilstein's and tubular uniball UCA's and a +1 leaf on there. Rancho/RC/blocks are trash and you are paying a premium only because it is a GMC OEM part that they outsourced lol. Same thing with the running boards. Trash running boards that they charge a mint for because they are GMC OEM parts. Some sliders or rock steps would have been a great option for these trucks. I could go on...

SLT on a budget

or Denali if you got it like that IMO...

AT4's can be had in 5.3 or 6.2, double cab or quad cab and pretty much choose your options. I have a 5.3 double cab AT4 WITHOUT sunroof (don't care for them) and most other options. I love having the HUD. True, I paid more than you did, but not a whole lot more,

EXSlider400 · May 17, 2020

I went from Denali to AT4 and liked the specific AT4 leather (and now cooled seats which are great for long trips as the previous all-terrain did not offer), HUD, 6.2, tech 2 package, electronic dash, console with wireless charger, camera rear view mirror, new tailgate, and factory lift.

Most extras can be added to the Elevation like the GM lift that includes longer axles, camera and steering recalibration. So can the X31 (like the old Z71) that adds the normal shocks, skid plates, the hill decent (which I use a lot more than I expected), and the 2-speed transfer case.

They are both nice trucks so get what you rather. I like the fog light surround on the Elevation but do not like all black wheels (which is becoming more popular so may be just showing my age).

Edited May 23, 2020 by EXSlider400

EXSlider400 · May 17, 2020

On 5/15/2020 at 6:42 PM, Kchampagne said:

Nice!!!!! I did the same thing as you. 47,500 out the door with lift. Much cheaper than an AT4.

I like that LED visor.

grapedrinkesha · May 17, 2020

It's all personal preference but to me if you are going to mod the Elevation is the better bang for your buck. Glad I was able to get the 10 speed because that would have swayed me. I think she looks pretty good.

RetChief · May 17, 2020

You can buy an Elevation for a lot less and put a lift, wheels, tires, and all the extras you want on it. When you sell/trade it its still worth whatever the market says an Elevation is worth. You're not going to get your money back on all the after market extras. No dealer is going to price your truck based on any extras you put on it, nor will a knowledgable private buyer. I paid 50k for my AT4. Some of the options I wanted are not offered by GM on the Elevation (Tech pkg, dynamic cruise, vent seats, pwr folding mirrors, mono tube shocks, pwr pass seat, memory seats) If the Elevation suits your needs/wants I think its a good value and a sharp looking truck. For me to buy an Elevation to "save" money and try to get the options I wanted after market would not be cost effective or even possible. Whatever anybody buys its all good, I hope it all works out for you.

Edited May 17, 2020 by RetChief

Sam Huff · May 19, 2020

I preferred the AT4. I personally loved the interior of the AT4. I do like the other color matching touches of the Elevation though and wish the AT4 had the color matched bezels around the fog lights, etc. Not a huge deal breaker though. Yes, I could have gotten the lift kit separate, but when I was shopping around the options I wanted were all in a nice neat package in my particular AT4 at about the same price as the Elevation, so it was a good deal.

spizike9 · May 20, 2020

10 hours ago, Sam Huff said:

I preferred the AT4. I personally loved the interior of the AT4. I do like the other color matching touches of the Elevation though and wish the AT4 had the color matched bezels around the fog lights, etc. Not a huge deal breaker though. Yes, I could have gotten the lift kit separate, but when I was shopping around the options I wanted were all in a nice neat package in my particular AT4 at about the same price as the Elevation, so it was a good deal.

I’m with you. I prefer the exterior of the Elevation, but interior options of the AT4. You get so much more for your money in my opinion with theAT4 too. Bed liner, wireless charging, cooled and leather seats, multi pro. All for not that much more Than an elevation.

my2004sss · May 20, 2020

On 5/15/2020 at 10:13 PM, superhighsierra said:

Yeah the AT4 is arguably the worst value of any trim level because you are paying for the "Off-Road suspension/lift" which is a garbage lift/suspension in the grand scheme of things. All of the AT4's are 6.2's if I understand correctly which is certainly worth a little extra but IMHO, the SLT is by far the best bang for your buck so long as it comes with both convenience and tech packages and the 20" wheels if you don't mind all the chrome.

Not true my AT4 has the 5.3L. On the actual thread poll, if the elevation would have come with optional leather interior I would have ordered that instead of the AT4. I paid $44,888.68 out the door for my AT4, $61 more than I paid for my 2014 LTZ . Basically same truck, only newer and way more tech.