New to forum, first impressions of Denali after trading 2007 Avalanche

[Cravenfan]

Been lurking in the forum for a week or so, as I was waiting to pull the trigger on a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali. I have been an owner of a 1999 GMC Yukon (used), 2007 GMC Acadia (new) and a 2007 Chevy Avalanche:

 

 

She was dirty and I traded it in with 134k miles, but in mint shape. No payments the last year and a half was awesome also, but I just put new brakes and rotors on it, new battery and a sensor for the air ride shocks. (Need to trade in next time BEFORE doing all the maintenance, although I did get it back in trade.) Initially I was looking at a 2012 or 2013 used Avalanche but could not seem to get one that I thought was a value and most were out of state. Then went looking for used Sierra Denali's and looked at a 2011 (no backup camera) and 2013 (no Nav) which I could not live without. After striking out at my dealership on used choices (who I've bought the last two trucks before this one and they treat me very well) I went looking for a new SLT Sierra 1500. Not wanting to downgrade from my loaded AV (only thing missing was the DVD player from list of options) I walked over to the truck lot and saw the black 2015 Sierra 1500 Denali and went..."wow"! I was hooked. Found one with all the options I was looking for (except some I'll note below that I was hoping for and wonder why GM didn't take the "best of the best" for their new trucks) and I was sold...then spent about five days working out a deal that I could live with...

 

Wanted to give you my initial impressions after day two of ownership and figured you guys could help me with any questions I have...so here we go:

 

My first thing was to name the truck...after asking for opinions, I settled on "Denali Vader". I'm not a Star Wars geek, but am a fan and so are my twin girls, so given it's imposing profile and onyx black finish, it works for me. A little background, I'm a pretend "urban redneck". I hunt, sled, hike, carry a sidearm, have a dog, wear camo, like Nascar, etc. but I'm not a hard core redneck. I want a truck that I can bring to camp and bird hunt with, pull a snowmobile trailer, etc., but I'm certainly not planning on going "mudding" with it. I am pretty particular about keeping it clean also. I wear a tie at the office and want to be in something that fits that side of me also.

 

Anyway, on we go as a prior AV owner and a new Sierra Denali owner:

 

Negative Changes:

 

Let's start here with the negative impressions/questions, as in life, it's easier to point out the faults. In no particular order, as I made notes on my iPhone, this is what I came up with.

 

- Flashlight holder gone from door? I could put a full sized Mag Light in the lower door spot in AV and it would "snap" into place. Not sure why with all the places to put stuff, GM wouldn't have kept this option?

- Had to buy a tonneau cover (Fold-a-Way four part folding) and it's not same as AV. Loved the three part cover I had on that rig. Although they were heavy, the cover sections appeared bullet proof to me, 98% water-tight and I didn't have to worry about anyone getting into the back of the truck. The new one doesn't seem to be setting down right on the pegs, it doesn't naturally feel locked into position, need the dealer to investigate it.

- Rear media availability lacking and no passenger rear heat/AC vents like AV? The AV had two vents out the back of the center console and you could also plug in headphones to listen to a different source. You could also turn off the rear speakers, if the twins wanted to take a nap, or didn't want to listen to what I was listening to.

 

 

- Rear seat in the Denali has kind of a "cut in" on the middle section making it smaller than the two outside regular seats? Why the wasted space? For a cooler to fit in the middle floor area or something? It's gonna make less room for my 70lb Golden Retriever puppy dog, he may end up on the floor. Insert comment about black interior and golden dog hair here.

- Why the heck do you need to manually use the key to lock tailgate and not do it via the key fob like the AV? That's whacked.

- No rubber mat in back of bed like I had in the AV, I can order one and probably will as the bed-liner is hard and stuff is sliding all over the place. Another $85.

- Way less storage space for hitch, tie downs, jumper cables, folding shovel, four way tire iron, blanket, spare jacket, rain gear, box of bungee cords, tool kit, snow scraper, etc. With side panels of AV and under the rear seat I had stuff stored all over the AV. Maybe I need a caddy with the Fold-a-Way, but I'm not sure if I could get sled skis in and under it, plus it would be another $500. These side panels on the AV were awesome! They did cut into the rear cargo capacity, but it was plenty big back there for me.

 

 

- Seat heaters don't ramp up as fast as AV, which would be burning your ass in about a minute. But, that's ok, I'll work with them. These kinda sneak up on you slowly.

- Not sure how I'm going to re-mount my Cobra 75 WX CB. (Best warning detector for accidents on a snowy day in Maine, also a good "fuzz buster" along with the app Waze.) I had the prior antenna running out the back "drop down" door behind the rear seats of the AV and up the inside of the "sail". I have no clue what I'm going to do here, leaning toward a "glass mounted" antenna, although I know this will greatly reduce my range. Not sure I can figure out how to mount one on the driver side antenna and I'm not sure I like the looks of it. More thought and opinion needed there.

- While loading my sled in the back, I mashed my knee on the horizontal rear peg of the Fold-a-Flat tonneau cover, which sticks out about 2-3". It was a bleeder. AV had the rear cover pegs integrated into the corner and were flush. Here's a pic of my sled in the back! (Next time will take picture from side/back.)

 

 

- Just as an aside, don't order the GMC Part Name: Front Premium All Weather, Black

Part Number: 23452764, they were wimpy and seemed made for a small car. Swapped out for Husky mats at the dealer, about the same price.

- Noticed a wire to shock hanging down precariously in the left rear of the Denali. (Forgot to take a picture.) Is this normal?

- Sunglasses holder is tight. Doubt any Oakley's would fit in there.

- No mirror option on the sunglass holder to watch the kids like my wife's Honda CRV. That has a "mirror like" surface on the concave section of the sunglass holder and when you flip out the sunglasses, it can stop in a position looking down at an angle toward the back seat which is cool. I can't ever see my girls in the back, so had to go with the "baby mirror" hanging on the edge of the regular mirror.

- No heated rear seats? Yukon only? The twins hate me. (I used to joke in the AV to have them "turn on" their seat heaters.)

- No blind spot monitoring detection system like all the other new cars out there? Weird, although the view out the back rear c pillar is WAY better than the AV and the "sail" part back there.

- Oh, today, the Nav showed me in the Atlantic Ocean and I got the "GPS horizontal red line of death" going on. Onstar module bad? No compass, nor GPS on second day. Onstar phone app working, I have to call Onstar support tomorrow when the tech's are in. I've read a lot of bad stuff on here about this issue...crud. $55,000 truck and second day this craps out.

- XM for only 3 months? Uh...again, $55,000 truck...should be a year minimum. Kinda confused on the traffic and weather thing, is that through XM or Onstar?

 

Neutral:

 

- My sled still fits, the rear area with the tailgate down is about a few inches longer than the AV, a full sheet of plywood sticks out about 1" over the gate. Either way, I'm good.

- LED lights in bed, similar to AV lights in the bed, but will need to do the mod to get it to show up with my key fob.

- Fold down arm rest in the back between the passenger seats still kinda wimpy like before. Not sure why this isn't more beefy.

- Not sure yet if tonneau cover will be as water resistant. AV had drain rails and was 98% dry all the time. Even if I went through the car wash, just a few sprays made it's way inside.

- Had to double up on rear passenger area rubber matting. Middle section of the all weather mats no where near wide enough to cover the carpet. Maine winter is brutal right now with sand, salt, goo...

- How the hell do I get to the tire jack? Jammed up under the right rear seat? Does the back of that seat release or do I have to wedge my hands up under there to get it? Weird...

- 7-8 years later and I can only get 1-2 miles per gallon better? That's a disappointment.

 

Positive changes:

 

- Lots of rear legroom, my brother in law called it a "grouser" in reference to the bird hunting trips in the fall we will be taking with it. The rear doors seem to open wider also than the AV.

- I settled on the DIC in "Technology Mode" and the display capabilities are amazing. I love all the options to move things around, check on different screens, etc.

- Simple pleasure, but I like the "artist alert" on XM and now have Metallica locked in. (Twins didn't like flipping from Radio Disney to Metallica as we drove down the road today but I got a kick out of it. From
Shake it off" to "Enter Sandman" is quite a transition.)

- I have an iPhone and I guess I can't yet reply to text messages? I can get them, I can listen to them, but I can't reply to them, even though I put in some responses into the system. What gives?

- The overall ride a bit stiffer than the AV, but just as good if not better than AV when loaded, which was amazing. Loaded with sled in the back the ride was outstanding. However, with just the four of us heading down the highway, it was bouncing a bit on these Maine frost heaved roads. Maybe it will loosen up a bit as it ages? Wish this had some different options for "ride mode".

- I like the cargo lights feature, I didn't have that option on the AV.

- Going to try the "fog light diode trick" when the weather warms up. (I can't seem to find the thing under the driver's side pedal area. Wonder if it's on the side panels on the dash in the Denali?) The headlights do seem to have a horizontal "line" that seems lower than it should be. For new lights, I swear they are not as good as my AV. No HID lights on this thing? $$?

- Same 5.3 V8 that I had but more torque and HP and I can feel it. When I first test drove it, the sales guy thought all Denali's had a 6.2. I stomped on it and figured it was a 6.2 as I exited the lot. After looking at the window sticker, the 5.3 was more than enough for me and I didn't need to spend another $2500 or whatever on the "Corvette engine" although it would have been cool.

- One of the best features of these new Sierras is that the driver's area center console storage rocks! iPad fits right in sideways on the rubber slot with the temperature buttons almost an additional support holding it down on top. Perfect fit even with Otter Box on. If we wanted to watch a movie we all could. Who needs the DVD player these days? I download stuff to the iPad from DirecTV, etc. Anyway, the storage areas have tons of room and I like the file folder options. That area is a "bottomless pit" of storage.

- AV sunglasses holder was way small, although this one not much better.

- More drink holders than any human could need. I think it's four for each front passenger and three for rear passengers? I have to pee just thinking of it. But, one of mine has a gum package in it, etc.

- An option I initially didn't want, but took after we found the color I wanted, was the Driver Alert package and it is growing on me. I guess I didn't realize how much I wandered when I drove down the road. Freaking seat is almost like a hamstring massage when I drive.

- Easy open tailgate is very nice, I used to fear for my girls lives when the AV tailgate would drop down.

- Bed is sprayed on with bed-liner which will protect it into the future.

- I can turn instrument cluster lighting way down at night, I have sensitive eyes and at night, even at the lowest setting on the AV, it sometimes was too bright for me. Super insignificant for most, but a plus for me.

- Bluetooth is cool, I didn't have that before. Just need to figure out why my iPad wants to immediately play songs when I plug it in? If I don't plug it in, I can play a movie off the iPad through the speakers. Weird. (Is there a setting so that the iPad and iPhone won't just go into "music" mode on it's own?)

- Another option I didn't think I needed, but the 4G wifi is neat. Would like to see things like Waze integrated on 8" screen to pull from your phone. (Waze rules!) I think I can get the warnings to play through the bluetooth? Anyway, the twins and wife liked it...all three had iPad's rolling today.

- Weather option on the Nav pretty cool. Will be good hunting where there is no cell reception and we have to guess what the weather will bring us. (Will there be other apps in the future? I figured there would be a ton of options by now?)

- The ass cooler is quite more enjoyable than I anticipated. I had the heat cranked up in the truck and was over-heated and then got cooled down...ahhh. Sure in the summer this will be awesome when I start it up remotely in the "heat" of Maine.

- The rear window opener is very nice. I honestly never used the AV as a drop down bed and only took the rear window out once just to see how it worked. I opened the sunroof and the rear window and man, what a rush of cold air coming through!

- Heated steering wheel heats up quickly, almost wish it was like the seat heater with three options for temperature. I couldn't keep it on very long today, but have yet to test it in a -15 morning.

- Bose blows away the AV Bose system. 1/2 way on volume in the Denali is enough for me. (Must be getting older.)

- The glove box additional section above the "normal" glove box houses my binocs and other items. The lower section has the owners manual and other odd ball stuff. Not a ton of room, but double what the AV had.

- I think the guy said there were 63 computers vs 5 in the AV and 5 miles of wiring? 250 sensors vs 23? Really? Got the extended warranty package, just in anticipation of things going wrong after year two or three.

- The cabin is amazingly quiet inside. I love this...not sure if I add window deflectors if that would effect the lack of wind noise?

- My wife likes the "oh crap" handle and step up handle on passenger side. (No step up handle for driver?)

- Stitching and craftsmanship on the leather amazing. Need to keep my dog off of it. I have a rear seat cover and will have to throw a blanket over the center console. (Again with the dog hair.)

- Onstar phone app is cool, I won't have to go to the office window (or go outside due to glass thickness) to remote start the truck, I can do it from my desk. Works quickly. Does that standard option stay with the 5 year Onstar program, or is it only with the 6 month additional program?

- Rear step on corner of the bumper is nice, however the hand hold is at weird angle for me. AV had better handhold but no step.

- Like the "best score" MPG on 25, 50 and 400 mile screen. Had kept the AV on "instant" mode for gas milage, but may try this screen more for the Denali.

- My 40 cal S&W M&P fits in side space near driver right knee. Plus some extra magazines. Because you never know...

 

Anyway, I'll think of more...

 

Future needs/wants:

 

Probably will get side window deflectors, maybe in chrome?

- Will get a molded hood protector in chrome also I think.

 

Long winded, I know, but these are my thoughts. If that GPS horizontal red line of death can be fixed, I'm well on my way to having an amazing ride.

 

 

[txab]

[glioma]

Interesting...I traded a 2007 Avalanche also for a 2014 Sierra Denali. You left out one item that's a big negative for me. That is the turning radius. The Avy parked like a car. The Denali has a huge turning radius compared to the Avalanche, not as large as some but still much wider than I'm used to.

[redwngr]

Driver handle is available if you want one (dealer install).

As I understand it, if enabled during the free period onstar remote ap will stay active.

 

enjoy the truck!

[Tri-C]

Nice summary! I had an '02 Avalanche years ago and loved the side storage compartments. Dodge now offers them and it would be nice if GM did the same with their trucks.

[techster82]

Purchased my 2015 Denali a little over a week ago and my last three trucks were all Tundras. I echo a lot of your thoughts even though I didn't come from an Avalanche.

 

The Remotelink App is free for five years, and the idea I can remote start my car from anywhere was something I took into consideration versus the Tundra.

[SteveBBB]

WOW!!!! Great write up. You could work for Car and Driver. I don't have a Denali, but I still found it very informative and an enjoyable read.

[Cravenfan]

Few more things to add...

 

- The lights on this thing are horrible! (Have contacted dealer, the new "fix" lights are on backorder.) The high beams are non-existent currently. Wide field of view, but nothing reaches out down the road.

 

- The range on the garage door buttons are weak...I could open my door about 500 yards from my house in the Avalanche...here I have to be in the driveway.

 

- My iPhone 5 won't show texts anymore...not sure what changed, but could never reply to texts.

 

- I have the "window whistle" on my driver's side window. Dealer can't seem to "repeat" the issue.

 

- This thing pulls a snowmobile trailer very well. Did find out however that the trailer light wires have to be longer than they were with the Avalanche for a couple reasons; 1) The truck sits higher in the rear 2) The AV had the wiring adapter to the lower left of the hitch, this has the adapters to the left, but ABOVE the hitch. My buddies sled trailer wiring was about 2" short of the new truck. We ran "lightless".

 

- Got a "service trailer brake system" warning while in "towing mode" but the trailer didn't have a brake system, so that was weird.

[Chad2815]

I came from an Avalnche too, bought it new in 06 (it was an 07) after my first tour to Iraq. It's funny I miss a lot of the same stuff you mentioned. I switched over to the Bilstein 5100 shocks and it rides as good if not better than my Avalanche did. Of you go the Bakflip route ( Morrie is awesome by the way) they have a cool toolbox that tucks up under the cover and works well. Not as good as the Avy. I remember tailgating with it and putting the beer on ice the night before to keep my spot and it was still cold and full of ice the next day. The rear vents missing is a downside but I actually sat in the back and cranked up the air and the flow was really good so I can see why they left them out.The bedcover as you described was awesome in the Avalanche, I have the backflip Fibermax and it does OK but it's not completely dry like the Avalanche was. I think if they brought it back Inwould be hard pressed not to jump back on it but with some cheap mods you can be right back to where you were. Mine had 114,00 and I still got 18 grand so they held their value. My wife has a Tahoe so it's like memory lane when I drive hers. I was a lot like you, loved it but the maintenance was starting to add up even though it was paid for. Oh well at least we don't have to worry about the tiger striped plastic panels now. Good write up man, it will probaly help some future Avalanche owners with their decision making.

[Cravenfan]

Few more thoughts a few months in:

 

- Why did they go with a smaller gas tank? AV had 28 gallons this has only 22? If this thing was 28, I could go 600 miles on a tank of gas I think.

- Gas milage is averaging about 20mph on long drives. I can get about 21ish on the highway at 75mph and if I'm going 55ish, I can get in the 25's. Best 25 mile average is 27.8mpg and best 50 mile is 24.5mpg.

- Speed limit signs on DIC don't always show the correct mph. I assume this is an upload through the Infotainment system? It's not a camera function or live time.

- Had a driver's side window whistle that the dealership fixed.

- Got the driver's side a-pillar handle installed (for free, thanks GM).

- The rear passenger window defroster is kinda weak.

- The sunroom "flip up" screen door thing is kinda weird. It does collect bugs, so maybe that's a good thing?

- In the winter, you have to "finger" the front bumper warning sensors when they fill with ice and snow to get them to register correctly. (Couldn't figure any other way to say it.)

- My dog LOVES the power sliding rear window. He sticks his head out and the driver behind me all start laughing and waving.

- I had a bent rim, which caused road vibration at about 55-80 mph. Dealer fixed for free, thank you. Not sure if I hit something, I think I would have remembered that.

- The big A/C plug on the middle console up front is kinda coming out when you pull a plug out of it. Need to get dealer to fix next oil change.

- The black strip above both doors, on the roof, doesn't seem to be sealed to the roof, but kinda loose up there? What's it's purpose?

- It still "leaps" into gear sometimes when I start it, doesn't matter if I let it idle, or just shift quickly after starting. Doesn't happen all the time.

- Had the lights fixed and they are so darn bright now, about every 20th car will flip me their high beams.

- Fold-A-Cover had to be replaced, they installed a dealer floor model, but so far, it's working out well. Not 100% rain proof, but I'd say about 95%. I like it...better than my Avalanche 3 part cover, although that one was a bit more secure feeling regarding locking ability, etc.

- I do love the feel of the truck, just wish it had a few more accoutrements from my Avalanche.

[SkiBum5.0]

The screen thing for the sunroof is to buffer the wind. You see them on high end convertibles as well. Unfortunate about the bugs but it would unbearable without it

[heavyclay]

 

 

- Got a "service trailer brake system" warning while in "towing mode" but the trailer didn't have a brake system, so that was weird.

 

When ever I tow either of my 7 pin trailers that don't have brakes on them, I get this message.

 

If I tow my pontoon boat trailer which is a 4- pin trailer - no error message because truck doesn't "communicate" with 4-pin connectors.

 

If I tow my sport boat which has electric brakes (obviously 7-pin connector) no error message and trailer gain works correctly

[Robert.jean1]

Funny how many people came from the Avalanche. That must be in part because they stopped making them. I first started with a '04 Avalanche that I had painted before taking delivery because I could not stand the awful plastic. I then traded that one in on a '09 LTZ that was fantasticly loaded. I think that I would have purchased another new Avalanche if there would have been available. Over all though I am glad that they don't make them because I would have not been blessed enough to now have the '15 CCSB SLT that I now enjoy driving more than any vehicle I've ever owned, well next to my '79 El Camino of course. You never forget your first Cruck!

[blwright]

Another AV to Sierra convert. My AV was a '08 3LT 4x4. Do miss the saddle bags and rear A/C controls. That's about it tho.

 

My 2D Mag fits just fine in the driver door. It sits on top of my work gloves. I had it mounted to the driver saddle bag lid on the AV.

[OmniGLH]

Another AV convert here I had an '07 3LT. Really loved that truck and miss a lot of the conveniences mentioned by the OP - specifically loved the side bins in the back, and the fact that the tailgate locked with the fob/door locks. My 11 y/o also complains about the lack of air vents and audio jacks in the back seat. He loves being able to pick his own radio station. With ear buds in it also gave the wife and I a chance to speak more freely about things not as appropriate for little ears on longer trips.

 

I love my Sierra but had they built an Av on the new Tahoe/Burban chassis, I would have bought that instead. My Av was getting up there in mileage (150k) and while it was still in really great shape (leaves me hopeful my Sierra will last!) it was due for replacement. Love the look and convenience of the new truck, love how QUIET it is!! and the fuel mileage is a lot better too. (I drive a LOT so that's really helpful).

 

I have the Bakflip cover, with the "Bakbox" or whatever add-on. I trailer a bit and that's ultimately where I wound up storing all my straps, hooks, winch controller, basic spare tools, etc. Not as nice as the side bins from the Av (as you have to open the tonneau cover all the way to get to the box) but it gets the job done.