jjackkrash

The turning radius sucks on any GM longbed HD truck. But they also tow straight as an arrow in part because of the long wheelbase. I have a DRW Denali Ultimate and it is one bad-ass tow truck. The turning radius is just part of the deal. I have zero regrets on the purchase.

The solid Ford axle is good if you like death wobble. :). Seriously, the suspension on the GM product is fantastic, IMO. As far as the other issues, it looks like most of it's been covered.

Don't ask don't tell. It was spendy, but I made $3k on my 4-year old trade (a 2020 DRW Denali) and who knows how much these will cost if there's a lengthy strike. So I feel ok about it.

Mine just came in. I got mine for under MSRP despite the dealer fielding offers for over MSRP from vultures who wanted my truck while it was getting prepped. Lol. A DRW Denali UItimate is one bad ass truck, still rare, and in high demand. It sucks you have to choose now. Maybe take the High County and trade it when the other comes in.

My dad loves his gassers; he likes to "let them work" in the high rpm range and putt up the hills. "I'm not in a hurry" and "I'll get there when I get there" are his favorite sayings. Not me. Me, 5 minutes into the drive listening to a gasser wind while I'm getting passed by every other car on the road and I'm ready to shoot myself. I just love the way modern diesel GM trucks drive, loaded or unloaded, and especially loaded heavy. I tow a 20k fiver, a 14k dump trailer, 14k flat bed, and anything else I want to tow with the diesel. And I like to get where I'm going and love doing it. You can pry my diesel out of my cold dead hand. I got my boy a baby Duramax 1/2 ton to tow our ski boat when I have the 5th wheel and I love driving the 1/2 ton diesel as well. My wife has a 6.2L in her Escalade, and it's a great engine, but if I had to do it over again, it would have the 3.0L diesel. Bottom line is you can get away with a gasser for your application but, IMO, no thanks. But it all comes down to personal preference and what can you tolerate and what you can afford. If you can afford it, and simply prefer the way a diesel drives, splurge and treat yourself, IMO.

Get the 3500 unless you need a lower GVRW/GCWR/GAWR on paper for some reason. I do not believe you could ever pick the 2500 vs the 3500 SRW out of a blind test for ride quality, loaded or unloaded. The DRW gets a little bumpy unloaded on rough roads (but still not too bad).

Longbed is the only way to go towing a fiver. And if you want to fit a sheet of plywood in the bed.

Yes. I have a refreshed 2023 1500 AT4 and a 2020 3500 Denali and the interior materials, steering wheel, seats, and pretty everything is better on the inside of the refreshed 1500. I can only imagine how nice a Denali Ultimate or AT4x will be. (I have a 2024 Ultimate HD on order so fingers crossed).

The Downpour Metallic on the configurator looks like my 2020 blue truck, which is a lot darker than the dealer site pic. Like, not even close. I like the titanium rush in certain lights, but you really gotta see it in person, in sunlight. It can get pretty purple. Which is fine, but not necessarily on top of my list. I may just stick with black, which I always seem to come back to anyways.

I like the sterling metallic as well.

I only run weigh-safe hitches. I haul lots of different Rvs, boats, and trailers, including equipment on a flatbed and material in a dump trailer. It is crazy how quick you can be off on tongue weight on trailers that you load. If you are loading things like u-haul trailers you want to get the tongue weight right. Too little on the ball and you risk getting the wig wags and it's easy to mis-load a u-haul.

Has anyone found a decent pic of a 2024 promo truck (or other GMC vehicle) in Downpour Metallic (gxp) they could post? I'd love to see one before I lock in an order. Thanks in advance.

20k Riverstone. 14k flatbed with Mini-ex or Track Loader. 14k dump trailer. Or pretty much anything I want.

The Gasser is more than adequate. The Duramax with the 10 speed is redonkulous. My 2020 3500 easily holds 70mph over the passes towing a 20K lbs. fiver. You are going to love that powertrain.

Hehe, a hydraulic dump trailer will change your life. The only bad part about owning one is everyone coming out of the woodwork wanting to borrow it. I had no idea how useful one was until I borrowed one from my uncle for a week and was crushed when he wanted it back. I owned one two weeks later and had a hard time figuring out how I ever got along without one.

My wife drove a Toyota Sequoia for 12 years before we bought her current SUV. The Sequoia was a solid, reliable car that got the job done. She did not wear it out in those 12 years--not even close--but at some point it just got a bit dated and she wanted a newer car with more modern features. We were considering a new Sequoia to replace it, but then she drove a few German SUVs for grins, at which point, all bets were off. She ended up picking a Mercedes SUV over a new Toyota even though it was more expensive and (we assumed) would be less reliable than a Toyota. The primary reason for her choice was that it provided a better driving experience in almost every way that was important to her. I would have preferred she got a new Toyota because of the cost and perceived reliability issues, but I completely understand her choice. And I don't see the gasser vs diesel debate much differently than choice between a Toyota and a Benz. I have had a truck as my daily driver since 2007. I like driving trucks but also need a truck for towing. Back then I towed a smallish boat and a 7k lbs. travel trailer and never considered a diesel because they cost more and I did not think I needed a diesel. But in 2013, we bought a 10k lbs. travel trailer. The gasser would pull it and was within towing and payload specs, but it felt like it was working way too hard on anything steeper than flats. So I went and test drove a diesel and I was immediately sold on it. After I bought the diesel, it took me about 10 minutes to realize I really, really enjoyed driving it, even when I was not towing. Loaded or unloaded, I loved the torque and the power in the low rpm range that the diesel provided. And as a bonus it also allowed me to pick up a 14k flatbed and a 14k dump trailer for my equipment without worrying about the extra weight; and then because I could tow more I got bigger, heavier equipment. And recently, we traded in the 10k travel trailer for a 20k lbs. fiver, which the Duramax tows with relative ease. I don't drive commercially and have never tried to figure out if the Duramax was cheaper to own over the life of the vehicle or whether the gasser or diesel is statistically more reliable. The fact is, I can afford the price premium and (at least to me) the diesel is a better driving experience that is well worth any extra cost. Frankly, even if I sold all my big towables, and just needed a truck to commute in, I would never, ever go back to a gasser after having a Duramax because I just love the way it drives. The bottom line is, depending on how heavy you tow, the Duramax may indeed be considered a more expensive luxury item than the gasser, but make no mistake, the driving experience is luxurious.

You can fit a yard in the bed but it is not going to load perfectly flat coming out of the loader; it is going to pile higher than the bed rails in the middle so I would not plan on closing the tonneau cover.

What kind of dirt? And is it wet or dry? A yard of dirt can weigh well over 3K depending on its density and moisture content. I would not sweat 1800 lbs. for a short run but I would not want 3K or more in the bed if I could avoid it. I'd suggest renting a dump trailer if its too heavy (which is way nicer to unload anyway).

I have one on my 2020 DRW 3500. I really like it. But, yes, spendy. The only downside other than cost is it does take up some bed space for the housing where the cover rolls into.

I believe the biggest factor on fuel milage on the big trucks is the weight of the trucks and wind resistance/drag, not engine displacement. It takes x amount of power to push them down the road and it takes x amount of fuel to make that power. I don't really see a huge fuel savings by going to a smaller engine if they keep the size and shape of the trucks the same.

An 8 foot bed with big hips gives you a stable tow truck but comes with a cost.

I can easily hold 70 mph up the passes towing my 20K fiver. And the shifts are smooth as butter. And I am happy with the fuel milage. And I feel pretty comfortable that the whole package is balanced such that all that power isn't tearing the rest of the truck up. Chalk me up as completely satisfied with the power train and gearing.

My sister just bought a Silverado LT with the Duramax and the sticker had payload over 1700. While shopping I saw an AT4 with a payload at around 1300. I suspect the suspension system on the Denali and the off-road gear in the AT4 are heavy and eat into payload. Take a look at a Sierra SLT optioned up and maybe with the Max Tow package and I bet you get a few hundred more in payload than the Denali with similar options. The Dmax is going to be heavier than the 5.3 or 6.2 so that will cost some payload.

The computer will derate the power on the 6.2L under load with 87 octane if it is pushed hard. You might never notice it and running 87 won't hurt it. But if I were towing heavy up hills I'd probably want higher octane gas than 87.

The 3.0l with the 10-speed is a fantastic combo. Unless you are drag racing your truck and or really just like running a high-revving gas v8, the little Duramax is no-brainer in that truck.