Got a first-hand demonstration yesterday of the differences between a Duramax and a 5.3.
My brother's '02 D-max died out in NY, 3.5 hours plus from home. Crank, no-fire deal. Electronics strike again, of course ... but that's another rant for another day ...
We used my flatbed trailer and my dad's '09 D-max to go get it. My truck has been making some driveline noises since new that are getting pretty loud as of late with 76k on the clock, so towing 9k lbs all that way wasn't a good idea.
MAN what a difference - night and day! I'd have been screaming redline on every hill - the D-max just chugged right up all of them without even breaking a sweat! Amazing. I guess spending another $30k on top of $30k nets you some results, lol. Too bad they're all junk after 10 years though, at least in this part of the country.
If only GM could build the rest of their trucks as good as they build drivelines. I stepped on the E-brake in the '09 - SNAP. Stupid thing breaks. 81k on the clock, WTF! Our '86 Grand Marquis that's almost 30 years old, 222k miles, and been in our ownership for 12.5 years still has the original e-brake and cables. May fool the younger guys, but us guys that have been around know things can be done better. GM ... are you awake??
Anyway, I still don't tow enough to justify the added expense, so I'll be running my lowly half ton until it snaps in half or rusts out completely.