Silverado/Sierra vs. Tahoe/Yukon

[Cpl_Punishment]

51 minutes ago, Stex said:

Have a GMC sub and a GMC CC short bed. The Chevy Sub or GMC XL is short enough to fit in your garage. I can carry more in my Sub than the short bed of my CC. ( I have appliances delivered and trailer for brush). As for pulling a trailer, it will do better behind a Sub or XL, unless fifth wheel. 

 

I would not buy the shorter GM body on frame suvs. Either Sub or XL. 8 feet of fairly flat floor (protected). Leave off some of the really unnecessary options in order to get the Sub or XL down to an almost realistic price. The sub can be optioned at a lower price than the XL.  What ever. Enjoy the new house and future travel.

Even if it's going to stay in the garage, heated seats are a must for me. Otherwise, I could go for the lower trim level in the SUV and only be about $7k more than the pickup. 

 

Don't the short wheelbase SUVs have higher towing capacities than the long wheelbase ones due to being lighter? 

[Cpl_Punishment]

On 02/02/2019 at 7:21 PM, Mandalorian said:

Based on your needs, I think the truck is a better fit. Although if you do plan on keeping it for the long term, stepping up to the LTZ may not be a bad idea. It lets you grab some additional features without encoring the Denali price premium.

Which features does the LTZ have that you would say makes it worth the extra cost? 

[cbpagent72]

Which features does the LTZ have that you would say makes it worth the extra cost? 

Power tailgate, (this is the biggest one)6.2L with 10 speed transmission, 12,200lb towing vs 11,000lb, trailering package standard, heated and ventilated seats, power folding heated mirrors standard..etc

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[Mandalorian]

13 hours ago, Cpl_Punishment said:

Which features does the LTZ have that you would say makes it worth the extra cost? 

 

It depends how you'll option it. If you 'load up' an LT/RST with features like leather, nav, dual zone climate control, etc the price comes out to about the same as an LTZ which has all of that standard. However, the big ones IMO are vented seats and safety tech. Some of the safety tech is only offered on the LTZ. 

[relevante]

On 2/3/2019 at 10:18 PM, Cpl_Punishment said:

Even if it's going to stay in the garage, heated seats are a must for me. Otherwise, I could go for the lower trim level in the SUV and only be about $7k more than the pickup. 

 

Don't the short wheelbase SUVs have higher towing capacities than the long wheelbase ones due to being lighter? 

The other thing to factor in financially is the fact that the trucks appear to hold value far better than the SUVs. According to Edmunds and KBB numbers, the trucks should likely be worth over 60% of initial value after 5 years, and the SUVs tend to come in under 50%. Adding that to the extra up front cost of the SUVs was the final push to get me to commit to ordering a new 2019 truck the other day. The SUV really ends up being much closer to 2x the cost over 3-5 years.

 

I’m in a similar family scenario as you (but the two kids are big enough to ride boosters) and went with the front bench, hoping it’ll prove useful when we occasionally need to pile the grandparents or a couple friends in for a short trip. The bench + leather + 6.2 made it impossible to find anything nearby in stock though, so I’m waiting on a factory order. Time will tell how much that front middle seat actually gets used. I know back when I was a kid I thought it was the coolest seat though.

[Cpl_Punishment]

53 minutes ago, relevante said:

The other thing to factor in financially is the fact that the trucks appear to hold value far better than the SUVs. According to Edmunds and KBB numbers, the trucks should likely be worth over 60% of initial value after 5 years, and the SUVs tend to come in under 50%. Adding that to the extra up front cost of the SUVs was the final push to get me to commit to ordering a new 2019 truck the other day. The SUV really ends up being much closer to 2x the cost over 3-5 years.

 

I’m in a similar family scenario as you (but the two kids are big enough to ride boosters) and went with the front bench, hoping it’ll prove useful when we occasionally need to pile the grandparents or a couple friends in for a short trip. The bench + leather + 6.2 made it impossible to find anything nearby in stock though, so I’m waiting on a factory order. Time will tell how much that front middle seat actually gets used. I know back when I was a kid I thought it was the coolest seat though.

As long as it doesn't sell before I get over to the dealership, I've found the 2018 Sierra I want to buy. There are precious few around here with the max trailering package. 

[CmackR56]

FWIW, I just came out of a 2018 Yukon XL Previous 7 years I'd been driving a couple of F-150 Supercrew Ecoboost Lariats that were exceptional vehicles. Bought the Yukon XL last year and could not get past the ungainly body sway and unresponsiveness.  We had owned a 2004 Yukon XL from 2004 until 2017 and put 200K+  trouble free miles on it. Great vehicle! The quality, ride, and smooth operating characteristics of the 2004 were missing in the 2018. Traded it last week for a 2019 1500 Crew cab 4WD Denali.The difference in ride and handling is amazing. I believe the DFM/8spd make the vehicle more functionally seemless than the AFM/6spd.

[Cpl_Punishment]

11 hours ago, CmackR56 said:

FWIW, I just came out of a 2018 Yukon XL Previous 7 years I'd been driving a couple of F-150 Supercrew Ecoboost Lariats that were exceptional vehicles. Bought the Yukon XL last year and could not get past the ungainly body sway and unresponsiveness.  We had owned a 2004 Yukon XL from 2004 until 2017 and put 200K+  trouble free miles on it. Great vehicle! The quality, ride, and smooth operating characteristics of the 2004 were missing in the 2018. Traded it last week for a 2019 1500 Crew cab 4WD Denali.The difference in ride and handling is amazing. I believe the DFM/8spd make the vehicle more functionally seemless than the AFM/6spd.

I believe you about the ride and handling but since I'd like to get a Sierra with the 6 speed and AFM for its reliability, that's kind of a moot point. The 3.73 rear axle ratio should be nice, though. 

[CmackR56]

11 hours ago, Cpl_Punishment said:

I believe you about the ride and handling but since I'd like to get a Sierra with the 6 speed and AFM for its reliability, that's kind of a moot point. The 3.73 rear axle ratio should be nice, though. 

From what I've read, the AFM reliability is somewhat suspect. Having now owned both, the 8 spd/DFM is way smoother. All that being said, if I have any issues with the Denali, I'll be returning to the F-150 fold and washing my hands of GM brands.

[Cpl_Punishment]

1 hour ago, CmackR56 said:

From what I've read, the AFM reliability is somewhat suspect. Having now owned both, the 8 spd/DFM is way smoother. All that being said, if I have any issues with the Denali, I'll be returning to the F-150 fold and washing my hands of GM brands.

Ford isn't reliable enough for me. I've heard of more issues with the 8 speeds than with AFM.

[THE SILVERADO]

On 2/2/2019 at 10:20 AM, Cpl_Punishment said:

I'm looking for some advice so I'll give you truck experts the long-story-long version in the hopes of getting your honest input.

 

My wife and I just bought a house so I'm thinking now is the time to sell one of our compact cars and buy something more practical.  We want to eventually buy a travel trailer so I'm looking at full-size, body on frame 4x4s.  I was thinking a pickup truck but my garage is only 19'3" long, so I'd have to park it outside, which led me to look at full-size SUVs as well.  I'm in Canada, by the way (so don't freak out about the prices you see below).

 

Options/Features that are important to me:

Running boards

Heated front bucket seats with centre console

Ability to tow a decent-size travel trailer (~25-30', say ~5000+ lbs.) through the mountains in the dead of summer

 

After months of research, I essentially have it narrowed down to 2 vehicles (everything done based on 2019s for simplicity), though I'd be open to a new 2018 if I can still find one once I'm ready to buy:

 

Option 1:

Tahoe LT/Yukon SLT

4WD

5.3L V8

6 speed auto

Max trailering package with 3.42 rear axle ratio and air leveller suspension

~$71k (average between the two)

 

Option 2:

Silverado RST/Sierra Elevation

Crew cab short bed

4WD

5.3L V8 with DFM

8 speed auto

Convenience Package with Bucket Seats

Max Trailering Package with 3.42 rear axle ratio

Assist steps

~$54k

 

Other considerations:

This vehicle will be my daily but my commute to work is ~15 minutes within the city.  Also, we do quite a bit of camping in bear country so, during the period of time before we get a trailer and are still tenting, I would get a canopy if I went with the pickup (also to maximise space and avoid needing to shovel out the bed when it snows).

 

Advantages of the Tahoe/Yukon:

Should fit in my garage

Air leveller suspension

More room for passengers (the wife and I are only planning to have 2 kids but with an SUV I could theoretically take up to 7 kids somewhere vs. 4 in a pickup)

More space for stuff that you want to transport in the cab - large electronics and other sensitive/delicate items, groceries, etc.

Could buy this year.  If I decide on the pickup, I would either try to find a 2018 Sierra SLE if there are any left around here or wait until 2020 to let them work out the kinks with the new 5.3 DFM and 8-speed

 

Advantages of the Silverado/Sierra:

8-speed auto (2019) or 3.73 rear axle ratio (2018)

More space for gear/hauling stuff

Easier towing

Much lower price

Far fewer instances of vibration or bouncy ride causing motion sickness reported on here (though I'm aware of the need to check for the "Chevy shake" during a test drive)

No chance of being mistaken for a minivan

 

I will also post this question in the Tahoe/Yukon section of this forum in case there are different folks with different perspectives cruising that section.  Thanks in advance for your help.

So many times, I was on the fence between SUV & Pickup. I could never get past the price difference. I love the idea of the passenger room and shorter wheelbase

the SUV offers but I also found the crew cab short bed to be more practical for my needs. Looking back, I've hauled couches, refrigerators and appliances on 

on spontaneous purchases. I wouldn't have been able to haul that in a Tahoe. My new rig just barely fits in my garage so I am lucky there. Then again, this is based

on my experiences. Good luck with the decision!