the great High Country vs Denali debate

keerf · August 12, 2021

hey I've been reading a lot on here and my apologies if there's already a thread on this. I thought I had secured a 2021 Denali 1500 Diesel but that looks like it might not be an option anymore. There's a local dealer that has a High Country Diesel coming in. I've seen stuff that says that the Denali is a more comfortable ride and other stuff that says they are the same ride. In terms of comfort - interior finishes, ride, cabin noise, would there by any differences between the two (other than cosmetic differences)? I figure since the High Country has the Adaptive Ride Control it might feel the same? I'll be using it mostly for highway driving and will only haul things occasionally. Thanks!

bwoodsmn · August 13, 2021

It's not as great a difference in 2021 as it was in 2019. In 2019 the Multifunction tailgate and the Adaptive ride control were Denali only. As we move to 2021, those features are both available on High Country, which equalizes the feature set between the two greatly. It comes down to whether you like the chrome look of the Denali, or the body colored trim features of the High Country. Personally I like the two tone Umber and Black interior option on the High Country, the seats in the AT4 also have some brown trim to break up all that black in the Denali, and both seats have the same ventilation/vibration alert features. The GMC digital gauges are cosmetically different that the Chevy ones, the info displayed is the same. The sound deadening is the same, and both have the leaky rear window and the lifters that break, so, eventually it comes down to personal preferences, what's in stock, and where you can get the best deal.

steve841 · August 13, 2021

Tailgate ... Denali: I personally HATE the multipro gate. Totally useless for me. Prefer the GMCs exterior.

High Country: Tailgate... Power down and Power UP. This was gold and truly missed.

Bamacommander · August 13, 2021

Give me the chrome all day. The GMC looks bigger and bolder. Which truck you like boils down to personal preference . I’d be more concerned about the power train. I have the 6.2 and it gets up and goes. The mpg on the highway so far is slightly over 20, in the city around 15. I would have preferred the diesel , but there were none available. Only issue with the diesel , is at 150,000 miles you have to drop the tranny to change a belt. If you do the math and calculate fuel savings , you probably come out way ahead with the diesel which will more then cover the cost of the belt replacement vs. going with a gas engine. The good news is there is no wrong answer, whichever one you like is always going to be the correct choice.

ratman6161 · August 13, 2021

I don't know about how much of a "great debate" it is. I was comparing Sierra SLT Vs Chevy LTZ and went with the GMC. But when it comes right down to it, it pretty much comes down to personal preference, availability, and how much you like a dealer. In my area, the Chevy dealers seem to mostly carry the lower trim levels while the GMC dealers seem to have more SLT's and up. But configure two trucks identically and they will come out about the same price for both brands. Just so happens that most dealers around hear get very few LTz's or High Countries while the GMC dealers seem to get lots of SLT's, AT4's and Denalis. Also, I just happened to have bought from the local GMC place before and liked dealing with them...and the fact that they were giving me $1100 more on the trade in of my 2019 Canyon than I originally paid them for it. Of course if they sell it for their asking price, they will still make $3800 on it.

Edited August 13, 2021 by ratman6161