Test Drove The Sierra Denali

04silverado1500 · July 31, 2007

well i took a 2007 sierra denali out for a spin today and it was a great truck but idk something was missing. First off i love the truck overall in looks and interior comfort. the interior was fantastic and for the first time ever just about as good as my dads loaded 2005 Lincoln navigator. the powertrain was great in my opinion the 6 speed was smooth (until you laid into it) and the 6.2L was full of power the down side was that compared to my dads 6 speed tranny this was no comparison it just was not as smooth it was nice but not worth trading for second the engine was nice but i expected the truck to be faster (it was still really fast) the high end power was nice though we were 60-90 just like that! the suspension on the other hand was not what i had hoped the truck road smooth but i was on a road and it was like we were hopping down the road it sucked i felt like the truck was getting shook up and down (my 04 does not do this on this road) granted my dads navi has air ride so he is spoiled this couldnt stand a chance in competing with that...the air ride is only offered in the yukon denali and escalade. overall the truck was nice VERY solid, good looking and fun to drive but it just was not worth trading to get an 08. we did not talk numbers for my dad on the yukon but he didnt seem interested. he told me he would rather get the BMW 7 series again and just keep the navi. well i hate to say it but i was lookin for a little more this time around i guess i just got my hopes up to much for this pickup and overall it was everything i expected besides the ride. hope you guys will understand and will appreciate the review.

VMax2007 · July 31, 2007

well i took a 2007 sierra denali out for a spin today and it was a great truck but idk something was missing. First off i love the truck overall in looks and interior comfort. the interior was fantastic and for the first time ever just about as good as my dads loaded 2005 Lincoln navigator. the powertrain was great in my opinion the 6 speed was smooth (until you laid into it) and the 6.2L was full of power the down side was that compared to my dads 6 speed tranny this was no comparison it just was not as smooth it was nice but not worth trading for second the engine was nice but i expected the truck to be faster (it was still really fast) the high end power was nice though we were 60-90 just like that! the suspension on the other hand was not what i had hoped the truck road smooth but i was on a road and it was like we were hopping down the road it sucked i felt like the truck was getting shook up and down (my 04 does not do this on this road) granted my dads navi has air ride so he is spoiled this couldnt stand a chance in competing with that...the air ride is only offered in the yukon denali and escalade. overall the truck was nice VERY solid, good looking and fun to drive but it just was not worth trading to get an 08. we did not talk numbers for my dad on the yukon but he didnt seem interested. he told me he would rather get the BMW 7 series again and just keep the navi. well i hate to say it but i was lookin for a little more this time around i guess i just got my hopes up to much for this pickup and overall it was everything i expected besides the ride. hope you guys will understand and will appreciate the review.

The Sierra Denali has the Z60 HP Street suspension. It is not meant to ride like a Yukon or any other luxury SUV. It is designed for performance. Does a Corvette ride like a Caddy?

Just so ya know.....

Dutch_holland · July 31, 2007

The 2007 Sierra Denali is the best truck ever, but it's still a truck.

ChrisNJ · July 31, 2007

I own one and would agree with your review. The suspension is a little stiff, but pleasurable to me compared to my old 02-2500LD, 06-2500HD, and current 03-2500 Burb. It is a little stiffer but much better than my old-old 97-Z71. It has softened up a lot in 4K mi., to where it just feels just a little stiffer than sporty sedan, very acceptable. One benefit is it feels really solid and comfortable at highway speeds plus. I was doing 80-90 last week for 30 minutes on tough NJ roads and it felt fantastic, in control, safe, etc... It is a very solid highway performer, best highway truck I've ever driven.

Now for the engine and trans. These are my opinions. The engine was tuned for performance, high speed performance, the trans the same. Where it struggles is in 20-50 mph range, the trans wants to shift it down whenever you let off the pedal just a little, down to 1200-1300 rpm, all time. this engine has little to no power here, so just a little acceleration needed to go up a hill, it dogs and dogs untill you press it down more, then downshifts and it goes OK. Decent accel requires two downshifts and then hold on, this is frustrating to me, and I mostly leave it in M mode in 4th around rural back roads and it performs well. I believe the trans could use more liberal shift points. ie... if i leave it in tow haul mode the trans goes to the other extreeme, not shifting even with light throttle till 3k rpm. This is too much as your waiting for it to shift and it never does. Somewhere in between would be perfect for this engine as is (or maybe just for me?). On the other hand, i don't need a race car/truck, and probaly most buyers of this truck don't either, the 6.2 could very much benefit with a re-cam to lower the torque down some, sacrificing high rpm HP. I believe this is gm marketing though, that they sell trucks to the average joe based on the 400HP numbers.

Overall it is one fantastic truck. For me, it just needs some tuning changes to make it unbelievable. The most cost effective way to make it unbelievable now would just be to change it's shifting pattern(s), I am investigating options, but will take my time untill i get diffenitive answers.

BigJayDogg3 · July 31, 2007

I believe this is gm marketing though, that they sell trucks to the average joe based on the 400HP numbers.

zubbeyboy · August 1, 2007

Just bought a 07 Denali Sierra....The motor is INCREDIBLE!!!I work at a GM Chevy Dealer.Drive a 5300 or even a 6.0 Max and trust me the 6.2 is WAY better.I have 24" DUB Mogul Wheels on it.Ill post some pics soon.AWESOME TRUCK ALL!!!!

svensk · August 1, 2007

I own one and would agree with your review. The suspension is a little stiff, but pleasurable to me compared to my old 02-2500LD, 06-2500HD, and current 03-2500 Burb. It is a little stiffer but much better than my old-old 97-Z71. It has softened up a lot in 4K mi., to where it just feels just a little stiffer than sporty sedan, very acceptable. One benefit is it feels really solid and comfortable at highway speeds plus. I was doing 80-90 last week for 30 minutes on tough NJ roads and it felt fantastic, in control, safe, etc... It is a very solid highway performer, best highway truck I've ever driven.
Now for the engine and trans. These are my opinions. The engine was tuned for performance, high speed performance, the trans the same. Where it struggles is in 20-50 mph range, the trans wants to shift it down whenever you let off the pedal just a little, down to 1200-1300 rpm, all time. this engine has little to no power here, so just a little acceleration needed to go up a hill, it dogs and dogs untill you press it down more, then downshifts and it goes OK. Decent accel requires two downshifts and then hold on, this is frustrating to me, and I mostly leave it in M mode in 4th around rural back roads and it performs well. I believe the trans could use more liberal shift points. ie... if i leave it in tow haul mode the trans goes to the other extreeme, not shifting even with light throttle till 3k rpm. This is too much as your waiting for it to shift and it never does. Somewhere in between would be perfect for this engine as is (or maybe just for me?). On the other hand, i don't need a race car/truck, and probaly most buyers of this truck don't either, the 6.2 could very much benefit with a re-cam to lower the torque down some, sacrificing high rpm HP. I believe this is gm marketing though, that they sell trucks to the average joe based on the 400HP numbers.

Overall it is one fantastic truck. For me, it just needs some tuning changes to make it unbelievable. The most cost effective way to make it unbelievable now would just be to change it's shifting pattern(s), I am investigating options, but will take my time untill i get diffenitive answers.

The 6.2 has plenty of low end power. The problem is the 3.42 gears! The engine has the power, the tranny OD gear is just not short enough to deal with going up hill at 20-50mph. It's designed to down shift a lot more than the 4spd.

ChrisNJ · August 1, 2007

I disagree that it's the 3.42's, granted 3.7s would make it better, but then 1st would be sooooo tall it wouldn't get past 2mph before shifting, as currently it short shifts 1st almost immediately. Again, when on the gas it shifts fine, accelerates well, shift points are good. The problem I see is when letting off the pedal just slightly after a decent accel, it upshifts way too early and brings the r's down to low 1K, at which point the motor is in dog area, it has nothing, it will cruise there, but won't do any accel at all at 1300rpm. Yes the truck is wicked fast, yes it is an awesome luxury/fast/cc/halfton/short bed/on-road pick-up truck. Again, in current engine tune form, the trans just needs to delay it's upshift a little and it will be my unbelievable truck. As is, it is still a fantastic one. Everything has a compromise, when i go on construction sites, i winch at the huge rocks, etc. that may kill my tires/rims. It is not a normal pick-up with 16's on it that I'm used to, and proabably most of us are. And I've already rammed my front lower air dam into the dirt, no damage, luckily no rocks were in there.

Side note: this truck has not given me the problems in sales that my caddy did. I thought it might, but the past 10 construction site guys that have seen it say, "WOW, that is cool, what is it, what happened to your HD" No one has said (yet), "your making too much on us", like they used to with the caddy.

DEANEDWARDS · August 1, 2007

Just bought a 07 Denali Sierra....The motor is INCREDIBLE!!!I work at a GM Chevy Dealer.Drive a 5300 or even a 6.0 Max and trust me the 6.2 is WAY better.I have 24" DUB Mogul Wheels on it.Ill post some pics soon.AWESOME TRUCK ALL!!!!

hey guys I am new to the board been reading for awhile buit just now was able to get logged in I have a NBS 07 Sierra Denali and love it only use it to pull my bass boat and it is great had the Z71 5.3L and it dogged alot in the hills of the Ozarks when pulling the boat before that I had the C3 and loved it. Any way this is what I was wanting to tell everyone who has the New BS Sierra Denali if you have not noticed you donot have a polished tailpipe tip like it says you are supposed to have, my c3 did which was what made me question my dealer and low and behold they have not made one for the truck so I was reimbursed $110 bucks because they did not have it yet may not sound like much but you payed for it you might as well have the cash if you can't have the tip.

04silverado1500 · August 1, 2007

well i took a 2007 sierra denali out for a spin today and it was a great truck but idk something was missing. First off i love the truck overall in looks and interior comfort. the interior was fantastic and for the first time ever just about as good as my dads loaded 2005 Lincoln navigator. the powertrain was great in my opinion the 6 speed was smooth (until you laid into it) and the 6.2L was full of power the down side was that compared to my dads 6 speed tranny this was no comparison it just was not as smooth it was nice but not worth trading for second the engine was nice but i expected the truck to be faster (it was still really fast) the high end power was nice though we were 60-90 just like that! the suspension on the other hand was not what i had hoped the truck road smooth but i was on a road and it was like we were hopping down the road it sucked i felt like the truck was getting shook up and down (my 04 does not do this on this road) granted my dads navi has air ride so he is spoiled this couldnt stand a chance in competing with that...the air ride is only offered in the yukon denali and escalade. overall the truck was nice VERY solid, good looking and fun to drive but it just was not worth trading to get an 08. we did not talk numbers for my dad on the yukon but he didnt seem interested. he told me he would rather get the BMW 7 series again and just keep the navi. well i hate to say it but i was lookin for a little more this time around i guess i just got my hopes up to much for this pickup and overall it was everything i expected besides the ride. hope you guys will understand and will appreciate the review.

The Sierra Denali has the Z60 HP Street suspension. It is not meant to ride like a Yukon or any other luxury SUV. It is designed for performance. Does a Corvette ride like a Caddy?

Just so ya know.....

take it easy the last two posts i have made you have almost bit my head off.

and to answer your question no a corvette doesnt ride like a caddy and it shouldnt but i do know that it was hopping down the road pretty badly and my dads truck and mine both and you cant say its because of rims because my dad has 22s. the truck was very nice but i was just pointing out it rode a little bit more like a jeep or a shorter wheel base style suv thats all. overall the truck was great and handles great butt i was pointing it out that i didnt like how it felt that way. as i said i like the truck i just expected the ride to be better Air ride would cure this they have it in the yukon denali and that rides nicer.otherwise i have no real big complaints just little things.

sablowme · August 2, 2007

i work for the gm accessory dist. intstaller so i get to stop by numours dealers and see these denali's and i got to say they look awsome, honestly i havent driven one but i have a freind that just bought a lincoln mark 8 truck and was thrilled by it, honestly if you ask me they look like a beefed up f150 with a little too much chrome but. The denali on the other hand is saposed to be the king of luxury trucks...what i want to know is where do you draw the line between luxury and truck.

Orignaly the denali line was set up to be just luxury but people want all the options even the biggest motor regardless what it does or if it will help. We all know that truck is fine with a 5.3 or maybe a beffed up 4.8 (sorry just my opion based on weight) I hate to see someone buy a truck and has no clue what to do with it.

Gmc did kinda confuse everyone when chevy seemed to let go of there failing ss project so i guess they figured why not give gmc the hot rod badge this time but just add some more chrome and tac on some dollors

to sum up i love the performance pick up and wish gmc would do what they did with the syclone back in 91 to a new style full size and kick fords ass (speaking of the lightning) but i dont think gm has the balls.

ps. just for fun do a google search on the gmc inferno....they tried..

skytop · August 2, 2007

You buy the new Sierra Denali with the 6 speed tranny and based on my '07 Denali AWD purchase experience, you will certainly live to regret your purchase.

GM acknowledges they have major problems with the transmission and accompanying engine problems. The entire adaptive learning torque control computer system and network is plagued with bugs. GM acknowledges these many problems and openly states they have NO FIX FOR THESE PROBLEMS for at least the next 6 months or more. Also, they have major problems with the computer system running the A/C.The A/C stops working on a regular time cycle (in any mode or temp setting) blowing warm stagnant smelling air. GM cannot fix it!!! How's that for a $50,000 vehicle in 2007?? Consider it!!

I have a brand new Denali and I regret my purchase. The myriad electrical problems, disasterous shifting transmission, unintended acceleration problems while braking, sudden violent downshifts, jolting upshifts, clanking rear end noises, gutless mid range engine "power," (403 hp??? HA HA, no way!) the soft vibrating suspension, the illegible dash board (being replaced by GM due to poor design), unsupported steering column, electric window switches that drain the battery DEAD, rear parking assistance system glitches, worthless tilt steering wheel adjustment, dangerous unintended foot actuated hood release, stupid console design all conspire together to make this the WORST truck purchase I have ever made.

Yes, it is a handsome design, but the Denali 6 speed is rotten inside. I own one and I am speaking straight objective facts.

98 Z71 SLT · August 2, 2007

You buy the new Sierra Denali with the 6 speed tranny and based on my '07 Denali AWD purchase experience, you will certainly live to regret your purchase.

GM acknowledges they have major problems with the transmission and accompanying engine problems. The entire adaptive learning torque control computer system and network is plagued with bugs. GM acknowledges these many problems and openly states they have NO FIX FOR THESE PROBLEMS for at least the next 6 months or more. Also, they have major problems with the computer system running the A/C.The A/C stops working on a regular time cycle (in any mode or temp setting) blowing warm stagnant smelling air. GM cannot fix it!!! How's that for a $50,000 vehicle in 2007?? Consider it!!

I have a brand new Denali and I regret my purchase. The myriad electrical problems, disasterous shifting transmission, unintended acceleration problems while braking, sudden violent downshifts, jolting upshifts, clanking rear end noises, gutless mid range engine "power," (403 hp??? HA HA, no way!) the soft vibrating suspension, the illegible dash board (being replaced by GM due to poor design), unsupported steering column, electric window switches that drain the battery DEAD, rear parking assistance system glitches, worthless tilt steering wheel adjustment, dangerous unintended foot actuated hood release, stupid console design all conspire together to make this the WORST truck purchase I have ever made.

Yes, it is a handsome design, but the Denali 6 speed is rotten inside. I own one and I am speaking straight objective facts.

I understand where you are coming from, man.. I used to own a 2001 Trans Am WS6, and it constantly lived in the shop...GM invested over $14,000 in FACTORY WARRANTY MONEY to try and make it right. I owned the car for 3.5 years, put only 7200 miles on it (this is how I truly hated the car...didn't even want to drive it or look at it!) and I sold it. Got most of my money back out of the sale.

Skytop...if you are SOOO unsatisfied with this truck...DO NOT hang onto it. If it is paid off, sell it to CarMax or do a private sale!! Get rid of the thing. I understand how ticked off you are...I've been there before!! If you still owe some money on it, take a few "financial" lumps, and trade it off to something you will enjoy. Keeping your Denali will just make you miserable.

obyone · August 2, 2007

I see skytop has found this forum.....

agannr · August 2, 2007

i work for the gm accessory dist. intstaller so i get to stop by numours dealers and see these denali's and i got to say they look awsome, honestly i havent driven one but i have a freind that just bought a lincoln mark 8 truck and was thrilled by it, honestly if you ask me they look like a beefed up f150 with a little too much chrome but. The denali on the other hand is saposed to be the king of luxury trucks...what i want to know is where do you draw the line between luxury and truck.

Orignaly the denali line was set up to be just luxury but people want all the options even the biggest motor regardless what it does or if it will help. We all know that truck is fine with a 5.3 or maybe a beffed up 4.8 (sorry just my opion based on weight) I hate to see someone buy a truck and has no clue what to do with it.

Gmc did kinda confuse everyone when chevy seemed to let go of there failing ss project so i guess they figured why not give gmc the hot rod badge this time but just add some more chrome and tac on some dollors

to sum up i love the performance pick up and wish gmc would do what they did with the syclone back in 91 to a new style full size and kick fords ass (speaking of the lightning) but i dont think gm has the balls.

ps. just for fun do a google search on the gmc inferno....they tried..