Comparison between GMC 1500 Sierra Denali and my 1794

ya, thats super shitty, 1K miles over the powertrain, shit, and people give toyota a hard time over the recall FFS

glad I didnt wind up with that AT4 refresh 6.2 I tested, the seats killed it right away, but damn I wanted that 6.2 with a Borla on it, lol.

glad I stayed with Yota

 

I'm thinking about selling the Tundra late Spring. Even though it's got no whoosh at all I'm thinking about a 3.0 denali. I have three people that own them with good luck but telling awful stories about GMC service. The reality is that GM's warranty costs are too high and they have to run it as tight as possible at the customer interface. What that looks like where the rubber meets the road is bouncing a claim at 1K over. I still trust Toyota more than anyone else.

 

IDK man, those GM seats are terrible, make sure you test out that truck for a bit.

the 3.0 was just gutless compared to the powerboost and tundra TT when I drove one, I had no interest, but then again I DGAF about MPG, etc.

good luck though man, stick around if you do sell.

Im out on GM from the last round of testing I did, I would get the Ford before that I think or take another look at the Ram inline 6, I liked my ram, although they don't have Toyota build and part quality typically. they also told me to take a hike when I had a problem with the top of the ram boxes fading really quickly, they wouldn't stand behind shit. Guy told to me to go to walmart and get a surface restorer, lol. ya right.

 

I think, like you, I was trying to fall in love with an AT4 with I bought the Tundra. The thing that killed it for me was the 24 gallon tank. I'm not a prepper but use 500+ range all the time. I didn't even get to the seats. I looked at a Denali this past weekend and just couldn't click with it. I parked buying for a couple of months and will look again then. Right now, I'll probably end up holding or buying another Tundra. I love the whoosh of both the eco and tundra.

 

ya, that was it, I wanted to like that AT4, all color match, etc. It looks the best, rides awful and the seats in all the GMs suck. That said, I did not test the denali ultimate, etc, as those come with different seats. Im not dropping that much on a GM 1/2 ton, no matter how much money I have.

I would have a hell of a lot of de-chroming to do on the denali

 

I almost went down that same path, that 6.2 is really impressive at first

 

After careful consideration of both the 1794 and the ultimate 3.0, I decided to stick with Ram and order a new RHO. After an hour long test drive in one, I came back gitty. Yes, in my opinion, it is that good.

 

I heard they are going to rename the Denali the McKinley?

 

I wish you the best of luck my friend with the new hurricane as it is a super strong fun motor to drive…. It’s is an absolute engineering nightmare, constantly have Stellantis engineering at my shop for various issues (already done 5 motors). There’s a bs brake recall out that’s software (cause yes software always fixed hardware issues lol). Yet the Stellantis safety team calls all of us dealers on certain vins for brake failure!!! Yet all they do is through parts at them. I hope by time yours comes in Stellantis has their s**t together. As a director myself of all big three in my career, Stellantis is by a landslide slide the worst to deal with.

any help or questions slide them my way buddy

 

Thank you! I understand and am aware of the issues with the Hurricane....I have been through two Cadillac Escalade buy-backs, we all know about the engine issues with Tundra and the Ford Ecoboost has had its issues as well. And btw..I am one of the crazies that daily drives a Ram Ecodiesel...With zero issues since the day i picked it up...And we all know the interweb is littered with horror stories about that engine...Point is, everything today is over-engineered and poorly built. I guess it just comes down to picking the poison that suits you the best...

 

For sure, since Covid all manufacturers have taken a hit in terms of quality of the parts installed and honestly overall fit and finish. Daily eco diesel you say? Wow now that is literally top 3 worst Stellantis motors I see lol so you are right? Ha ha. I always tell everyone the same thing, pick a vehicle that tickles your fancy to the point where driving it everyday is a joy And you are proud of the metal you purchased, forget about what others say. Personally for me 21 years in the industry I have seen it all so I do base a lot of my choices based of real life experiences then offer my opinion to whomever actually wants it! My 23’ Tundra has had zero issues and that’s towing a large trailer quite frequently so I am very happy.

 

I loved my 2016 ram ecodiesel. Good mix of power and mileage. Towed great. Wish it had - say 305hp and 495ftlb (get it?), but it comported itself well until it didn’t. In the shop for 90 days because a glow plug failed at 90k and the tech broke the head off it. Had to pull the cab off the body and replace the head. 2 dealers, 4 service advisors, and one trip back following because a pinched gasket caused an oil leak.

Next thing was 9 months later just over 100k- hung up in first gear trying to accelerate onto a highway (55mph road without on-ramp)…. Son was driving and the motor reved, spooled big and hard shifted to second. Broke the right rear axle. Dealer wanted 11k to fix that. Finally got ram to pay all but 3k. But it was shop-bound for another 70 days. So here I am with a 23 tundra. Bought at just about the worst time. Oh well.

Otherwise I reallly loved the ram- even though 2016 outdoorsman, cloth interior, it was somehow nicer inside than the Toyota. I feel like there are parts of that company that are doing well… just need to establish a footing, or better yet, truly separate from Stellantis.

 

Yes 100% need to separate from the dumpster fire that is Stellantis, trying working for them! They literally fight every warranty ticket, don’t issue recalls on motors that are just a pile of s**t then on top of that make the customers purchase say thermostats on the 3.6 or the motor isn’t covered even under warranty. Their process on engineering is laughable at best, no proving grounds no quality inspections anymore they literally just ship things and have techs figure out issues that should have been solved.
I just revived my first wagoneer s (ev pile). It was missing things, modules offline (one not even installed). The steering rack is offline now and it hadn’t even hit the sales floor. Stellantis can’t even build a hybrid let alone a full ev! It was much better when it was FCA in charge back in the day for sure!

 

Ended up placing an order for a 2025 F150 Lariat with the 5.0 thru Granger Ford. GM's issues with their NA V8s worried me and with the 3+ month national backorder of L87 engines, I didn't want to take that risk.

 

This weekend I went and tested a 2025 AT4 with the 3.0. I didn't think the ride or seats were that bad, but my kids mentioned the rear seats were not as deep. As far as looks, I have loved the AT4 since this latest gen and refresh. The fact they finally moved the shifter to the console looks so good. I'm just on the fence because my angst against my Tundra is the stupid wind noise. I have been to the dealer twice and spent $100 on various door seals. It is bad enough that it bothers me while driving. I know it's silly, but I don't want to sit on a 12 hour road trip listening to it.

The GMC dealer close to me has $10K off MSRP, and I could probably get really close to trading straight up. The LZ0 seems to be a great motor, but then I watched Demon's video about the stupid coolant control valve. They use forged engine parts but then plastic gears in the valve???

If I could fix this stupid wind noise, I would be happy with the truck, but I'm not at the moment. I've never had a GM product before--only Ford and Toyota.

 

there is a newer tsb about wind noise and mirror whistles you may want to check out first

Gmc seats were awful imo , and the push forward for reverse and push button for park was confusing at best , I thought the at4 rode way worse than the ford or tundra , but that’s all subjective

good luck

 

Keep the Toyota

 

Do you know off the top of your head the TSB number for it? I'm trying to determine if it's the driver window itself. I've put sealant around the doors and foam inside the window seals.

 

I don’t but search the forums, I can’t remember the details , sorry

 

My 2023 tundra doesn't have and never did have wind noise. Somehow there's a way to fix it.

The AT4 looked great but was noisy AF with the stock tires and doesn't ride as well as my AVS Tundra. A no go for me as I do a lot of highway miles.

 

This week I moved out of my '24 Platinum TRD OR and into a Denali Ultimate with the 3.0 Duramax. My '24 Tundra was an early example of that model year, built in 9/23, and during my last oil change I asked service manager if my truck would likely be included in the recall at some point and he gave me a nod and wink, which got me shopping. Drove a few Ram 1500's with the new Hurricane engine, but just couldn't do a Stellantis product. Landed on the GMC.

The seats in the Ultimate are very comfortable and will likely improve over time once the thick cowhide leather gets broken in. More side bolstering than the Tundra, so bigger guys might not like them as much.

The fit and finish of the Denali Ultimate is in a different category than the Tundra, albeit at a slightly higher price. Ride quality is great, and the baby Duramax mated to the 10 speed is an amazing package. I averaged 28mpg on the 100 mile ride home from the dealership, which included a 4000ft net elevation gain. Power is good, not as strong off the line as the Tundra but once it's moving the transmission does a great job keeping the engine in the middle of its torque band. An impressive package. The tech in the Ultimate is also great, Supercruise works as advertised. Maneuverability is better than the Tundra - turning radius noticeably tighter.

I will miss some things about the Tundra but I am happy with the switch. I would consider a Tundra again providing Toyota gets the manufacturing quality sorted out and resale values return to 'normal' for the brand.

 

I have 7.5k miles on mine since I traded the Hybrid 1794 in July. I honestly don't miss the Toyota at all.

Its amazing how fast you get used to getting over 25 mpg. Now I get pretty angry when its super cold out and I'm sitting in traffic only get 23mpg in the city. How quickly I forgot that the Hybrid was doing 17mpg in the same commute.

You can do better than 10k off.