2010 opinions

[Jay]

About time to trade in the 07.

There's a few 2010 Yukon SLT 4WDs on the local dealer lots, all loaded out. I've been pleased with the 5.3 in the 07. It's been a good engine and averaging 18-19mpg locally with 21-22mpg showing up on long trips (hand calculated!).

The new 5.3s have VVT, how much difference does it make power- and MPG-wise? Is the 6-speed a good transmission? How does it feel compared to the 4-speed in everyday driving and some mild towing? (~5-6k lbs)

There's a 95% chance this thing will stay stock like my current one. Not interested in racing/beating the family hauler.

Thoughts?

 

[Zed 71]

The new 5.3 has VVT?

Here is my response to a post asking about the 6-speed. "I agree the 6-speed is supposed to be better, but the shift programming leaves something to be desired. Here is my impression of the 6-speed: It shifts to 6th gear real fast and hates coming out of 6th gear. It's constantly lugging before it downshifts and it vibrates if it lugs too long. When you do get it to drop down it screams. It seems to drop from 6 to 2nd gear. There are posts sharing the same experience." Maybe they updated the programming in the new trucks. If you are going to have an in-person tune by BB anyway, then they can reprogram the transmission to address those minor issues.

IMO test drive and report back here. I am curious about the VVT. I might have to check it out myself.

 

[Poncherello]

About time to trade in the 07.

There's a few 2010 Yukon SLT 4WDs on the local dealer lots, all loaded out. I've been pleased with the 5.3 in the 07. It's been a good engine and averaging 18-19mpg locally with 21-22mpg showing up on long trips (hand calculated!).

The new 5.3s have VVT, how much difference does it make power- and MPG-wise? Is the 6-speed a good transmission? How does it feel compared to the 4-speed in everyday driving and some mild towing? (~5-6k lbs)

There's a 95% chance this thing will stay stock like my current one. Not interested in racing/beating the family hauler.

Thoughts?

I just bought a 2010 LTZ after owning an 05 LT Tahoe. I loved the LT and thought it drove great. On the 05 I was getting about 17 MPG on the highway at 80-85 MPH according to the on board computer. THe same was true with the 03 I owned before the 05. I just returned from a several hundred mile trip in the 10 and found the transmission seems to shift alot in a search for the right gear. With cruise control on and traveling up a hill it seemed to shift from 6th to 3rd in order to maintain the speed. The RPM's would go very high with that shift...almost to 5000. While watching the display indicating V4 or V8 mode it doesn't really seem to shift to V4 mode very often...mostly down long inclines. The VVT is noticeable when it goes from one mode to another after watching the display and feeling the noticeable feed back in the pedal...although it is very very slight. That being said I averaged just under 19 MPG on that trip. The odometer only shows 1350 miles so I don't know if it will improve over time but the VVT did add 2 MPG compared to the 05 over the same trip.

 

[Zed 71]

I just bought a 2010 LTZ after owning an 05 LT Tahoe. I loved the LT and thought it drove great. On the 05 I was getting about 17 MPG on the highway at 80-85 MPH according to the on board computer. THe same was true with the 03 I owned before the 05. I just returned from a several hundred mile trip in the 10 and found the transmission seems to shift alot in a search for the right gear. With cruise control on and traveling up a hill it seemed to shift from 6th to 3rd in order to maintain the speed. The RPM's would go very high with that shift...almost to 5000. While watching the display indicating V4 or V8 mode it doesn't really seem to shift to V4 mode very often...mostly down long inclines. The VVT is noticeable when it goes from one mode to another after watching the display and feeling the noticeable feed back in the pedal...although it is very very slight. That being said I averaged just under 19 MPG on that trip. The odometer only shows 1350 miles so I don't know if it will improve over time but the VVT did add 2 MPG compared to the 05 over the same trip.

Seems like your experience with the six speed is similar to my impressions.

Can you really feel VVT? IMO it should be transparent.

 

[Poncherello]

Seems like your experience with the six speed is similar to my impressions.

Can you really feel VVT? IMO it should be transparent.

I can feel it ever so slightly. It is almost transparent but if you watch the display when it switches between V4 and V8 there is a very very slight feeling in the pedal that once you realize you will always be able to tell when it switches. I felt the same thing in a Chryselr 300C I rented once. It's certainly nothing that sticks out but I know it's there. Some call me crazy for the things I notice with my cars

 

[Jay]

Thanks for posting.

GMpowertrain.com shows VVT being new for the 5.3s starting in 2010. Don't confuse VVT with the AFM V8 -> V4 feature (deactivates valve motion for 4 cylinders, 5.3s in the full sizes have had it since 2007). VVT rotates the camshaft relative to the crankshaft to advance or retard valve timing without affecting total valve lift (you advance timing to gain low end, retard the timing to gain top end power. also, for those that don't know, don't confuse this with ignition timing). It's the same system in the 6.2 Vortec. I want to hear how much difference i'll see during daily driving from what current owners experienced. GM's graphs on the website for the VVT and non-VVT 5.3s are the same so i can't tell where/if they beefed up the torque curve with it. (look here if you're wondering what i'm referring to: http://archives.media.gm.com/us/powertrain/en/product_services/2010/gmna/10truck_us.htm )

The AFM on my 07 has always been seamless... the only way i know it switches to V4 (other than the dash indicator) is by turning the radio off to hear the very slight change in exhaust note (stock exhaust). I know if you get on a long, flat stretch of highway at a constant speed where the V4 can stay active for long periods, it's like every 10 minutes or so the V8 mode kicks on for a little bit then goes back to V4 for another 10 minutes or so. On the 1st 9 hour drive I did in the 07, it kinda worried me at first since I thought something was wrong. But the dealer said it's supposed to work that way and when i checked the GM website, sure enough it confirmed what they said.

I don't mind the 4-speed that much, I'd just like to have the extra wide gearing with the tight gear spacing the 6-speed has. I'll go take one for an extended test drive and check it out. Maybe it's just a 5.3 thing that can be easily remedied since the 6.2 owners seem happy?

Sorry for the length!

 

[Poncherello]

Wow, I read VVT and confused it

The low end seemed better on the 05 than it does on the 2010. I'm not sure if the transmission has anything to do with it..... just seems the 2010 is slower off the line a bit.

 

[Jay]

GM's nanny torque management maybe?

 

[Poncherello]

GM's nanny torque management maybe?

I don't know, but I certainly see a difference.

 

[Jay]

Well, went and test drove one of those 2010s this afternoon. My impressions:

The seats seem to be a little more comfortable than in my 07... don't know if it is just new vs old or what. The stitching did look a little different so I'm wondering if GM changed them up. A definite plus.

I couldn't really notice a difference in engine performance... I'm guessing GM used the VVT for MPG improvements or emissions reduction b/c it felt the same as mine (besides the 6-speed's extra gearing). I took it up to ~4200rpm and the torque curve feels the same as my 07.

I like the 6-speed. A lot. It was solid and decisive with no hunting. I put 18 miles on it during the test drive with everything from 25mph downtown business district traffic to multiple runs on and off the interstate. The low 1st gear makes it much more responsive off the line versus the 4-speed. The tight 5th and 6th gear ratios makes passing smooth and quiet. Even a drop from 6th to 4th was smooth... all I felt was a slight hesitation then smooth acceleration without jolting. In normal driving I find it makes all shifts around 17-1800rpm, where my 4-speed almost always goes to ~2000-2100rpm before shifting. In tow/haul mode all shifts at "normal" acceleration, unloaded, are around 3000rpm just like the 4-speed. The difference is that the 6-speed doesn't lose near as much rpm on the shifts so I'm sure I'd feel a definite difference in performance when pulling the boat or camper. The manual mode would be awesome while towing in the mountains. A 3000rpm 1-2 shift with the 4-speed in T/H drops back to around 2000, while the 6-speed only drops down to ~23-2500 (can't exactly remember). The 4-speed does bog the engine for a little bit after the shifts since the ratios are much wider. With the 6-speed it just keeps pulling after hitting the next gear with no hesitation. Now, of course, the dealer wouldn't let me go hook my boat up to it for a test drive (LOL) but it would've been nice to have a direct comparison. Overall I think it'd outperform the 4-speed hands down.

After reading the responses here I'm left wondering if GM changed the shift programming or something. The 6-speed I drive didn't hunt for gears at all. Heck, one time I accelerated from 55-70mph on a mainline speed limit change (45 zone to 60) and it never shifted out of 6th. Now, the thing didn't have but 6 miles on the odometer when i started the test drive so the adaptive shift thingamiger might not have fully found the right strategy. I thought it was great during my time behind the wheel. Anyone notice a substantial change in shifting a few hundred miles after purchase?

The verdict? I'm going to keep my 07 for a couple more years. I don't think there's enough change in the overall package to warrant the purchase. The 07 is paid off and has 48k miles so I'm in no hurry. I've been reading that GM is supposed to release the GenV V8s in 2012 or so. They're supposed to have direct injection with more power and better mileage. I think the GMT900 is supposed to get a refresh then also so I'll wait s0 the $/benefit ratio (IMO) improves.