5.3 to 6.2 - initial impression

[RThomasII]

So it's been about a month since I traded my 2016 Tahoe LTZ for a 2019 Yukon Denali and I thought I'd provide some feedback having experience with both SUV's.

The Yukon has definitely proven to be a nice upgrade from the Tahoe. The primary area of improvement IMHO is without a doubt the powerplant. The Tahoe was fast for what it was but I also felt like the 6sp choked the 5.3 motor a bit. On the other hand, the Denali feels SCARY fast with 6.2/10sp combo. I also think the Denali rides better which is interesting since both trucks have Mag-Ride suspension. To be fair, the Tahoe sat lower on its suspension than the Denali, especially in the front. It also felt like it had less body roll in turns than the Yukon but the Yukon does do a much better with handling bumps in the road than the Tahoe ever did.

Inside I'd say it's pretty much a push. The only noticeable differences between the two are the console charging pad in the Denali actually charges my Samsung S10+ whereas I could never get it to work in the Tahoe. And the cooled/ventilated seats actually blow air in the Denali. That feature "worked" in the Tahoe but was not near what I thought it should have been.

I was actually concerned that the jump from the Tahoe to the Yukon would be a bit of a disappointment especially since I always experience buyers remorse with any large purchase. I have to say though I'm pretty happy I made this move.....

 

[cardude2000]

So it's been about a month since I traded my 2016 Tahoe LTZ for a 2019 Yukon Denali and I thought I'd provide some feedback having experience with both SUV's.

The Yukon has definitely proven to be a nice upgrade from the Tahoe. The primary area of improvement IMHO is without a doubt the powerplant. The Tahoe was fast for what it was but I also felt like the 6sp choked the 5.3 motor a bit. On the other hand, the Denali feels SCARY fast with 6.2/10sp combo. I also think the Denali rides better which is interesting since both trucks have Mag-Ride suspension. To be fair, the Tahoe sat lower on its suspension than the Denali, especially in the front. It also felt like it had less body roll in turns than the Yukon but the Yukon does do a much better with handling bumps in the road than the Tahoe ever did.

Inside I'd say it's pretty much a push. The only noticeable differences between the two are the console charging pad in the Denali actually charges my Samsung S10+ whereas I could never get it to work in the Tahoe. And the cooled/ventilated seats actually blow air in the Denali. That feature "worked" in the Tahoe but was not near what I thought it should have been.

I was actually concerned that the jump from the Tahoe to the Yukon would be a bit of a disappointment especially since I always experience buyers remorse with any large purchase. I have to say though I'm pretty happy I made this move.....

Congrats.

The leather in my Denali is pretty bottom of the barrel but apparently it’s better than Tahoe leather...any thoughts??

 

[RThomasII]

Congrats.

The leather in my Denali is pretty bottom of the barrel but apparently it’s better than Tahoe leather...any thoughts??

The leather in the Tahoe held up well but take that comment with a grain of salt since I only had 28k miles on the truck, purchased right before I got divorced, and I only have one kid (teenager). In other words... The Tahoe seats didn't get a lot of use. I'm likely to put fewer miles on the Yukon since my daily driver is a 2007 Silverado and I only work 5 miles from home one way.

That said... The Denali seats do feel more firm but I assumed its the same same seat/leather.

 

[hcvone]

What no pictures?

 

[GTNator]

Interesting that you note the noticeable ride improvement. GM continued to tweaked the MRC after 2016.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cardude2000]

Interesting that you note the noticeable ride improvement. GM continued to tweaked the MRC after 2016.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They did? Physical changes or just software updates?

 

[GTNator]

They did? Physical changes or just software updates?

I read it was all software. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t hardware too, I just remember the article I read only mentioned software.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cardude2000]

I read it was all software. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t hardware too, I just remember the article I read only mentioned software.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Too bad that if it’s ONLY a software fix that they aren’t applying it to 15’s and 16’s.

Wish the GM rep would chime in here on stuff like this.

 

[LT1ZOB]

Can’t talk about Tahoe, my Tahoe does not have MRC, but will say, after owning several MRC GM cars over the years, GM absolutely nailed it in 18. I took my 16 vette in last summer for the latest update and was blown away. I won’t say it rides like a Cadillac in tour mode, but unbelievably smooth. Sport mode saw a major improvement too with the 18 update. Track mode will still compress your spine, but does exactly what it’s supposed to.
I’d say the 2018 update knocked it out of the park.

 

[GTNator]

Can’t talk about Tahoe, my Tahoe does not have MRC, but will say, after owning several MRC GM cars over the years, GM absolutely nailed it in 18. I took my 16 vette in last summer for the latest update and was blown away. I won’t say it rides like a Cadillac in tour mode, but unbelievably smooth. Sport mode saw a major improvement too with the 18 update. Track mode will still compress your spine, but does exactly what it’s supposed to.
I’d say the 2018 update knocked it out of the park.

I totally agree.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk