6.2L or Duramax reliability

[raj07]

Hello, I am new to the forum and looking forward to the discussions here!

I am interested in the GMC Yukon Denali XL and wanted to hear your thoughts.

I have some reasonably priced options at a nearby dealership (I think I will go with non air ride option). At the same time, undecided on the 6.2L engine vs Duramax. Fuel economy is less of concern. I am more interested in reliability as I will be using the vehicle for long road trips with family. I have some read concerns about the 6.2L engine stalling and other concerns around being stranded on the road and taking forever to fix at dealership. Do you know if the newer builds have those issues fixed, now that it is on its 3rd year. The vehicles I am looking at are June/July23 builds.

 

[OR VietVet]

Welcome to the forum.

I vote Duramax.

 

[Banks22]

If u have the option to get a duramax sitting on the lot (very rare) in the trim package you want then you should 100% get it

 

[Stbentoak]

If you don't know anything about Diesels and don't want to learn.. Stick with gas.
However, if you do know about them or DO want to learn. The Dmax is a far better choice.

 

[swathdiver]

For road trips, get the Dirtymax! Having a 700+ mile range is cool.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

My only question would be where are you located...The 3.0 Duramax is as close to a gas engine application as you can get (GM Designed it for daily driving).

That said, if you are possibly in a situation where you may face cold weather (I mean like Minnesota/North Dakota/Northern Wisconsin/Alaska type cold) and you will be regularly doing short trips (4-5 miles, then a park/cold soak for 10 hours, then 4-5 miles home, repeat park/cold soak) for weeks on end in the winter, like possibly driving back and forth to work in a small town...and you don't have a interstitial longer trip to allow the DPF to regen...then get the gas.

If the stuff in the previous paragraph doesn't apply, and you can get the Duramax, then get the diesel...everyone who I know that has it is very satisfied. I think reliability is good...on both engines, actually; but there have been some batches of bad lifters in the V8 gas w/ DFM (dynamic fuel management).

To be educated, probably worth asking the dealer what the maintenance schedules are and costs on both, and factor that into your decision.

There will be better reliability info on the Duramax powertrain in 5 years...but it has seemed to be a great package and option...

 

[raj07]

Thanks a lot all for the feedback. Much appreciated. To answer the question, I am located in CA Bay area so cold soak will not apply. Road trips will be mainly down south or east to Nevada/Utah. I am more inclined now towards Duramax and yes, there are rare to find. Will keep you posted .

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

Thanks a lot all for the feedback. Much appreciated. To answer the question, I am located in CA Bay area so cold soak will not apply. Road trips will be mainly down south or east to Nevada/Utah. I am more inclined now towards Duramax and yes, there are rare to find. Will keep you posted .

That should be a great choice for you...except the general aversion to Diesel in CA...not sure how the fuel pricing compares there between Diesel and Gas, and how easy it is to find Diesel there...here, virtually fuel station has diesel...so availability is not a problem. But, the fuel economy should probably outweigh any added $$...Remember, if you are comparing to the 6.2L gasser...you need to be comparing to Premium Fuel (91 Octane min)...so price diff probably really small.

 

[TollKeeper]

BabyMax all day. Any gas engine made by GM you should shy away from (at least currently)

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

You are already receiving sage advice from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.