OP
OP
Razorback
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- Joined
- Sep 4, 2012
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Drove the 90 miles to test drive the Yukon Hybrid. The drive was in north Arkansas across rolling hills on a two late 55 MPH road. We drove the 6.2 Denali and the DIC showed 19.6 MPG (not bad!!)
The hybrid is gorgeous, especially from 10' away. Onyx black with the factory 22's is sweet.
The vehicle was a "training" vehicle for GM. That's why it only has 2,200 miles. According to the dealer, it was driven to tech training sessions to educate on the hybrid systems.
Unfortunately, it appears the "service blankets" were never used to protect the front fenders while folks were leaning over looking at the engine. There were many very small scratches on the top surface of both fenders.... visible from about 3-5' away. I'm sure this is an easy fix for a good paint guy.
The interior was in good shape - a minor ink pen mark, some microscopic scratches on the center console fake wood, and a small stain on the headliner. All of which could be fixed with some time. The second row bench seemed to make the interior feel smaller compared to the quad buckets... but I could get used to it.
Driving: the hybrid drives totally different than the 6.2 Denali. I personally wouldn't say it is better or worse; just different. Steering is much different - heavier and possibly more precise. I'm guessing the power steering is electric vs. hydraulic and that's the reason for the difference.
Letting off the throttle reminds me of being in a lower gear on a standard transmission... the vehicle immediately decelerates. I'm guessing this is part of the battery charging.
The engine and tranny are indeed smoother in most respects compared to the 6.2. I did find 0-30 to be slightly clumsy when pushed hard - almost like it had to search a bit for the right gear. Definitely not an issue, just something to learn when driving the hybrid.
I would say the 6.2 seems more powerful and able to power through hills and rises a bit easier than the hybrid. But the hybrid was more than adequate.
I reset the DIC's average MPG before the test drive. I drove about 10 miles of mixed city and highway and also some empty parking lot work. Averaged 22.1 MPG.
Unfortunately, this vehicle suffered wind noise around the outside mirror. I think this is known issue on earlier model NNBS vehicles. In fact on a couple of crosswind gusts while driving about 55, the wind actually whistled.
At the end of the day, the small cosmetic paint issues, the wind noise, and the step down in model year (2012 to 2011) and the associated warranty decrease were all reasons to not make the change. Our 6.2 Denali is cosmetically "perfect." None of the compromises we would be inheriting with the hybrid.
If anyone is interested, it's a great vehicle and with a bit of work from a talented paint guy, it would be about perfect. I also think the wind noise is probably solvable with the right expertise. Here's the listing for those interested: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...mt=[GMC[YUKON[]][]]&listingId=329611640&Log=0
If I were buying new again and I could find a hybrid, I would be all over it.
Of course, I pulled the retrofitted projectors before heading to the dealer just in case, so now I get to pull the front end of our Denali and put those back in
GL
The hybrid is gorgeous, especially from 10' away. Onyx black with the factory 22's is sweet.
The vehicle was a "training" vehicle for GM. That's why it only has 2,200 miles. According to the dealer, it was driven to tech training sessions to educate on the hybrid systems.
Unfortunately, it appears the "service blankets" were never used to protect the front fenders while folks were leaning over looking at the engine. There were many very small scratches on the top surface of both fenders.... visible from about 3-5' away. I'm sure this is an easy fix for a good paint guy.
The interior was in good shape - a minor ink pen mark, some microscopic scratches on the center console fake wood, and a small stain on the headliner. All of which could be fixed with some time. The second row bench seemed to make the interior feel smaller compared to the quad buckets... but I could get used to it.
Driving: the hybrid drives totally different than the 6.2 Denali. I personally wouldn't say it is better or worse; just different. Steering is much different - heavier and possibly more precise. I'm guessing the power steering is electric vs. hydraulic and that's the reason for the difference.
Letting off the throttle reminds me of being in a lower gear on a standard transmission... the vehicle immediately decelerates. I'm guessing this is part of the battery charging.
The engine and tranny are indeed smoother in most respects compared to the 6.2. I did find 0-30 to be slightly clumsy when pushed hard - almost like it had to search a bit for the right gear. Definitely not an issue, just something to learn when driving the hybrid.
I would say the 6.2 seems more powerful and able to power through hills and rises a bit easier than the hybrid. But the hybrid was more than adequate.
I reset the DIC's average MPG before the test drive. I drove about 10 miles of mixed city and highway and also some empty parking lot work. Averaged 22.1 MPG.
Unfortunately, this vehicle suffered wind noise around the outside mirror. I think this is known issue on earlier model NNBS vehicles. In fact on a couple of crosswind gusts while driving about 55, the wind actually whistled.
At the end of the day, the small cosmetic paint issues, the wind noise, and the step down in model year (2012 to 2011) and the associated warranty decrease were all reasons to not make the change. Our 6.2 Denali is cosmetically "perfect." None of the compromises we would be inheriting with the hybrid.
If anyone is interested, it's a great vehicle and with a bit of work from a talented paint guy, it would be about perfect. I also think the wind noise is probably solvable with the right expertise. Here's the listing for those interested: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...mt=[GMC[YUKON[]][]]&listingId=329611640&Log=0
If I were buying new again and I could find a hybrid, I would be all over it.
Of course, I pulled the retrofitted projectors before heading to the dealer just in case, so now I get to pull the front end of our Denali and put those back in
GL
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