Denali Duramax: Expectation vs. Reality

[tthecchadd]

I have about 500 miles on the Denali Duramax and wanted to share a few things that may help people as they wait. I know browsing this forum for the 7 months after I ordered my Denali helped a ton but it also had me developing certain expectations about features.

Denali Duramax
No Packages
Power Retractable Running Boards
22" Wheels
Panoramic Sunroof

Sound System
I've seen several posts on here leading me to believe the stock Bose sound system would be inadequate. My wife's Infiniti has a Bose system that doesn't sound great so I was convinced I was going to need a subwoofer/amp. However, I think the sound system is fantastic. The bass is enough that it can slightly shake the rear view mirror but it won't be heard in the car next to you. The mids and highs are crystal clear. For context, I've had cars with two 12" woofers and I am big into home theater sound. If you think a Sonos soundbar and sub sounds great on a TV, you will love this system. But, if you have to have a full 5.2 theater with a sub that'll shake the house, then you may be slightly disappointed.

Cameras
The cameras are excellent and really make you comfortable driving a vehicle of that size. One small feature I find particularly helpful is when you reverse, not only does it have the lines directly behind the car but it also has a line to show you how far out the front will swing. Tough to describe, but you have 2 lines for the rear bumper and then depending on which way you cut the wheel, you'll have an additional line on either end of the front bumper as well.

MPG
I had high expectations for this based on other posts and I can say the Duramax gets unbelievable mileage for the size and weight. The longest trip I've made was about 75 miles and I averaged 30.4 MPG. Around town and short trips to drop my kids off at daycare, I get just over 20.

Safety
This is actually the reason I wanted a Yukon in the first place. I am the person that was always against spending money on cars and I drove an old Altima for 12 years. I now have 2 kids and I had a close call in my small car that made me look into safety ratings. I was surprised to find out that cars are only crash tested against a car of the same weight and size. I just assumed a 5 star safety rating on any car was good to go. This led me down a rabbit hole of countless articles but the bottom line is that your odds of surviving a crash in a truck/SUV exponentially increase vs. being in a car. The sheer size and weight along with the bumper height are what make it so great. I can say that I feel totally safe driving this thing around. At red lights, it makes other SUVs look small. Another thing in regards to safety is that the rear cross traffic alert and the pedestrian alert are incredible. Several times I did not see pedestrians until it would've been too late (they were walking on the shoulder) but I was alerted.

HUD
This is my favorite feature I never knew I needed. It is a game changer to not have to look down at your navigation or speed.

Retractable Running Boards
These are great as they are actually usable since they are so wide. My wife's Infiniti has small ones that you can't really put your foot on with any stability and you are better off not using them when wet. The Yukon running boards are wider than I thought they would be and are grippy enough.

Google Built In
My whole house is run by Alexa so I was sad to see you can't put Alexa on the 22's. But, I'm liking Google so far. It's minor but there is a slightly longer delay summoning Google than there is with Alexa. I also did the Youtube Premium 3 month trial which works great with this system.

DEF
I've never had a diesel so DEF is new to me. I had no idea what to expect in terms of refilling or even monitoring. I didn't know there was a gauge similar to fuel. I'm sure there's some sort of driving habit variable but at least for me, after 500 miles, it only went down 1 bar out of 8. So, if it stays constant, I guess I can expect to refill around 4k miles.


I'll update as other things cross my mind. I have a few mods being done in the next few weeks (tint, chrome delete, ceramic graphene coating) that I'll post about also. If you have any specific questions or perhaps would like any photos of any specific areas, just let me know.

 

[doc5339]

Thanks for the detailed write-up of your short-term review. Enjoy driving the Denali!

 

[esbrittain]

This is great, thanks for taking the time! Glad you’re enjoying it so far!

 

[TollKeeper]

Regarding the DEF, GM and Dodge have both said that under normal driving (not towing), you should only have to fill the DEF at oil change interval.

Not going to lie, a D-Max Denali is still tempting me, but with all these pushes with EV's, and fuel prices.. I am going to let my order for a EV stand... for now.

And that my fully loaded EV is cheaper than the base model Denali.

 

[Rizop]

I have about 500 miles on the Denali Duramax and wanted to share a few things that may help people as they wait. I know browsing this forum for the 7 months after I ordered my Denali helped a ton but it also had me developing certain expectations about features.

Denali Duramax
No Packages
Power Retractable Running Boards
22" Wheels
Panoramic Sunroof

Sound System
I've seen several posts on here leading me to believe the stock Bose sound system would be inadequate. My wife's Infiniti has a Bose system that doesn't sound great so I was convinced I was going to need a subwoofer/amp. However, I think the sound system is fantastic. The bass is enough that it can slightly shake the rear view mirror but it won't be heard in the car next to you. The mids and highs are crystal clear. For context, I've had cars with two 12" woofers and I am big into home theater sound. If you think a Sonos soundbar and sub sounds great on a TV, you will love this system. But, if you have to have a full 5.2 theater with a sub that'll shake the house, then you may be slightly disappointed.

Cameras
The cameras are excellent and really make you comfortable driving a vehicle of that size. One small feature I find particularly helpful is when you reverse, not only does it have the lines directly behind the car but it also has a line to show you how far out the front will swing. Tough to describe, but you have 2 lines for the rear bumper and then depending on which way you cut the wheel, you'll have an additional line on either end of the front bumper as well.

MPG
I had high expectations for this based on other posts and I can say the Duramax gets unbelievable mileage for the size and weight. The longest trip I've made was about 75 miles and I averaged 30.4 MPG. Around town and short trips to drop my kids off at daycare, I get just over 20.

Safety
This is actually the reason I wanted a Yukon in the first place. I am the person that was always against spending money on cars and I drove an old Altima for 12 years. I now have 2 kids and I had a close call in my small car that made me look into safety ratings. I was surprised to find out that cars are only crash tested against a car of the same weight and size. I just assumed a 5 star safety rating on any car was good to go. This led me down a rabbit hole of countless articles but the bottom line is that your odds of surviving a crash in a truck/SUV exponentially increase vs. being in a car. The sheer size and weight along with the bumper height are what make it so great. I can say that I feel totally safe driving this thing around. At red lights, it makes other SUVs look small. Another thing in regards to safety is that the rear cross traffic alert and the pedestrian alert are incredible. Several times I did not see pedestrians until it would've been too late (they were walking on the shoulder) but I was alerted.

HUD
This is my favorite feature I never knew I needed. It is a game changer to not have to look down at your navigation or speed.

Retractable Running Boards
These are great as they are actually usable since they are so wide. My wife's Infiniti has small ones that you can't really put your foot on with any stability and you are better off not using them when wet. The Yukon running boards are wider than I thought they would be and are grippy enough.

Google Built In
My whole house is run by Alexa so I was sad to see you can't put Alexa on the 22's. But, I'm liking Google so far. It's minor but there is a slightly longer delay summoning Google than there is with Alexa. I also did the Youtube Premium 3 month trial which works great with this system.

DEF
I've never had a diesel so DEF is new to me. I had no idea what to expect in terms of refilling or even monitoring. I didn't know there was a gauge similar to fuel. I'm sure there's some sort of driving habit variable but at least for me, after 500 miles, it only went down 1 bar out of 8. So, if it stays constant, I guess I can expect to refill around 4k miles.


I'll update as other things cross my mind. I have a few mods being done in the next few weeks (tint, chrome delete, ceramic graphene coating) that I'll post about also. If you have any specific questions or perhaps would like any photos of any specific areas, just let me know.

Just wanted to say thank you so much for this. I’m waiting on a diesel Denali xl that has a window sticker generated but hasn’t shipped yet. Input like this really helps to manage expectations

 

[bunky319]

Regarding the DEF, GM and Dodge have both said that under normal driving (not towing), you should only have to fill the DEF at oil change interval.

Not going to lie, a D-Max Denali is still tempting me, but with all these pushes with EV's, and fuel prices.. I am going to let my order for a EV stand... for now.

And that my fully loaded EV is cheaper than the base model Denali.

I hear you on the EV idea. I've been driving an EV for the last 5 years (4 years in a BMW i3 and over a year in a Kia Niro EV). We love it as a local errand vehicle and commuting for work. But I need an 8 passenger vehicle with plenty of room for strollers, suitcases, etc. when I take the whole family. I haven't been able to find an EV with the size of the Yukon XL (SLT) and in the same price range.

 

[RVAHokie]

I hear you on the EV idea. I've been driving an EV for the last 5 years (4 years in a BMW i3 and over a year in a Kia Niro EV). We love it as a local errand vehicle and commuting for work. But I need an 8 passenger vehicle with plenty of room for strollers, suitcases, etc. when I take the whole family. I haven't been able to find an EV with the size of the Yukon XL (SLT) and in the same price range.

I was hoping the Rivian would fill that need but the lack of captains seats kill it for me.

 

[Rizop]

I have about 500 miles on the Denali Duramax and wanted to share a few things that may help people as they wait. I know browsing this forum for the 7 months after I ordered my Denali helped a ton but it also had me developing certain expectations about features.

Denali Duramax
No Packages
Power Retractable Running Boards
22" Wheels
Panoramic Sunroof

Sound System
I've seen several posts on here leading me to believe the stock Bose sound system would be inadequate. My wife's Infiniti has a Bose system that doesn't sound great so I was convinced I was going to need a subwoofer/amp. However, I think the sound system is fantastic. The bass is enough that it can slightly shake the rear view mirror but it won't be heard in the car next to you. The mids and highs are crystal clear. For context, I've had cars with two 12" woofers and I am big into home theater sound. If you think a Sonos soundbar and sub sounds great on a TV, you will love this system. But, if you have to have a full 5.2 theater with a sub that'll shake the house, then you may be slightly disappointed.

Cameras
The cameras are excellent and really make you comfortable driving a vehicle of that size. One small feature I find particularly helpful is when you reverse, not only does it have the lines directly behind the car but it also has a line to show you how far out the front will swing. Tough to describe, but you have 2 lines for the rear bumper and then depending on which way you cut the wheel, you'll have an additional line on either end of the front bumper as well.

MPG
I had high expectations for this based on other posts and I can say the Duramax gets unbelievable mileage for the size and weight. The longest trip I've made was about 75 miles and I averaged 30.4 MPG. Around town and short trips to drop my kids off at daycare, I get just over 20.

Safety
This is actually the reason I wanted a Yukon in the first place. I am the person that was always against spending money on cars and I drove an old Altima for 12 years. I now have 2 kids and I had a close call in my small car that made me look into safety ratings. I was surprised to find out that cars are only crash tested against a car of the same weight and size. I just assumed a 5 star safety rating on any car was good to go. This led me down a rabbit hole of countless articles but the bottom line is that your odds of surviving a crash in a truck/SUV exponentially increase vs. being in a car. The sheer size and weight along with the bumper height are what make it so great. I can say that I feel totally safe driving this thing around. At red lights, it makes other SUVs look small. Another thing in regards to safety is that the rear cross traffic alert and the pedestrian alert are incredible. Several times I did not see pedestrians until it would've been too late (they were walking on the shoulder) but I was alerted.

HUD
This is my favorite feature I never knew I needed. It is a game changer to not have to look down at your navigation or speed.

Retractable Running Boards
These are great as they are actually usable since they are so wide. My wife's Infiniti has small ones that you can't really put your foot on with any stability and you are better off not using them when wet. The Yukon running boards are wider than I thought they would be and are grippy enough.

Google Built In
My whole house is run by Alexa so I was sad to see you can't put Alexa on the 22's. But, I'm liking Google so far. It's minor but there is a slightly longer delay summoning Google than there is with Alexa. I also did the Youtube Premium 3 month trial which works great with this system.

DEF
I've never had a diesel so DEF is new to me. I had no idea what to expect in terms of refilling or even monitoring. I didn't know there was a gauge similar to fuel. I'm sure there's some sort of driving habit variable but at least for me, after 500 miles, it only went down 1 bar out of 8. So, if it stays constant, I guess I can expect to refill around 4k miles.


I'll update as other things cross my mind. I have a few mods being done in the next few weeks (tint, chrome delete, ceramic graphene coating) that I'll post about also. If you have any specific questions or perhaps would like any photos of any specific areas, just let me know.

What’s your opinion on the power of the diesel ? Does it feel like it’s struggling at all ?

 

[tthecchadd]

What’s your opinion on the power of the diesel ? Does it feel like it’s struggling at all ?

That's a great question and probably something I should've commented on.

A big fear of mine was that it would feel like it is struggling or that it was just slow. I can say that I am pleasantly surprised with the acceleration. The torque is absolutely noticeable and it feels surprisingly nimble. My wife even made a comment about how she was surprised it doesn't feel heavy.

I think if you are someone that doesn't care too much about lightning acceleration but still wants to feel like they can merge with no issue, then you will love it. For me at least, I love fuel efficiency/range more than I love speed so the choice was easy.

 

[TollKeeper]

I hear you on the EV idea. I've been driving an EV for the last 5 years (4 years in a BMW i3 and over a year in a Kia Niro EV). We love it as a local errand vehicle and commuting for work. But I need an 8 passenger vehicle with plenty of room for strollers, suitcases, etc. when I take the whole family. I haven't been able to find an EV with the size of the Yukon XL (SLT) and in the same price range.

I was hoping the Rivian would fill that need but the lack of captains seats kill it for me.

My order is actually for a Rivian. I do want the captains seats in the rear, but its not a deal killer. The size of it is more along the lines of a 2008ish Land Rover Discovery Long Wheel Base(the big boxy one, not the newer ones), except its a bit wider. Not quite on par with a Yukon, but bigger than a Acadia. I got lucky, and pre-ordered. So mine, with all the options is 75000. They are now pricing closer to 100k!

But we are getting off-topic.. so.