DENALI OR ESCALADE??

[NORCAL SS]

Escalade 11k more

 

[Denada]

Denali for a few reasons, but it will require some work.

1) The tail lights on the Esky are already dated. I mean they were fugly to begin with but "light sabers" as someone mentioned earlier is a perfect analogy because they look like special effects from the 70's. The Denali's tail lights are classic and thus timeless. But, and this goes for the vehicle in general, you need to get rid of a lot of chrome including the tail gate lift handle.

The front end on the Esky is way better though but again, with some customization you can come up with a great Denali front end.

2) Same with the center stack. Not only does it resemble a cheap Japanese import, the buttons are prone to stick and/or stop working, and the Cue system is notoriously slow. Plus try adjusting the volume or turning up the heater while you are driving...without true knobs like in the Denali you are constantly fumbling for the right button.

3) Resale is better for a fully loaded Denali than a low-featured Esky.
Speaking of, if you aren't looking for anything custom from the factory (such as a 2nd row bench which is far more practical) there are plenty of used low mileage vehicles available which have the "drive off the lot depreciation" zapped from the price.

In the end, both are great vehicles. But with the money saved on a Denali you can customize it and make it truly unique.

 

[Denada]

By the way, a few things you really don't need because you will never use them:

Adaptive cruise control
Heads up display
Retractable side steps (on a lowered vehicle)

 

[NORCAL SS]

I have retractable side steps on my escalade now just gives cleaner look

 

[hundhaus]

Hey Tony we have spoken on the phone before , you had just picked up the Z06. I have a Callaway Denali 15 , Callaway Escalade ESV 14, and I have a Delali XL 15. I sat in both 15 Escalades and Denalis back to back before I purchased either of them. The Escalade interior is in my opinion too feminine. We could have 3 Escalades if they felt right but they just don't . When we sell the 14 Callaway Esclade ESV we are going to do another Denali XL Callaway. The Escalade just didn't feel right when we had the two of them back to back. So which will have more buffeting and Vibration lol j/k

 

[hundhaus]

oh and the retractable side steps are just cool
love them!!

 

[NORCAL SS]

Hey Tony we have spoken on the phone before , you had just picked up the Z06. I have a Callaway Denali 15 , Callaway Escalade ESV 14, and I have a Delali XL 15. I sat in both 15 Escalades and Denalis back to back before I purchased either of them. The Escalade interior is in my opinion too feminine. We could have 3 Escalades if they felt right but they just don't . When we sell the 14 Callaway Esclade ESV we are going to do another Denali XL Callaway. The Escalade just didn't feel right when we had the two of them back to back. So which will have more buffeting and Vibration lol j/k

i know i just was reading up on the vibration and i know the stiff suspension. doing the belltech front springs/and rear 5305 coils helps a lot of the jarring ride on a few customers trucks i did. For me first thing im doing is the 2 inch drop spindles/belltech springs and rear my custom springs and swaybars.

The buffeting is scaring me though. Im going to have to drive one on the freeway between 70 to 80 and see if i hear it. They have a muffler fix but doing the magnaflow muffler on 4 of them so far and getting rid of the rear valve my customers have been very happy they said less of that noise also inside which was bothering them.

Precat removal/magnaflow muffler/rear valve delete/rear resonator delete will be first thing i do for performance side. ALone with afe intake. One guys truck the afe intake made 18 rwhp/21 torque over stock so yah im doing that

 

[toi]

for 11k more its no brainer. i'd definitely go with the escalade.
the brand image and the design is so much more classy than whatever else you'd be getting

you'd be a paying $200 more a month maybe but than again you wont look back in time and wonder "should i have gotten the escalade"

my previous vehicle was a 2008 short version escalade.and new one i got is a 2016 suburban LT.
negotiated price was $54k. i wanted to be as far as possible from an escalade in price (in this case about 20k ish from my ideal setup). by doing so i now dont regret not getting an escalade because i'd have to pay a hefty difference.

im in livery business and believe me , in the food chain of GM SUV line up if an suv is not an escalade it just simply is not. a suburban does the job equally well in my case and it being an ltz model or a gmc denali wont matter to the client. but if it is an escalade they know and totally loving it , are they willing to pay more for it ? NO. hence the Basic suburban LT with basic features. You cant just fully load a suburban ltz and make it a $73k vehicle and try to tell ppl that. it is still a suburban in their eyes, they hardly know the difference. Same goes for the Denali, clients wont be impressed because its a denali.

and for ppl who say an escalade is just a suburban rebranded. its way more than that.i mean if i agree to pay $54k for an LT suburban with not may features , the escalade with its brand image, impressive design and options list is well worth the money they are asking for it. In my case i just did not need any of the options the Escalade had to offer because i wasn't buying it for personal use.

Had i been in OPs situation, i would definitely go with the escalade and not look back.Its just so much more impressive than whatever else is out there. Basically for the suv world it is the "King of Kings" , period.

 

[Yukon John]

My wife and I went thru this when we bought the Yukon we have. Our deal was this: we had my 05 Escalade Platinum ESV (175K miles), Her 03 Lexus RX 300 (92K miles) and my 04 Benz S500 (75K miles).

I tow a 7500# boat ('79 Formula 255 Liberator w/twin 450 HP Vortec 383's on Bravo 1's rolling on a twin axle aluminum trailer w/4 wheel disc brakes) hense the need for a "Real" SUV.

I leaned towards the new Escalade/Denali primarily for the 6.2...truth was...I didn't really need it and I later learned the new 5.3 ECO Tech with Max Tow in the Yukon does a better job towing than the Escalade ever did ! The limiting factor was that we were spending $50K total cash plus what ever they allowed us for trade on the Lexus and Escalade.

So...now she commutes 20 miles /day round trip with the Yukon...I work from home and maybe drive my S500 (0-60 under 6 and runs high 13's in the 1/4 with a little help from RenTech) maybe 100 miles a week. The Yukon 5.3 with Diablo Tune and the 8500# Max Tow package does a great job towing the Formula. My wife loves driving "Her" new Yukon and is the envy of all the teachers at the local High School where she works. She is finally understanding that she doesn't have to stand on the gas to get that Yukon to move...she's used to spinning the bejeezus out of a V-6 to get down the road !!

That's our situation...everyone's is different. In the end if you really WANT the Escalade...buy it...but if you don't NEED it the Denali will do every thing you want to do in style. Having a Z06 tells me you like being pushed into the back of the seat. That being said...buy the Denali 6.2...take the $10K you saved vs. the Escalade and put it towards a Magnuson SC install and amaze the street crowd with sub 5 second 0-60 in a 3 ton brick !!

An old wise man once told me to "Live as long as you want to...and WANT TO as long as you live."

 

[massivespl]

for 11k more its no brainer. i'd definitely go with the escalade.
the brand image and the design is so much more classy than whatever else you'd be getting

you'd be a paying $200 more a month maybe but than again you wont look back in time and wonder "should i have gotten the escalade"

my previous vehicle was a 2008 short version escalade.and new one i got is a 2016 suburban LT.
negotiated price was $54k. i wanted to be as far as possible from an escalade in price (in this case about 20k ish from my ideal setup). by doing so i now dont regret not getting an escalade because i'd have to pay a hefty difference.

im in livery business and believe me , in the food chain of GM SUV line up if an suv is not an escalade it just simply is not. a suburban does the job equally well in my case and it being an ltz model or a gmc denali wont matter to the client. but if it is an escalade they know and totally loving it , are they willing to pay more for it ? NO. hence the Basic suburban LT with basic features. You cant just fully load a suburban ltz and make it a $73k vehicle and try to tell ppl that. it is still a suburban in their eyes, they hardly know the difference. Same goes for the Denali, clients wont be impressed because its a denali.

and for ppl who say an escalade is just a suburban rebranded. its way more than that.i mean if i agree to pay $54k for an LT suburban with not may features , the escalade with its brand image, impressive design and options list is well worth the money they are asking for it. In my case i just did not need any of the options the Escalade had to offer because i wasn't buying it for personal use.

Had i been in OPs situation, i would definitely go with the escalade and not look back.Its just so much more impressive than whatever else is out there. Basically for the suv world it is the "King of Kings" , period.

So you would buy a escalade because you care what people think? Just because it has a escalade badge and you want people to me impressed? Wow am I the only one who would buy a vehicle because I like it and not someone else. OP go drive both vehicles and look at them side by side... Pick which one YOU LIKE