jl449
Full Access Member
Finally was able to take the 2015i Denali for a ski road trip. Put on 1K on the SUV in 3 days. Trip was from Northern Ca to LA area then up to the Eastern Sierra (Mammoth). Followed by going to Tahoe then back home.
This was my first long trip on the Denali and had a check list to see if the following issues pop up. There's been so many posting in the forum about issues people are having on their SUV that it had me very worried. Sometimes had me concentrating a little too much and not enjoying the ride.
Here's my check list:
1. Buffeting/ear pressure issue -- No issues. All good at all speeds and on rough road. I had my ears popping and was freaking out until I realize I was on an incline reaching 8100 ft.
2. Noise in the cabin --- No issues.
3. Vibration -- No issues. It's not as smooth as some other rides but since the SUV is equipped with 22" rims -- I wouldn't expect a very smooth ride. Over all it was comfortable.
4. 4x4/Auto switch noise -- Could not hear any high pitch noise. was only in 4x4 for about 2 to 3 hours.
5. Bose audio system -- The sound quality wasn't bad but I sometimes had it at around 85% volume level. I think it could use a bigger amp.
6. GPS/Nav -- no issues what so ever. Location was always dead on. The Nav helped especially when I was on the off-road trails. It had the trails and at every "Y" I hit had me dead on.
7. Heat/AC function on seats -- All good. AC seat helped when I was in Thousand Oaks were it was about 89F. Cool down pretty fast. Then used the heated seats in Mammoth -- warmed up fast.
8. Seats -- IMO these seats are awesome. They are firm and comfortable.
9. Lane departure, adoptive cruise, and parking assist all worked great. Rear camera could be better quality but not bad. Best feature is the the adoptive cruise control. Auto braking was great.
10. Intellink system - all was good. It did mess up on my OLD IPOD -- IPOD classic. It lost it's link a few times. Today I asked my wife who has Iphone 6+ and she hasn't had any issues with her connections.
The 6.2 engine performed!! Had to pass a few cars on a 2 lane highway and did it with authority. Inclines especially on the off road trails was no issue -- plenty of torque. Really enjoy the power at hand with this SUV. There is a lag on the accelerator as people mention. A tune may be call for to tackle this issue in the future but it's in the low priority list since it's the wife's ride.
MPG average about 19 m/g . My old Tahoe (2002) on the same trip route would average 12 m/g so I'm pretty happy with the results especially with more horses and torque.
Took the SUV on the off road trails near Mammoth lakes. There was some obstacles I had to maneuver but nothing major. I wanted to try out the 4x4 and how she handles. The wife is going to be pissed as I got some body scrapes. I think it adds character to the SUV lol. One thing I do miss is Wranglers Duratac tires with some side walls so I can deflate them down to 15 psi and sling away! Also, I found myself over correcting the steering. Different compare to the 2002 Tahoe. The SUV did handle the snow cover trails pretty good. I also scraped the front black bottom piece of the bumper.
Overall I'm very satisfied with the Denali. There's been so many post on people having so many issues with these things it really had me worried. Just happy as of now I'm not dealing with any issues. Of course that can all change tomorrow! Also, the wife is very happy with her ride but I do thing she purposely goes over the white line a little too often...
This was my first long trip on the Denali and had a check list to see if the following issues pop up. There's been so many posting in the forum about issues people are having on their SUV that it had me very worried. Sometimes had me concentrating a little too much and not enjoying the ride.
Here's my check list:
1. Buffeting/ear pressure issue -- No issues. All good at all speeds and on rough road. I had my ears popping and was freaking out until I realize I was on an incline reaching 8100 ft.
2. Noise in the cabin --- No issues.
3. Vibration -- No issues. It's not as smooth as some other rides but since the SUV is equipped with 22" rims -- I wouldn't expect a very smooth ride. Over all it was comfortable.
4. 4x4/Auto switch noise -- Could not hear any high pitch noise. was only in 4x4 for about 2 to 3 hours.
5. Bose audio system -- The sound quality wasn't bad but I sometimes had it at around 85% volume level. I think it could use a bigger amp.
6. GPS/Nav -- no issues what so ever. Location was always dead on. The Nav helped especially when I was on the off-road trails. It had the trails and at every "Y" I hit had me dead on.
7. Heat/AC function on seats -- All good. AC seat helped when I was in Thousand Oaks were it was about 89F. Cool down pretty fast. Then used the heated seats in Mammoth -- warmed up fast.
8. Seats -- IMO these seats are awesome. They are firm and comfortable.
9. Lane departure, adoptive cruise, and parking assist all worked great. Rear camera could be better quality but not bad. Best feature is the the adoptive cruise control. Auto braking was great.
10. Intellink system - all was good. It did mess up on my OLD IPOD -- IPOD classic. It lost it's link a few times. Today I asked my wife who has Iphone 6+ and she hasn't had any issues with her connections.
The 6.2 engine performed!! Had to pass a few cars on a 2 lane highway and did it with authority. Inclines especially on the off road trails was no issue -- plenty of torque. Really enjoy the power at hand with this SUV. There is a lag on the accelerator as people mention. A tune may be call for to tackle this issue in the future but it's in the low priority list since it's the wife's ride.
MPG average about 19 m/g . My old Tahoe (2002) on the same trip route would average 12 m/g so I'm pretty happy with the results especially with more horses and torque.
Took the SUV on the off road trails near Mammoth lakes. There was some obstacles I had to maneuver but nothing major. I wanted to try out the 4x4 and how she handles. The wife is going to be pissed as I got some body scrapes. I think it adds character to the SUV lol. One thing I do miss is Wranglers Duratac tires with some side walls so I can deflate them down to 15 psi and sling away! Also, I found myself over correcting the steering. Different compare to the 2002 Tahoe. The SUV did handle the snow cover trails pretty good. I also scraped the front black bottom piece of the bumper.
Overall I'm very satisfied with the Denali. There's been so many post on people having so many issues with these things it really had me worried. Just happy as of now I'm not dealing with any issues. Of course that can all change tomorrow! Also, the wife is very happy with her ride but I do thing she purposely goes over the white line a little too often...
