I “AT4-XL’ed” my Denali with one simple trick!

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TrueAt1stLight

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IMG_3248.jpegThe whole process only took 2.5 months and here’s how it looks! That’s my 22 Denali short wheelbase on the right, which I traded in, and my XL AT4 on the left.

A few immediate things that stand out:

-WOW, does the XL ever ride truly sublime (this one has magnetic ride and adaptive air suspension just like my Denali did). What’s interesting is there’s no more terrible cowl shake/front end jitters that I constantly experienced with my Denali. I’m not sure if that’s just because it’s an XL or if they stiffened up the engine bay/front frame area on the 24’.

-GM hasn’t figured out how to paint an $85k SUV to save their lives, even two years later. My Denali had bad paint imperfections and this AT4 XL is no different. There’s a few large black specks under the clear coat on the hood. Ugh: straight to the body shop it’s going.

Some little differences I’ve noticed:
-The turn signal sound is different from 22 to 24
-The infotainment seems like it’s faster and less “laggy” in the 24
-I could swear they subtly redesigned the turn signal stalk
-The transmission seems to shift more crisp in the 24 vs my 22. Perhaps that’s an adaptive learning thing and time will tell.
-Oh, that glorious XL space! Even the under cargo area storage is huge compared to the short wheelbase.
-Programming the home link was lightening fast on the 24 vs what I recall was an ordeal on my 22
-No more owners manual! Instead you get a tiny book titled “Essential Operating and Safety information” with a QR code on the back to download the manual.

My buying experience was great and I was able to find a Twin Cities dealer to accept employee family plan discounting. That, coupled with about as good of financing as I could get these days, and tremendous positive equity I had in my Denali resulted in me hardly even increasing the original loan balance left on the 22.

More to follow: check back often!

-Front tint just like my 22 as seen in the photo for comparison
-Full clear bra, door edges, mirrors and a strip across the back bumper where my GSP likes to claw jumping up into the rear cargo area.
-My black winter rim and tire setup has been swapped over to the 24 but once spring rolls around, I think I’m going to ditch the factory GY Wranglers for some BFG AT KO2’s in 285/60/20 which is bigger in both width and height. I may downsize to some 18 inch rims and meaty sidewall tires but not 100% sure there yet.
 
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WalleyeMikeIII

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You hare pushin all my buttons...every 4-5 day's I kick myself for not ordering white...this is my first non-white Taho/Suburban/Yukon...I'm not unhappy, and got the color I got because it matches my boat...but..damn...some days I do miss the white.
 
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TrueAt1stLight

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You hare pushin all my buttons...every 4-5 day's I kick myself for not ordering white...this is my first non-white Taho/Suburban/Yukon...I'm not unhappy, and got the color I got because it matches my boat...but..damn...some days I do miss the white.
Your rig looks great too!!! Based on where I believe you live from comments on the forum, I'll be literally in town with you this weekend (my inlaws live there). Keep an eye out for my white land yacht AT4!
 

Jocko PDX

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Nice rig. I went from a 06 suburban to a 2023 Denali (not XL) and there is a tad bit less space. I would have opted for the XL but I frequently park in tight city garages and the parking is just too much of a hassle. I agree 100% with the 18" rims and larger sidewall. For the life of me I can't understand why wheel size would not be one of the options when buying a 90K SUV.. Makes no sense..
 

EvergreenZ71

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-Full clear bra, door edges, mirrors and a strip across the back bumper where my GSP likes to claw jumping up into the rear cargo area.
Did you do the A-posts / upper leading edge of the front doors and the leading portion of the roof? That’s where my last 3 vehicles all picked up chips (with clear bra installed in the traditional spots).

I’m not advocating clear bra the whole truck, but roadway surfaces aren’t maintained like they used to be.
 

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