New to Chevy/GMC

[NT1978]

Hi all, I am new here and wanted to introduce myself and had some questions for everyone here. I have had 2 straight 2nd Gen Toyota Sequoias (2009 model and 2015 model Limited Trim) and have loved having them. They have good resale and have been extremely reliable with no surprise repairs and have great 2nd and 3rd row room. I also like that the 2nd and 3rd rows fold completely flat for hauling pretty much anything. I was considering getting the new Gen Sequoia but the funky tiered trunk and 3rd row are a dealbreaker and have been researching other options. In doing my research the Tahoe (and Yukon) really stand out and I had a few questions for everyone.

1. I do 95% city driving and was curious if there was an engine option you would recommend. I did some preliminary calculations on the diesel engine but believe it will not save much money at the end of the day given diesel costs 90 cents to a dollar more where I live compared to regular gas. Regarding the 5.3 vs 6.2, I am leaning toward the 5.3 as I don't need to tow anything. THoughts?

2. From an exterior perspective, I am leaning toward the Tahoe, and the features most important to me would be leather seats, power folding 2nd and 3rd row seats, 2nd row bench seat option, and power folding mirrors. Would the LT trim with a Luxury package be the best path? I do like the rims and look of the RST.

3. Do any of the trims include power folding running boards, or is that something to get aftermarket?

4. Are there ever deals under MSRP on new Tahoes or Yukons?

5. If I wanted to custom build one, how long might that take?

6. What is your favorite thing about the Tahoe/Yukon?

 

[TollKeeper]

This month could possibly be the best to get a Tahoe/Yukon.. But only if its dealer stock. No dealer wants to pay taxes on a truck rolling into 2024.

Otherwise, coming out of strike, inventories are likely low. So no deals may be available currently.

Personally, I would not touch any Gasoline engine from GM right now. Either the 3.0 Diesel, or I dont buy. Plenty of threads on the forums here about the 5.3/6.2 lifter issues. GM said the issue has been resolved, but my local Chev/GMC dealers are seeing the same problems on the 2024 models.

You said 95% city.. But the idea of diesel would be the miles. If you arent driving enough miles in each driving event for the SCR system to get up to temp, than a diesel is a no go. There are some here that say they have not had issues. Just what I know of the modern CBD (Clean Burning Diesel), they dont like to not be run to operating temp infrequently.

My favorite thing about the Tahoe/Yukon on the current gen is the Diesel and HUD.. Otherwise I hate them. They dont make the seats big enough for us FAT Americans anymore.

 

[StephenPT]

Welcome! I'm also here because I was disappointed in the Sequoia redesign. My family of 7 was in a Honda Pilot and it was time to get something bigger. We loved the legroom and spaciousness of the Sequoia cabin, but it didn't offer much more cargo volume than the Pilot. Knowing a redesign was around the corner we waited and were 100% disappointed in the redesign. You know the rest...

We turned our attention to other brands and it was between the Expedition Max or Suburban/Yukon XL. We ended up finding an SLE Yukon XL, Diesel, 9-seat config, Tow Pkg and it just now turned 1 year old w/ 10K miles. We LOVE the spaciousness of the cabin, cargo volume, smooth ride and the fuel efficiency of the diesel is out of this world (32-33mpg on long road trips).

Sounds like an LT trim with some packages/options will meet your needs. Rims can be swapped at the dealer - if there's other things about the RST that you like, then go for it, but if you just want the rims don't let that drive you to a different trim level.

Higher level trims have power running boards as an option or part of a package. Not sure if you can get them on an LT, but I'm certain you can get them on a Premier or High Country.

Deals are 100% dealer dependent. GM hasn't offered any corporate level discounts on these SUVs for the last few years. Maybe a discount comes in the future, but they are selling too quickly for GM to bother offering any incentives.

Talk to the different dealers in your area. See if they have any incoming inventory that matches your specs. Custom ordering is an option, but do know that if you go this route you might wait a long time or it might come quickly. It's entirely dependent on the dealer and their allocations from GM. Just because you place an order, doesn't automatically put you in the production line. You have to first wait for your dealer to get an allocation that they use towards your order and then your order starts to move. We went down the custom order route with a smaller dealer and had no movement for 9 months. Ended up calling around and found a Yukon that matched our specs. It was available so I bought a one-way plane ticket and drove it home.

 

[NT1978]

Thanks for the input. I have read about the issues with the active management system and the lifters. Does anyone have data on what percent of customers experience this issue? Also, are there plans to address this for the 2025 refresh?

One other question. If you get a 2nd row bench seat, does that slide forward and backward?

 

[OR VietVet]

Welcome to the forum from Oregon

 

[StephenPT]

Thanks for the input. I have read about the issues with the active management system and the lifters. Does anyone have data on what percent of customers experience this issue? Also, are there plans to address this for the 2025 refresh?

One other question. If you get a 2nd row bench seat, does that slide forward and backward?

No data, but considering the high market share GM has with these SUVs and that this forum is overall pretty quiet, I don't think the failure rate is "high." It's certainly higher than it should be and it's stranded more than a few people, but hopefully by now they have it sorted out. I don't believe there's any changes planned for the gas V8s. The L84 and L87 will continue on in the '25 refresh. There is a 6th generation V8 in development, but we likely won't see that until the full-size SUVs get a complete redesign (2028 maybe?).

Yes, the 2nd row bench has ~5" of travel. It's split 60/40 and the 40 is on the passenger side.

 

[NT1978]

Thanks. I checked CR and it showed a lot of issues in 2021 and 2022 but not as many reported in 2023 with the engines. Just curious. Are there not as many issues with the Diesel engine? Also, if the cost savings are a wash, what is the primary draw of the diesel engine for those who have it? I have never considered diesel and am not sure how many gas stations usually carry it.

 

[StephenPT]

The diesel has been very reliable. Especially considering it was launched in ‘20 and doesn’t have as long of a track record as the gas engines. There were a few early model hiccups, but I can’t think of anyone on this forum that has had their entire diesel engine replaced. There’s dozens of threads on this forum of gas engines being replaced.

GM designed the emissions system to be as “behind the scenes” as possible. There’s no indication of DPF filter status or when a regen is taking place. If you don’t let it regen fully a message will come up on the display telling you to drive longer to complete the regen process. That said, and as Toll Keeper mentioned, if you’re frequently short tripping it, that’s not great for it long term. Gas engines are more tolerant to frequent idling and short trips.

 

[NT1978]

The diesel has been very reliable. Especially considering it was launched in ‘20 and doesn’t have as long of a track record as the gas engines. There were a few early model hiccups, but I can’t think of anyone on this forum that has had their entire diesel engine replaced. There’s dozens of threads on this forum of gas engines being replaced.

GM designed the emissions system to be as “behind the scenes” as possible. There’s no indication of DPF filter status or when a regen is taking place. If you don’t let it regen fully a message will come up on the display telling you to drive longer to complete the regen process. That said, and as Toll Keeper mentioned, if you’re frequently short tripping it, that’s not great for it long term. Gas engines are more tolerant to frequent idling and short trips.

Thanks Stephen. Yes I average around 30 miles a day on my Sequoia and maybe once a month I drive it on the highway for up to a couple hours. It sounds like a gas engine would be a better option. With that in mind, are the 5.3 and 6.2 fundamentally the same design approach except one is more powerful and requires premium fuel while the other is less powerful and has slightly greater MPGs?

 

[mplunk]

Thanks Stephen. Yes I average around 30 miles a day on my Sequoia and maybe once a month I drive it on the highway for up to a couple hours. It sounds like a gas engine would be a better option. With that in mind, are the 5.3 and 6.2 fundamentally the same design approach except one is more powerful and requires premium fuel while the other is less powerful and has slightly greater MPGs?

You've pretty much hit the nail on the head.

I can say having owned both 5.3 and 6.2 vehicles, there's definitely a noticeable difference. The 5.3 is perfectly adequate, and with as little as you drive it on the highway is perfect for your use case, especially if MPGs are a focus (Not that either of them are that efficient considering you're driving a house on wheels). The 6.2 has a lot more "get up" on the highway especially, and for towing (which I do a lot) it's an absolute must. On the flip side, I only see 14-15 mpg around town. So it's a tradeoff.

I considered a diesel for the long distance MPG benefits, but my commute daily is only 2 miles, and I read that is hell for diesel engines because it doesn't come close to operating temperature- diesels are meant to be run longer.