Old Suburban Guy Hoping to Become a New Yukon Guy

[Fless]

Welcome to TYF from a Cheesehead by birth and a former resident of the South Suburbs!

 

[Bigkevschopshop]

Welcome, you deff have some decisions to make.

The new platform with the IRS suspension does not tow as well as the priors, the load carrying capacity of the suspension is just not there vs the live axle rear suspensions. Just saying from a towing standpoint the new model may not be as well versed as what you need here.

 

[MikeBoom]

Thank you for all your replies. I’ve reached out to a half dozen nearby GMC dealers and asked them for an price on an as-specified Yukon Denali, inclusive of delivery and dealer fees. In the past this has worked for me when shopping for vehicles that are in demand, so we’ll see what happens.

I’m in southwest Wisconsin and these are all small town dealers, who tend not to play a lot of games, but we’ll see. I’ve seen reports elsewhere in these forums of dealers tacking on ridiculously overpriced paint protection packages or the like once vehicles show up. I won’t play that game, but if there’s anything in particular I should watch for, please let me know.

I bought my latest Jeep in Prairie du Chien, WI and it was by far the easiest and most straightforward vehicle purchase I’ve ever made. I’m hopeful that I can find a GMC dealer of that ilk using this approach. Pray for me.

 

[MikeBoom]

Welcome, you deff have some decisions to make.

The new platform with the IRS suspension does not tow as well as the priors, the load carrying capacity of the suspension is just not there vs the live axle rear suspensions. Just saying from a towing standpoint the new model may not be as well versed as what you need here.

Thank you. I’m aware of that, but I still believe I’ll be well within the comfort/safety zone. The trailer I’m towing has a 3,400 lb. dry weight and is no more than 1,000 lbs. heavier than that when fully loaded with gear, water and propane. I use a weight distribution hitch, which also helps, and the Yukon itself will be loaded pretty lightly. The tongue weight of the trailer is rated at 525 lbs, but my scale shows it to be closer to 600 lbs.

I’ve actually towed it pretty comfortably over short distances with my Rubicon 4xe (370 hp/475 lb-ft of torque), but that’s clearly not the right setup for extended highway towing. The old Suburban 5.3 handles it well, but is somewhat underpowered. I would never take it in mountainous terrain.

I appreciate your help. Thank you.

 

[Bigkevschopshop]

Thank you. I’m aware of that, but I still believe I’ll be well within the comfort/safety zone. The trailer I’m towing has a 3,400 lb. dry weight and is no more than 1,000 lbs. heavier than that when fully loaded with gear, water and propane. I use a weight distribution hitch, which also helps, and the Yukon itself will be loaded pretty lightly. The tongue weight of the trailer is rated at 525 lbs, but my scale shows it to be closer to 600 lbs.

I’ve actually towed it pretty comfortably over short distances with my Rubicon 4xe (370 hp/475 lb-ft of torque), but that’s clearly not the right setup for extended highway towing. The old Suburban 5.3 handles it well, but is somewhat underpowered. I would never take it in mountainous terrain.

I appreciate your help. Thank you.

Yeah the 6 speed trans vs the 4 speed is a game changer, make sure you get towing package with trailer brake controller, that package also gets you deeper gears that help also with things, I tow 4 to 6k regulary with my 15 and it is much better everywhere than the older 4 speed 5.3 I had, the 6.2 L is a game changer also in the hills though and its fuel mileage towing is the same as the 5.3 strangely enough but works alot less. I can only imagine the 10 speed differences for towing with a 6.2, probably will be epic.

 

[MikeBoom]

Yeah the 6 speed trans vs the 4 speed is a game changer, make sure you get towing package with trailer brake controller, that package also gets you deeper gears that help also with things, I tow 4 to 6k regulary with my 15 and it is much better everywhere than the older 4 speed 5.3 I had, the 6.2 L is a game changer also in the hills though and its fuel mileage towing is the same as the 5.3 strangely enough but works alot less. I can only imagine the 10 speed differences for towing with a 6.2, probably will be epic.

Thanks. I’ll be watching for all that. It’s the way I’ve spec’d it to the dealerships I contacted this morning, but my experience has always been that I end up knowing more about the vehicles I’m looking at than the sales staff (“Oh, yeah…it’s got all that.”).
Our Suburban’s four-speed transmission does limit its towing capabilities. It’s an excellent vehicle, particularly for one nearing 200,000 miles, but a properly equipped new Yukon should be a huge leap ahead.

 

[petethepug]

Hey Mike, welcome aboard. You landed in the 07-14 section but it looks like your Burb is the previous Gen and you’re looking to purchase the latest Gen or 21+.

A few time stamps for ya on Denali…

* 07-09 has no cylinder deactivation (AFM). 09 forward has 2WD option.
* 2010+ loses a/c seats, Couchy seats begin to get firmer. All vehicles forward have AFM and vented only seats option.
* Next Gen 2015.5 gets unrefined 8 speed trans until 2018 10 sp arrives. Seats still getting firmer. Some clear coat issues still reported. All steering electric moving fore.
* 21 Tahoe gains 5” overall length + 10” legroom in 3rd row with new IRS over last Gen. Verify new seat design suits longer drives. Especially passengers.

 

[MikeBoom]

If you’re on the forum often you know that my Yukon showed up two months and one day from the date I placed the order. I’ve attached a couple of gratuitous photos of it, more or less clean (our wisconsin place is in the sticks, so it’s hard to keep it clean for more than a few minutes).

I am really loving the Yukon. It’s a huge beast, but the comfort and luxuries are really amazing. Though I’m already approaching the 3,000 mile mark, I’m still making some occasional discoveries as to its features. I have few criticisms. Yes, it’s big, but that’s the only way to achieve its full capabilities. And the gas mileage isn’t great, but again…think big. Overall, I’m getting about 15 mpg, and close to 20 in strictly highway driving.

Best of all, my wife really loves it. She’s one of the greatest moving vehicle sleepers of all time, and she can really catch some great naps when we‘re on the road. Between naps she’ll pull out her laptop and phone and do some work, and the Yukon seems perfect: it’s large enough for a laptop desk, and has wi-fi that works well. A recent few days saw us hauling our son’s two dogs around, and it was perfect, once I figured out that a pet barrier behind the second row seats was better than laying them all down.

My critiques are minor, mostly related to the fact that some controls are not as apparent as they should be (like activation of the Intellibeam automatic headlights, for example). However, overall, I’m loving this big beast.

 

[swathdiver]

If you’re on the forum often you know that my Yukon showed up two months and one day from the date I placed the order. I’ve attached a couple of gratuitous photos of it, more or less clean (our wisconsin place is in the sticks, so it’s hard to keep it clean for more than a few minutes).

I am really loving the Yukon. It’s a huge beast, but the comfort and luxuries are really amazing. Though I’m already approaching the 3,000 mile mark, I’m still making some occasional discoveries as to its features. I have few criticisms. Yes, it’s big, but that’s the only way to achieve its full capabilities. And the gas mileage isn’t great, but again…think big. Overall, I’m getting about 15 mpg, and close to 20 in strictly highway driving.

Best of all, my wife really loves it. She’s one of the greatest moving vehicle sleepers of all time, and she can really catch some great naps when we‘re on the road. Between naps she’ll pull out her laptop and phone and do some work, and the Yukon seems perfect: it’s large enough for a laptop desk, and has wi-fi that works well. A recent few days saw us hauling our son’s two dogs around, and it was perfect, once I figured out that a pet barrier behind the second row seats was better than laying them all down.

My critiques are minor, mostly related to the fact that some controls are not as apparent as they should be (like activation of the Intellibeam automatic headlights, for example). However, overall, I’m loving this big beast.

Great color Mike! With all the bells and whistles in these new cars, it takes some time to get through all the manuals to figure things out and set them up.

My folks are getting on in years and bought a new car and have no idea how half the stuff works and don't know tha the other half exists! I been reading up on it...