Here's my new rig, 2020 GMD Sierra 1500 Denali, crew cab / standard box. 6.2L V8, 10-spd automatic, 3.23 rear end. I probably would not have chosen that color on a custom order but really liked it when I saw it. What kid doesn't dream of growing up and owning a red truck?
I had given strong consideration to the 3.0 Diesel, but in the end I got scared away by the Tier-IV emissions, DPF, oddball regen procedures and odors, etc. So far the 6.2L has been great and gives impressive gas mileage. Took it out to the mountains a couple weeks ago and got 21-23mpg on the highway over a couple hundred miles. That dropped to 19 when we climbed 4000' for some hiking, then recovered back to 22mpg on the ride home. The 6.2L motor has a heck of a lot more "authority" climbing the mountain than my last truck did with the 5.3L. Almost effortless in comparison. It's a real boss and doesn't seem to work hard like the 5.3L did.
I was apprehensive about the 3.23 rear end. My last truck had a tow package with 3.42 gears. But that one had a 6-spd automatic. When I looked at the ratios of the new 10-spd automatic, the overall gear ratio range with 10-spd transmission and 3.23 rear end eclipses the old truck with 6-spd and 3.42 rear end, both on the low end and the high end. So I expect towing to be slightly better than before, especially with the big torque increase of the 6.2L motor. We will see how it goes when I tow my first load of gravel in a few weeks. Towing capacity is about 500# lower than the last truck "on paper".
Probably the best thing I liked about GMC was the steering, handling, and ride on the Denali model. It has an adaptive suspension that adjusts to road conditions in realtime to soak up the bumps, firm up in corners, etc, and it rides real nice and corners surprisingly well for a truck. I'd say the rest of the truck is average, the interior is behind Ram, and the overall quality is average. Technology is average to above average but GMC has a smaller 8" screen than Ram. I haven't had any problems, but the interior and exterior materials are noticeably thinner/lighter than my last truck. Probably done for cost cutting and fuel savings. It feels more like car materials than truck materials now. Initial quality is good though.
I noticed a few interior trim pieces out of whack that took a push to align or snap into place, and this was common with GM, Ford, and Ram trucks I looked at. I know I might be pickier than most people (can't help it, I'm an engineer), but I find it surprising that these expensive trucks can go through assembly, quality control, dealer prep, etc, yet I as the customer am the person to notice and correct trim pieces that are out of whack. They just take a push or snap but it's surprising nobody else corrected it first.
Regarding shopping -- Ram was high on my list but inventory was a major problem. The local dealers had a good selection of short box trucks but standard box was impossible to find. They worked pretty hard to convince me that I really wanted short box, to the point where I got annoyed with the tactics. Salesman and sales manager just did not understand my cargo needs or how rulers work. I had no real complaint with Ford F-150, liked the engine options, and inventory was better, but found the interior dated, and didn't want to wait for the all-new model this fall. Once again, Toyota and Nissan were way the heck out of date and behind, to the point of being stale. I remember Toyota was outdated when I bought my last truck in 2014, and here we are 6 years later and they still have only done cosmetic refreshes. (I don't think Toyota even feels the need to compete -- they have their niche with customers who value Toyota quality/reliability over other factors).
Anyhow, 5 years ago I would have laughed at fancy trucks like this Denali -- it's kind of like carrying a tiny dog in your purse. Well, I guess I have softened up. I use my trucks hard, and it will be a shame to beat on this one when I carry building materials and do lots of towing, but in the meantime I sure enjoy the features and comfort. It will be a heck of a lot nicer for my daily commute than the old truck was.
Bad news, this one is about an inch too long to fit in my barn, so I will probably build a carport or garage when the weather cools off. I didn't care about leaving my old truck outside all the time (and it looked fine after 6 years -- only washed it once, a week before trading in), but this one is too nice and I feel guilty leaving it out. I at least want to keep it protected from the pine needles and pine sap that were always covering my old truck, so a carport will suffice. It's not much more effort to close it in though. I may do a pole barn construction and leave it open to start and put walls on later. Here, I can build to 256 sq.ft. without a permit and plan to do 12x24 exterior dimensions. Subtract out the posts and that gets me to 255.84 square feet and I won't have to waste time with the county building department. I don't have a problem dealing with them for residential structures, but for pole barns they are nothing but an impediment.
