Comparison between GMC 1500 Sierra Denali and my 1794

Today I went to a GMC dealer thinking about trading my 1794 for Denali. (Being fearful of my engine) Here is my take on the GMC. The drivers seat bottom was way to short and does not have the extender bolster like on my 1794. The ride is harsh but more truck like than the Toyota. The motor feels strong but much louder inside the cab than my 1794. ( I have my fake engine noise turned off). The GMC transmission is always trying to find a different gear and the shifts are not as smooth as in the Toyota. One thing that the GMC has over the Toyota is the quality of the leather and the truck feels more robust and better put together. For now I have decided to keep my Toyota.

 

Gm seats weren’t comfortable, no way , lol

paging @DrZoidberg

But ya tundra rides way better

 

At least Toyota recalled their motors for full replacement. GM on the other hand had just covered their eyes with continuous lifter failures and transmission issues.

 

It's entirely your call but I chose Toyota over everything else. I could have bought whatever I wanted but I chose Toyota due to their incredible reliability and quality.
GM will never get another penny from me. The last GM vehicle I had was a 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix. Bought new, had it 2 months and the intake warped. Did the dealer honor the warranty? Hell no. Took it to a different dealer, same thing. Finally took it to a 3rd dealer, same story. Called the corporate office, was on hold for hours, got names of people to contact. They were apparently phantoms because they never happened to be in.
Anyway, GM will never get another penny from me.
I'm not real big on the other 2 either.

 

I thought I was purchasing a sierra denali until I test drove the Toyota. The Denali was put together with more substantial materials, interior and exterior. Sheet metal was thicker, suspension seemed beefier, interior materials were nicer, build quality seemed a bit better. But it looked dated, needing a refresh. The motor was plenty strong, but around town felt heavy and sluggish. The tranny searched a lot for gearing. One of the key factors for me was my 1794 was $10k less out the door for the same options. I was willing to pay the bigger price tag if I liked it more, but couldn’t rationalize the extra $$ for no perceived additional value. GM has issues with that 6.2L motor, and has a letter out to some owners they will replace it. Good friend had his seize up at 16k miles, sat in the shop for 3 months waiting for a resolution. I am still on the fence coming from 6 new Rams in a row if I should have stuck with the new Ram, but I am good with my decision of Tundra over Denali.

 

I own a 2.5 Gen tundra and I like it far better than all 3 GM trucks I owned.

2017 GMC Sierra Elevation- Cylinder 6 collapsed and spun camshaft at 60,001 miles (just outside the warranty) dealer worked down repair coast from $3,800 to $1,800

2015 Silverado 1500 Z71 LT - All cylinders failed/collapsed etc this one was catastrophic requiring a full 100% rebuild $8,000 and after it was rebuilt the lifters started to fail again. All of this also occurred right at 60,000 miles

2013 Silverado 1500 LTZ- no engine or transmission problem however everything else imaginable broke/failed repeatedly I was nickel and domed to death.

sure all 3 of those trucks looked far nicer than the tundra and drove/road way better too. That being said the tundra isn’t terrible either but the quality is just there and the reliability as well. I’ll trade all the creature comforts and smooth driving and good looks for reliability any day of the week. I don’t regret my decision. When I buy a truck I expect a truck that will last hundreds of thousands of miles (see older pre 2007 GM trucks) and this tundra will absolutely do it. I’ve got 115k problem free miles.

 

GM wouldn't warranty that first one at 1 mile over the powertrain warranty?

Thats beyond bullshit

 

Negative sir the dealer actually doesn’t have control over it (GM thing I suppose) they have to get corporate approval for all warranty work. So the dealer took a loss on their end and helped me out. It still sucked but saved $2,000

 

I can 2nd that. Last GM I had as a commuter blew the turbo and engine seals hundreds of miles out of warranty. GM offered me a free year of OnStar to "help with my future towing needs". I band aided the POS and traded it in on a Camry to a dealer that did not test drive trade ins

 

I’d love to see a class action lawsuit on their motors actually go somewhere I want my money back lol. Good on getting the Camry they’re stellar! My dad had a 2003 Camry thing ran like a sewing machine.

 

It's weird how some manufacturers seem to get it right for part of their vehicles and then get it wrong in other areas of the same vehicle. I was a big Nissan fan up until around 2009. My first 2 cars were both Nissan Sentras. 1985 & 88. Both vehicles were freaking unstoppable, incredible reliability and quality. Both were close to 400,000 miles and were great vehicles. Had a 2003 Frontier after that. Wife had an Xterra. Again both were very reliable and great vehicles.
Seems as though when Carlos Gohn took over, they went from producing top quality vehicles to producing crap.
If Toyota would produce a 1 ton HD truck, that would be my next vehicle more than likely. I absolutely LOVE my Tundra.

 

That's a shame how the big 3 have been just so bad for decades. It's really something that they are still in business. Guess there are still enough people to buy their crap.

 

Yes there are plenty of people to buy them. Personally I come from a GM family.

It’s worth noting that the big 3 make their HD trucks to a significantly higher standard reaching Toyota quality and reliability.

The 1/2 ton trucks have been throw aways from all big 3 since the 2007 MY.

 

Yep, my FIL was a big GM guy until his passing. Was a UAW union rep until he wasn't. Great guy.
Anyway, I didn't know that about the HD trucks. I stereotyped them as being junk too.

 

That’s the big secret lol if you want a quality big 3 truck you gotta go HD. That was my biggest regret not getting an HD truck (gas)

 

Well, it's pretty interesting how things come to be. I recently came back from a trip to the NW. I lived in Oregon for my senior year in HS and haven't been back since. I had forgotten just how magnificent that region is. The mountains covered in forest as far as the eye can see and right next to the ocean.
Anyway, long story short (er), I'm seriously considering selling the house and moving up there. I want a truck camper for my Tundra but am having trouble finding one that is large enough for me and doesn't overload it.
So, shifting gears a bit, now I'm looking at getting a 1 ton HD truck. As much as I LOVE my Tundra....I'm thinking a 1 ton would be the way to go.
I have a tendency to opt for overengineered stuff. Having grown up always having to make due with cheap crap that always broke.
So.....hmmmmm......do I dare turn my focus to a Ford? Or similar such truck?
Hmmmmm......

 

Personally I’d go for the Silverado 3500 if you need a 1 ton and want better drivability and comfort. Ford and Dodge 3/4 and 1 tons have a solid axle up front FYI. The new 6.6 gasser from GM and the 7.3 “Godzilla” gasser from ford are where it’s at. If you get a gas HD from dodge they WILL have the cylinder deactivation crap. If you’re looking for a good diesel go with the duramax or the Cummins imo.

 

Good write up GMC makes a nice truck but I'll keep my 1794 too

 

Very cool man! Thank you for the advice! I like the idea of a gas engine over a diesel for my needs. I'm not going to be pulling 5th wheel trailers with tanks on them. That's cool and all but they're just not what I need. More expensive to repair and maintain and fuel so, gas is as you say where it's at. I'll start looking at those. Thanks again!

 

Let's be real here. They didn't recall it because they wanted to, but because they had to. Look at the hybrids that have the same failures and have not been recalled. No manufacturer is going to do a recall unless forced by regulators.

 

True. But this shit with GM has been happening since the introduction of DOD 15 years ago. At what point, and who’s determining it’s not a legit issue?

 

thats when I jumped ship. Kept my 05 as long as possible and got the tundra over 2yrs ago. Gen3 LS reliability is long gone

 

Very true mine blew up at 121K and the trany got smoked at 135K.

 

They’re still dog shit. Had the 6.2 Yukon rental not long ago . Seats were trash, engine was fun.

 

Recalls are about safety, not about reliability.
"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that a safety recall is issued if either the manufacturer or the NHTSA determines that a vehicle or its equipment pose a safety risk or do not meet motor vehicle safety standards."
Lots of car manufacturers have engine issues that don't get recalled because they're not a safety concern. That's why Tundra hybrid was not recalled, because even if the engines seizes, it can still drive with the electric motor to get it off the highway and onto the shoulder, gas only Tundra can't do that and it can be stranded in the middle of the highway and I think that is enough of a safety concern to have it recalled. I'm guessing that whatever issues GM trucks have, they're not severe enough to pose a safety risk and that's why they weren't recalled. Those kind of issues are addressed with TSBs and/or extended warranty, but that's at the manufacturer's discretion, it's not something that the regulators will get involved with, unless it's a safety issue.
I know you're not happy with that and neither am I but that's the way it is. Giving more power to regulators is an option, see EU, but that usually comes with it's own set of problems.

 

I had a 22 F-150 with a drivetrain shudder among others assorted problems. The dealer determined that the transmission was faulty, but Ford would not allow the dealer to replace it. The Ford was a thorn in my side and it had to go.

I narrowed my choices for another truck to a Denali with the baby Duramax and a Tundra. I was leaning toward the Denali even though I knew the 10 speed in the GM was co-developed with Ford. While at the gas station one day, a guy pulled in behind me in a new Denali and I asked him how he liked his truck. He told me liked it very well, but he needed to get it checked out at the dealer because it had a shudder in the drivetrain.

I’m driving a Tundra now and I couldn’t be happier.

 

I own a 6.2 Hi-Country Silverado that just went down with the lifter collapse that's been bugging GM. 62,000 miles. Been eyeing the Tundra Platinum and GMC Denali for next truck, but after this problem with lifters and after studying find out many gm owners have suffered with this problem. Plus first few years my truck was in and out of the dealers with transmission issues. After seeing this thread and a few others, I believe my next truck will be a Tundra. Just as soon as I get back the Silverado and trade it in.

 

I think you'll like the Tundra and deals to be had...I come from a GM family and I would do a 2500 Duramax but 1500 the new Tundra is pretty sweet

 

We test drive all of those (2024 Ford Lariat with the 5.0) and will end up ordering a Sierra 1500 SLT with the 6.2L and Max Tow package.

The GM seats were definitely stiffer but not uncomfortable for us. We felt the Ford seats in the Lariat and higher trims were the most comfortable.

We anticipate GM may still have lifter issues but the 6.2L received a new long block part number in ~ March 2024 I believe. But a new 6.2L long block only costs about $2,700 brand new. Compared to the V35-FTS, the L87 is at least 10 times less expensive from a parts cost perspective.

As for the harsh ride, I think that's because of the 22 inch wheels in the Denali. The 1500 SLT with the 20 in tires felt far less harsh than the Denali with the 22 inch wheels.

We felt GM's transmission programming was the best compared to Ford and Toyota. You also figure it's probably easier to program a transmission to match the linear power delivery curve of a naturally aspirated engine.