2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra - First Impressions

bowtielad

">I bought my 07 Silverado Z71 last month. It has the 6.0, 3.73 RE, 18" wheels, HD suspension and tow package. It also has the "Performance Series" package (basically stickers and hitch insert but it looks cool). I don't have ALL the bells and whistles that you have but it's still really loaded. I'm in total agreement with you...this thing is awesome. I've bought Chevy all my life and this truck is the best they've ever made. The other makes really need to up their game.

Bowtielad

paisan

Too bad it looks like GM killed the AWS versions of the Denali PU and Suburban and Yukon It was a great concept.

-mike

obyone

Very true. But being a $4k option not many takers. Even when GM reduced the price to $2k, they found very few takers. Guess when it came to spending the bucks on options many found buying the duramax with allison more justifiable than the AWS.

After years of driving pickups, GM included, I wished that all the manufacturers would have come out with this option.

bowtielad

Yeah...I pull a 33 ft camper and that would help backing and parking. I don't know why they stopped it. My good buddy is the garage shop foreman at my dealership...I'll ask him why they ceased making that option. My guess is they were sacrificing strength at the back axle and maybe some problems with allignment. They DO need to revisit this concept in the future.

-bowtielad (also a "mike")

paisan

Yeah I always thought it was an awsome concept. Probably a few years ahead of it's time on trucks. I think we'll also see independent rear suspensions make their way in Pickups in the next 10 years as well, at least in the 1500 series.

-mike

tsully

Saw it Wednesday evening. VERY VERY cool lookin!!
Getting it tomorrow. Can't wait. Oh by the way it's the
DENALI Sierra. I'll have the first one around here.. Talk more about it after I drive it. Troy

bowtielad

Congrats on the Denali...you're gonna love it.
Mike

tsully

Took delivery today. I am thoroughly impressed. To many good things to list. The best things of the vehicle is the entire vehicle!! I have no complaints. If there is one minor flaw....... wish there was one small place to put my cell phone in the dash. But I guess I will have to switch to Verizon so I can use the onstar phone. More practical using Verizon from a money stand point. Anyway.... What a cool, cool, cool, truck!! Oh, by the way-- I purchased the Sierra Denali. White (this white is really very white,I think the brightest white I've seen),6.2l,all wheel drive, 20 inch wheels, Navigation, heated steering wheel, sunroof, line-x, and an extended warranty (all that electronic stuff will need some help sometime). The truck drives really smooth. I can see well out of it. Just everything.....I like. See ya, Troy

skytop1

The GMC dealer pulled no punches when I placed my order. He told me not to expect it before at least 8 weeks. It is now almost 5 weeks. Funny, at my age, the time will pass plenty fast enough! ;-) The only thing I am concerned about is that the MPG won't be dismal. My last supercharged Ford truck exceeded the 12/17 mpg rating handily and I routinely received 19 mpg on the highway. I just don't want to be driving a vehicle that is a total gas slob. Mind you, the Denali will be my work truck and I absolutely need a prestige ride for business purposes. My other daily driver is a TDI diesel returning about 45 MPG. I just watched the excellent Edmunds video test on 1/2 ton '07 trucks and saw that the new Toyota truck returned only about 14 MPG. I hope I can at least see mileage at that level. Sorry to dwell on the fuel but for the past 30 years, I have watched the government and industry basically do NOTHING and I am exasperated at both their miserable irresponsible inactivity. My truck in 1974 got 14 MPG around town. My current 2004 truck gets about 13 MPG around town. Do the math and you can see why the gas industry and Arabs are laughing at us all the way to the bank.

johnmajor

Picked my Denali up yesterday also spec'd with everything except rear DVD.
The Onstar/Verizon thing is one of my pet hates! Why not put bluetooth in?
I dont want Onstar and to have to subscribe just to use my cellphone through the radio is a con IMHO!

The truck is all it aspires to be. Drives great and its a gem!
I added the oval sidestep an chrome gas cap! They do the job & look good!
Black Onyx and beige leather interior!
Ran 300 miles this weekend and according to the computer my average MPG is 21.3mpg. I'll check manually when I refill.

What a smooth engine!

skytop1

The dealer called me the other day to drop by and drive the new AWD Sierra Denali that had finally arrived. It was not the unit I ordered but I was eager to see one in person. In the AWD model, the unit sits high on 20" wheels. There was no side step or handle on the A pillar to aid getting in. The side step is an available option but for some reason, GM blockheads failed to make the driver side grab handle available. Guess they must all be pro basketball players. Very stupid and inconsiderate. All other makes have a handle.
The engine now has intelligent startup (like Mercedes!) so you just engage the starter for an instant and the computer cranks it till the engine fires. Sweet. The build looked good and the fit/finish was definitely improved big time over the old 2006 model. Switchgear felt good but I do miss a knob to set the temperature instead of the push, push, push, push rocker buttons. The A/C was suprisingly 'quiet' when set to high and cooled the truck rapidly. I won't miss the loud whooshing noise of my current truck's A/C. The dashboard is very handsome and a pleasure to view. The radio sounded just acceptable for an automobile Bose. There is a "ash tray" occupying valuable console space but the dealer said it was really a 'coin tray.' Nonsense and a waste of space. Too bad GM didn't put the power sockets in a more useful location. Now whatever you plug in will interfere with whatever you have on the console. Poor design for the ash tray and power sockets. The engine is a beast and the 6 speed transmission is an engineering masterpiece. I feel bad for all the Chevy and GMC guys who are buying '07's and still getting the clunky 4 speed. If they only knew what they were missing. I found the front grille to be lacking in die cast quality. It looked exactly like a Revelle plastic model toy grille...no kidding. Sitting in the pilot seat, the hood is IMMENSE and you have the feeling you're piloting a semi and not a pick up. It is difficult to see immediately in front of the truck. Make sure you know what is directly in front of you before you start moving forward. I only went around the block so I cannot state much about the driving experience only that it felt extremely smooth and the engine is responsive and torquey. The window sticker showed an EPA fuel rating of 13/19. Exxon CEO must be doing a dance on the board room conference table. Doors closed with authority and openings where wide and easy to negotiate. I was favorably impressed by my brief time with the Denali. I look forward to the delivery of my unit in a few weeks.

dutchbros154

I get my Sierra Denali in about two weeks. Its black on black and I have already ordered Superchips, Intake, exhaust and 24" wheels. I just sold my 2007 Sierra new body crewcab loaded on ebay to get this Denali. I cant wait. Congrats to everyone who is getting one or already has it. It is truly the nicest truck on the road "In my opinion". My dealer only orders one Sierra Denali per year so I should have the only one around....at least for now!!

johnmajor

Had mine about 2 weeks now with about 1,000 miles on it.
Loaded except for rear DVD.

The instrument cluster lighting is not good. Unless you turn on the headlights and crank the instrument lights to max the clusters are very hard to read, oil, fuel, temp, battery etc.

The cup holders are useless. To put a cup in the holders which sit directly in front of the main armrest the handles have to be pointed inward. So getting the cup in and out is a chore.

The Bose audio system is excellent, with the disc player reading all formats and mp3's displaying all parts of track and title..nice touch.

Radio capabilities are great!

Nav is solid with very good detail.

Still working out the engine. If you use plain "D" drive it runs mainly in 5th gear and about town I'm getting 13.4mpg.

Bring the transmission into manual mode and select the gear you really want and it revs a little higher and seems more fuel economic.

The truck drives and handles way beyond any truck I have driven. Suspension is astounding with the 20" wheels and factory suspension upgrade.

Great interior, very comfortable, heated steering wheel is great, heated washers are very clever. Hit the button for heated washers, it will flash for a minute and all of a sudden hot fluid is sprayed on the windshield and the wipers clean the glass. Took thin ice off first shot!

Got to say the dealer I have, knows nothing about the intricasies of the truck so its all research to find out about this & that!.

Great truck with some niggling little things they should have got right!

skytop1

A suggestion on your 24" wheels. The massive weight of 24" wheels and tires will absolutely ruin the ride and feel of your truck. You will pay much in $ and ride/handling in exchange for your 'look.' Best of luck with your bad boy black new truck!

skytop1

You are the first to mention difficulty in reading the instrument cluster. I don't recall the cluster instruments being dark. Are you saying that during the daytime, the cluster is 'dark' and hard to read? How is it during twilight time (around the time the sun sets and just after?) Does turning on the running lights illuminate the cluster sufficiently? Must you put on the main headlights to get the instruments to illuminate? Thanks.

johnmajor

Are you saying that during the daytime, the cluster is 'dark' and hard to read?

Yes, particulary the accessory gauges. But Speedometer & Revs are also dark.

Turning on the running lights makes no difference.

You have to go to full headlights to illuminate the cluster.

See the GMC website for the night light on the interior shots. Night operation is ok but daytime is terrible!

http://www.gmc.com/sierra900/denali/

skytop1

Went to the GMC site and checked out all the interior instrument cluster pics. Don't really see what you are referring to but I believe that you are on to something. I will stop at dealer and look at the Denali SUV's on the floor which have the identical dash instrument cluster.My truck is about 2 weeks away and I won't be making any changes. Hope this is not an issue since my last truck had extremely bad instrument illumination-visibility problems for about 30 minutes around twilight. You could not even read the speedo and in the school zones (winter), heaven help you if you exceed the 20 mph speed limit.

johnmajor

Same problem for me. Several school zones and a few mph above the 20mph and you are done!
The speedo is not that accurate either!

skytop1

I'll stop at the GMC dealer tomorrow and post my reply to this issue. You stated you were getting 13.8 mpg. Ouch. Not good. My current crew cab truck is returning 14.8 around town. The big 6.2L engine does not have the cylinder deactivation feature and so all Denali's (and Caddy Escalades) must suffer with truly disgraceful mpg. My other vehicle is a diesel sedan yielding 45 MPG. Nice.

johnmajor

With the DRL's on you can illuminate the instrument lights.

The system allows you to switch off the DRL's and then you lose instrument lighting.

The gas MPG is 13.5mpg after about 1,000 miles.

skytop1

Have you tried running on lower octane fuel for some savings? The engine has a very sophisticated and fast knock sensor that will retard the ignition should any preignition knock be present. You cannot damage the engine with moderately lower octane. Most manufacturers now make their engines compatible with lower octane fuels since fuel quality and octane ratings greatly vary around the country and globe. The only time you actually need higher octane is when you are placing a load demand on the engine. For routine driving which rarely demands performance (for a sensible driver), you would not require "premium fuel." 13.5 MPG is really at the low end of what I would hope for. Your engine will surely do better once it is broken in.

dagolfer

I am responding to your comment about the accuracy of the speedometer. I run a lap top computer in the truck which has a satellite positioning system and indicates your speed as determined by the satellites. On my truck, the GPS and the speedometer are identical.

johnmajor

Well the speedometer is in marked 10 mph increments.

I ran mine against my Garmin 76CSX and between 20-40mph its off by up to 7mph

Between 40-60mph it varies up to 12mph off.

The garmin I use is 12 channel and as accurate as most.

ccase

Picked up my LTZ EXT 2WD 5.3 3.43 rear end 2 weeks ago. Man is this a nice truck. I had a 99 Silverado that i though was nice. Well I have 600 mi on it and adverage between 17.5 and 18 mpg. 25% city 75% country roads, rolling hills and twisties(Portland/Salem OR area)I. was on flat back roads the other day and the average was 20.1 mpg at 55 mph till I hit Newberg. It was in 4 cyc mode, totally seamless from 4 to 8 cyc. couldnt tell the differance.On a rainy day checked out the stab controll and locking differancal.On a wet hill off a stop sign,my 99 would allways spin the inside tire. I gun it, the inside started to slip the stab cont cam on for a sec and I launched up the hill. No rattles or noises,shifting so smooth.I must have gotten a good one.

johnmajor

It was in 4 cyc mode, totally seamless from 4 to 8 cyc. couldnt tell the differance

What tells you, if you can't tell the differance, that you are in 4 cylinder mode?

Serious question & not being smart etc

KCRam

There's a dashboard indicator that shows when you're in 4-cylinder mode.

kcram - Pickups Host

inthebiz

on Thursday. I used to be a regular poster on this site. Went by Bowtieman1. Good to be back. Just traded my 03 silverado, Z71 ext cab on a 07 Sierra Crew cab, 5.3, 4wd, all the toys. I have wanted the new body style since I saw it last April. This is my 5th GM, truck and by far the best. The interior styling is the best in the market and the exterior styling is more "truck like" than before and much more appealing. The build quality is much better than previous models. So far the only item I wish it had was a blue tooth feature for my cell phone. Best truck I have owned so far. Glad GM did this one right.

stephie1

I am also coming close to making a decision about the Denali. I have a 97 Sierra 1500 Off Road now, it has never given me any problems except for battery/start... apparently the battery terminals have a tendency to loosen and every once in awhile you get no start...that really sucked trying to figure out the simple solution as tightening my battery terminals! Replaced the starter, batteries, alternator.... only to find out it was the friggin battery terminals. But other than that the truck has been a dream....always get compliments and even now strangers approach me to sell it because it is in excellent shape and still looks fantastic.

So, I am wondering what everyone is paying for the Denali. I saw on Edmunds true market value or what others are paying/invoice that the Denali loaded with everything including the 20 in wheels, heated steering wheel, and sunroof (no nav) is $40,500, minus a current $1000 rebate if I do a trade in. So I'm thinking that according to that, I am a sucker to pay over $40,000 for this vehicle, right?

Has anyone used a car buying service? I have USAA and am hoping they will land me a sweet deal!

bigjosh

I just ordered my 07' Sierra Denali, I also have USAA, but I also have GM Employee Pricing, so I went with that instead. Let me tell you that USAA pricing is VERY GOOD! I found non better except the GMS Pricing.

I used USAA for the financing 5.34%. I went for the 2WD-Loaded, except for Block Heater, and Cargo Management System.
It has a 6 week lead time, and GM is no longer shipping with the Sierra Denali 20" rims. They are out of stock completely and will offer substitutes instead.

Thanks

skytop1

$40K for a Denali is the cheapest price you are going to find for a brand new piece. The $1000. rebate puts you under the 40 mark. Look at the Chevys and you will see that the LTZ's are selling for over the 40 mark. They are nothing close to the GMC Denali with the better engine and the new 6 speed transmission. If you feel uncomfortable paying the going discounted rate, wait a while till the summer and try to pick up a used demo model.

tsully

Here's what I bought and the dollars.
07 Sierra Denali
msrp 47,300 + 380(line-x) + 1420(gm 100000 warranty)=49100
49100- 19500(trade)-1000(incentive)-1000(incentive)= 27600
27600 - 9000(downpayment)- 3200(dealer reduced) = 15400
So I financed 15400 at 2.9%(incentive) rate.
I know the incentives are not the same now as they were when I bought mine. The dealer and I really worked hard to get the deal complete by April 3 because that's when the known incentives ended. We got it done.
The truck: White color, all wheel drive, 6.2l, 6 speed trans, heated steering wheel, 20inch wheels, navigation,and sunroof.
Likes: power, smooth ride, all the conveniences,looks,nav, I really like that navigation. All the compliments!
Dislikes: there isn't a place to lay my phone in the dash.
That's it.
Troy

rockylee

I think the 08' or 09's will have the 2-Mode hybrid option won't they ? That would be the GMC Sierra Denali Truck I'd buy if I don't buy anything else first.

Rocky

tsully

I think you're going to be right on that statement. I can only see gasoline increasing in price. The two mode is all ready out there isn't it? In the Denali? Not sure which vehicle it is but it's there. GMC will have to have some kind of incentive to make me get trade mine in. That two mode thing will probably be it. Does make a lot of sense too. If they keep going with all the new innovations we will probably see a prerecorded exhaust sound. Just so we know it's a truck and can "feel" like we have all that power! Troy

tsully

Sure wish there was a "REFRESH" button to click. This would enable keeping up with recent posts.
Troy

rockylee

2-Mode Hybrid

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-Mode_Hybrid

Rocky

lions

If your 1997 is still in nice shape i strongly suggest that you keep your 1997 because the new trucks aren't as reliable as the older ones, I had a 1988 and had to have the 2002 big mistake lots of problems and headaches yes the new trucks look nice and ride super but if i could go back in time i would have kept my 1988 it is a rock. My current truck besides from pulling to the right engine knock, oil consumtion,fog lamp lens falling off, radio speaker,heated mirriors,tail gate straps, steering box, etc etc sorry i love my old 88 my 02 if it weren't for the ride i shoot it:) Good luck with your new truck get the extended warrenty and make sure your dealser has a very good service manager half of my problems were from the serive manage not doing his job. Good Luck Lions

skytop1

Lions:
Sounds like you don't maintain your vehicle.
Pulls to the right? Ever hear of doing an alignment? Engine knock? Bet you fail to properly change your oil/filter. Fog lamp falling off? Every drive through the brush or care to check bolt tightness? Folks like you whine about their vehicles but fail to take due dilligence and recognize the value in maintaining their machines.

jsorensen

Last week I went to order my new 2007 Sierra 1/2 ton and the dealer said GM wasn't allowing any more orders for 2007 models. However, they talked to the district manager and the order went through on Thursday. They say it will take 6 weeks. Hopefully, they have some cash back or 0% interest when it arrives. I'm doing my part to bring GM back! I'm looking forward to the 6.0 engine, leather seats/heat/mirrors, etc. This is going to be a sweet truck.

jsorensen

Which engine did you get? How close to the msrp and invoice price did you pay? Any cash back or 0% interest. How's the mpg? Did you get the rear backup sensors? How about the trailering package? Thanks.

croos1

I ordered a Sierra denali on 4/21 and my dealer hasn't said a thing about not being able to place it. He did say that he would not be able to place it after 5/10. $500.00 under invoice plus all incentives at the time of arival at the dealership. Sweet

jsorensen

I'm not getting that good of a deal. Invoice + $500, less any cash incentives at time of arrival. Buying from a relative so I'm not dealing much.

spudsrutkowski

Hi i'm thinking about buying a Silverado and i was wondering what features of the Silverado you would've liked to have had and which ones you can't live without when you bought yours?

1offroader

spuds - If you are going to do any semi-serious offroading you need the 4x4 with Z71 pkg. The Z71 has the skid plates, gas shocks, stiffer sway bar. I was in the desert a couple weeks ago and got to try out my skid plates. Nothing heavy, but just enuf to demonstrate their value and provide some extra peace of mind. OTOH, if your truck will never see anything worse than a slippery boat ramp or snowy road, skid plates aren't necessary. Or maybe you don't even need 4x4, either.

The 6.0L mill is great so far. Most people don't realize that it has the performance of the Corvette motor just a couple years ago. I am impressed with the power and can recommend it.

I ordered my truck. I figured I'd save a few bucks and get an aftermarket hitch, but factoring in my time it's not much of a saving, and I still don't have my hitch installed. I wish I had gone ahead and ordered the factory pkg. with the trailer hitch.

Other than that, the truck is just what I wanted, no compromises. If you can afford to pay a little more, you might want to order your truck. That way you get exactly what you want.

1offroader

terrencem72

Thats a very good deal. I got my Denali for about $150 below invoice, but the invoice sheet was $475 higher than edmunds listing because of an advertising fee. It was a real GM invoice sheet and apparently its a legit thing, but it is the first time I've seen it. Luckily, I had a $1000 loyalty offer mailer, $1000 gmc customer rebate, $1000 gm trade-in bonus and 36 mo of 0% financing.

I ordered mine in January and got it at the end of March. The dealership had another one on the lot when I went back two weeks ago, so I don't know why some dealers are getting them and others are not. Its a sweet ride with a lot nice touches. About the only complaint is the how the nav/radio screens lock out after 5mph.

lions

Skytop:
Yes in the past year no BS Chevy did 8 alignments all came back within spec. Proper care and maint has been done on my truck with only 45,000 miles on it. Engine knock like a rock do you hear toyota knocking ( i hope not) All in all i have all maint records that would make you sick if you read my post a good service manage will listen to you i had one that stuck his head in the sand and did GM a disservice to GM and hard working people of this country. I take pride in my truck and its in show room condition , again we all need Good Service manager that care about there customers. PS never been off road or thru the brush. No pun intended but all the problems with my truck was related too a POOR Service manager. Which my chev garage has finally seen the light and fixed 90% of the problems. Pulling was due to poor workmanship in the tires, fix all four brand new tires no pulling. No whine here!! mabey some glasses are in the future.

inthebiz

The clock display on my nav unit is a little off center to the left, when the radio is off. Does anyone else see this or is yours centered on the display?

tsully

My clock on my nav unit is all the way to the right. Doesn't matter what mode it's in or even off. Stays all the way to the right. Do you have the dvd based nav? I don't have a dvd system so maybe the navs have different locations for the clock. I wish the clock was on the dash instead or in the instrument panel. My clock is to little.

skytop1

Yea, having a little clock can be a bummer.

ktpkloss

i was test driving silverado today... i asked the salesman about different 4wd modes... and was told by him that driving on "auto" in "normal" driving conditions is not advisable as it's "not good" for the 4wd system... what's the story on it? do you use it only when anticipating bad weather or other conditions when 4wd may help? my "common sense" tells me that driving on "auto" is exactly the same as driving on 2wd, but with the electronic system enabled to turn 4wd on when needed....so it shouldn't really matter, and i should be able to leave it on auto all the time... some enlightement on this subject would be appreciated

skytop1

I just saw my new Denali pu today. It has NAV as well as the DVD center. The clock readout is reasonably centered on the screen with easily legible/sized numerals with a light blue background when the radio is off. When you turn on the radio, the clock readout moves to the top right of the screen and reduces in size.