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Comments
1. No power door lock switch by the liftgate.
2. No keyhole on the liftgate.
3. Removal of the Denali insignia from the doors.
4. Change to the standard Yukon headrests rather than Denali specific.
5. Elimination of the chrome bezel from the exhaust pipe.
6. Elimination of the 2 way lid on the console.
7. Elimination of the lighter jacks on the back of the console.
8. Elimination of some driver information functionality (but some now things have been added)
9. Elimination of the under hood light.
This coupled with the fact that many Denali only items are now available on the YXL. Now the only unique Denali items are:
1. 6 liter engine with all wheel drive on a half ton.
2. Transmission temerature guage on a half ton.
3. There may be an additoinal engine oil or transmission cooler on the Denali.
4. Some unique interior/exterior trim.
On the flip side, the price difference is less than it used to be. If I were buying today, I would have to seriously compare a loaded YXL with a DXL.
For an idea on the pricing:
http://www.joebasilchevrolet.com/major_guard.htm
course these prices can be negotiated.
A 3 year no deductible 100,000 mile plan would have cost $1400. The first day rental would only be $90 on this plan.
Who needs remote contolled folding mirrors? Is adjustable foot pedals desirable? I don't think so.
How about a battery that doesn't leak.
Might as well go with the Yukon and save 10G.
Put back all the features that was deleted from the 02 , keep what they added for the 03 and add for the 04:
1. The ability to go from AWD to 2 WD . Better gas millage w/2 WD.
2. Voice GSP navigation system.
3. Backup sensor.
4. Colored Liquid Crystal Display gages. (Toyota did this few years ago. Really looked nice.)
5. Tire pressure sensors on all wheels. (Jeep has this now. You can read out tire pressure at any speed.)
6. LCD 7" TV in back of each of the front head rest w/DVD player.(as an option).
That's all I can think of right now. Anybody else have anything to add for the 04?
Larry
Also some of the features that were in the old trip computer are now in the dash as part of the new information center that replaced the message center.
Almost all of the Denali features are now available on the Yukon/XL. The only things that I don't think you can get are the Nav system, 2 tone seating, 6 disc changer in console w/cassette in the head unit and the trip computer in the console.
The adjustable pedals are desirable, at least in a lot of families that I know of. The women are a lot shorter than the guys, and with the moving pedals it lets smaller women drive these beasts with out pulling the seat all the way up to the steering wheel. The owners manual states that for safety reasons the driver should be no closer than 10 inches from the wheel because of the airbags. In my head this makes the truck safer for smaller and short drivers, not to mention a pregnant woman that can't reach the pedals any other way. I have seen several posts on Edmunds about pedal extenders for short/pregnant people, this s an option that makes these trucks available to even more people.
In my case a 50,000 mile warranty minus the 36,000 factory only adds a measely 14,000 miles, i think id be better off investing the funds and taking a chance...
thanks for the link ill check them out as well...
DL
1) Is the Chrysler warranty honored at GM dealerships like a GM warranty (i.e. they get approval and do not require you to lay out the money)?
2) I heard that you can't trust the independent warranty companies - is this true?
3) What should I expect to pay for the best price for each of these (GM vs. Chrysler vs. Independent)?
4) Can you provide the name and telephone numbers for any dealers who give rock bottom prices for these warranties?
Thank you to all my fellow Denali fans out there for your kind assistance.
thanks,
DL
Steve, Host
So we went with the Denali and a trailer.
I still think the Avalanche/EXT is a neat vehicle, but not for my needs.
These numbers all are according to the DIC, but I calculated my mileage at the two fill-ups I did and found the mileage figures to be almost exactly the same. So it seems, too, that the Denali's DIC gives very accurate mileage data, unlike complaints I've heard from owners of other vehicles.
My 'global' gas mileage over 20k+ miles of mostly mixed driving with a few long trips thrown in is now at 14.8mpg, up 0.2 from when I started the trip.
For those that missed it, I T-boned a Toyota Land Cruiser on October 14th, after he made an illegal left turn in front of me. I assumed I hit him between 35 and 45 mph, as I was in a 45 mph zone and barely remember hitting the brakes. The cop said I did not, as there were no skid marks (he also claimed that ABS will stil leave skid marks). The car had $11,000 worth of damage and my hope was to get out of it completely, courtesy of his insurance company - which is also mine.
Well, I am not going to be able to get a 2003, as there is simply not enough money on the table from the insurance company to make that happen. I was hoping to sell the Denali for $25K "as is", and then get a check for the repair costs and diminished value from the insurance. The body shop said the truck was a "steal" at that price, but with the flood of used cars on the market, nobody wanted to step up. Even the body shop employees wanted to buy it, but they had all bought new cars on the 0% finance promotion.
So, the repairs were finally started last week and the truck should be done next week. I dread the inevitable paint fumes, but hopefully they will go away and that "new car" smell will still be around (since it was a new car). I have given the insurance company two dealer estimates on diminished value: Each dealer says it lost approximately $8,000 in value because of the hit. How accurate that is I don't know. While the insurance company says they will pay "something", they feel the dealership estimates are "inaccurate". We are supposed to settle on that when the repairs are done. I am still doing physical therapy (sore neck), so we have that to go over as well.
Now, where it gets interesting is with GM. As you may recall, the airbags did NOT deploy despite a head-on collision. I got the run around and finally filed a complaint with GM and the NHTSB. GM sent an investigator to pull the black box. In case you didn't know it, many GM products now have these, which are very similar to the airline black boxes. They called me today with the information and I was surprised with the detail. Here it is:
According to the black box, five seconds before impact I was traveling 36 mph and did not have my foot on the gas or brake (coasting). Two seconds before impact I hit the brake with 100% downforce and the ABS activated. At impact I was traveling 25 mph. The event was a "long" event from the time I hit the brakes to the time of impact, so the airbags did not deploy based on that length of time. Makes a little sense I suppose.
Anyway, that is all for now. GM is sending me the report and I will let you know more when it appears. Thanks again for your interest!
Chris
just my paranoid side peaking out
Oh, and in re-reading what I previously wrote, don't worry about the initial speed (36 mph in a 45 zone), thinking I was "grandma'ing" it: Just before the intersection in question there is a 30 mph school zone, which I obey religiously. When I came out of the school zone I accelerated, then saw the rather crowded intersection and backed off the gas. That much I do remember, but I still thought I was closer to 45 mph. Fun!
Chris
On to a more important matter - your settlement. I personally would not accept any settlement that does not address the financial loss you have suffered. The notion that you would be offered less than what two independent estimates agreed upon as the reduction in value as a result of the accident, is frankly, offensive. After all, the accident was not your fault. Again, I do not know what the legal climate is where you live, but at a minimum, I would talk to an attorney about your situation. The fact that the same insurance company covers both drivers would appear to be complicating the situation, which would argue even more for an objective assessment of your circumstance.
Now that it has changed, anybody want a very low mile 2002 (7,500 miles) loaded DXL for around $37,500? The car is being repaired as I type and should be done next week. Full factory warranty and all that stuff...
Chris
I am sure you are correct in your Paranoid Assumption, they've got us all under the microscope.
Larry
Only routine maintenance (oil changes, an air filter, tire rotations and diff service) so far.
There are other posters here who think that the Denali is inferior in build quality to, say, a Toyota truck, but I haven't seen it so far. All the gaps on my truck are consistent, the moldings line up across panels, the leather upholstry is well-fitted, etc.
And it is admittedly early but so far the truck hasn't picked up any body rattles, loose trim, or anything annoying like that.
It's a BLAST to drive, and did very well in our recent snowstorm (I live on mid-east coast). Coming out of an X5 4.4 just about anything this big is bound to feel slow, but of all the available offerings, only the Denali/Escalade will not feel *very, very* slow to you, I suspect.
The stock sound system is, I think, pretty good, and the gage layout is good too. The steering wheel audio controls are fine for me now, but were a bit awkward at first.
As to MSRP, I dunno. I paid a bit over $1k over invoice when we got ours back in the spring. I could've done better, but would've either had to order one or take one that wasn't exactly the color I wanted. At the time, this just about agreed with Edmunds TMV for our area. I could have paid less, but this was the best offer I got from a local dealer. The market might have changed considerably since then, and the truck has gotten some new equipment--StabiliTrak, etc., so-again, I dunno what a good out-the-door price would be.
I would suggest using one or more of the on-line services, you should get a pretty good benchmark. I got quotes from two of the services and best-offer cash quotes from a couple local dealers as well, and they were all within a few hundred of each other.
The X has been great, but my kids need the room and the on board DVD player : )
As far as towing, people hauling, there isn't a better vehicle made.
Note that there are some improvements for 2003. They also have removed lots of little things (I am sure they saved $100-$200 doing this).
If someone is looking for this "type of vehicle", u can't make a better choice. It is huge, so i would suggest anyone thinking of buying one, make sure you can live with the beast.
And if u live in a big, crowded city, Fa get about it.....
Larry
Of course, I've never had an aftermarket sunroof installed, but I've heard a couple of horror stories, so there's that to consider on the other hand.
One other thing--I have a regular Denali, not a DXL. I vacillated, but finally decided that the DXL was just a bit too big (it's actually too long for my garage unless I wanted to have to pull it all the way in and walk out the back and around the vehicle to get to the inside door).
I haven't really needed the extra space so far, and really liked the truck's performance, and felt that the extra length and weight would make it noticeably less nimble. If/when I need the space, I can always get a rooftop coffin, I guess; but most of the time it'd just be extra weight to carry around.
By the way, I sometimes talk about how much I enjoy driving the truck, how nimble it is, etc., and people look at me as if I am an idiot.
I've been driving for well over 30 of my 40 years now (I was a country boy, we get to drive early), my first car was a '65 MGB my dad and I rebuilt from a junker and in which my dad taught me to *drive* on the winding country roads of central VA, so I don't think I am totally clueless about driving.
Believe me, these trucks--the Denali and the Escalade--are far and away the best-driving big SUVs on the market. Nothing else comes close, in my opinion, and if driveablility is important to you, I think the Denali will really be most appealing to you.
But test drive 'em all and see for yourself.
Whatever you choose, good luck. Let us know which way you go.
Truck is awsome. I have owned 95 Yukon, 2000YXL and 2001YXL and this is by far the best vehicle I have owned.
We definitely needed the extra room of the DXL and have used it several times. The 3rd row on the regular Denali is for occasional use or children only. I have taken adults in the 3rd row comfortably for a long trip.
Much nicer with new axle. Would like to replace 2nd row bench with captain chairs. Should be cheaper than an 03 since it depreciates like a rock. Anyone with any experience with this? All comments and suggestions appreciated.