GMC Sierra 1500 Denali TV

[dewdev]

I am thinking of buiying a 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali which comes standard with the Premium Suspension featuring Adaptive Ride Control (ARC)

Do people that have the GMC Denali find that it halls the Elite II without problems like no porpoising when going over bumps? Does the rear end of the truck squat a lot when conneccting to the Elite II.

I would appreciate any information you can share.

Edited Wednesday at 09:10 PM by dewdev

[FloraFauna]

While this does not answer your specific question, many of us prefer to eliminate all those issues you list by simply going with a 3/4 ton truck.  Such a truck also eliminates the need for a weight distributing hitch and gives more payload capacity.  Its simple and provides more confidence on the road.  

Edited Thursday at 12:17 AM by FloraFauna

[jd1923]

5 hours ago, dewdev said:

I am thinking of buiying a 2026 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali…

I didn’t comment earlier, since I don’t follow new tech and models. But I’m with @FloraFauna 100%.

I used to buy used Cadillacs (one Lincoln Mark VII LSC) for my drivers back in the 90s, like the Seville STS, nice car to commute Chicago traffic! They’d come off a 2-year lease, with under 30K miles, and always with a dealer add-on 70K powertrain warranty! I’d keep them another 2 years and trade for another beauty for very little money. I’d spend 28K OTD, for what new would be 60K plus dealer fees and taxes!

In AZ if I buy from a private owner, there are NO sales taxes. From a dealer, the plus 8.6%! Think about total cost of ownership.

For what you’d be spending for new, you could get the same model but the HD 2500 series, low mileage 2-3 years old, for same or less $$$!

Our TV is 26 years old and pulls the Oliver NP!

I’ve purchased about 60 vehicles in my life. Only 4 of them were new. I have a little brother who won’t buy anything used to save his life! Maybe because when young he got all the used hand-me-down clothes I grew out of. He’s paid through the teeth and I’ve always had far better rides, way too many to park in our 3-car garage! 🤣

Edited Thursday at 02:25 AM by jd1923

[Steph and Dud B]

Having done it before, I can say that having a marginal tow vehicle is no comparison to having a competent tow vehicle. A bigger truck is safer and more comfortable to tow with. No weight distribution hitch, no worrying about your weights, much more relaxing. If you're buying a new truck anyway, I suggest going for a 2500. You'll probably end up buying one later, anyway.

[jd1923]

And nothing like the diesel engine with exhaust brake! 😎

I use it always, even around town, towing or not. Somebody cuts in front of you and you're slowing down as soon as you let your foot off the gas.

Drove recently Prescott to Phoenix to pickup Chris at the airport. It's a 4300 ft drop in elevation and I made it down the mountain without pressing the truck brake pedal once. Without it, I'd be on the brakes most of the way down. Towing the Oliver down I-17 does require braking a few times where the drop is 6-8%.

24 minutes ago, Steph and Dud B said:

A bigger truck is safer and more comfortable to tow with. No weight distribution hitch, no worrying about your weights, much more relaxing.

For sure! Note a couple Forum members recently posted they prefer when the TV weighs more than the TT. It provides balance which boosts confidence when towing in less than ideal conditions. Our truck loaded and hitched (with tongue weight) is 8K LBS with 8,800 GVWR, and the Oliver loaded is 6,400 LBS. Never will the tail wag our dog.

Given you're buying new, it's the right time to make it your last and best TV purchase. We're not getting any younger! 🤣

Edited Thursday at 04:45 PM by jd1923

[FloraFauna]

7 hours ago, jd1923 said:

And nothing like the diesel engine with exhaust brake!

JD beat me to it on this one.  I traveled a couple hundred miles in Wisconsin hill country today.  The steep downhills would have had me braking frequently to stay close to the speed limit.  Instead i flipped on the exhaust brake and didnt need to touch the brakes even once and i wasnt even towing this time.  When towing the benefit is even much more. I cant overstate how valuable this feature is in the hills and mountains.

[DanielBoondock]

Before making your decision spend some time test driving the Denali or AT4 EV. Seriously - just take some test drives, why not? GM is so gung-ho on EV’s because their data shows 4 out of 5 people, once you get them in an EV, never go back. As a tow vehicle you’ll find that it kills everything else. Uphill more torque/power than every other truck out there, and downhill you don’t use your brakes and it all regenerates into the battery. 

As for squat it has independent rear coil suspension (one motor per axel no transmission) so it’s minimal, under an inch. Add a little bit of WD and there’s none. 

Regarding adaptive ride, the Denali EV has airbag suspension which adapts height. It doesn’t have the adaptable shock absorbers, but with an entirely different suspension design (independent coils) I don’t think it needs it. You also get rear steer, it has the turning radius of a small compact like the Bolt. Parking lots are a breeze. 

Not to mention the software and interior tech …

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, DanielBoondock said:

Before making your decision spend some time test driving the Denali or AT4 EV. Seriously - just take some test drives, why not?

I went with suggesting the diesel and exhaust brake, knowing full well Dan would chime in with the EV truck. 🤣

I imagine he’s right about power and downhill braking. Still not sure I’d want to be looking for charge stations while camping though.

The main issue may come down to cost. You can’t buy an older EV and they are quite costly compared to the 1500 series gas truck. 

[DanielBoondock]

5 hours ago, jd1923 said:

I went with suggesting the diesel and exhaust brake, knowing full well Dan would chime in with the EV truck. 🤣

Glad I didn’t disappoint 😅

Quote

I imagine he’s right about power and downhill braking. Still not sure I’d want to be looking for charge stations while camping though.

Not a problem anymore but we’ve been over that. But it’s all good, whatever rocks your boat. 

Quote

The main issue may come down to cost. You can’t buy an older EV and they are quite costly compared to the 1500 series gas truck.

Actually that too - 2024/25 Silverado EV’s (same platform different front end) are coming off lease and rentals, people are getting them at great prices. But yeah apples to apples you’ll pay an extra 4-6k or something. You’ll save in fuel/service total cost of ownership pretty quickly with gas prices as they are, but granted people tend to be more sensitive to sticker price.