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So I need some pros and cons of these two rides. Active large family that needs a newer vehicle. Must be a 4wd or awd system for our needs. Who can give me feedback on the reliability, cost of maintenance, gas mileage, comfort and experiences of these two cars. What gas mileage are you getting with either? Is the 6 litre gas a better choice than the 5.3 or 5.7's for the sub? It will be a used car purchase of maybe 3-5 years old. Which way is the better way to go?
we have an '11 Pilot with 4wd so only about 16 months of ownership under our belts. Having said that it's been perfect for what we need: comfortable for when we take it on long trips back to WI, we get 21-22+ mpg's which considering the size of the vehicle we're fine with, and it pulls our boat (Ranger fish/ski) well enough. But i'd add if you have to haul a larger/heavier trailer, the torque of a v8 may come into play.
I've had other suv's before (4-runner, fj, trailblazer) and this has been the largest but i'm sure it's still smaller then a tahoe/suburban. We've used all 3 rows of seats, with teens/young adults fine in the back row. The 4wd system seems more inline with awd types--based on fwd first and really set up for road use, snow, etc and not like what we've had in the past with rwd based systems with transfer cases that can enjoy a good off-road beating.
I'm currently looking for a 2009 Suburban. 2009+ got the new 6 speed automatic (2007/2008 have the 4 speed). The 6.2 Yukon/Escalade had the 6 speed from 2007.
Can't beat the room behind the 3rd row seats in the 'Burb. Also love the second row captain chairs, which the Pilot doesn't have. If you constantly take 6-7 people and their gear, the Suburban is the no brainer.
Main issues I have read about is the dash cracking by the passenger airbag.
I can't get over how much these things are going for! Lucky to find a loaded up LT with 80k miles for under $30k. I wonder how much dealers will come off their asking price on these things?
Last edited by PokerMunkee; 06-01-2012 at 09:09 AM..
I'm currently looking for a 2009 Suburban. 2009+ got the new 6 speed automatic (2007/2008 have the 4 speed). The 6.2 Yukon/Escalade had the 6 speed from 2007.
Can't beat the room behind the 3rd row seats in the 'Burb. Also love the second row captain chairs, which the Pilot doesn't have. If you constantly take 6-7 people and their gear, the Suburban is the no brainer.
Main issues I have read about is the dash cracking by the passenger airbag.
I can't get over how much these things are going for! Lucky to find a loaded up LT with 80k miles for under $30k. I wonder how much dealers will come off their asking price on these things?
Not that much. I loved by Yukon Denali (non XL) and the MSRP in 2008 was close to $55K. A fully-loaded Suburban LTZ is almost hitting the $50K mark so I guess it doesn't surprise me when dealers are asking $30K for a 3 year old 'Burban with 80k miles. You've still knocked off $20K off the price of a new one.
If you can swing a few bucks more, I'd point you in the direction of the Yukon Denali. Loved mine even more than the Escalade. Very nice looking and riding vehicle, the 6.2L definitely helps with the power delivery in one of these huge vehicles as well.
With all the rebates currently offered on GM SUV's, I might think the better option is to buy a brand new Suburban/Yukon XL, sure it'll cost more up front but you'll have a warranty and should get some of that money back if you decide to trade down the road.
So I need some pros and cons of these two rides. Active large family that needs a newer vehicle. Must be a 4wd or awd system for our needs. Who can give me feedback on the reliability, cost of maintenance, gas mileage, comfort and experiences of these two cars. What gas mileage are you getting with either? Is the 6 litre gas a better choice than the 5.3 or 5.7's for the sub? It will be a used car purchase of maybe 3-5 years old. Which way is the better way to go?
Suburban or Yukon XL 100%. Fuel mileage isn't going to be great regardless of engine choice but it isn't great on a Pilot either, They are very comfortable and cheap to maintain. The wife had an 07 Tahoe and it was great all around.
The 5.3 is probably fine for what you need, the 5.7 hasn't been in a Burb in 10+ years so that isn't even an option if you want 3-5 years old. The 6.0 is only an option if you can find a 3/4 ton Suburban 2500 and those are like unicorns around here.
Yeah, I have found a couple 2007 Yukon XL Denali's with 70-80k miles asking $27k. So could get them for $24-25K I would guess. Probably the way to go, as you get all of the toys.
Anyone know if the 6.2L and the 6 speed automatic are troublefree? Can this tranny handle the HP/TQ this engine puts out?
So, if the gas mileage isn't extreme between the two and the cost of ownership...maintenance is close I would prefer the bigger vehicle. The idea of a third row seat up against the back window never excited me in many smaller suv's claiming 3 rows of seats. The subs still have room for gear that is hard to beat. Do the GMC XL's all have the 6 liter motors where as most 1500 chevys have the 5.3's? I agree also that 2nd row capt's chairs are nice. I have that in a mini van and the access is so much easier.
Only the Denali models get the 6.2 with 403hp an 6 speed auto. AWD is available on the 6.2, unlike the high/low/auto 4x4 on the 5.3 trucks. I believe the 6.2 is available on a few newer Suburbans trims.
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. Loved mine even more than the Escalade. Very nice looking and riding vehicle, the 6.2L definitely helps with the power delivery in one of these huge vehicles as well. 
