[wwjdwithca]

Denali's can now be had for the same amount of money...or less than LE with Tech Pckg.

When I was looking at vehicles, the Denali was the next best option to an Armada, but they wanted 4k more money, so it was a no-brainer. Now that they can be had for less....I'm not sure which vehicle I would have decided upon.

Major differences as I see it:

Denali has 6.0 Engine with all-time 4wd.
Denali (in stock trim) looks better.
Denali seats are more comfortable, but 2nd row captians chairs are frozen in place.

Armada has higher tech motor, and more versatile 4wd system.
Armada has rear-view camera and auto-opening rear hatch.
Armada has higher towing capacity, transmission gauge, and auto-leveling.
Armada is slightly larger, and sits taller.

I know being an Armada owner is sometimes difficult to be objective, but let's hear it. Why is an Armada TRULY a better choice at the same price?

Cannot use reliablity!! Give me a break! Tahoe was JD Power #1 in it's class, and the Aramda has had.....let's just say a questionable start regarding reliablity. Long term reliablility....maybe.

You can use looks, utility, my wife didn't like the rims etc., but you simply cannot use the "The Denali is just not in the Armada's class" totally weak argument unless you can provide a more adequate rival...

So, what say you?

 

[Mauno]

Sounds like your mind is made up already. I personally prefer the looks of the Armada over the Denali. I also prefer the the drivetrain in the Armada, I didn't really see much comparison when I actually drove the two. Hence I am an armada owner.

just my 2 cents

 

[oface]

as Mauno, said seems you have had made you choice all ready....

but i willing to give you my experience and 2 cents....

I went through the same thing , spentt weeks looking for other suv's in the armada's class , both above and below, just to make sure i covered all the bases.

when doing so , i had thought of the armada, but it wasn't the first the list...

the OL (ol' lady0 wanted and has been drooling over the toureg...

we drove evrything ,,,, just about ,, cept the excursion or the chvey/gm equivilent....

wasn't till we test drove a pathfinder,, and the armada caught my eye,and thought..."hmmmm", waited a day , test drove the jeep commander and a expedtion...

then headed over to the the nissan dealership , and had a long look at the armada, then decided to test drive it ( a se)...enjoyed it , but as when test driving every ride, i try to be very objective.

waited a few days and went and test drove a loaded Le,, like it even more,,

waited ,,yet again ,, for a little windfall come my way ,, and decided long and hard,, and the armada fulfilled and exceeded a lot the needs and wants of the family and then some ....did my research ,, and decided to take home one for a extended test drive ,, ,, later day evening ,, purchased the armada, for the amount that i wanted to pay ..


i normally go through this long process when purchasing an auto ,, sometimes it becomes very , very time consuming,

basically what i saying is,, it find something that can fit into your budget ,fullfill you and your family's needs(if required), and most importantly ,,make YOU happy....


with that , time to go see the mods i want to take care of,,, heh,, the wife thinks my auto shopping delves into a compulsive mania,, wiat till the mods come ,,heh.......


good luck wwjdwithca,




later,,,



chris

 

[Cillyone]

Why don't Denali's sell at full price?

If the Denali's are so good why do I see dealers dumping them for 12k under MSRP in the newspaper auto section along with the Durangos and Grand Cherokees at 11k under. The most I have seen the Armada discounted was 6.5k for 2 only. I don't care what JD power says, I know from personal experience they are piston slapping pieces of junk, and that is why they need to discounted so heavily to move them off the lot. Last year I saw a Lincoln Blackwood for 20k under MSRP!!! I almost bought it for an investment.

BTW, my next truck will have a Cummins diesel in it, even if I have to take it in a tin can Dodge wrapper.

 

[abstrakt51]

My personal opinion is that the Armada is much more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, exterior (masculine) and mostly interior...unless of course you like that Cutless Supreme look. Ultimately, you will spending most of your time from the cockpit and its nice to have some eye candy from the inside.


My cent (coudnt afford the 2 cents)

 

[AB Boy]

In the spirit of objectivity

If the Denali's are so good why do I see dealers dumping them for 12k under MSRP in the newspaper auto section along with the Durangos and Grand Cherokees at 11k under. The most I have seen the Armada discounted was 6.5k for 2 only. I don't care what JD power says, I know from personal experience they are piston slapping pieces of junk, and that is why they need to discounted so heavily to move them off the lot. Last year I saw a Lincoln Blackwood for 20k under MSRP!!! I almost bought it for an investment.

BTW, my next truck will have a Cummins diesel in it, even if I have to take it in a tin can Dodge wrapper.

Okay, I just bought a 05 LE w/ DVD (Smoke by the way) in Calgary for over $10,000 Cdn off MRSP (thats around 8500 $US). I guess Nissan Canada offerred up an end of year incentive to clear out the remaining 05's. I was orginally looking at he Pathfinder, but after a few test drives and some research (including this forum) it was a no brainer! The Aramada final price came out $2000 more than the MRSP that the Pathfinder LE.

 

[92TripleBlack]

Major differences as I see it:

Denali has 6.0 Engine with all-time 4wd.
Denali (in stock trim) looks better.
Denali seats are more comfortable, but 2nd row captians chairs are frozen in place.

Armada has higher tech motor, and more versatile 4wd system.
Armada has rear-view camera and auto-opening rear hatch.
Armada has higher towing capacity, transmission gauge, and auto-leveling.
Armada is slightly larger, and sits taller.

I know being an Armada owner is sometimes difficult to be objective, but let's hear it. Why is an Armada TRULY a better choice at the same price?

The engine on the Denali isn't reliable. They blow head gaskets all day. About as common as the rear issue on the Titan. And don't forget the piston slap, valve tap, and transmission clunks. They also had brake issues throughout the production run.

I think looks are subjective. Both look good.
The seats on the front of the Denali are nicer. The QX are about the same. However, the rest of the interior sucks on the denali. It looks like its 10 years old in design. Next year, they will fix this.

Armada outperforms the denali in acceleration, braking, handling, and off road capabilities with greater ground clearance.
Armada cabin is larger.

As for being rated #1, that's a crock. If any should be it would be the TOYota or Lexus, not the Denali. '05 and on Nissans are more reliable. Gotta give Nissan a year to learn. GM has been making these for 50 years.

Driving impressions the GM feels vague while the Armada feels more connected.

The Denali will loose value far faster, especially with the new model coming out next year.

I would have spent much more to get the Mada LE than the Denali. Probably something like $5-10k.

 

[casinojames]

Got here too late...everybody already said what I would say.

This is great truck for being the new kid on the block implementing the finer points of every other SUV out there and adding a few innovations of its own. Two or more model years and I don't think anybody is gonna keep up with the technology of this ride. If I buy another SUV in the future It's likely I won't have to look to hard.

 

[armoody]

As for being rated #1, that's a crock...... GM has been making these for 50 years.

Right on Triple. What GM does rate # 1 at though is losing market share for probably about the last 50 years. They also rate #1 at never quite making products as good as the competition in any given class. Maybe the exception to this is the Vette, where they are providing world class performance at GM prices (relative to the competition).
As to specific Denali vs. Armada, besides aforementioned reasons, I simply feel they are overpriced and lack value for the level of fit and finish and engineering you get.

 

[silvermad]

I did my research extensively and almost opted for the Lincoln Navigator. glad I didn't.

Silvermad

 

[ldb]

Denali's can now be had for the same amount of money...or less than LE with Tech Pckg.

When I was looking at vehicles, the Denali was the next best option to an Armada, but they wanted 4k more money, so it was a no-brainer. Now that they can be had for less....I'm not sure which vehicle I would have decided upon.

Major differences as I see it:

Denali has 6.0 Engine with all-time 4wd.
Denali (in stock trim) looks better.
Denali seats are more comfortable, but 2nd row captians chairs are frozen in place.

As a former owner of an 03 Tahoe Z71:
Pistonslap! Transmissions and a host of other things. Check www.alldata.com
3 Recalls, 1 Campaign, and 89 TSB.
Seats are a little better, but only for about 18 months. After that they start going flat (no cushion) I only weigh 160 lbs.
The second row captains chairs are uncomfortable for anything over 30 minutes.

Armada has higher tech motor, and more versatile 4wd system.
Armada has rear-view camera and auto-opening rear hatch.
Armada has higher towing capacity, transmission gauge, and auto-leveling.
Armada is slightly larger, and sits taller.

I know being an Armada owner is sometimes difficult to be objective, but let's hear it. Why is an Armada TRULY a better choice at the same price?

Having driven a Tahoe for 2 years and an Armada for 3 months. No way could I go back to driving a Tahoe. After a few thousand miles the Tahoe handeled and felt like it was five years old with 100,000 miles. Rattles, squeaks, mechanical noises, switches falling off, door panel came loose, Transmission failed several times.

Cannot use reliablity!! Give me a break! Tahoe was JD Power #1 in it's class, and the Aramda has had.....let's just say a questionable start regarding reliablity. Long term reliablility....maybe.

Tahoe was ranked #1 in Initial Quality, not long term reliability. I work at a large company, we have hundreds of GM trucks/SUVs. The biggest problem is transmissions. I have also heard some pistonslap vehicles. Lots of u-joints.

You can use looks, utility, my wife didn't like the rims etc., but you simply cannot use the "The Denali is just not in the Armada's class" totally weak argument unless you can provide a more adequate rival...
So, what say you?

Looks??? Look around, everybodys got one. I see Tahoes/Yukons/Denalis by the dozen on my drive to work. I like being different. The next time you go to look at a Denali walk into the service area and count how many are in the service area. Print out some of the TSB and discuss them with the salesman. Is he willing to fix them before you take delivery. GM resale value has gone south since they started dumping them on the market for all the different pricing schemes. GM continues to lose market share even with the special pricing. Nissan continues to gain market share without special pricing.

 

[92TripleBlack]

Right on Triple. What GM does rate # 1 at though is losing market share for probably about the last 50 years. They also rate #1 at never quite making products as good as the competition in any given class. Maybe the exception to this is the Vette, where they are providing world class performance at GM prices (relative to the competition).
As to specific Denali vs. Armada, besides aforementioned reasons, I simply feel they are overpriced and lack value for the level of fit and finish and engineering you get.

True. The vette is a flagship product. They have a special team that builds just vettes and a special assembly line dedicated to vettes that every vette has been made on. Different quality than the rest. Dodge does something similar with the Viper and Ford with the GT-40.

The mass production stuff isn't as good as the flagships, which they use to drag in the public. The old bait and switch.

 

[Armada Brotha]

Denali's can now be had for the same amount of money...or less than LE with Tech Pckg.

When I was looking at vehicles, the Denali was the next best option to an Armada, but they wanted 4k more money, so it was a no-brainer. Now that they can be had for less....I'm not sure which vehicle I would have decided upon.

Major differences as I see it:

Denali has 6.0 Engine with all-time 4wd.
Denali (in stock trim) looks better.
Denali seats are more comfortable, but 2nd row captians chairs are frozen in place.

Armada has higher tech motor, and more versatile 4wd system.
Armada has rear-view camera and auto-opening rear hatch.
Armada has higher towing capacity, transmission gauge, and auto-leveling.
Armada is slightly larger, and sits taller.

I know being an Armada owner is sometimes difficult to be objective, but let's hear it. Why is an Armada TRULY a better choice at the same price?

Cannot use reliablity!! Give me a break! Tahoe was JD Power #1 in it's class, and the Aramda has had.....let's just say a questionable start regarding reliablity. Long term reliablility....maybe.

You can use looks, utility, my wife didn't like the rims etc., but you simply cannot use the "The Denali is just not in the Armada's class" totally weak argument unless you can provide a more adequate rival...

So, what say you?

my say is this, i went with an ARMADA because of it's overall rugged good looks. i mean the denali looks "pretty" like i swear you would never take it off road. which is something i'm into, you might scratch the "pretty boy denali's" fingernails (rims) or his pretty dress (front/rear/side skirts) or something like that. everytime i have ever seen a denali commercial, some ultra cool dude is driving it in some tux or something picking his wife up to go to the opera. while driving, some random obstacle comes at them like a pothole, and they swerve to avoid it. iguess that is cool if you have season tickets to the opera but for me, when i see an ARMADA commercial and they are transversing through a forest or driving the fam and all their gear to the beach, i can identify with it. i live in condo/townhomes and you can see a skittle bag of colors with denalis/tahoes/ etc. but there is only 1 ARMADA on the block. furthermore, i have two little girls and when THEY say that the denali is a "pretty" you just have to sit back and say "how wonderful the mind of a child is"

 

[pstorti]

My 05 Armada LE 4x4 replaced my 2001 Yukon Denali. The denali had 52,000 mile son it when I got rid of it and it gave me no mechanical problems. I had 2 batteries, a passenger side window regulator and a back window replaced under warranty. I liked my Denali but I like the Armada better.

The reason they are selling them so cheap now is that the new model the '07 will be out in January and no one is going to want the old body style. The Denali was originally designed in 2000 the Aramda was designed in 2003.

Pros for the Armada:
Tows better
Rear view camera
Much better second row legroom
Power rear hatch
Third row seats fold flat
Real 4 wheel drive
5-speed Trans

Pros for the Denali:
Better gas mileage
More comfortable front seats
easier to use radio/climate controls
lower load floor
Better looking

Both Denali and Armada have self leveling suspension, although my rear shocks were leaking at 50,000 miles.

I think you will be happier overall with the armada. If you go with an '05/'06 denali it is going to depreciate like crazy because a new model is coming out and because GM is lowering prices.

If you are thinking about an '07 Yukon/Tahoe/Denali/Escalade then it is a different argument.

 

[brysig228]

my 2 cents is american car in general are built for confort and japs makers are built for reliability. this is base on my experience so i'm not going to purchase any american cars or trucks.

 

[Hecdog]

I had a 2003 Escalade for 1 year. The Escalade is basically a rebadged denali. It was riddled with problems. It finally got bought back by GM. My escalade, which I bought new off the lot, looked like a 10 year old pick up truck when I handed it in 1 year later. The ink on the U-Haul truck-like radio buttons was coming off. The seats were all flat and distorted. The carpets were all bumpy and thining out, and it had a major problem with the Stabilitrack system when ever I hit certain types of bumps. In fact, I test drove a Denali and went through the same kind of bumps and the Stabilitrack failed on it as well. GM has not corrected the problem and refused to issue a recall.

My Armada, though maybe not as cool looking as my Escalade, is by far a better SUV.

 

[TopazM3]

Consider waiting for the big GM SUVs coming out in about 6 months... They should be best out there. New tranny and power up to 400 HP.

 

[92TripleBlack]

Consider waiting for the big GM SUVs coming out in about 6 months... They should be best out there. New tranny and power up to 400 HP.

The power is subjective. GM often has torque and HP curves with spikes, but usuable power is much less. Again, only some, but this has been the rule in their SUVs and trucks. Lots of rated power for a 100rpm long band, and a lot less for the rest of the range.

 

[Campfamily]

My Armada, though maybe not as cool looking as my Escalade, is by far a better SUV.

I was at the carwash a couple of years ago, getting a rental car washed (don't ask, that's a whole other story), and a guy was there with a brand new Escalade. He met all of the demographics of an Escalade owner, and was obviously very proud of his new vehicle. I couldn't resist asking him as he strutted around how he liked his new Tahoe. He was very offended as he told me it wasn't a Tahoe, it was a Cadillac. I pretended to look closely, then said "Oh yeah, I guess your right, it is a Cadillac."

Sometimes, I can be a real a$$hole!

Keith

 

[92TripleBlack]

I was at the carwash a couple of years ago, getting a rental car washed (don't ask, that's a whole other story), and a guy was there with a brand new Escalade. He met all of the demographics of an Escalade owner, and was obviously very proud of his new vehicle. I couldn't request asking him as he strutted around how he liked his new Tahoe. He was very offended as he told me it wasn't a Tahoe, it was a Cadillac. I pretended to look closely, then said "Oh yeah, I guess your right, it is a Cadillac."

Sometimes, I can be a real a$$hole!

Keith

Love it. You sure you aren't from NY?