Yep I test drove a Denali last week, after several folks here talked about how good they are. Sorry but I just don't see it. First of all the Tahoe looks better (but has a smaller... engine) but Garrett is right, the interior isn't even close. I took one look at the third row and my immediate reaction was Nope.com. Immediate deal breaker when you consider that the Expy / Navi third row is usable by people over 10 years old. Well maybe you don't care about a third row at all. The frong seats were comfortable, about on par with the Expy. Rows 2 and 3 seats were not as comfortable as the Expy. Materials were OK, but on par with the non-Platinum Expeditions (aka $10,000 less). The tech functions were all there.
I tried to keep an open mind and took it for a drive. Maybe it's because I am used to driving a turbo, or maybe it's because I was above 5000 feet, but I found the Denali ponderous around town. The engine didn't do much until it revved above 2500 rpm, and the net effect was similar to a long turbo lag, with power coming on suddenly. The Expedition (non-platinum) had a much smoother power delivery and by comparison was downright peppy around town. Next I took the Denali to a freeway onramp and floored it. The engine was fully warm by this point. It roared to life, but despite the noise, the butt dyno results didn't seem any greater than the Expedition. At freeway speeds it had plenty of throttle response for passing which was nice.
Overall I felt disappointed. I honestly came there expecting the Denali to give the Expy a serious run for its money. I feel that the Expedition is overall better, and for not much more the Navigator would blow it out of the water. An Escalade is easily $10k more than the Navi.
The salesman was spitting game about how fast these are selling, so I'd better buy now. If I wanted to get it for less than sticker I could consider a '17. But there wasn't a single other buyer at the dealership lol.
