2005 GMC Envoy Denali

[ByTheLake]

10,000 Miles with our 2005 GMC Envoy Denali 4WD
A Reader Review from ByTheLake
GMInsideNews, November 12, 2005

With the denial phase of her mid-life crisis firmly behind her, my wife felt it was time to trade in her 2004 Corvette for something a bit more in step with northern Michigan’s winter weather. In spite of a handful of minor quality issues, she enjoyed her 2002 GMC Envoy and its sure-footed ability to get the family through the snow. That Envoy wasn’t her first 4WD GMC … she was the proud owner of a 2000 Yukon Denali, perhaps her all-time favorite vehicle. Not surprisingly, we settled on ordering a 2005 Envoy Denali in June, and have since accumulated 10,000 miles.

The 2000 Yukon Denali was truly unique. It had a front-end that was unique to the Denali (until Cadillac borrowed it for the first generation Escalade). The carpet was deeply plush. Could the 2005 Envoy wear the Denali badge proudly?

We first priced the Envoy SLT, which based at $32,835. The Denali package starts at $37,145, but is well equipped. Using my wife’s logic of “higher price equals happier spouse”, we ordered the Envoy Denali.

Exterior

While no longer new-looking, the Envoy’s styling remains fresh enough today. The Denali package adds a few exclusive styling treatments, although some are more visible than others. Most noticeable is the chrome honeycomb grille, which is a bit too much chrome for my tastes but its my wife’s favorite feature. The chrome bezels around the front fog lamps hardly stand out. The rear fascia with its integrated step is another feature that most observers would not recognize as unique to the Denali package.

Of course, the truck's flanks are adorned with the Denali nameplate, too.

Utility

As with our previous Envoy, the 2005 Envoy Denali has plenty of utility for our family's needs. The standard towing package is welcome, and is standard on all Envoys, Trailblazers, and Raniers. One gripe I’ve had with GM’s mid-sized utilities from the beginning is the inability of the second row seats to fold truly flat. This makes it less suitable for hauling delicate cargo such as long pieces of glass or other items that require support.




The built-in air compressor and inflator kit is nice and truly useful. Leveraging the Envoy’s air compressor whose primary purpose is to power the rear load-leveling suspension, the inflator kit turns this compressor into a convenient tool for filling tires and basketballs. Once the compressor runs for about ten minutes, its thermostat shuts it off to prevent over-heating, requiring a cool-down period before using again. Regardless, this is a feature that is used often in this family.

Engine/Transmission

When ordering the Denali package, you can have any engine you want as long as it’s a Vortec 5300 V8. Its hard to argue with this engine’s specifications. 300 horsepower, 330 pound-feet of torque, and GM’s new Displacement on Demand cylinder deactivation technology. Not surprisingly, the only transmission available was a 4-speed automatic with overdrive. Buyers do, however, get to choose between two axle ratios: the standard 3.42 or the optional 3.73, which we ordered. (The 4.10 is only available with the Vortec 4200 inline 6).

Oddly, our 2005 Envoy Denali feels a tad sluggish compared to our 2002 Envoy with the Vortec 4200 and the 4.10 axle. The DOHC inline 6 just loved to rev and moved that older truck with surprising ease. The 2005 Envoy Denali, in spite of the axle ratio upgrade and 30 additional HP over the Vortec 4200, seems a bit tired during initial acceleration, but its torque begins to be felt after the vehicle comes up to speed a few seconds later.

While I never expected to get stellar mileage, I was sadly disappointed with the fuel economy we experienced. In spite of having the Displacement on Demand technology and driving about 85% on the highway, my mileage averaged only 17 mpg. Although the traditional V8-loving American will hate me for feeling this way, I prefer the smoother, higher-revving DOHC Vortec 4200 with the 4.10 rear axle from our 2002 Envoy.

Towing

In my family, the main towing chore is hauling the pair of personal watercraft, and this chore was no challenge for the Envoy Denali. Our 4WD Envoy Denali, with its optional axle, has a towing capacity of 6500 pounds, 500 more than with the standard axle. Add 100 pounds of capacity if you opt for the 2WD version.

Although the Denali has the Vortec 5300 V8, the towing capacity is only 300 pounds higher than a standard Envoy with the inline 6 and the 4.10 axle.

Handling, Braking

The Envoy has always been a comfortable ride, and it remains so in this latest Denali iteration. Road noise is hardly perceivable, perhaps helped by the standard Enhanced Quiet Package. According to GMC’s web site, this package is standard on the SLE and SLT trim levels as well.

Envoys are no sports cars, and our Envoy Denali handles a bit loose for my tastes. My wife, on the other hand, likes the handling just fine. The Envoy Denali comes with the same 4-wheel antilock disc brakes that are standard on all Envoys. The Envoy Denali has good brake feel and stops well when pressed hard, without noticeable brake fade.

Interior

From the inside, there are a few noticeable Denali-exclusive appointments. Most noticeable is the leather-wrapped steering wheel with real wood at the top and bottom. Less apparent is the brushed metal on the shifter knob to replace the fake wood trim. Speaking of fake wood, the Envoy Denali instrument panel swims in the same fake wood that is available on non-Denali Envoys. This looks cheap and feels anything but luxurious and upscale. For my tastes, I’d prefer real wood or no wood at all.




The Denali also includes shiny metal nameplates on the front door sills, which I’ve since scuffed severely with my sandy shoe bottoms. They don’t look so luxurious now.




We opted to avoid the navigation system, mainly due to its inflexibility. My wife mainly plays CDs for entertainment, and the Envoy’s navigation system can only hold one disc at a time. To play a music CD, the navigational DVD must be ejected.

The leather seats are fine but quite firm, making long trips a bit uncomfortable. The front seats are heated, but those heated seats are available in the SLT trim level as well.

After driving the vehicle for about a week, the headliner became unglued and fell onto my head while I drove on a freeway … not a good feature in a $40,000+ vehicle, although a few drivers in an adjacent lane apparently thought it was amusing. Another gripe of mine is with the sunroof’s pop-up air deflector, whose air holes appear to have been cut out by children with dull scissors. Not the look of precision, and certainly not 'Professional Grade'.


As with our first Envoy, this Envoy Denali has rain-sensing wipers, which turn themselves on when sensing rain. These wipers automatically control the speed of the wipers and the duration of intermittent pauses during light rain. The driver can adjust the level of sensitivity, but I tend to find myself adjusting the sensitivity continually when the Envoy leaves too much water on the windshield or is overly aggressive at wiping water that isn’t there. These wipers also tend to spring to life when I hit large bumps in the road, so perhaps they sense more than rain.

4 Wheel Drive

Our Envoy Denali, like all Envoys equipped with 4WD, comes with GM’s electronic 4WD two-speed transfer case that includes an automatic 4WD setting. Switching from 2WD to 4WD is as easy as selecting ‘4 Hi’ while you’re driving. Michigan’s snow has yet to fall so my 4WD experience has been isolated to a few sandy trails through the hilly woods. Regardless, the Envoy Denali has been a sure-footed friend through the loose sand and wet leaves.

Conclusion

Our 2005 Envoy Denali is a nice mid-sized SUV, much like our earlier 2002 Envoy. After 10,000 miles of life with our latest Envoy, it seems more ‘Envoy’ than ‘Denali’. The Vortec 5300 is fine, but it feels less eager and less refined than the Vortec 4200.

I like the idea of offering an upscale Denali edition of the Envoy, but this execution seems to dilute the Denali legacy. The Denali package on the today’s Yukon at least provides unique headlamps and front fascia. With our 2005 Envoy Denali, I sense that we’ve paid quite a premium for a chrome grille and a wood steering wheel.

[TaHoE]

Very fair and balanced, just what a review should be. Well done!

[91fairladyZ]

GM should use some type of hard drive or flash drive to hold the DVD NAV data. After market companies are already doing this. This would eliminate the need to have a DVD in while using the SAT NAV.

[IAMCANADIAN]

my cousin's thinking of getting an Envoy Denali XL, I don't imagine the 4200 would propel the XL the same as the V8 would. Great Review though.

[pagemaster]

I thought the review was excellent.

Oddly, our 2005 Envoy Denali feels a tad sluggish compared to our 2002 Envoy with the Vortec 4200 and the 4.10 axle. The DOHC inline 6 just loved to rev and moved that older truck with surprising ea

I noticed this when I test drove a Sierra and a Sierra Denali. The first engine had 295 hp and second had 345 horses. Both felt very sluggish like they were missing a 100 horses. My parents have a 300hp STS which literally feels like 300hp. My truck has 245hp with about the same displacement as my parents 4.6 northstar. My does not in any way feel like 300hp, it feels like 245hp but does feel more torquey that the STS.

Personally I think the 4.6 northstar is the benchmark for what 300hp feels like. The 5.3 did not feel like 295hp. More like 250hp.


I would really like to find out your wifes impression of the Lexus GX model for 10,000miles. It would be interesting to find out what she thinks of it.

IMO the DOHC engine is superior in many ways that a pushrod which did not feel as powerful as advertised.