In response to the letter from Mitch Jorde ("Emissions Check," May/June): Buy the Denali! I factory-ordered a 2003 Chevy Silverado SS to which I added Gibson headers, cat-back exhaust, and a Volant air intake.
From the stock 340 horsepower and about 380 pound-feet of torque, I'm guessing my performance numbers jumped to about 375 horses and well over 400 pound-feet, great for towing my 23-foot Cobalt boat. Fuel mileage also increased more than one mpg across the board. Then, in 2007, I traded my beloved SS for a GMC Denali with the six-speed transmission, 403-horsepower, 6.2-liter, and 3.42 rear-axle ratio as compared with the 4.10s in the SS. With this truck, I have no desire to change to headers or a cat-back because it's already stupid fast (for a truck), has all the luxury that anyone could ask for, has a terrific ride with predictable handling, tows my Cobalt far better than my SS, and on a recent trip to Burlington, Vermont, averaged 18.5 mpg while carrying a few hundred pounds of equipment.
Robert E. Othmer II
Via the Internet
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Dear Reader,
Thanks for the input. Mitch, we hope this helps with your decision.
-Truck Trend