Hi Folks,
While towing our Lance travel trailer northbound through Yakima WA on Hwy 97 this past weekend for a work trip, the truck rolled over 10,000 miles. When I was in the market for a new truck, I spent time reading lots of reviews, so I figured I'd pay it forward with one man's opinion on the new 2020 Duramax trucks...
Power - this is first and foremost, because its impossible to look past. The power levels compared to our LML and our 2018 Cummins is almost no comparison. The LML did a great job, just spent a lot of time shifting between 5th and 6th, the Ram could hardly stay in 6th on flat ground (compliments the 3.42 gears and 68RFE trans.) Between all the mountain passes we've traveled over out here in the West, the L5P hasn't once left me wishing it had more power. Ford and Ram might have a few dozen extra foot pounds on paper, and that might matter if your towing closer to max rating - but with our 6000 lb trailer, and 1000 of random gear in the bed of the truck, I was never left wishing I had a bit more.
10 Speed Tranny - Besides for an odd shift once, it's also been great. The 10 forward gears is a huge improvement, not just when pulling but also controlling downhill speed. TFL truck videos on Youtube were not very positive on the L5P/10 speed for downhill runs, but I've come to learn that the GM engine braking/downshifting stuff works differently with the cruise control than without it. If I set cruise at 60 going downhill, the truck will downshift around 62 and bring it right back to 60, and hold it there. Without cruise, you have to use the brakes alot more. The shifts are smooth and firm, with a bit more pedal lag than I wish it had.
Appearance- Beauty being in the eye of the beholder, I've come to appreciate the new look. And I've got more compliments on it than I was expecting - especially the color (Oxford Brown) It's still most likely a love it or hate it sort of thing, but I've come to 'like' it. Also, you can really tell the interior is larger now. It feels way more roomy than the Ram we traded in.
Build quality - If I had any gripes, it would be the quality of the paint job and the interior plastics. Not sure if the higher trim level trucks are better plastic inside, but the LT trim with the Gideon/Very Dark Atmosphere colors disappoints in a few ways. The plastic is really easy to scratch, my wife pointed this out. We've got lots of scuffs already on the dash and glovebox. Can't imagine what the plastics will look like in 3-4 years. On the paint job, it seems to scratch really easy. Our LML dually was dark blue, and besides for almost-constant chipping of paint off the front bumper, it seemed like the paint held up. On the new 2020 I've already got lots of small scratches in the paint. Most of them I can't even imagine where they came from.
Things I don't know how I lived without - My favorite things most likely are the bed steps (both in the rear bumper and the new front molded step) Climbing in and out grabbing gear from the bed is %1000 better than trying to step on the rear tire and toss yourself up into the bed. Also, I love the rear facing flood LED lights, especially backing a trailer into a campsite after dark. The LML had them too, and made me happy GM kept them in the new body style. Last thing, the DEF fill. It does burn a lot more DEF than the LML did, but about the same as the Cummins we traded in. At least GM finally moved the fill port to the bed side, so it can be filled at the truck stops easier.
Ride quality - I can say after having owned Ford and Ram trucks, GM has them both beat in this category. Lots of folks rip on the IFS style front axle setup (not as strong offroad, more expensive to work on, etc...) but after racking up a few highway miles, I can say the ride of the 3500 series GM is on par with 1/2 tons of Ford and Ram. You do notice it's a truck, but I can actually drive 8-9 hrs at a time now and not be so wore out. My wife pointed this out after our last trip "You don't seem so tired, why?" the Ram would beat you up and leave you tired, without even knowing it. GM really has this figured out.
Again, all of these are my opinion, but all in all I am happy with this purchase. There are things I wish were different, and I wish the interior quality felt as good as the LML I had back in 2015, but overall not bad...
While towing our Lance travel trailer northbound through Yakima WA on Hwy 97 this past weekend for a work trip, the truck rolled over 10,000 miles. When I was in the market for a new truck, I spent time reading lots of reviews, so I figured I'd pay it forward with one man's opinion on the new 2020 Duramax trucks...
Power - this is first and foremost, because its impossible to look past. The power levels compared to our LML and our 2018 Cummins is almost no comparison. The LML did a great job, just spent a lot of time shifting between 5th and 6th, the Ram could hardly stay in 6th on flat ground (compliments the 3.42 gears and 68RFE trans.) Between all the mountain passes we've traveled over out here in the West, the L5P hasn't once left me wishing it had more power. Ford and Ram might have a few dozen extra foot pounds on paper, and that might matter if your towing closer to max rating - but with our 6000 lb trailer, and 1000 of random gear in the bed of the truck, I was never left wishing I had a bit more.
10 Speed Tranny - Besides for an odd shift once, it's also been great. The 10 forward gears is a huge improvement, not just when pulling but also controlling downhill speed. TFL truck videos on Youtube were not very positive on the L5P/10 speed for downhill runs, but I've come to learn that the GM engine braking/downshifting stuff works differently with the cruise control than without it. If I set cruise at 60 going downhill, the truck will downshift around 62 and bring it right back to 60, and hold it there. Without cruise, you have to use the brakes alot more. The shifts are smooth and firm, with a bit more pedal lag than I wish it had.
Appearance- Beauty being in the eye of the beholder, I've come to appreciate the new look. And I've got more compliments on it than I was expecting - especially the color (Oxford Brown) It's still most likely a love it or hate it sort of thing, but I've come to 'like' it. Also, you can really tell the interior is larger now. It feels way more roomy than the Ram we traded in.
Build quality - If I had any gripes, it would be the quality of the paint job and the interior plastics. Not sure if the higher trim level trucks are better plastic inside, but the LT trim with the Gideon/Very Dark Atmosphere colors disappoints in a few ways. The plastic is really easy to scratch, my wife pointed this out. We've got lots of scuffs already on the dash and glovebox. Can't imagine what the plastics will look like in 3-4 years. On the paint job, it seems to scratch really easy. Our LML dually was dark blue, and besides for almost-constant chipping of paint off the front bumper, it seemed like the paint held up. On the new 2020 I've already got lots of small scratches in the paint. Most of them I can't even imagine where they came from.
Things I don't know how I lived without - My favorite things most likely are the bed steps (both in the rear bumper and the new front molded step) Climbing in and out grabbing gear from the bed is %1000 better than trying to step on the rear tire and toss yourself up into the bed. Also, I love the rear facing flood LED lights, especially backing a trailer into a campsite after dark. The LML had them too, and made me happy GM kept them in the new body style. Last thing, the DEF fill. It does burn a lot more DEF than the LML did, but about the same as the Cummins we traded in. At least GM finally moved the fill port to the bed side, so it can be filled at the truck stops easier.
Ride quality - I can say after having owned Ford and Ram trucks, GM has them both beat in this category. Lots of folks rip on the IFS style front axle setup (not as strong offroad, more expensive to work on, etc...) but after racking up a few highway miles, I can say the ride of the 3500 series GM is on par with 1/2 tons of Ford and Ram. You do notice it's a truck, but I can actually drive 8-9 hrs at a time now and not be so wore out. My wife pointed this out after our last trip "You don't seem so tired, why?" the Ram would beat you up and leave you tired, without even knowing it. GM really has this figured out.
Again, all of these are my opinion, but all in all I am happy with this purchase. There are things I wish were different, and I wish the interior quality felt as good as the LML I had back in 2015, but overall not bad...
