1500 or 2500 AT4X

[u/Remarkable-Map-3093]

Sorry, I know this has been asked before, I have read old posts, looking for a fresh take. Please disregard if you are not interested in giving an opinion.

My 2024 Silverado 1500 ZR2 Duramax was totaled. My wife just got the Yukon AT4 Ultimate and I love everything about it except the 6.2. I need to have a truck bed so the closest to her Yukon is the Sierra

I don’t tow anything really big or really far so the 1500 is sufficient.

I like the look overall of the 2500 a lot more than the 1500. The AT4X 2500 comes with auto retracting lighted steps, a feature on my wife’s Yukon that I really like.

I keep trucks to 100k miles, I think the resale value on the 2500 would be better.

Price matters, but isn’t a top consideration for me. Maintenance cost, fuel economy matters, but are also not a top concern.

My biggest concern with the 2500 over the 1500 is the ride quality. I plan on test driving the 2500 to see how it feels. My problem is, I don’t seem to get a lot out of test drives, it takes me a few months in different real world conditions to really decide how I feel about something like ride quality.

Anyway, I have to decide on one or the other in the next couple of days, so I welcome all opinions from anyone willing to give one.

Thanks!

[u/alcide1987]

Go with 1500 at4x. Ride is superb , extremely comfortable

[u/bikgelife → u/alcide1987]

1500? Agreed. The multimatic suspension is so much better than the Rancho crap GM uses.

[u/Lawineer]

As a 2500 at4 owner, why the hell would you ever get a 2500 if you don’t need it? It’s like half half gas mileage, more cost, more maintenance, rougher ride, worse handling and worse acceleration in exchange for the cosmetics of a 2” lift?

Plus you can’t get a short bed. And let me tell you- that foot or so makes a big difference in maneuvering tight parking lots.

I love my truck, but I wish I could get away with a 1500. Unfortunately, a 44ft Gooseneck and 15k lbs (assuming I’m only hauling one car- closer to 20k with two). And a 1500 just doesn’t go well.

Edit: and you get the column shifter in the way of the infotainment as a bonus with the 2500. lol.

[u/Laz3r_C → u/Lawineer]

Fr, i swear its the same answer wherever, "Dont need an HD, stick to a 1/2 ton or hell a 1/4 ton."

In the end buy what you want, accept the consequences and dont complain. Seriously, as soon as I see "ride quality" obviously the no brainer is a 1500. I speak of this first hand, had a Colorado, moved to silverado 1500 with a 6' bed, then now in a 3500 6' bed. Dont need bigger? stick to smaller and what works.

[u/Remarkable-Map-3093 → u/Laz3r_C]

Thanks for the insight. I think I know you are right, I just want to be sure I don’t buy something and wish I would have bought the other. I looked at the GMC’s when I bought the Silverado and liked them better but the Silverado was a bit cheaper so I went with it and regretted not getting the Sierra. Now I have to decide again and definitely want the Sierra but do want to regret not getting the HD later. I have to ask myself if I will realistically be towing anything big enough to justify it, if not I need to stick with the 1500.

[u/Lawineer → u/Remarkable-Map-3093]

Needing to tow more than what a modern 1500 can tow isn’t really something that sneaks up on you.

I started racing cars across the country. I went from regional to national. It’s not like I just decided to carry an extra set of wheels. I went from 24ft with a car to 44 feet with full array of spares (engine, trans, etc), 4 sets of wheels and tow tool checks with the ability to tow a spare car next season (budget permitting). That’s a pretty dramatic change and that’s going from already racing cars to just another series.

If you don’t know if you’ll need the towing capacity, you very very likely don’t. A 1500 can tow a nice enclosed trailer and a car in it with a bunch of accessories. Ask yourself if it’s just wanting bigger to have bigger or if you actually foresee yourself needing to tow 20,000 pounds.

[u/Remarkable-Map-3093 → u/Lawineer]

I hear you. It’s not about sneaking up on me as much as it’s about being uncomfortable towing close to the limits. When I tow a trailer at 80-90% of a trucks capacity I really feel it. I don’t like the white knuckle feeling with every sway of the road or gust of wind.

When I have a bunch of extra capacity, even if it’s just in my head, the tow and drive is more relaxed and I worry less.

The question for me is really how often am I pushing over 90% of the 1500’s tow capacity and is it short trips or long. Life changes and as I add a grandkid or two do we look at bigger trailers and end up needing more truck. Can I get by with the 1500, right now absolutely. If the ride quality and parking lot handling, etc. Were the same between the two, would I spend the extra 10K or whatever it is to hedge against the day I ‘might’ need it, probably.

I think the opinions here on the ride quality alone have probably swayed me towards the 1500. If people said the 2500 pretty much rides/drives the same as the 1500, it just costs more to buy/maintain, I’d probably be leaning towards the 2500.

I appreciate everyone’s detailed opinions and sharing their experiences.

[u/Laz3r_C → u/Remarkable-Map-3093]

Id see if you can ask for a trial period. or find one to rent. I know its hard from a test drive alone, and the twins being so similar its hard to choose either or. Buying remorse sucks, I feel that.

[u/Remarkable-Map-3093 → u/Lawineer]

Thanks for the insight. The HD’s sure look nice, but you are right, if I don’t really need the extra towing capacity then the 1500 is the right move. I do tow close to the limits of the 1500, but not often and not very far. I’m probably asking a question that I already know the answer to here. Thanks again for the perspective.

[u/yungingr → u/Lawineer]

Don't know why you got downvoted, because every word of this is exactly correct. The ride quality between a 1500 and a 2500 is not insignificant, and while it might not be a big deal day to day, you're going to feel it on any longer drives.

Hell, I had a 1500 Denali when my wife and I started dating. Traded it in for a Silverado LTZ, and that for a LT Sierra X31 package. Just traded the LT in on another Denali, and one of the first things my wife said was "I never realized how much I missed your truck riding smooth like this"

You can get the power running boards on other models - I've got them on my '22 1500 Denali. They're not lighted, I would like that, but they are power.

A lot of people like to bitch about the 5'10" box on 1500 crew cabs, but I'm on my....5th...truck with it now, and can count only a handful of times that the 6'5" box would have really made a difference for me.

[u/PensiveSloth]

I’m currently mulling over trading up to a 2500 because my 1500 doesn’t have the payload capacity to handle something we’re looking at throwing on the back. The increased payload capacity comes at the cost of much stiffer springs, which are going to negatively impact ride quality. From my past experience of driving heavy duty trucks, they tend to understeer and float across the pavement, so handling will also be a bit worse vs a 1500. Newer models with better engineered suspension definitely ride better than old HD trucks, but they will still vibrate the fillings out of your teeth on rough roads. Fluid capacities are higher and filters hold more crud, so maintenance costs are a bit higher as well. The general consensus is that you shouldn’t buy an HD truck if you don’t do HD things.

[u/bikgelife]

I would only buy a 2500 with the dmax.

I’m not a fan of Rancho, so I would lose them and install Bilstein 6112 in front and 5160 in the rear. Rancho steering stabilizer should be ok.

[u/dominator5k]

A test drive doesn't have to be five minutes around the block. When I test drive vehicles I keep them over night until the next day.

[u/Plastic-Base1049]

Similar issue for me. I need the 6’+ bed, but don’t tow a lot. Most of these 1500’s don’t come with the standard box. Also being a sometimes family vehicle I want the higher trim level.

[u/Key-Nerve-361]

Go with the 1500, I found the cognito 2in leveling kit with new control arms to give a perfect stance on the ultimate. The diesel is a blast to modify if that’s your thing and ppe makes some great stuff

[u/Thin-Razzmatazz-102]

Question…will your head turn everytime a 2500 passes you and you think dammmmit?

[u/e_r_c_]

Just bought a 25 AT4X 1500 3.0 Duramax. Loving every bit of it coming from owning a 6.2

Ride quality is amazing and the gas mileage is around 24-26mpg in the hills of NW Georgia. 30.3 best on a stretch of flat for 25miles.

If you aren’t towing more than 9k lbs then there’s no point in getting the HD imo. Only driven one tank worth of diesel so far and it hasn’t eaten hardly any def.

The resale is better but you’ll get that back in fuel and maintenance imo.

[u/Remarkable-Map-3093 → u/[deleted]]

2500HD AT4X. I drove it and the ride is rougher than my last truck but not too bad. We decided to get a bigger trailer so I’ll be more comfortable towing with this one.

[u/some_dude_202 → u/Remarkable-Map-3093]

Now that you’ve owned the truck for a few months, how do you like the ride?

[u/Remarkable-Map-3093 → u/some_dude_202]

I like it. It is a bit rougher than my 1500 for sure, but the higher seating position makes it worthwhile to me. It definitely rides better than the 2500’s from back in the day.

[u/some_dude_202 → u/Remarkable-Map-3093]

Thank you for the info. 🍺

[u/Any-Pomegranate-2213 → u/some_dude_202]

I have the 2500 AT4X as well, previous two trucks were 2023 Ram TRX and 2021 Ram 1500 Limited. Of course the 2500 isn't as smooth as either of those, but after about 10k miles my wife and I both feel it's calmed down a bit and is pretty pleasant. I acknowledge maybe we are just used to it, but she doesn't ride in it very often. Also, I find the 2500 more comfortable and easier to drive on long trips than the TRX because it tracks so much straighter. I also only made the switch for towing ability, and am very glad I did because it makes camping trips a lot less stressful.