I will buy another one

Author's Rating:

Pros: will pull *anything*. VERY comfortable

Cons: the 8.1 V8 is veeeery thirsty. Relativel low stock ground clearance

Ease of Loading:

The Bottom Line: 
This is the most versatile truck around; I continue to recommend it

Author's Review
We bought a 2500HD Crew Cab brand new, with the 8.1 liter V8 and the Allison transmission. Previously, we'd had a Dodge 2500HD V10. It was a nice truck, but nothing like the Chevy

With kids, big dogs, etc. we needed more space, so we gave into weakness and got our next manly-man truck, moving up to the full size crew cab. From here on out, I will forever more have a big truck, and it will always be a crew. This truck will tow *anything* without a problem, and have the space to take the family and their gear in comfort. We've used it to pull 5th wheels, utility trailers, our new 3 horse trailer with big horses, and even a commercial mobile kitchen (that we blessedly got rid of). This truck doesn't care what you're pulling, and it's comfortable while doing it.

Overall, this has been one of the best 2 vehicles I've ever owned; we're now looking at trading in our Toyota van and getting my wife a Suburban. While she's 4'11" tall, this truck fits her perfectly.

In my younger, sillier years, big trucks were uncomfortable, loud beasts. The engineers at Chevy did themselves proud with this one; this big truck is more comfortable than most sedans or vans for a road trip. At the same time, it is great in the back-country of the central Idaho Wilderness.

The turning radius is small enough that you don't feel like you're in a boat, it's got massive brakes all the way around, and the 4WD Low is *really* low. At the same time, it's a sports car, too, as I spent the first week lead-footing the massive engine, and burning the tires off 45' down the street. Boy, the wife loved that one... :-/

The massive Allison transmission is (so far) a real stand-out, and has already paid for itself several times over, just in the ability to tow things that our Dodge V10 could barely budge. Additionally, it gives you the ability on a down-hill grade to set the speed and puts everything on the engine and tranny, instead of using your brakes. This is a HUGE safety benefit, if you've ever been pulling a trailer downhill on a snowy grade...

After 4 or 5 years, the only problems we've had so far are with the radio and with a transmission sensor. Having decided to not upgrade the stereo until I blew it out; this isn't a problem. The transmission sensor, we've since found out, can be subject to shorting out if it gets too wet. When that happens, the next time you start your beautiful truck up, you may or may not be going anywhere. Costs about $200 parts and labour to replace, unless you go to the Chevy dealer, and they multiply that a few times.
My neighbour has a Chevy with an Allison transmission; he just carries an extra sensor in his glove box and calls it good. My view? 1 trip to the mechanic in 5 years on a truck mostly used for heavy towing/hauling is better than I experienced with my Toyotas.

When getting a big truck (8.1 Liter V8 is bigger than Ford or Dodge V10) you of course understand that you're getting not just a truck payment, but a gas payment as well. Mileage-wise, it got 9-11 MPG for the first 23,000 miles; several folks told me it'd go up after 20-25K. Suuuure it will. Nice to proven wrong! Starting at 23K miles, it started averaging 11-13 MPG. The best I've seen is 15MPG on road trips now. Considering that our minivan gets 19, I drive the truck instead.

Usability and Comfort-wise, it is actually possible with this truck to park in the parking lot, although it is still a tighter than a car or van, as it's ~1ft wider. On the bright side, you've got great visibility overseeing the lesser vehicles, and can see where the spots are. On those road trips, the 2500 crew cab actually cruises more comfortably than our van or many sedans, and has a whole lot more oomph if you need to accelerate uphill to pass someone; you can even do that with just the cruise buttons if you really want to... The dash is very straightforward, and the cupholder is NOT above the coffee-sucking-up stereos of my Toyota and Dodge past. The heater puts out more heat than any other vehicle I've ever owned, which is lovely after a day of skiing or elk-hunting.

As mentioned earlier, my lovely wife is 4'11", while I'm 6' in bare feet; with kids, foster kids and very large dogs, having adjustable, foldable, splittable, cleanable front and rear seats was an imperative. The driver seat moves forward enough that my wife does not have to move it all the way forward to be comfy; I then just have to push a button and move it to the back stops for the long legs. When we were shopping, we compared the back seats to those of Ford, GMC and Dodge. Dodge didn't have a crew cab, so was out; GMC is Chevy, with accessory packages I didn't need; Ford was nice, but the back seats weren't as robust or comfy and surprisingly had less leg space than the Chevy. Our foster son is 6'3" or so and he rode comfortably to and from Montana (12 hrs each way), in the back seat!

My wife is actually starting to consider trading in the Toyota Sienna on either a Chevy Suburban or a Tahoe; the Toyota's been very reliable, and has pretty good space with sliding doors. This being said, we have found that we just cannot take it camping, she likes the visibility she has in a larger vehicle, and the added security of the all-around ABS and 4WD when it's necessary, and frankly, the comfort.