2021 GMC Yukon Denali first drive review: From luxury pretender to legitimate contender

From the blue-collar Chevy Tahoe to the stately Cadillac Escalade to the GMC Yukon in amongst, Typical Motors’ relatives of substantial, truck-centered SUVs has been a enormous seller in excess of the decades. Despite their popularity, these automobiles have not automatically been the most high quality, functional or passenger welcoming, although these shortcomings — and other individuals — have been dealt with for 2021. Many thanks to a considerably-desired redesign, the GMC Yukon Denali has been reworked from a luxury pretender into a legitimate contender. 

Independence day 

Arguably, the solitary most significant alter built to these complete-size relatives-haulers is the addition of an impartial rear suspension, one thing rivals like the Ford Expedition have experienced for many years. Ditching the old live axle allowed engineers to add significant amounts of passenger and cargo room, but that is not the only rationale why it’s far more capacious. For 2021, the Yukon has grown. Its wheelbase is up by approximately 5 inches and the body has been prolonged by far more than six.   

Entirely, these adjustments get you a whopping sixty six{fb741301fcc9e6a089210a2d6dd4da375f6d1577f4d7524c5633222b81dec1ca} far more room driving the third-row seat. Certainly, it is usefully spacious back again there, roomy plenty of to residence a couple items of rollaboard luggage or a total mess of grocery baggage. With everything folded flat, you can find now just shy of 123 cubic toes of junk-hauling capability, a cavernous volume of room that truly tends to make the conventional Yukon far more capacious and an Expedition Max, the prolonged-duration product that competes with the even even bigger Yukon XL. 

Augmenting that impartial rear, this GMC offers many distinct suspension setups. Coil springs with passive dampers assist reduced-tier styles, but magnetic-journey shocks are also provided with coil springs. The best-shelf arrangement, even so, capabilities 4-corner air bladders and people fancy magnetic dampers, which is what my Denali tester has. 

Sad to say, journey high quality just isn’t as great as you might hope. Even with fancy shocks and air baggage this auto feels unnecessarily rigid and plodding, possible owing to the large 22-inch wheels. Heading in excess of bumps, you nonetheless get some body-on-frame jiggles, but live-axle shimmies have been exorcised. The Yukon’s ass-finish stays as planted as a totally grown oak tree, even when driven in excess of horrible washboard surfaces. Body roll in corners is minimum and the steering is serviceable. 

As they must be, this vehicle’s entrance chairs are hospitable for hrs at a stretch, furthermore they are heated and ventilated. But at prolonged previous, the Yukon’s rear seats supply plenty of ease and comfort, as well. 

With their reduced cushions about chair-top over the flooring, the next-row buckets are bottom welcoming and plenty adjustable. But thanks to that impartial rear suspension, even the third-row is downright coddling, one thing you could in no way say about the outgoing Yukon’s rear-most bench, which was a no-grown-man’s land. Adults relegated to steerage in the 2021 product will have tiny to complain about as you can find plenty of assist and masses of headroom and legroom. 

Inside advancements   

Setting the Denali aside from lesser Yukons and the Chevrolet Tahoe is a particular interior and I’m not just talking about color and trim. The dashboard style is truly distinct, with exclusive air vents and a neatly integrated 10.2-inch multimedia show in its place of a far more freestanding monitor of the identical size. 

GM infotainment systems have been killing it lately and this just one is fantastic. It boots up practically immediately when you start out the engine and it responds with immediacy. There’s no lag or stutters when swiping through menus or zooming in or out on the map. Apart from superb performance, this multimedia array is plainly laid out and exceptionally uncomplicated to use. 

Integrated navigation is conventional in Denali styles but optional on reduced-finish Yukons. Across the assortment, assist for wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Vehicle is involved, although SLT, AT4 and Denali styles also come with a wireless charging pad at no more charge (no pun meant).

Justifying its high quality pricing, this GMC’s cabin is interesting and loaded with high quality materials. Two forms of leather-based are utilised, just one with a fine grain and a different that is considerably rougher wanting. At initially, I believed the coarse cow cover seemed a little bit crude, like elephant skin or one thing, but I’ve grown to like it simply because it’s utilised sparingly and offers a awesome little bit of contrast. 

Matching that leather-based, this Yukon’s many switches and dials glance awesome and sense superior in high quality. Even the dashboard-mounted digital shifter is an sudden winner. Comprised of buttons and toggles, it looks fiddly, but it’s uncomplicated to get to and intuitive. About the only detail that is cheap experience in the new Yukon is the windshield-wiper/change-signal stalk, which, in typical GM trend, is as rubbery as overcooked rooster.   

A pair of 12.six-inch next-row leisure shows are involved in the expensive $11,one hundred eighty Yukon Denali Top Bundle, which also bundles capabilities like people 22-inch wheels, electricity-retractable working boards, 4-corner air suspension and adaptive cruise command. Crisp and responsive, these touchscreens make it uncomplicated for passengers to consume their favorite media, furthermore they even have accessibility to the vehicle’s navigation program so they can set a spot in for the driver.   

In situation you desired however a different monitor in your everyday living, Yukon Denalis also characteristic a fifteen-inch multicolor head-up show. It really is super legible, even in sunlight, and it’s uncomplicated to modify the positioning and brightness by way of a handful of committed buttons on the dashboard.

A typically pleasant drive 

Three engines will be readily available in the new Yukon. A 355-horsepower, 5.three-liter V8 serves foundation responsibility when a six.2-liter device is optional, although conventional on Denalis. Easy working and peaceful, that significant-ish-block V8 packs a punch, 420 horsepower and 460 pound-toes of torque to be exact. 

Each gasoline engines are readily available ideal now, but right before the finish of the yr, GM’s great three.-liter Duramax inline-six diesel observed in the Silverado and Sierra 50 percent-ton vans will also be provided in the Yukon, which could be a gamechanger. No issue the engine, a 10-speed automated transmission is conventional gear. 

Underway, this new Yukon’s performance is great. My tester’s six.2-liter V8 is silken and plenty potent, although I do want it experienced a little bit of exhaust rumble, simply because it appears like, properly, rather considerably absolutely nothing. As for the transmission, it’s just as delightful, shifting neatly and seamlessly. But it’s form of amusing, with so a lot of gears it sometimes feels like a repeatedly variable transmission simply because the RPM fall pursuing just about every upshift is miniscule. 

In accordance to the EPA, this Yukon Denali must supply 14 miles per gallon in metropolis driving and 19 on the freeway. Merged, it’s rated at a scowl-inducing 16 mpg. Fortuitously, in true-world, mixed driving I’ve managed to defeat that determine, averaging around 18, which isn’t quite as frightening. 

Currently being the size of a Navy destroyer and weighing far more than 5,800 lbs in 4-wheel-push Denali trim, you are not able to hope this SUV to have cat-like reflexes. It really is undeniably significant and major, but it won’t sense pretty as enormous as it truly is. Generating my tester a touch less complicated to handle is a host of adjustable camera angles, which give you a 360-diploma see of the auto, furthermore parking sensors and a rear-see camera mirror.   

As you might hope, the new Yukon offers plenty of driver aids. Matters like automated unexpected emergency braking, pedestrian detection and automated superior beams are all conventional. Denali styles are also graced with blind-location monitoring and rear cross targeted visitors inform, but curiously, factors like that camera mirror and adaptive cruise command are optional. Seriously, they must be conventional at the cost GMC is charging. 

A luxury cost tag 

So, how considerably do they want for a 2021 Yukon? Nicely, a foundation, rear-wheel-push SLE product begins around $52,000, which is a absolutely sensible determine. In simple fact, relying on trim, rates have both remained the identical as previous yr or crept up a bit, by not far more than $seven-hundred. But in comparison, my tester rolled off the assembly line in Arlington, Texas with a window sticker of $eighty three,420, together with $one,295 in spot prices. That’s a good deal of scratch, incredibly comparable to a reduced-end Mercedes-Benz GLS or Lincoln Navigator, automobiles this GMC truly has some possibility of competing with now. 

With more interior room, larger refinement and far more tech, the new Yukon Denali is improved than at any time. If you’ve got received deep pockets and like what you see, test your neighborhood GMC dealership, simply because they are readily available ideal now.