Overview

The GMC Yukon Denali is a large vehicle, make no mistake about it. Stopped at the ‘lights alongside a “full size” LandCruiser 300 Series it is evident the Denali is longer and slightly taller, its spacious second and third rows leaving the Toyota looking positively compact by comparison.

It is also pricier than even the highest grade 300 Series, at $174,990 plus on-road costs, and more cumbersome to park.

Sure, it might come with a whopping 6.2-litre V8 engine and a slightly higher braked towing capacity than the ubiquitous Toyota LandCruiser, but it’s also bloody heavy, meaning, you guessed it, it’s as thirsty as a footy team on an end of year trip to Kuta.

The truth of it is that the Texan-built Denali is not a match in the slightest for the familiar LandCruiser. This is a vehicle based on underpinnings shared with Chevrolet and GMC pick-up trucks, or in Toyota terms, the massive Tundra.

It’s the kind of vehicle that can host the whole family on extended road trips. No matter where you’re seated, no one misses out – there’s even space for luggage when there’s a bum in every seat. Best of all, it rides with a surprising level of comfort; but more on that in a moment…

The kit list is generous, with dual 12.6-inch touchscreens for rear-seat passengers, tri-zone climate control with separate controls for second and third rows, an expansive sunroof, and acres of durable cow upholstery. There is, however, no native sat nav or massaging seats (offered in the Ultimate grade stateside), console fridge, and no Matrix-style headlights available.

Braked towing capacity is listed at 3628kg (or 8000 freedom pounds) supported in part by air suspension and Magnetic Ride Control damping, the combination hauled by General Motors’ 313kW/624Nm LS3 small block.

The Denali offers dual-range four-wheel drive, a tank for 140 litres of 98RON ‘gasoline’, cylinder deactivation (for what it’s worth), and a claim that it’ll slurp just 12.8 litres per 100km (perhaps at 40km/h). Power is delivered to those gigantic 24-inch wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission.

GMSV provides just a three-year/100,000km warranty and roadside package for the locally converted GMC Yukon Denali while service intervals are spaced at 12 months or 12,000km (whichever comes first).

Driving Impressions

Wrap your head around the proportions of the GMC Yukon Denali and you’ll quickly be surprised at just how comfortable a weighty, long-wheelbase vehicle feels on Australian roads. The air suspended ride is calm, almost supple, and keeps body roll to a minimum.

For a body-on-frame vehicle (riding on General Motors’ GMT T1XX platform) with massive 24-inch wheels this comes as something of a pleasant takeaway. If GMC can deliver this level of ride and handling from such a large vehicle, then why can’t smaller segment rivals?

It left us thinking that we are perhaps missing out when it comes to the last word in ride quality, the Yukon Denali feeling rather well suited to long distance travel.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few issues…

We found the steering too heavy for ease of use in urban environs, while at the same time being slow to self-centre. It almost felt as if the vehicle’s positive caster was fighting the ‘wheel in most situations, adding to a sense that the vehicle is large and cumbersome (when that isn’t necessarily the case).

It was also obvious that the brake pedal is rather wooden under heavy inputs, creating a sensation that the vehicle is slow to respond to when slowing down. Feel your way past it and you’ll find the Denali has plenty of modulation to offer – just don’t skip leg day at the gym if you wish exploit it.

But it’s that growling V8 that’s the centre of attention, at least when you want it to be.

Throaty under heavy throttle inputs (and at cold start), it brings a sense of occasion to the freeway on-ramp diesel-powered models simply can’t match. There’s enough torque on hand to shove you back in your seat with the taps fully opened, and plenty in reserve for confident open-road passing.

Return to cruising speeds and the V8 soundtrack all but disappears. Ticking over at around 1200rpm at 100km/h you’d be forgiven for thinking the engine has all but disappeared. The 10-speed transmission ensures low rpms are maintained as required in a bid to save fuel, shifting diligently – and smoothly – to higher ratios wherever possible.

On test, the Yukon Denali settled at around the 18.5 litres per 100km mark, driven the majority of the loan period across urban and freeway environs with two adults on board.

Pleasingly, we found the active safety aids to be better calibrated than most with little in the way of unnecessary intervention. The systems do work as intended but have a lower threshold for intervention than many of the update Chinese and Korean entrants in the market we have sampled in recent times.

Though we can’t say the same for all of the ‘quality’ aspects of the GMC product... Some of the interior plastics and finishes are very below par for a $200K vehicle, so too the mess of mechanism and exposed wiring looms on display when tumbling the seats to access the third row.

By now, you’re probably thinking that the Yukon Denali is a little hit and miss – and you’d be right. While it’s certainly more ‘hit’ than it is ‘miss’, there are several issues we have noted in this review we feel need addressing at this price point.

For the most part, this is a big, powerful, spacious, and comfortable vehicle that does the job it’s tasked with doing exceptionally well.

Of course it’s thirsty, and a little underdone when viewed against other $200,000 vehicles. But we think buyers who are familiar with the ‘quality’ of American vehicles, and who value size over outright sophistication, will appreciate what it is the Yukon Denali has to offer.

After all, there is a lot of it to love.