Review: GMC Yukon Denali

This massive SUV that’s just hit Australia could be the greatest car you will ever ride in, but if you’re on the outside it could be one of the worst.

Some people in Australia have lucky problems.

Spare a thought for those whose recreational pursuits require a lot of automotive grunt. Towing expensive things like horse trailers, glossy boats and trail bikes can be stressful. Add a few grumbling kids in the back seat on a long journey and watch the fun gauge fall.

These are very much not my problems. But I tried to put my head into that mindset when I had the chance to drive the biggest SUV available in Australia, the recently arrived Yukon Denali made by General Motors Corporation (GMC).

The Yukon Denali is a car that exemplifies excess. It’s practically the Michael Bay of the automotive industry – unapologetically big, expensive, and American. It is almost certainly going to be divisive on the roads. They’re great if you’re in the drivers seat, a pest if you’re trying to navigate around one in a parking station.

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The GMC Yukon Denali towers over most SUVs on Australian roads, turning heads with its unapologetic size and American style. Picture: GMC

Which brings me to the first point. You can’t talk about The Yukon Denali without first addressing its size. It’s enormous. It’s roughly as long as some mini buses, at 5.3 meters, 2 meters wide (without mirrors) and 1.9 meters tall. While testing this car I felt like a pebble rattling around in a very big shoe.

The Yukon Denali can be set up with three rows of seats, fitting eight people in reasonable comfort. Usually, adults who are stuck in the third row of an SUV are forced to huff in the smell of their own kneecaps for the duration of the drive.

Short of buying a van, this is probably the best option for people who are regularly transporting big groups of adults.

But the cohort this car will most likely be popular with, is children.

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With three rows of seating and serious space in the back, the Yukon Denali is built for big families or serious road trips. Picture: GMC

KEEPING EVERYONE HAPPY

When I was a kid, my siblings and I entertained ourselves on car trips by having prolonged, screaming fights — it was character building. For my parents, that is, who were tremendously punished for the crime of trying to take their family somewhere nice. Things are much easier these days – second-row passengers in the Yukon Denali have dual 12.6 inch LCD HD screens with wireless headphone and HDMI connectivity. That’s enough, surely, to keep everyone happy and quiet.

For people who don’t have a small army of friends or children to transport, both rows of back seats can be folded down, creating a flat 3480 litre cavern. Two people could comfortably sleep in the back, looking up at the sky through the large, panoramic sunroof.

But before you can drift off to sleep under the stars, you must get this car to a scenic outdoors location.

Frankly, I was expecting this to be an intimidating drive, but GMC has done everything in its power to make the Yukon Denali feel smaller. When you open the door, a little step politely unfolds, so you can daintily step inside, rather than haul yourself up like a truck driver.

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Inside the Yukon is luxurious with hi-tech, dual rear entertainment screens and a panoramic sunroof. Picture: GMC

While visibility was always going to be an issue in a vehicle this long and wide, GMC have solved the issue with 11 camera views.

Let it be known that if you see a Yukon Denali parked selfishly, it was almost certainly the intentional choice of some jerk. Short of giving you a pep talk, the car could not be more obliging when you’re backing in or out of a space.

Under the hood, the Yukon Denali has a big 6.2L 10 speed automatic transmission V8 engine which produces 313kW of power and 624Nm of torque. Frankly, it needs it. This is a big, heavy car with a base kerb weight of 2.6 tonnes. But to GMC’s credit, the car feels quite light to drive. It’s quick off the mark and a pleasure on highways. It also has 3628kg braked towing capacity – that’s the best you’ll see in Australia’s SUV market.

The Yukon Denali’s brakes, however, did take a bit of getting used to.

Perhaps it was a combination of the weight and momentum, but it took longer for the car to respond than I expected. One very abrupt halt alarmed both my passenger and the car. The heads up display flashed red and the car’s ‘safety alert’ seat vibrated in concern. If you drove this car recklessly enough, I thought, it could double as a massage chair.

With 11 camera views, lane assist and a vibrating safety alert seat, the Yukon Denali works overtime to keep you out of trouble. Picture: GMC

HARD WORKING

But the car does work very hard to avoid accidents. It has forward collision alert,

front pedestrian braking, hill start assist, lane change alert and side blind alert, lane keep assist, and lane departure warning to name just some of the safety systems. Should this car be involved in an accident, the passengers are well protected by the sheer size of the vehicle. You’d hate to be the other guy, though.

The real test of the Yukon Denali was taking it from semi-regional areas and highways, to the narrow streets of Sydney’s CBD and inner west. The width, which had felt luxurious and roomy at the beginning of the trip, quickly became a cause for sharp inhalations of breaths and white-knuckles on the heated steering wheel. It was a bit of a relief to hand the keys over at the end of the trip.

But this was never intended to be a little city basher for people who live in terraces with street parking. This is a car suited for people with big properties with big car spaces and hobbies that require big, heavy equipment.

If that’s you, great.

Just be prepared to fork out a big chunk of cash, too. The Yukon Denali starts at $174,990. That price excludes dealer delivery, government charges, and on-road costs.

But what you’ll get in exchange is a comfortable, safe and powerful car. While you might not always be popular on the road, it’ll probably be a winner with your family.