Normally filled with the bonhomie that comes with the holiday season, a few weeks ago I was working myself into a foul mood, thanks to out-of-sequence stoplights, not to mention roads and parking lots crammed with harried last-minute Christmas shoppers. It was the sort of scenario where a Smart fortwo would have been the perfect car for zipping through city traffic. Instead, I was in one of the most ill-suited vehicles available given the above scenario, a nearly 5.2-metre long, 2,600-plus-kilogram GMC Yukon Denali.
A full-size, high-end sport-ute, with more features and doodads than you can shake a stick at, has a lot of potential — under the right conditions. It can be a lovely rig in which to spend time — hauling an Airstream (thanks to an 8,100-pound towing capacity), ferrying the brood to the local ski hill (or Florida for vacation) or whatever you do with an eight-passenger vehicle that also boasts 94.7 cubic feet of cargo room with the second- and third-row seats folded flat. Duking it out with stressed gift-shoppers on clogged streets is not its forte. At least I wasn’t stuck staring at the taillights of the car in front; the commanding view of the road ahead that the Denali provides allowed me to devise a route out of the morass and on to less travelled pavement.
2016 GMC Yukon Denali 4WD
Brian Harper, Driving
General Motors overhauled all of its full-size, truck-framed SUVs from the ground up — Chevy Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade — for the 2015 model year, with new sheet metal, revised powertrains and suspensions, improved interiors, more utility and greater refinement. While the Escalade is the bling king, the Yukon Denali isn’t that far behind — this one boasted an as-tested price of more than $83,000. And the two share a common powertrain: a 420-horsepower 6.2-litre V8 mated to an eight-speed transmission. (Non-Denali Yukons — standard wheelbase and longer XL versions — make do with a standard 5.3-litre V8 and a six-speed automatic.)
RELATED
SUV Comparison: Chevrolet Suburban vs. Ford Expedition
Both powerplants are members of GM’s EcoTec3 engine family, which debuted in the 2014 Silverado and Sierra pickups. At first glance, they appear to be traditional overhead-valve V8s, but they include direct injection, cylinder deactivation and continuously variable valve timing for either superior power when needed or (slightly) better fuel economy if trying to eke out some semblance of efficiency. That said, nobody considering the Yukon should expect much sympathy at the gas pumps — even using as light a foot on the gas pedal as possible in order to deactivate four of the big V8’s cylinders, I averaged a swinish 17.6 L/100 km (premium fuel recommended) during my time with the tester, the bulk of my driving suburban use. (I know I’m flogging a dead horse, but a six-cylinder turbodiesel is tailor-made for a vehicle this size; a recent road test of the new diesel-powered Range Rover Td6 — admittedly 300 kilograms lighter — elicited a fuel economy average of 13.7 L/100 km in similar driving conditions.)
2016 GMC Yukon Denali 4WD
Brian Harper, Driving
Having 420 horses to tap does provide the Denali decent verve when needed, kind of like strapping a JATO to a pachyderm; the sport-ute will reach 100 km/h in less than seven seconds and accelerate to 120 km/h from 80 in less than five seconds. The eight-speed transmission features smaller steps between gears, keeping the engine within the sweet spot of the rpm band to make the most of its horsepower and torque (460 lb.-ft.), which optimizes performance. GM notes the wider 7.0 overall gear ratio spread provides a numerically higher 4.56 first-gear ratio, helping drivers “start off more confidently” with a heavy load or when trailering.
Considering its pickup-based roots, the Denali’s ride and handling are smooth and controlled, if somewhat ponderous. (Admittedly, this depends on your familiarity with high-end SUVs. Vehicles from European manufacturers, such as the aforementioned Range Rover or the ridiculously plush and pricey Bentley Bentayga — both of which I have recently driven — are, despite their bulk, far more car-like in ride and handling dynamics.) The Yukon counts on a fully boxed frame — composed predominantly of high-strength steel — plus shear-style body mounts attached to the frame, a wider rear track than on the previous model and electric variable-assist steering to contribute to its placid demeanour. In addition, Denali models include magnetic ride control, a real-time damping system that delivers more precise body motion control by “reading” the road every millisecond and, says GM, changing damping in just five milliseconds.
Anything the size of the Yukon comes with inherent blind spots, whether in traffic or when parking or backing up. GM mitigates any problems with a full roster of safety programs and systems — rear cross-traffic alert, side blind-zone alert, lane change alert, forward collision alert, front and rear parking assists, back-up camera and more are all standard on the Denali.
2016 GMC Yukon Denali 4WD
Brian Harper, Driving
Inside, it is the sheer number of creature comforts and modern conveniences that up the Denali’s price tag, rather than overt opulence — though the cabin is well finished. The standard heated steering wheel and leather front seats (also ventilated) were especially appreciated now that winter has arrived, as were the buttons in the cargo area that power folded the second- and third-row seats when it came to stowing the groceries. And, the wireless phone charger — which allows users to place their cellphone on a small mat on the centre console, where it charges via magnetic induction without the need to plug it in — is kind of cool.
RELATED
Trends: Explaining the huge rise of luxury trucks and SUVs
Of the tester’s options, I appreciated the head-up display ($475); while my five-foot-tall wife found the $1,920 power retractable assist steps (a.k.a. running boards) greatly assisted her climb into the cabin. Being more than a foot taller, I found them an annoyance, more so getting out than when climbing in.
2016 GMC Yukon Denali 4WD
Brian Harper, Driving
The full-size sport-ute segment was almost killed off by the 2008-09 economic recession and high gas prices. But, while sales took a severe downturn, the segment has survived. And with gas prices currently low, Canadian sales of the big brutes increased by 15 per cent through 2015 — though the Yukon, unlike the Escalade, Tahoe and Suburban, is down for the year. Still, according to sales tracking website goodcarbadcar.net, GM Canada owns a commanding 66 per cent of the big rig segment.
My time with the Yukon Denali leaves me with two thoughts. The first is that it, and others of its ilk — Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes GL, Toyota Sequoia, Nissan Armada, et al. — need a sense of purpose, their size and utility put to proper use. As mere conveyances, they are too big and clumsy in most urban settings.
The second is that, while clearly aimed at the well-heeled, in terms of cachet the upscale Denali is priced too close to Cadillac’s Escalade, and lacks the necessary presence — i.e., the bling factor — to compete.
2016 GMC Yukon Denali 4WD
Brian Harper, Driving