2025 GMC Yukon Denali Review

You’d be forgiven if you’ve never heard of the GMC Yukon until now. While the big V8 SUV has been around for decades in North America, it’s often over shadowed by its twin — the Chevrolet Tahoe — and the much larger, closely-related Chevrolet Suburban.

Chances are you know the Suburban. It’s the ominous black SUV driven by secret government agents in Hollywood thrillers. It was also sold as a Holden for a short time in the 1990s. And failed.

Unfortunately, Holden was probably just too early for the SUV craze, which really took hold in the 2000s. Who knows, had it been timed better (like a decade later), it might have been enough to keep the Australian brand alive. We’ll never know.

But the appetite for large SUVs continues to grow — as do the SUVs themselves. And General Motors now thinks the time is ripe.

Curiously though, we’re not getting the Tahoe — Chevrolet’s smaller version of the Suburban — despite the Chevrolet badge being arguably more recognisable by Australians than GMC, with both the Corvette and the Silverado pick-up already on sale under the Chevy name.

After putting the question to senior GM executives, we were told it’s because GMC is the more upmarket brand. With the cost of remanufactoring the Yukon to right-hand-drive being so high, the vehicle can likely only exist as a feature-packed luxury car (apparently GM don’t know about the Toyota 70 Series LandCruiser).

Personally, I think it would have been more beneficial toward Australian sales to source the GMC Yukon Denali — the luxury version, just as they’ve done — but swap out the badges for Chevy bowties. It’s already sold as a Chevrolet in the US, the hardware already exists, so it feels a bit like laziness.

It also feels like a more uphill battle for the company, given the foothold Chinese value brand GWM already has here. Sure, you and I know the difference between a GMC and GWM, but today I heard a story about a friend of a friend who tried to unlock a Toyota RAV4 at a crowded car park — despite them having recently purchased a Nissan X-Trail.

Regardless, I’m very interested to see how the GMC Yukon Denali – a big, expensive American SUV – plays in Australia in this day and age.

On a roadtrip across the US in 2013, the old 1995 Ford F-150 V8 I’d bought broke down while passing through Flagstaff, Arizona. After realising it would take days to get the right parts — time I couldn’t afford — I sold the pick-up online and hired a car.

I spent the rest of the my adventure behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Tahoe V8. And while it wasn’t technically the GMC version, I did develop a relationship with the SUV during those days visiting the western states of the USA. So I’m also keen to see how it’s evolved over the past decade and a bit.

But moreso than that — can the Americans do luxury on the same level as the Germans and Japanese?

How much does the GMC Yukon Denali cost?

‍The 2025 GMC Yukon Denali starts at $174,990 before on-road costs — which is a hell of a statement to to make for a new brand.

Oddly, GM executives say the Yukon is peerless in Australia. But the truth is GM is hoping to lure customers away from the Nissan Patrol, the Toyota 300 Series LandCruiser — and certainly its luxury twin, the Lexus LX.

But there’s also likely a good number of people who’ve bought US pick-ups in recent years who would be happy to upgrade to an equivalent SUV — which means stealing customers from the likes of Ram and Ford.

There’s also an argument for chauffeurs — and even executives who normally get driven around in Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series sedans — to put a Yukon Denali in their garages.

Speaking of the Europeans, the GMC is in a similar price range to the Audi SQ8, the BMW X7, the Porsche Cayenne, or even the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class. These are the cars you buy before you upgrade to a Bentley or Rolls-Royce. But I suspect the type of person who wants a GMC Yukon Denali isn’t in the same demographic as a BMW X7 owner.

To be completely blunt, the GMC Yukon Denali’s list of standard features is about on par with what you’d expect from a car half its price, or even less. 

These include LED headlights, auto high-beam, auto wipers, keyless entry and start, a panoramic sunroof, power retractable side steps, wireless smartphone charger, digital rear-view camera, heated and ventilated power front seats, heated second-row seats, heated steering wheel, tri-zone climate control, acoustic laminated glass, a hands-free power tailgate, Air Ride adaptive suspension, and a tow package.

The screens, though, tell a slightly different story. An 11-inch digital instrument cluster, a 16.8-inch infotainment screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual 12.6-inch screens for second-row passenger with wireless headphones, and a 15-inch head-up display.

However, in its defence, the Yukon has basically all the features I’d want in a new car. I’ve never felt the need for soft-close doors, active side bolsters, or puddle lighting.

But ultimately, it’s not the features that will sell the Yukon. To borrow a line from The Castle: it’s the vibe. Big, American, eight-seater luxury V8 SUV. Enough of a statement to tell people to get out of your lane, but without the perceived snootiness of a German badge.

While most of us mere mortals have to consider budgets and value when buying a car, my gut says the customers GM are wanting are the types who barely glance at the invoice before handing over their black card.

2025 GMC Yukon Denali Pricing:

• Yukon Denali – $174,990

Note: Prices exclude on-road costs and are subject to change.

Cowboy chic

‍There’s no doubting the GMC’s presence, whether parked up or travelling down the road.

It comes across as a stylish vehicle, without trying to be attention-grabbing or unique — or at least, unique in the context of other large US SUVs.

But on Australian roads, it is unique. Like a black stallion in a herd of sheep. Not looking to be noticed, but difficult to ignore.

With perhaps the exception of a local Greens political meeting, the Yukon finds a way to not look out of place in most scenarios — seemingly comfortable at a gymkhana in the country or pulling up at a concert hall for a night of opera. It’s got a sophisticated, yet down-to-earth character to it.

Yeah, it’s safe to say I like the way it looks.

Accessible luxury

‍It’s a similar design philosophy inside, but with technology front and centre.

And I mean that quite literally. In the middle of the dashboard is a huge 16.8-inch infotainment screen, which works well and is easy to navigate while responding quickly to inputs.

However, I found the 14-speaker Bose stereo disappointing – being just adequate, without being great. That being said, as someone who values good sound quality, I can honestly never remember being impressed by Bose products, despite the hype.

I also didn’t realise the GMC had its head-up display on, with the projection completely disappearing when I had my polarised sunglasses on.

I will say that the Yukon Denali photographs extremely well, but in reality some of the materials — like some of the non-touch plastics — are quite hard. Maybe they’ll last longer and will be easier to clean? Regardless, it’s something to note for a car that cost more than my parents’ first house.

I remember reading an article years ago about how American car buyers considered shiny leather more luxurious, while European and Australian customers preferred a matte finish on their leather upholstery — with sales being noticeably impacted if the product planners got it wrong.

I don’t know if that’s still the case, but I absolutely loved the leather interior of the Denali — particularly with the baseball-glove stitching. The wood trims also looked pretty classy.

The heated and ventilated front captain’s chairs I found to be very comfortable, adding to the whole experience of the car.

Despite my very minor gripes, as a place to spend time, the Yukon Denali is right up there with the best of them. It instantly feels like a special cabin, a special car, but without the guilt of being in something so expensive you shouldn’t touch anything.

But while this isn’t a comparison, one of the best things about the LandCruiser and Patrol is just how tight they feel. There’s an undeniable quality to the way they’re put together that feels strong – like it will last a lifetime.

Frankly, Yukon doesn’t quite reach that same level of put-togetherness you get from the Japanese, but it’s still lightyears ahead of US-built cars from even 10 years ago.

The quality of the remanufacturing from left- to right-hand-drive is exceptionally good, though, and I couldn’t pick what was carry-over and what was new.

One small detail that did make me laugh though was the grab-handle at the A-pillar — being that there’s only one, on the driver’s side, which would of course be the passenger side in its native country. Assuming it isn’t engineering-related, someone along the line at GM has decided that swapping the handle over was going to cost too much. Despite every other detail being mirrored on this $175K car. Capitalism, man.

Diplomatic relations

‍There’s a reason celebrities and the mega-rich roll around in these things. I instantly felt like an important diplomat cruising around in the Yukon, and more than once had people stealing glances to see who was in the car while in traffic.

The feeling is aided by power retractable side steps, which appear as you open the back (or the front) doors.

But while the GMC will no doubt be used as a family car for the most part, the back seats are designed more for adults than for kids.

There’s a definite limousine quality once you close those big door, the likes of which you normally don’t experience in SUVs. Comfortable heated seats, acres of leg and head room, individual screens for each second-row passenger, a panoramic sunroof — there’s a lot to like.

The back seats don’t quite match a BMW 7 Series or Mercedes-Benz S-Class – there’s no massage function, for example – but for a family, it strikes the right balance of space, comfort, and a lack of expensive gadgetry that kids will find a way to break.

Even more accessible luxury

‍Nobody would describe my physique as dainty, nor am I blessed with any sort of flexibility. Walking is the equivalent of a yoga class. But I was able to get into the third row of seats with relative ease – which is an astonishing feat on the part of the General Motors engineers.

Not only that, but I was comfortable. I wouldn’t recommend sticking three adults in the back, but you could put two actual human-sized humans back there – and not just for a small jaunt, either. I’d take nine hours in a third-row seat of the Yukon Denali over a Jetstar flight.

You’ve got cup holders, USB-C ports, and vents directly above the face, ensuring a comfortable ride for the back-back seat passengers.

For a larger family, you could easily swap the Yukon in place of a people-mover – which is more than can be said for a lot of seven-seater SUVs. And this one has eight seats, to boot.

An American football field

‍In North America, GMC claims the Yukon has 25.5 cubic feet of space with the third-row of seats in place. That translates to 724 litres, which is more than double the amount of space in a five-seater MG ZS – so I suspect GMC is measuring to the roof in this case.

(Unfortunately boot space is not standardised across the industry, and while most measure to the parcel shelf, US brands often measure a ‘wet value – accounting for every nook – all the way to the roof.)

Still, even if you half that figure, you still have the same amount of cargo space as a small, five-seater SUV – but with eight seats potentially in use. Enough for everyone to bring a carry-on bag.

With the third-row stowed, the Yukon has a claimed 2053 litres of space – just one litre more than the five-seater Toyota 300 Series LandCruiser.

With both second and third rows of seats down, GMC says there’s 3480 litres of boot space, which is just a huge space by any standard.

Enough is enough

‍The GMC Yukon Denali is powered by a 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 putting out 313kW and 624Nm.

In good conditions, power is sent through a 10-speed automatic transmission to the rear wheels through an electronic limited-slip differential – though in low-traction conditions, the driver can select ‘4A’ mode, which essentially works like automatic all-wheel drive.

There’s also a proper low-range gearbox for off-roading, though we wouldn’t recommend going bush-bashing on the 24-inch wheels and tyres.

While the engine is related to the V8 found in the Chevrolet Corvette – with slightly less power – it’s worth noting the Yukon weighs in at just over 2800kg, so it isn’t going to win any races against a supercar. But more on that next.

Confounding and comfortable

‍Firstly, despite what the numbers say on paper, driving the GMC Yukon Denali isn’t as shocking as you might assume – in other words, it doesn’t feel like you’re piloting a cruiseliner.

You’re certainly aware of being in something bigger when you’re behind the wheel, and have to be particularly aware in car parks, but the GMC isn’t too big for the road. Even after a few minutes, I became comfortable with the Yukon on country roads with soft edges and oncoming traffic.

The engine is, frankly, a delight. The background V8 burble is thoroughly enjoyable, and the engine offers good power and thick torque to ensure the SUV wafts down the road. It’s neither overpowered nor underpowered, and provides brisk performance when you need it – helped by the choice of 10 gearbox ratios.

Even towing an (empty) horsefloat, the torque from the big V8 meant the Yukon was non-plussed. Just got the job done without sweat or fanfare, helped by the Tow/Haul mode.

The brakes do a decent job of pulling up the big girl when needed, though the brake pedal doesn’t provide an immediate positive response, with a bit more pressure required to actually get the system working.

The transmission itself works well, quietly selecting the right cog for the job and without drawing much attention to itself.

But arguably the most impressive aspect of the GMC is how it rides.

No doubt the long wheelbase helps manage poor roads — because each wheel is in a different hemisphere — but it’s still remarkable how good it is given this is a ladder-frame chassis shared with the Chevrolet Silverado, and it’s riding on 24-inch wheels.

How does it handle? It’s not about to win the Targa Tasmania rally, but for its size and weight, it responds well to driver inputs and can get up a curvy country road pretty well. GMC was so confident of its abilities, that the drive program for the launch was composed of back roads between Canberra to the Central Coast.

As yet unknown

‍The GMC Yukon Denali has not yet been tested by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) – the body in charge of vehicle safety ratings in this country.

It will be interesting to see if GM puts the Yukon forward for testing, given the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has been on sale here since 2018 and hasn’t been tested.

However, the GMC Yukon Denali does come with decent safety suite, including:

• Front and front-side airbags
• Curtain airbags – three rows
• Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection
• Forward collision alert
• Radar cruise control
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Lane-keep assist
• Surround-view camera
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Trailer hitch guidance with hitch view
• Trailer sway control
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Rear pedestrian alert

Another feature on the Yukon is GM’s Safety Alert seat, which sends a vibration through the seat to warn you if the car thinks you’re about to hit something.

I can tell you, it’s a bit of a shock if you’re not expecting it, and it’s still a shock even after you know it’s there.

Secret Service

‍The GMC Yukon Denali comes with a three-year/100,000-kilometre warranty and three years of roadside assistance, which is frankly, damn poor.

To put it into perspective, Chery, GWM, Kia, Skoda, KGM (formerly SsangYong), Geely, JAC, LDV, Deepal, Leapmotor, and Mahindra all offer a seven-year warranty of some description – and none of their models are $175,000.

Service intervals are every 12 months of 12,000km, which lags behind the standard of 15,000km.

Then there’s the fact that GM doesn’t offer capped-price servicing. So your first service could cost $100, and your second service could cost $1500 – we just don’t know. So be sure to get a quote from the dealership’s service advisor before handing over your keys.

During our time with the Yukon, on all manner of country roads, we averaged 13.6 litres per 100 kilometres. Another day, after hours on freeways with some city traffic thrown in, it dropped to 12.8L/100km – exactly what GM quotes for average fuel consumption.

Which is not that good by today’s standards, but it’s frankly not bad for a car of this size and weight, powered by a petrol V8 engine. For perspective, my  Toyota 200 Series LandCruiser – with a 4.7-litre petrol V8 – averages about 17L/100km, though that is far from apples-to-apples.

What do you get with the GMC Yukon Denali?

Yukon Denali:

• LED headlights, DRLs, fog-lights, tail-lights
• Magnetic Ride Control
• Air Ride Adaptive Suspension
• Active Response 4WD System
• Low-range four-wheel drive
• Electronic limited-slip differential
• Keyless open and start
• Auto start/stop
• Power steering wheel adjust
• Heated leather steering wheel
• Heated and ventilated front seats with power adjustment
• Driver's seat memory
• Heated outer rear seats
• Front and rear USB ports
• Wireless smartphone charger
• Tri-zone automatic climate control
• Panoramic dual-pane sunroof with tilt and slide
• Power sunshade
• Auto wipers
• 11-inch digital instrument cluster
• 15-inch colour head-up display
• 16.8-inch infotainment touchscreen
• 14-speaker Bose surround sound system
• Bluetooth
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 360-degree cameras, 10 camera views
• Rear camera mirror
• Heated side mirrors
• Dual 12.6-inch second-row screens with headsets
• Rear air vents
• Retractable cargo shade
• Acoustic laminated glass
• Privacy tint
• Hands-free power tailgate
• Power-retractable side-steps
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Adaptive cruise control
• Seatbelt monitoring
• Forward collision alert
• Front pedestrian braking
• Hill-start assist
• Auto high-beams
• Lane-change alert with side blind-spot alert
• Lane-keep assist with lane departure warning
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Rear pedestrian alert
• Rear seat monitoring
• Electronic stability control and traction control
• Teen driver alert
• Trailer side blind zone alert
• Trailer sway control
• Hitch guidance with hitch view
• Tyre-pressure monitoring system
• 24-inch alloy wheels

Final thoughts on the GMC Yukon Denali

‍This is a big statement from General Motors, and launching a new brand with a car costing almost $175,000 takes some guts.

A lot of people I’ve spoken to about the GMC Yukon Denali don’t get it — they think it’s too expensive and a misstep by GM. But I disagree. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think it will find a niche market in Australia.

Unless you’re around it, it’s easy to forget that there are plenty of country folks with money to splash. But with the exception a 300 Series LandCruiser and a new pair of RMs each year, they don’t really splash their money around. An argument could be made for the Yukon, mind.

And if you think the Yukon is expensive, remember how many people out there have bought — and continue to buy — 70 Series LandCruisers.

There are also plenty of people who are distrusting of the new turbocharged V6 engines in the 300 Series LandCruiser and forthcoming Patrol. The current V8-powered Patrol had its best month of sales recently, despite this model being on sale since 2012. Notably, the record was broken after the V6 was announced.

For people who value reliability over fuel economy, the V8 in the GMC is a big selling point — regardless of the recent recalls in the US. It’s a familiar engine with parts that are easy to source, with frankly less to go wrong than a twin-turbo engine, while delivering a linear power curve.

Whether buyers even notice the GMC brand in the sea of newcomers remains to be seen, but the Yukon Denali itself offers a different type of sophistication and space than is available on the market right now, and I suspect could be just the type of statement many Australians will be attracted to.

The GMC Yukon Denali isn’t a value-for-money argument – because it’s an argument it loses. No, this is a set of expansive cowboy boots sticking out from a tailored suit. A big, luxurious SUV with an old-school V8. And I loved every minute of it.