Driving Impressions

The GMC Yukon offers a nice ride on asphalt and on dirt. It even rides with impressive smoothness on bumpy rural byways that make some other SUVs feel like pogo sticks. On smooth highways, the Yukon cruises effortlessly. Handling is impressive and surefooted for a full-size SUV. Yukon is stable at high speed. It's much easier to park then the longer Yukon XL, but it's still a full-size truck and not as maneuverable as a mid-size SUV such as the GMC Envoy or Ford Explorer. The Yukon is definitely a truck. It comes with a live rear axle supported by coil springs and located by five control links, an arrangement which provides a good compromise between ride/handling and cargo-carrying utility. Its front suspension is conventional in design, but uses torsion bars instead of coil springs to save space. Yukon's truck-like ladder frame is fully boxed in the mid-section for maximum rigidity, while the front and rear portions are shaped by hydroforming that allows for more design freedom and a more rigid frame. This rigid design is a key to the Yukon's excellent ride and handling. At the front of the frame is a section designed to crush and absorb impact in a crash. Yukon Denali's AutoRide computer-controlled suspension helps keep it level over bumps. This benefit is especially pronounced when towing; a trailer tends to cause the towing vehicle to rock back and forth when driving over bumps, but the AutoRide system keeps the Denali amazingly smooth. The combination of good visibility and confident handling give the Yukon an air of nimbleness in spite of its massive size and weight. The steering on all Yukons provides good control and feedback. It's a recirculating-ball system, however, which doesn't offer the response of the rack-and- pinion steering found on the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. On the other hand, recirculating-ball steering can provide better isolation than rack-and-pinion when driving on rough, unpaved roads. Yukon's relatively tight 38.3-foot turning diameter makes it much easier to park than a Yukon XL, which takes another 4.7 feet of space to turn around. That makes a huge difference in the grocery store parking lot. The brakes perform well. A dynamic proportioning system continuously balances the front and rear brakes for maximum effectiveness without activating the ABS. As a test, we towed a heavily laden horse trailer without trailer brakes and were impressed with the Yukon's braking ability. To reduce braking effort, GM's Hydroboost technology uses hydraulic pressure rather than engine vacuum; Hydroboost provides more power for high-deceleration stops, and improves ABS performance. Under the hood, Yukons employ the latest heirs to Chevy's small-block V8 engine family. These Generation-3 overhead-valve engines are the best yet and rival competitors' overhead-cam engines for smoothness and efficiency. As mentioned, they come in three sizes: 4.8-liter, 5.3-liter, and 6.0-liter. All burn regular unleaded. The popular 5.3-liter V8 offers impressive acceleration performance. Called the Vortec 5300, it's rated 295 horsepower and 335 pound-feet of torque. GMC says fuel economy has been improved for 2005, thanks in part to the new dual, 200-watt electric cooling fans that replace the engine-driven fan used previously. The electric fans are quieter, too, and the radiator is now more efficient, and GMC says we should also expect improved air conditioning performance while stuck in traffic. Fuel economy estimates for the 2005 Yukon were not available at press time, but in the Chevrolet Tahoe this same engine managed 14/18 city/highway mpg with 2WD, 13/17 with 4WD. The smaller, 4.8-liter V8 develops 285 horsepower but considerably less torque: 295 pound-feet. And it uses nearly as much fuel, rating 14/18 mpg with two- or four-wheel drive. For 2005, the big 6.0-liter V8 that comes with the Denali cranks out 335 horsepower and 375 pound-feet of

Final Word

GMC Yukon is large enough to carry a crowd in comfort, and it can haul a lot of cargo, yet it's small enough to fit in the garage. The Denali is very luxurious, yet a little more affordable and a lot more subtly styled than the Cadillac Escalade. The Yukon Denali's styling is traditional and understated. Lots of power, comfortable accommodations, and safety features such as side-impact air bags place the Yukon Denali among the best of the full-size luxury SUVs.