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Vehicle Min Max 2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500 N/A N/A 2012 Cadillac Escalade EXT N/A N/A 2012 Nissan Armada N/A N/A 2012 GMC Yukon Hybrid N/A N/A Average Not Available 
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Vehicle Min Max 2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500 N/A N/A 2012 Cadillac Escalade EXT N/A N/A 2012 Nissan Armada N/A N/A 2012 GMC Yukon Hybrid N/A N/A Average Not Available Based On: 10% down, 5% APR, 60 months
Estimated Monthly PaymentCurrently Unavailable
MPG city hwy 2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500 15 20 2012 Cadillac Escalade EXT 13 18 2012 Nissan Armada 13 19 2012 GMC Yukon Hybrid 20 23 Average 15 20 MPG15 City | 20 Highway
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2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500 Review Summary
What reviewers liked most about the 2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500:
Folks who truly need a size extra-large sport-utility will find the Yukon XL hard to beat.
- New Car Test DriveGenerous cross bracing adds stiffness, helping to retain the rigid chassis as well as allowing engineers to design a suspension that soaks up the jarring bumps and craters found on and off road.
- New Car Test DriveDespite its considerable bulk, the Denali leaps off the line when accelerating...
- Canadian DriverGood brakes are important for a vehicle that weighs more than two tons and is sometimes asked to pull heavy trailers. With the Yukon's redesign came exceptionally good brakes.
- New Car Test Drive[with Denali] a full-time all-wheel-drive system is standard, a first in this size class.
- Car and Driver...now you can even buy the Yukon XL with the same luxurious Denali equipment reserved previously for the shorter-wheelbase Yukon. Denali packs a bigger engine and more sophisticated full-time all-wheel-drive.
- New Car Test Driveindependent torsion bar front suspension and a five-link coil-spring rear setup that delivers a satisfying ride.
- Edmunds.comDenali's big, pull-type interior door handles... can be used with gloves.
- Canadian Driver
What reviewers liked least about the 2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500:
...we would like to see higher-quality interior pieces and an overall improved level of fit-and-finish...
- Edmunds.comThe running board is too narrow to be of much use.
- Canadian Driver
2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500 Comparisons:
the... Yukon XL/Yukon XL Denali is a little smaller than the Ford Excursion.
- Car and DriverWhile the Yukon can carry a lot of people or a lot of cargo, the Yukon XL can do both at the same time.
- New Car Test Drive...excelled compared to the [V10-powered] Excursion, making it to 60 mph in 9.1 seconds and running the quarter mile in 16.8 at 82.0 mph.
- Motor Trend
Best one-liners about the 2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500:
...you will hardly need to look for a bigger vehicle, unless you're seriously into procreation.
- AutomobileA revised bumper, grille, running boards, and monochromatic treatment are about as subtle as a 320-pound linebacker.
- Automobile
2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500 Introduction
The GMC Yukon XL is all new for 2007, and you can't find an SUV that works better as a tow vehicle. It has all the right stuff. The ride is better than ever, handling is steady and light. These are benefits of a new boxed frame for rigidity, a redesigned suspension, a new ring-and-pinion steering system, and other changes.
The driver sits way up high and feels like he or she is master or mistress of his or her domain. The optional leather seats are wonderfully comfortable for long distances. The pedals adjust for long or short legs. The instruments and gauges are finally stylish. There are new halogen headlamps that are bigger for improved visibility at night. Storage space is intelligently designed and all over, including a huge center console.
Those in the second row will find a lot of leg room. Bucket seats with a center console between them are available for the second row, turning them into first-class accommodations; and there is an optional power folding option, making it easier for third-row passengers to climb in. There's even decent legroom and good headroom in the third row, something few SUVs can claim.
The Yukon XL seats six to nine people, depending on the seating configuration. Essentially GMC's version of the Chevy Suburban, the Yukon XL stretches the already long wheelbase of the Yukon another 20 inches. There are many vehicles that seat seven people without taking up so much space to do it, but not quite so comfortably, nor with so much room left over for cargo.
Towing is the other area where the Yukon XL excels. It's a great vehicle for drivers who want an SUV that can tow cars, boats, horses, and travel trailers. A Yukon XL 1500 is rated to tow up to 8200 pounds, while the heavy-duty 2500 version can tow up to 9700 pounds.
The standard 5.3-liter V8 represents a new generation of engines, and it offers excellent horsepower and torque. An optional 6.0-liter V8 for the Yukon delivers more towing power.
And at the top of the line is the Yukon XL Denali. The Denali is almost a separate breed. It has its own engine, a 6.2-liter V8 based on the Corvette's 7.0-liter, making 380 horsepower and 417 pound-feet of torque. It also has its own transmission, a six-speed automatic with manual mode and its own all-wheel-drive system. The Denali comes standard with the AutoRide active electronic suspension, which is optional on the regular Yukon XL.
Deluxe options include a liftgate that raises and lowers under power, a DVD entertainment system, a Bose sound system, a navigation system, and a rearview monitor that improves safety and makes it easier to hook up trailers.
2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500 Walkaround
The 2007 GMC Yukon XL should not be confused with the Yukon. The XL stands for Extra Long. Though the same width, the Yukon XL is about 20 inches longer than the Yukon; it's the same length as its near twin, the Chevy Suburban, measuring 18 1/2 feet.
The Suburban and Yukon XL are among the most familiar vehicles on the road. They share styling although not the details. For example, the Yukon has a cleaner air intake below the bumper than the Suburban, a different shape to the headlights, and the grille is not split.
The 2007 redesign makes subtle but effective changes to the exterior, and GM has done an excellent job with the Yukon XL, making this huge vehicle look smooth, if not sleek. The contours are gently shaped. There's nothing in-your-face or edgy about it. Body-colored side moldings and door handles help a lot. Finally, they got rid of the chrome!
The running board is integrated and unobtrusive, extending no farther than necessary, with a black grippy coating. The tinted glass behind the C-pillar is expansive, and looks nice. The front end has been cleaned up, with beefy block-like headlamps over a front bumper fascia that has vastly tighter tolerances with the body. In fact, all the panels are a tighter fit. It's nice to see that GM can produce this kind of quality.
The windshield is more sloped than before, although the tailgate remains vertical. The rear window opens separately, which is convenient. Our SLT had the optional power liftgate, and we're not sure what we would have done without it. At least the liftgate is aluminum, which would reduce the grunting, if not the stretching way up to reach it. The split barn-style doors, handy when trailers are attached, are ancient history, no longer available.
2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500 Interior Features
The Yukon XL is comfortable for long tows or major outings. It's a wonderful feeling to drive down the highway in one of these, sitting up high with all the comforts, including the optional Bose sound system.
Completely redesigned for the 2007 model year, the dashboard has been lowered by six inches, and the seats redesigned and raised, with a more convenient and secure seatbelt mounting on the B pillar. They are very comfortable, in leather.
We especially like the touch-screen radio/navigation system, much easier to operate than in so many cars, Mercedes, for example. We set the programs we liked, and could switch from favorite XM to AM to FM stations with one finger push; many vehicles require switching bands, then switching stations.
The switchgear is simple, and the instrumentation is clean. The console is huge (20.1 liters says GM, although we couldn't see 5.3 gallons being poured in there), with a deep storage box and a tray on top. The glovebox is 25 percent larger than the one in pre-2007 models. Two cupholders are provided in a removable tray forward of the console and they work very well. There's another cupholder in each door pocket. A slot in the dash just left of the turn signal is perfect for coins or toll-road tickets. The pedals are adjustable, to accommodate short wives and tall husbands or vice versa.
The rearview camera and monitor is quite useful, although it might take some new skills to fully use. One night we had to back up a narrow winding driveway squeezed by trees, and it could only be done by using the monitor. It was tricky. The backup lights did a great job of lighting the road for the camera; looking over our shoulder, our naked eye couldn't see the road nearly as well. Without this device, we would have been backing-up blind. It's also quite useful for spotting a child playing behind the truck after shifting into reverse or maybe a short, unseen pole. With a little practice, the camera makes parallel parking easier and quicker. It can also be used to help position the tow ball under a trailer hitch, reducing the number of times the driver has to jump out to check distance and alignment.
The Yukon XL can seat six, seven, eight or nine passengers, depending on the seats selected. Our SLT had the second-row bucket seats, with room for seven, in a two/two/three configuration.
The second row offers good legroom, at least with the two bucket seats: 39.4 inches, nearly as much as in the front. Second-row passengers have their own console, with an elbow tray and two cupholders each. They have their own audio controls too, and a front-row seat for the DVD screen that drops down from the headliner, and uses wireless headphones. The second-row bucket seats come with a console between them.
An optional power feature allows folding the second-row seats with the touch of a button on the instrument panel or C-pillar. It's slick: the seatbacks fold flat against the sitting part, and then the seats flip up against the back of the front seats.
The third row seats two or three, depending on the package. Split 60/40, the third-row seats fold and tumble, but don't fold flat into the floor like some competitors. The third-row seats flip up against the back of the second row. This fold-and-tumble feature sacrifices some quick cargo space because the seats don't fold flat, although there's still a lot compared to other SUVs. The third-row seats are also removable.
The third-row seats offer good head room and okay leg room (34.9 inches), and a great view through the wraparound glass, so it's not cramped or claustrophobic as it is in the GMC Envoy XL. But with the optional center seat, all you'll ever fit in the third row are three small kids. The kids on the end have their own cupholders. Their climate control vents are inconveniently located in the headliner over the necks of the second-row passengers, but they can be aimed rearward toward the third-
2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500 Driving Impressions
Another reason we wished we owned a race car (and others might wish for a travel trailer, a boat, or horses): The Yukon XL is the perfect tow vehicle for buyers who want the security and people capacity of a full-size SUV rather than a pickup.
GM's trusty 5.3-liter Vortec V8, making 310 horsepower and 335 pound-feet of torque, is one of the best V8s around, and when you floor it, it actually feels like it has more horsepower than that, considering the weight of our test vehicle was 5757 pounds. There's a smooth four-speed automatic transmission to go with it, and with all that torque, a fifth speed in the transmission might not be needed, although the big Japanese V8 SUVs all have five-speed automatic transmissions.
If you need more power for towing, you can upgrade to the 2500 (three-quarter ton) chassis and/or the 6.0-liter engine, to get 380 pound-feet of torque. Or the Denali XL, with that Corvette-based 6.2-liter engine making 380 hp and 417 pound-feet.
There's a badge on the rear of the vehicle that says "FlexFuel," meaning the engine can run on either unleaded regular fuel, or E85 (85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), which burns cleaner and reduces oil consumption.
Active Fuel Management shuts down four of the eight cylinders when they're not needed to save fuel. But there's one big catch: all the cylinders are needed virtually all time, unless you're totally off the throttle, in which case they all basically shut down anyhow. So the amount of fuel saved is questionable and debatable.
Fuel economy is an EPA City/Highway-rated 15/21 miles per gallon. We drove nearly 300 miles in a 2WD Yukon XL in an even split between around town and running 75 mph on the freeway, and averaged 15.8 mpg.
Ride quality is excellent, overall. The suspension seems much improved over undulating roads; wallowing under duress has been a weakness of Yukons and Suburbans in the past. The new fully boxed frame is 49 percent stiffer and 35 percent more resistant to twisting. The front track has been widened by three inches, and the rear by one inch. A new coil-over-shock front suspension, and revised and strengthened five-link rear suspension around a solid rear axle (better for towing) work well with new rack-and-pinion steering.
AutoRide, the optional self-leveling suspension, is a high-tech, active suspension, meaning it electronically adjusts to the road, as read by sensors. It reduces body lean in corners and nose dive under hard braking.
Driving in an estimated 25-mph crosswind on the freeway at 75 miles per hour, our Yukon XL swayed all over the road, because of the billboard-like surface area of the side of the vehicle.
The brakes have gotten a much-needed upgrade. The vented rotors are bigger (13 inches in front and 13.5 inches rear) and the dual piston calipers are stiffer. This adds up to security and safety when you're trying to get stopped with a boat or trailer pushing you from behind. Brakes on these new GM trucks are far better than they were a decade or so ago.
2007 GMC Yukon XL 1500 Final Word
The Yukon XL/Suburban has long been the tow vehicle of choice, and this redesign enables it to maintain its position on top. The latest version 5.3-liter Vortec V8 makes plenty of horsepower and torque for towing, and two more powerful engines are available. The suspension and brakes are considerably improved, the instrumentation is finally worthy, and it's hard to fault the SLT's leather interior, especially the comfort of the seating in all three rows. We do wonder why there are no available side-impact airbags in front, however.
Sam Moses filed this report to NewCarTestDrive.com from the Pacific Northwest's Columbia River Valley.
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