I must admit, I never liked GM trucks. The only GM designed truck I could identify with was the Escalade and EXT mostly because they were the most luxurious GM offerings. Yet, even with those two exceptions, I recognized that Lincoln/Mercury was producing far more attractive interiors and exteriors on their Navigators and Mountaineers. I would often get into arguments with friends about why I felt my Ford Expedition 2002 was better than their Yukon Denali or their Chevrolet Tahoe. It totally bewildered me why rappers and entertainers were bragging about Denali’s and Tahoe’s rather than Escalades. To me and many automotive reviewers the past generation of GM trucks paled in comparison to their Ford and even Japanese counterparts in part due to shoddy engineering, poor interior/exterior designs and awful fuel economy.
For the 2007 year, GM, after suffering a 4 billion dollar loss in North America last year, mostly due to sky high fuel costs, decided that they were going to blow our prejudices about their vehicles to the wind by completely redesigning their entire truck line and giving every one of its SUV models a full makeover inside and out.


IMPRESSIONS


The 2007 Denali looks remarkably like the 2nd generation Escalade from the front, though from the back, it is unmistakably newer in appearance. The one thing separating it from the Escalade mostly is the huge red GMC logo in the center of the grill.
In fact, if you are a car modifier who replaces the factory grills on a SUV with billet chrome, many people who see you driving the Denali might think you have an Escalade.

I went inside Van Buren dealership and asked a salesman to allow me to check out the Denali and he hopped right to his feet, got the keys, photocopied my license and showed me outside.
I suppose that with gasoline at $3.20, it has gotten so hard to sell full size SUVs that the dealers treat every potential buyer like kings now.

The Exterior of the truck really does look just like the new Escalade. The only identifying mark that it's not is the headlight assembly which is not as vertical oriented as that of the Escalade. Instead, the headlight resembles the quasi-rhombic design of the old Escalade. The grill has some Chrome accent, though not as much as the new Escalade yet, it share’s the old Escalades, shape.
The interior of the Denali however was spectacular. The most impressing improvement of the Denali is the dashboard, driver’s console and the seating.
The Yukon /Denali shares the exact layout as the Chevy Avalanche and the Tahoe with marginally different trim.
Rather than the 2007 Escalade’s 8-inch Touchscreen Navigation radio, the Yukon /Denali has a 6.5 inch touchscreen LCD Navigation Radio that is centered in the console rather than higher up like the Escalade’s. I can overlook the smaller size, but, the Escalade’s Nav radio is better because it is placed higher in the center console and features a button that allows you to adjust its diagonal tilt. That alone makes it more comfortable to use. Besides, you wouldn’t want to be cruising at 75 MPH, late for an appointment and staring too downwards trying to see the Navigation map - that’s an accident risk. I was also disappointed that GM’s designers didn’t see it necessary to include a clock in the console. Instead you’ll have to take your eyes off the road to look at the bottom right hand side of the LCD screen to see the time.
Why is it that GM can’t give the driver a decent clock?
I hate to nitpick but drivers need easy access to the current time.

The dual zone A/C system is composed of circular controls which are separated so that you can quickly push the buttons to make your zone hotter or colder, or activate your seat’s heating elements - sorry, no Cooling here ! Buy an Escalade for that. There are also buttons for the heated windshield washer fluid; deactivation of the ultrasonic rear parking system; deactivation of Stabilitrak and lastly; the all new GM foot pedal switch which GM decided for some reason shouldn’t be placed on the driver’s side next to the light switches.
In my opinion, GM’s driver console design is very simple to manipulate and I personally like this design more than the overly pedantic designs I’ve seen in Audi’s and BMW’s where just trying to defog the windshield becomes a chore.

The dashboard is large and easy to read. It’s basically the exact same dash layout as in the Chevy Avalanche but there’s nothing to be disappointed with. I do however prefer the Escalade’s crystal blue backlighting which is easier on the eyes at night and has more “wow” factor.

The Seating in the Denali shares the exact same basics as the Escalade sans the freon cooled front seats.
GM has switched from a seatbelt-in-seat design on its last generation of models and switched to the traditional seatbelt-in-pillar. Though the Denali does not have the Lade’s nuance leather with its peculiar aroma, it does feature a tightly wrapped generic leather that is no less glamorous. What does strike me as odd is that the new armrest for the driver and passenger features a half-inch deep recess in it instead of a panel like the Lade’s wood panel. I don’t understand why this is so.
Its almost as if GM wanted us to be able to quickly store pencils or something. It makes no sense at all.

Equally disappointing is the fact that all of GM’s new SUVs do not feature a telescoping steering wheel. I have gone into this in excessive detail when I reviewed the Avalanche and Escalade as I find it appalling. I didn’t have the same seating problem in the Denali that I had in the Escalade because the Denali’s cushions aren’t as thick. I felt comfortable in the Denali’s seats with just a small amount of rear tilt. This did slightly mitigate the problem the Escalade gave me of having to outstretch my arms to grip the wheel.


OUT FOR A SPIN


The GMC YUKON DENALI for 2007 is the top of the line GMC truck. Unlike the GMC Yukon which features a 4-speed, 320HP 5.3 Liter V8, the Denali offers a 6 speed, 380HP 6.2 Liter V8 standard. The new GMT-900 truck frame is claimed to be about 50% stiffer than the GMT-800. The GMT-900 features a body-on-frame design where the Chassis is directly connected to the frame for a feeling of unparalleled connection and stability during driving.

I must say that driving the Denali was a pleasant experience. You never hear any creaks and you never get that feeling that the body is moving independently of the rest of the truck. The salesman explained that the truck rides more comfortably because it has a solid axle connected by 5 links which was pioneered on the Tahoe and that body movement and roll was kept in check by the new computerized shock absorption stiffeners and the Stabilitrack system GM uses in its new Trucks and SUVs.
I compare the Tahoe, Avalanche, Denali and Suburban to the Escalade because though they all have the same basic underpinnings of the GMT-900 frame, the Escalade as the top of the line model is supposed to offer you the finest performance. After extensive drives of the vehicles, it is my impression that only the most discerning automobile reviewers will be able to separate the ride qualities of the Escalade and the Denali. They both ride equally comfortable.
Braking is equally responsive with the Denali. Even when moving at speeds above 50, the Denali brings itself to a halt with a decent press on the pedal. I would suggest that if you are planning to buy this truck, you have the factory install whatever aftermarket rim/tire combination you plan to add. Both the Denali and Escalade feature brake rotors that look hopelessly overmatched by their 20” (or larger) rims, yet, the dealer has fine tuned them for near perfect response.
I was also very pleased with the quality of the Denali’s audio system. The standard BOSE system includes 9 speakers with a subwoofer and a 6 Cd changer that can also play MP3’s on CDR/RW disks. That is a very impressive feature that I first saw on the Cadillac STS. If you understand how to use your computer’s CD-R drive, you can place around 200 songs on one disk. That means you can create 6 disks, each with 200 songs for a whopping 1200 songs. The easy playability of which, puts the lower model Ipods to shame. The Escalade also features this ability by the way.

Unlike the Cadillac Escalade, the Denali can accept any fuel from 87 Octane to top grade and it comes prepared for Ethanol E85.
Ethanol E85 is a mixture of 15% Gasoline and 85% Ethanol which is derived from fermentation of plant matter. Ethanol E85 will not be available in NYC until late 2007 and even then it will be launched on the extents of Long Island. I believe Ethanol E85 plays a huge role in the future sales of GM’s big SUVs because drivers are sick and tired of dropping $65 at the pump to fill their rides. For my Escalade EXT, that $65 is actually $85 since I use higher grade fuel. America needs energy independence from the Middle East immediately. Unfortunately, since our entire infrastructure is designed around petroleum, it is estimated that it takes an Ethanol refinery a year to produce the amount of energy that a petroleum refinery produces in just 2 days.
Still, the ability to use E85 is a great potential for the Denali that shouldn’t be overlooked. It will become a major boasting point when GMC dealers try to get your hard earned cash.

Since the Denali is basically a clone of the Escalade, either truck nets you the same amount of space. The 2nd row has pitiful leg space compared to an Expedition or Nissan Armada, and a little less than a Navigator. The 3rd row is as small and uncomfortable as an economy passenger car. I wouldn't purchase this SUV if you have a family where most of the members are taller than 6'0.
If you’re the avid Walmart shopper or need space to haul your Home Depot purchases, Denali offers you the space for about $100 worth of groceries behind the 3rd row seat, or enough space for serious bulk shopping at Costco/Bj’s when you fold down the 3rd row seat. A third row of seats is optional, and you can get second-row captain’s chairs instead of a 60/40 split bench. Second-row seats fold forward easily. You may also opt for GM’s new power-actuated folding seats which allow for access to the third row. The 3rd row seat mind you requires minimal effort to fold down, but, is difficult to remove alone since both parts of it weigh 65 pounds. I am saying this mainly for those of us intent on taking out the 3rd row so we can add subwoofer systems.


Overall, I was very impressed with the 2007 GMC YUKON DENALI. The dealer quoted me a price roughly around $55,000 with all the major options such as moonroof, Navigation computer and 18 inch Chrome rims. There was even a roof mounted DVD player for the 2nd row passengers included in this price.
If you go to the dealer looking for a Denali, you can always haggle with them over the price since the dealer has most likely ordered all their Denali’s fully loaded and is anxiously trying to sell as many as they can as quickly as possible.
Also keep in mind that that if the Denali is not big enough, you can always get the Yukon XL Denali which is 22 inches longer and offers you twice the cargo space behind the 3rd row seat for about $5000 more.
In my final analysis, $50,000 Denali offers you an almost photo-identical interior and equally comfortable ride experience as the $70,000 Escalade. Cadillac is going to be hard pressed coming up with reasons why a buyer should purchase an Escalade over the Yukon Denali. Not to mention the Ethanol Flex capability that might help you save big bucks, should the current oil crisis go ever more sour down the road. Though there is not a lot of Bling factor associated with this truck, Denali has an excellent profile off the lot and looks fantastic. I’m certain the after market manufacturer’s will offer plenty of upgrades to get your new Denali turning heads as you roll down the street.


My Reviews of GMT-900 trucks:

CADILLAC ESCALADE:http://www.epinions.com/content_241990143620
ESCALADE EXT:http://www.epinions.com/content_242008362628
CHEVY AVALANCHE: http://www.epinions.com/content_241034301060


2007 EXPEDITION-http://www.epinions.com/content_270741048964

2007 FORD EDGE: http://www.epinions.com/content_299356556932

2007 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR: http://www.epinions.com/content_258470416004