GM has long dominated the full-size SUV market. For years there was just one with four doors, the Suburban. Then SUVs became hot in the 1990s, and GM realized that some people might want a full-size truck with a bit less length. Well, twenty inches less. So it introduced the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon twins, full-size SUVs just a tad longer than a midsize car. A couple years later Ford introduced the Expedition, which split the difference, and a real rivalry was born. Currently the Expedition and Tahoe are about tied in sales, with the Yukon putting segment leadership squarely in GM’s pocket.

GM and Ford redesigned their big SUVs in 2000 and 2003, respectively. GM’s upgrades have been evolutionary: more power, better brakes, nimbler handling, firmer chassis, and so on. Ford took a less conventional approach, adopting a costlier independent rear suspension for better handling and more space in the third row. How do they stack up?

Note: I initially reviewed both the Denali and Yukon in the same review. Then Epinions added a separate listing for the Denali. Quite belatedly I have split my review in two, one for the regular Yukon and one for the Denali. The review for the Denali can be found here.

GMC Yukon Reliability

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Styling

For those who like their trucks fancy, there’s the Denali. The Yukon’s more restrained trim better suits my idea of an SUV. Overall, this is a conventionally styled yet handsome truck. My main issue is it looks a bit stubby given its width and height. Of course, this can be fixed by going with the XL version, based on the twenty-inch-longer Suburban.

Inside I continue to find GM’s big truck dash dated. The same basic dash is used in the most basic work trucks, and no amount of faux gray-stained wood can disguise the fact that it was designed with the work truck market in mind. GM’s premium large trucks need their own dash. The Denali has its own console, which does help. It flows from the bottom of the dash in a continuous curve, unlike the disjointed, blocky console found in regular Yukons. Restyle the dash in the same way and everything would be just peachy.

Both inside and outside, I prefer the more sophisticated styling of GMC’s mid-size SUV, the Envoy. The Envoy doesn’t share a platform with any work truck, and this seems to have given GM’s designers the freedom they needed to create a more stylish SUV.

I personally find the Expedition more attractive than the Yukon, with more refined styling both outside and in.

Accommodations

The Yukon’s large front seats are comfortable. Seats like those in the Denali are optional. I especially like the four-way lumbar, which is also found in the Envoy. The height of the lumbar support can be adjusted so it hits your back just right. There’s very little lateral support, but a 5000+ lbs. SUV isn’t meant for tossing through the twisties anyway. The driving position is excellent; the relatively low dash and expansive glass provide good visibility all around. (This driving position is an advantage over the smaller Envoy.)

In the second row, the standard bench can seat three adults comfortably. Its generously sized and is high enough off the floor to provide good thigh support. While the optional captain’s chairs aid access to the third row, you lose a bit of utility in other areas. The bench can seat three people comfortably and includes a large armrest with storage and cupholders inside.

The third row is not a nice place. The seat sits right on the floor, providing zero thigh support. I found myself looking at my knees. Also, there is little headroom; though I’m not tall at 5Í”, I had to scrunch to keep my head from hitting the plastic trim the borders the rear edge of the headliner. This points out another issue: the third row is all the way at the back of the vehicle. I’m not sure how safe this is. With the XL Denali, the seat is further from the rear, and a bit more comfortable (though still not a place I’d like to spend much time).

Why is the third row so cramped? I suspect because the original Yukon did not have a third row, and the second-generation vehicle, similarly laid out without a third row in mind, is actually a bit smaller. GM was forced to squeeze a third row in late in the process when the Dodge Durango and Ford Expedition were introduced with third row seats, and sold well partly for this reason.

Another problem with having the seat so far back: there is only about 10” of cargo space behind it. To cargo much stuff, the third row seats must either be flipped forward, a rather easy thing to do, or removed, which isn’t too much harder, if not very convenient. The second row folds for even more cargo space. The rear seat headrests fold automatically when the seat is folded, so there is no need to remove them.

The third row seat in the Ford Expedition is much roomier and far more comfortable. Credit goes to the Expeditions extra half-foot of length and independent rear suspension, which permits a much lower rear floor.

On the Road

Regular Yukons must make do with either a 275-horsepower 4.8-liter V8 or a 285-horsepower 5.3-liter V8—the latter in the case of the truck I drove. They also come with a more versatile but less sophisticated all-wheel-drive system with settings for two-wheel-drive, auto, four high, and four low. The Denali gets a 320-horsepower 6.0 liter V8 hooked up to a full-time all-wheel-drive system with no low range. The Denali does feel more powerful, but the 5.3-liter is no slouch. I personally feel no strong desire to drive a full-size SUV like a sports car, so the 5.3 seemed more than adequate. When given their marching orders, all of these engines make that roar typical of good old American V8s. A bit coarse now to my ear, but I suspect it gives most people the warm fuzzies. The transmission shifted fairly smoothly, if not seamlessly, although quickly lifting off the throttle made it lose its composure. If you’re going to drive aggressively then the Denali’s all-wheel-drive system is better at seamlessly putting the power down. Otherwise there’s no difference until you go off-road, where you’ll want the regular Yukon.

Things get a bit hairy in the handling department. The steering is a bit light in effort, but together with the chassis tuning makes any of GM’s large SUVs (even the Suburban) feel more nimble than a vehicle this large has any right to be. I felt I could place this truck quite precisely with just a light touch on the wheel. Unfortunately, a soft suspension complicates matters. In even moderately aggressive maneuvers the rear end starts to sway back and forth. The Suburban/Yukon XL has a firmer suspension, and that together with the longer wheelbase might explain why I noted no such swaying when I drove one a few years back. I suspect that the Z71 Off-Road Suspension Package might help calm things down.

Ah, comfort. The Yukon’s ride is surprisingly plush for a vehicle based on GM’s work trucks, if not quite as plush as the Denali’s. (The suspension tuning for all I know is the same. I drove the Yukon on a different day, and while the Denali feels plusher this might be the result of more sound insulation.) Sadly, this plushness seems to have been accomplished the good old fashioned way, via soft springs. This leads to the handling quirks noted above. Personally, I’d willingly trade some road isolation for better body control.

The Expedition’s 5.4-liter V8 does not feel as strong, in part because the Expedition is about a quarter-ton heavier, but makes slightly more refined noises. Anecdotal evidence suggests that fuel economy is significantly worse in the Ford, roughly 12 MPG in suburban driving vs. 15. The Expedition through the steering wheel feels like a far heavier, more massive vehicle than the Yukon, less nimble but more planted. In aggressive driving it feels more composed. The downside is a rougher ride, especially at low speeds over slightly pocked road surfaces. Interesting, since an independent rear suspension is supposed to help the ride. It does lead to less untoward body motions over major bumps and chuckholes, but does not filter out the small stuff nearly as well.

Pricing

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Last Words

What’s the market for this SUV? People who want a vehicle wide enough to be extremely roomy (in the first two rows at least) yet short enough in length to be maneuverable, and who also want the most luxurious vehicle they can get their hands on? I imagine that must be it.

For most people I believe there are better choices. Unless you really need to carry three large people in the second row often, or simply get off on that big truck feel, then the smaller Envoy seems a better bet. If you really need a third row, perhaps with cargo room behind that third row, then the Yukon XL or Ford’s more space efficient large SUVs might be the way to go. The Envoy XL and Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT (review coming soon on the latter) are only a couple inches shorter in length than the Yukon XL, and also do well here if you can get past the aesthetic consequences of their strange proportions. Best of all, if you need room but don’t get off on that big truck feeling then a car-based large SUV like Honda’s Pilot could very well be best.

To learn more about my reliability research and sign up to participate in it, or to perform thorough up-to-date new car price comparisons, visit www.truedelta.com. A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

Amount Paid (US$): 43,680
Model and Options: Yukon 4WD with 1SD