2020 GMC Yukon Denali SUV

The Yukon Denali might not be the quickest or sportiest full-size SUVs out there, but it certainly has a reputation of having a really powerful drivetrain that helps it have one of the best towing capacities in the segment alongside the ability to go through rough terrains if you opt for the AWD version. The Yukon Denali’s prices start at $68,995 for the RWD version and it costs a couple of thousand dollars extra for the AWD version. It competes with the 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe Premier, the 2020 Ford Expedition Platinum, and the 2020 Nissan Armada Platinum in the full-size premium SUV segment.

The GMC Yukon comes in 4 trims named SLE, SLT Standard Edition, SLT, and lastly the Denali. The Yukon Denali is the costliest trim in the lineup and certainly the most luxurious and feature-loaded one. The Yukon SLE is priced at $52,000 while the Denali will cost you around $69,000.

Which trim should you buy?

The Yukon Denali is a whole trim and hence doesn’t come with optional packages or accessories. When compared to the rest of the trim levels that come in the Yukon lineup, the Denali trim feels like the one to go for as it is definitely the luxurious and feature-loaded trim level of the Yukon. It also gets a bigger powertrain unit which is the highlight of the Denali trim.

The 2020 GMC Yukon Denali gets a bigger and better powertrain unit when compared with the other trim levels. The powertrain unit is a 6.2 L naturally aspirated V8 engine that produces 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft. of torque. This engine when compared to the 5.3 L naturally aspirated V8 engine that comes in the rest of the trim levels available for the Yukon seems more sensible. It has the right amount of grunt to move this enormous SUV and thereby increasing the towing capacity by a great margin as well.

The engine is mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox that works seamlessly to help transfer the power to the wheels. The Yukon Denali is available in RWD configuration as standard while an AWD drivetrain is also available for an extra $2,500.

At 6.2 seconds, the Yukon Denali’s 0-60 mph timing suggests that it is neither the quickest nor the slowest SUV in the segment. It can cover a quarter-mile in 14.5 seconds and has a top speed of 124 mph.

The Yukon Denali’s powertrain unit makes it a great value for money as it has got one of the best horsepower and torque figures in the segment at a considerably reasonable price. The Ford Expedition Platinum seems to be the quickest of the lot, but it costs around $8,000 more than the Yukon Denali which makes it costlier.

How well does the 2020 GMC Yukon Denali handle?

Handling is something that the Yukon Denali struggles with. It does a decent job going around corners and accelerating, but certainly lacks the feel and confidence that is expected from a vehicle with such engine performance. 

There is a considerable amount of body roll and the SUV feels sluggish and hard to maneuver around tight spaces. The ride quality also seems pretty bland as it is neither too stiff nor too soft. The mass and the long-wheelbase do help it remain stable in a straight line though.

Braking performance

When it comes to stopping the Yukon Denali, the brakes actually don’t do that great of a job. The brakes lack feel and feedback as needed and certainly take some time for stopping the Yukon which weighs around 5,500 lbs. 

The front rotors are 13-inch ones while the rear gets 13.6-inch ones. The Yukon shares its brakes with the Chevrolet Tahoe just like many other features and parts as they share the same platform.

The Yukon Denali certainly could have had better brakes as it covers 139 feet to stop itself from 60-0 mph while the heavier Nissan Armada takes comes to a halt at just 126 feet.

For a premium full-size SUV with over 400 horsepower and lb-ft. of torque, the Yukon Denali offers a decent fuel economy with an excellent range on the highway thanks to clever features such as cylinder deactivation systems. The Yukon Denali delivers a combined fuel economy of 17 miles per gallon and has a 26-gallon fuel tank capacity which is best in class.

The Yukon Denali offers the best in class fuel economy on the highway and has a decent combined fuel economy as well. The cylinder deactivation feature along with the best in class fuel tank capacity helps the Yukon Denali cover a maximum of 598 miles on the highway on a full tank of gas.

The interior of the Yukon Denali is a massive one with a great amount of space and creature comforts that make it one of the best SUVs to go for in the segment. Tall and wide windscreen along with the big windows bring a lot of light and airiness into the cabin.

The dashboard has a leather surface finish with metal trim inlets. It doesn’t feel cluttered with buttons and has a lot of space in the glove box and center console for storing things.

The front row seats are ventilated and heated perforated leather seats with 12-way power adjustability. The front row has a great amount of space for the occupants to be seated comfortably and the seats have power-adjustable lumbar support as well for that extra comfort and confidence. The steering wheel too comes with heating and leather upholstery. The Tri-zone automatic climate control works like a charm and provides excellent ventilation and cooling in and around the cabin.

The second-row seats are foldable pilot seats that provide a huge amount of space and comfort for the second-row occupants making them the best place to be inside the Yukon Denali. The individual climate control settings help with adequate ventilation and cooling around the interior.

The third-row seats are fixed a bit higher and don’t have much legroom. This makes them uncomfortable for adults although kids can sit comfortably. The Yukon Denali also has an excellent cargo capacity of 94.7 cu-ft. with the seats behind the first row folded. 

The GMC Yukon Denali and the Chevrolet Tahoe Premier seem to have identical interior and cargo capacity as they share the same platform and the products of brand badging. The Ford Expedition Platinum leads the segment in the interior and cargo capacity criteria as it has the best in class legroom and exceptional cargo capacity compared to the rest of the SUVs.

Some of the noteworthy interior features are:

• 12-way power driver and passenger seats w/4-way power lumbar control
• Heated front and second-row seats w/ ventilated front seats
• Power folding third row 60/40 split-bench
• Power tilt and telescopic steering column w/heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel
• 8.0-inch Driver Information Center
• Three-zone automatic climate control
• Power-adjustable pedals
• Ambient interior lighting
• Universal Home Remote

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The 2020 GMC Yukon Denali is the most feature-loaded trim level in the Yukon lineup and hence has a plethora of infotainment features onboard.

The infotainment screen is an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment multi-information display unit that is intuitive and progressive. It does feel tiny on the large dashboard surface, but the large icons do help to navigate through the various settings. The GMC infotainment system also has features like SiriusXM satellite radio, 4G WiFi internet access hotspot, and SiriusXM NavTraffic as well.

The audio system is a premium quality Bose Centerpoint Surround Sound system with 10 speakers and active noise cancellation. The Yukon Denali gets a host of connectivity features as well such as Bluetooth audio and phone connectivity, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard along with wireless charging as well.

Some of the noteworthy infotainment features are:

• 8.0-inch touchscreen GMC Infotainment System
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability
• 10-speaker Bose Centerpoint Surround Sound System w/Bose Active Noise Cancellation
• HD Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio
• 4G LTE Wi-Fi Hotspot capable
• Navigation and SiriusXM NavTraffic
• Head-up display
• Optional Rear Seat Entertainment system

The GMC Yukon once looked modern and futuristic with its tall-boy stance and massive grille. But after about 6 years of being in the same look, the Yukon certainly looks outdated with its bland exterior bodywork, and the projector-beam headlamps and the old tail lamps definitely make it look outdated.

As far as the design cues go, GMC has thrown in a lot of chrome elements around the exterior which might have looked regal and premium during the current generation Yukon’s inception, but certainly don’t go well in today’s day and age, and when can definitely spot that if they compare the Yukon with the new Ford Expedition.

The Yukon Denali’s wheelbase is certainly the shortest wheelbase in the segment in the segment and that really helps it to handle and have a better turning radius compared to the rest of the rivalry. But having a shorter wheelbase has certainly affected the interior space as it could have done with better third row and cargo capacity.

Some of the noteworthy exterior features are:

• 20-inch bright machined aluminum wheels
• High-intensity discharge projected beam headlamps
• Power-adjustable heated outside rearview mirrors
• Handsfree liftgate

The Yukon Denali might seem in need of an update when taking into consideration the various aspects of the SUV. But GMC has made sure that it doesn’t feel outdated in the safety point of view and has made the Yukon Denali certainly one of the best SUVs in the segment when it comes to safety ratings and features.

As per the NHTSA’s records, the 2020 GMC Yukon Denali gets an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars which is a very good score for a vehicle of its caliber. Apart from being structurally safe, the Yukon Denali hosts various safety features that are the latest in the segment. These safety features include a tire pressure monitoring system, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, and many more.

Some of the noteworthy safety features are:

• StabiliTrak stability control system w/brake assist, Hill Start-Assist and traction control
• IntelliBeam automatic high beam on/off
• Automatic Emergency Braking
• Forward Collision Alert
• Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
• Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
• Front and Rear Park Assist w/Rear Vision Camera
• Teen Driver mode

2020 GMC Yukon Denali vs. 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe Premier

The Yukon and Tahoe are practically similar SUVs and hence share almost every component there is. They share the same platform and hence have the same amount of interior space and cargo capacity. The Tahoe Premier costs around $6,000 less than the Yukon Denali but doesn’t get the powerful engine that the Yukon Denali gets in spite of being the top-of-the-line trim in the Tahoe lineup.

2020 GMC Yukon Denali vs. 2020 Ford Expedition Platinum

The Expedition is a better SUV in many aspects including exterior features, interior features, cabin space, and cargo capacity. Being priced more than $6,000 over the Yukon Denali’s sticker price it also is the most powerful SUV in the segment. But when it comes to criteria such as towing and trailer hauling capacities the Expedition can only pull about 6000 lbs. while the Yukon Denali can pull about 8,400 lbs. which is a really insane figure for an RWD full-size SUV.

2020 GMC Yukon Denali vs. 2020 Nissan Armada Platinum

The Armada Platinum is certainly one of the closest competitors to the Yukon Denali with respect to a lot of aspects including power figures, fuel economy, interior volume, and towing capacity. The Armada Platinum is cheaper than the Yukon Denali to purchase, but the ride quality doesn’t provide the level of comfort that the Yukon Denali offers. Also, the Armada has a larger wheelbase making it a bit tight around turns and corners.

If you fancy an all-American full-size SUV that can fit 7 people comfortably and move mountains then the 2020 GMC Yukon Denali is a really capable and worthy candidate.

The only drawbacks of the Yukon Denali seem to be the outdated design cues and cramped third-row seats whose solution can be found in the Yukon’s rivals such as the Ford Expedition and the Nissan Armada, but considering the price point and the amount of performance and safety features it offers, it truly fits as a value for money premium full-size SUV in the segment.