Friday, October 17, 2014


2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali review notes


By on 9:20 PM

GMC’S YUKON XL DENALI DELIVERS COMFORT AND STYLE IN A VERY LARGE PACKAGE

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: Driving GM’s new full-size SUV line is a joy. There’s no other way to put it. I like the 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali’s look that’s more chiseled and creased than before. It looks lower and wider, and with that big chrome snout, meaner.

Everyone who recently rode in the Yukon remarked how nice the interior looked and how well screwed together. I hear ya: For this kind of jingle it should be nice inside…

2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali review notes
The ride is luxury-car smooth and quiet -- quite un-truck like. The body-on-frame construction is even stiffer on the new models than the old, allowing for a slightly stiffer suspension. Body control is amazing for a truck this big and heavy. There’s more than enough power from the big, smooth V8, and shifts are imperceptible. Out on the freeway, it’s quiet and confident.

Would I spring for the long wheelbase? Indeed I would -- if you’re gonna go big, go big and make use of the den-sized cargo area out back in the big fella. I think of it as a luxury car that can haul seven passengers and tow 9,000 pounds. How many other trucks can do that?

Running out to Montana for a little fly fishing? I’d jump in this in a heartbeat.

 ASSOCIATE EDITOR JAKE LINGEMAN: Man, Wes loves these SUVs. Me? I see the affinity, I just don’t experience it.

Surely, this is one of the biggest, baddest SUVs on the market. Interior space is laughably big. I can barely yell to the passengers in the third row. This would be great as a support vehicle for a move.

I do like the baseball mitt leather, and the seats are very comfy. I, too, would take this for a tour across the country, if I wasn’t paying for gas. Sight lines are good, being so high up, and the heated seats work well.

I’m not a fan of the new styling. There’s something too….Tokyo 2046 about it, or something. Those headlights are straight from the Cadillac parts bin, by the way. I don’t think they look as good on this car. It’s too angular, too blocky.

Power and acceleration are good from the V8, and GMC did a good job with the throttle. It’s sometimes hard to launch a big car smoothly, especially with a V8. This has nice, smooth tip in. The brakes seem to be up to the job, though I didn’t have to panic stop at all.

I’d never get one of these, unless maybe I had six kids. Still, I’d get a kickass wagon instead.

ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: Walking towards the 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali, you think you’re about to jump into and start piloting a battleship. It’s big. So big that you’ll get winded just walking around the darn thing. OK, not that big but it’s got a big footprint. It’s quite the looker, too, with the Denali treatments like the distinctive chrome grille and rolling on the optional 22-inch wheels. The new sheetmetal looks clean and crisp.

Because it’s a Denali, you also get additional standard goodies like the upgraded 6.2-liter V8 engine, magnetic ride control suspension, wireless phone charging, hands-free liftgate, an 8-inch customizable driver display and an active noise cancelation system.

Probably the biggest improvement to the new generation of GM SUVs is the interior quality and design. All the surfaces and finishes in this Yukon XL Denali look great with tight panel gaps throughout. All major surfaces are soft-touch and the center stack design is intuitive with a nice mix of hard buttons and a responsive central touchscreen.

Then there’s driving this behemoth, which is not all that hard with responsive steering for a very large SUV, stout brakes and a clear backup camera to make backing into or pulling out of parking spaces quite easy. The 6.2-liter V8 moves around all the weight respectably with the transmission downshifting quickly when extra power is needed for expressway merging.

A magnetic ride suspension is always a plus in any vehicle. Be it a Cadillac CTS-V, Chevrolet Corvette or a Yukon XL Denali. The system kept this big lug’s body well controlled through corners and yields a smooth and composed ride quality considering all weight and full-frame platform.

What did I use the Yukon XL Denali for? I had a mission to go pick up a lot of supplies from a warehouse club store. With the power-folding third-row seats stowed away and the second-row seats folded, I loaded the big boy up with a bunch of stuff and had plenty of room to spare. Sometimes giant vehicles like this Yukon XL come in handy.

Now the $77,965 question is if you want the most zooted-out GMC or if you want to spend a little more and step up the Cadillac Escalade ESV which starts at $78,290 for the 4WD model. Personally, I really like the trimmings in the Caddy’s interior, so I wouldn’t blame you for stepping up to the Escalade.

Trukania.com
Judul: 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali review notes
Review oleh: Tukang Coding |
Update pada: 9:20 PM | Rating: 4.5

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