About 15 years ago, something interesting happened: Buyers of big, ostentatious luxury SUVs started making a different choice, eschewing the big, glitzy, popular Cadillac Escalade for the GMC Yukon instead. It offered almost everything buyers wanted in a full-size luxury SUV without the need to explain why they were buying a Cadillac during the Great Recession. Sure, it was still expensive, thirsty and just plain yuge, but it was also a bit of a stealth move to fly under the radar of other peoples’ ire. And the birth of the Denali sub-brand took off. That trend happily continues with the 2025 Yukon and even gets built upon by a more off-road-ready version of GMC’s big luxobarge. I got an in-person look at the new Yukon ahead of its reveal to the public.
Related: 2025 GMC Yukon: Big Is Beautiful
It Certainly Looks Good
The Yukon’s styling has always been attractive, and the latest update only improves upon its looks. It’s fun that you can get two different versions — either go the luxury route down the Denali hole or go the off-road path via the AT4 trail. I’m not entirely sure how many Yukon AT4 buyers are actually going too far off-road in their nearly $74,000 (including destination) SUVs (that’s the least expensive version of the 2024 Yukon AT4), but the thing certainly has the equipment to do so. Adding in the new AT4 Ultimate trim level is fun, but it will almost certainly be eye-wateringly expensive.
But being able to get the turbo-diesel 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder engine in any of the Yukon’s trims makes it even more compelling — especially since it’s being discontinued in the Escalade for 2025. So if you want a redesigned Escalade with the diesel, you’re out of luck, but thankfully the Yukon Denali is nearly as nice, not quite as overburdened with the Escalade’s new screen fetish and can still be had with the extraordinary oil-burner motor.
No Screen Fetish
Ah yes, the screen fetish of the Escalade — it’s not seen here in the Yukon. Yes, there’s a massive new central 16.8-inch vertically oriented touchscreen that dominates the entire center console, but it looks good and doesn’t put every function behind the glass. There are still buttons and knobs for high-use items like audio and climate controls, which is something to be celebrated as they minimize distractions for drivers as they’re operating the vehicle.
The switch to the Google-based operating system for all vehicle voice and multimedia controls is something we’re less thrilled about, however, as our experience with Google systems has been decidedly mixed. If there’s weak or no data connection between the car and the cloud (which would happen if you’re overlanding your Yukon AT4 Ultimate across the vast, empty stretches of the American Southwest), you’ll find yourself frustratingly without a lot of simple voice-command functions, like changing radio stations.
The rest of the Yukon’s interior feels as good as those in all of the new GM vehicles; it’s opulent, well thought out, comfortable and very usable. The new dashboard makes a huge difference as well; just like in the Chevy Tahoe, it’s considerably lower than the prior model’s, dramatically improving forward visibility over the Yukon’s tall hood. The Yukon no longer has a high-mounted screen thanks to the deep vertical display that further improves outward views. And like prior versions, the second- and third-row seats are eminently comfortable and usable. Yukons are huge — there’s no way around that — but this is the reason people buy them.
For those wishing to have a more traditional American luxury full-size SUV experience without the increasingly space-age, screen-based push coming for the next Escalade, the Yukon makes an excellent case for itself.
More From Cars.com:
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- 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban: Smoother Super-Sized SUVs
- How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2023 GMC Yukon?
- 2021 GMC Yukon Denali Review: Finally, the Denali Is Different
- These 10 SUVs Have the Highest Towing Capacity
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