GMC launches here with Yukon Denali Large SUV

NZ Autocar has just attended the Australasian launch of GMC’s Yukon Denali. And that might sound like double Dutch to some of you. Others will have heard of GMC, a division of GM. And those into their American machinery will have come across Yukon before. It has been around since 1992.

Before a further explanation, we should just mention that there’s an embargo on drive impressions. Check back here on May 12th for details on how it drives. The launch route kicked off in Canberra and ended in Sydney, much of it on roads less travelled. 

GMC is the division of General Motors that deals with trucks and SUVs. Or in GM speak, vehicles with ‘rugged reliability, technology, and luxury’. The company is certainly long of tooth, founded in 1911. 

Until the launch of the Yukon here, there have been no GMC products officially imported into Australasia. The Yukon is a large eight-pew SUV and it’s named after the rugged territory in the northwest of Canada, right alongside Alaska. GMC is clearly borrowing imagery here, the SUV designed for the rigours of the great outdoors. For that it is well outfitted.

The only model we’re getting here is the top-shelf Denali. Its name means ‘the tall one’ – it is also the indigenous name for the tallest mountain in the US. Measuring up at almost 2m in height, the Yukon Denali has running boards that extend and retract when the doors open and close. It also has grab handles to make entry easier. Long it is too at almost 5.4m and it’s well over 2m wide. With its switchable AWD and high/low transfer case, along with a limited slip diff, an off-road drive mode, and height adjustable suspension, this should also cope with barely formed roads and basic trails confidently. 

The vehicle itself is built in Arlington, Texas and shares its body-on-frame platform with the likes of Silverado, Sierra, Tahoe and Suburban. That’s why it has a braked towing capacity of 3628kg, claimed by GMSV to be the best in class. The odd number makes more sense in US parlance (8000lbs). A towbar is standard fit, as is an 11-view camera and trailer sway control.

Anyhow, once it arrives in Australia, it is shipped to Dandenong, Victoria, where it is remanufactured from left hook to right-hand drive. This facility has just ticked over 10,000 conversions, many of them Silverados. 

Prior to going on sale in the Antipodes, GMSV has been durability testing the Yukon, 10 vehicles having completed over 100,000km. Some have done the 14,000km around Australia circuit. Since GMSV indicated that the GMC Yukon Denali would be coming down under, there have been 2500 expressions of interest. 

And there’s a good reason for this – there are very few eight-seater luxury grade large SUV options for big families with a love of the outdoors. At least on this side of the Tasman where the asking price is $184,990. 

A few other points about the Yukon. It’s big enough that there is genuine seating for eight adults inside, especially as the middle-row seats are on sliders. They also fold and slide forward for ease of entry to the third-row seats. Even with all pews in use there’s still 722 litres of luggage space, rising to 2056L with the third-row seats out of action and to 3480L with all rear seats folded flat. Loading is facilitated by a powered tailgate and separately opening glass section. Ride height may be lowered by 50mm to make entry and loading easier too. 

It’s coming here as a highly specified model following a recent refresh, sporting new front and rear fascias, liftgate badging, animated lamps and a panoramic sunroof with a powered section up front. Jeweled headlights bookend a bold hexagonal chrome-plated grille. The GMC badge up front lights up at night too. 

Denali features 24-inch machined alloys, the biggest standard rims on any production vehicle sold in Australasia. So it looks the part in that can-do way.

Powering the Yukon Denali is a 6.2L naturally aspirated V8 featuring displacement on demand, and fully variable valve timing. Output is rated at 313kW and 624Nm, and the power is processed by a 10-speed automatic transmission. A 0-100km/h time of circa 7sec is quoted. GMC rates mean fuel use at 12.8L/100km, and the tank holds 91L. It requires 95 ULP for optimum performance.  

The cabin features wood and gloss black finishes, powered, heated and ventilated seats finished in perforated leather, three-zone AC, and 42 inches of screen. The main unit is 16.8 inches and incorporates wireless AA and ACP, while there’s also a wireless charge pad. Other items include 12.6 inch screens, charge points, heated pews and an AC zone for the two middle row occupants, comfort entry and push button start and every safety whatsit available, apart from traffic sign recognition. There’s no native sat nav either, but smart phones integrate wirelessly and there’s a head-up display. 

As to rivals, there are only a few eight-seater SUVs on sale, but they’re not as big. Arguably its main rival is the similarly sized and priced Land Rover Defender 130 with the eight-seat package. It too features a V8, although that’s turbocharged with a mild hybrid set-up. While somewhat quicker, it doesn’t have the luggage capacity of the Yukon Denali (2200 vs 3480L), nor the tow capacity (3000kg vs 3680kg). 

The GMC Yukon Denali goes on sale in New Zealand this month. 

For more on this vehicle, see the June issue of NZ Autocar.