The invasion of large American pick-up trucks has shifted the New Zealand automotive landscape, carving out a lucrative niche for utes of immense scale - and immense towing capabilities - so it was only a matter of time before their SUV counterparts followed.
The GMC Yukon Denali is the first of these behemoths to officially roll onto our shores, bringing with it a uniquely American proposition of power, luxury, and sheer size, with a ladder-frame chassis, an eight-seat interior, and a big V8 petrol engine.
The Yukon Denali enters the New Zealand market with a significant challenge: a hefty price point that places it up against a somewhat unconventional set of competitors. At $184,990, it commands a premium that puts it in the crosshairs of established luxury players, while its ladder chassis and off-road credentials see it going head to head with top-tier off-road specialists as well.
Yet it doesn’t quite align exactly with any of them. While its price tag rivals sophisticated European seven-seaters like the BMW X7 (which starts at $188,900), its truck-based underpinnings, eight-seat capacity, and formidable towing capabilities are more aligned with heavy-duty vehicles, such as the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 ($139,990 to $159,990), but more specifically, its luxurious Lexus LX spin off that sells for between $189,900 and $191,900.
Arguably, the Lexus LX is the closest thing to a direct competitor the Yukon Denali has in New Zealand, except that is powered by a twin-turbo diesel V6 as opposed to the GMC’s mighty 6.2-litre petrol V8.
The Yukon’s price is heavily shaped by its manufacturing journey - built in Arlington, Texas, the Yukon is then shipped to Australia and undergoes the same complex and incredibly comprehensive "remanufacturing" process into right-hand drive as the Silverado pick-up.
For context, the Denali starts at NZ$138,000 in its native US, but a lot of the standard kit in New Zealand is optional in its home market, meaning that the combination of local conversion and higher specification contributes to its final cost here.
At its core, the Yukon Denali's character is defined by its engine, which is a familiar and unapologetically American powerhouse. In an era increasingly dominated by downsizing, turbocharging, and hybrid assistance, the Denali holds firm with a 313kW/624Nm 6.2-litre, naturally-aspirated petrol V8, an effortless - and rumbling - powertrain that delivers performance with a distinctly muscular character through a 10-speed automatic transmission, with part-time four-wheel drive and a two-speed low-range transfer case.
There's simply no escaping the Yukon Denali's immense physical presence - at 5.3 metres long and 2.3 metres wide, it looks massive from every angle.
In the real world, the powertrain makes light work of urban and open road driving, and the V8 works seamlessly with the 10-speed automatic, leaning on its rich torque reserves to build speed effortlessly. The sound isn't raucous, but rather a satisfying, muscular rumble that lets you know that it's there.
While performance is brisk, it is not brutal; the engine provides smooth, relaxed power perfectly suited to moving the Denali's 2.8-tonne mass with an easy confidence. This translates to an approximate 0-100km/h time of just 6.0 seconds, a brisk figure for a vehicle of this sheer size and weight.
There's simply no escaping the Yukon Denali's immense physical presence - at 5.3 metres long and 2.3 metres wide, it looks massive from every angle. This includes from behind the wheel, where the driver is met with a wall of truck-like dashboard, a massive central touchscreen and a bonnet that stretches far into the distance.
The Yukon's monstrous dimensions are normalised to a degree by light low-speed steering and an arsenal of 11 external cameras, making it surprisingly easy to navigate around urban areas, while its 12 metre turning circle is particularly impressive for a 5.3 metre long vehicle, being close to a metre smaller than a Ford Ranger.
On country roads the Yukon defies expectations of massive, wallowing body roll with a surprising level of control and a taut body feel, with a distinct an absence of the expected excessive roll or pitch. It stops and turns confidently for its size and swallows up larger bumps with aplomb.
From the moment the automatic sidestep deploys, the Yukon Denali makes it clear it is all about the show, albeit with the substance to back it up.
But something as big as the Yukon is not without its dynamic compromises - the ride quality is slightly hampered by the gigantic 24-inch wheels, which cause high frequency bumps to niggle their way through the cabin, while the steering is best described as "approximate," which, to be fair, is a trait common in large, ladder chassis vehicles.
For any premium SUV, the interior is a critical feature, and the Yukon Denali approaches the concept of luxury through sheer space, features, and a distinctly American design philosophy that prioritises practicality and presence over the understated elegance of its rivals.
From the moment the automatic sidestep deploys, the Yukon Denali makes it clear it is all about the show, albeit with the substance to back it up. The interior is enormous and superbly comfortable, with soft-touch materials used on all key contact points, and the dashboard features a bank of dedicated buttons and switchgear.
It is also packed to the gills with an impressive array of standard technology, with a huge 16.8-inch centre touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an 11-inch digital instrument cluster dominating the dash. This is complimented by a massive 15-inch colour head-up display and dual 12.6-inch second-row LCD screens, while a thunderous 14-speaker Bose premium audio system can deafen you in spectacular style.
There is one weird omission in that the Yukon lacks embedded satellite navigation, something that is not a massive problem in these days of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, but is something more common in budget cars as opposed to huge luxury SUVs with six figure price tags.
It's big, superbly comfortable and satisfyingly powerful. It does everything utterly effortlessly, with a superbly laid-back nature that belies the fact that it will still hammer to the open road speed limit in 6 seconds.
The cabin's undeniable strength is its capacious interior, and the 2-3-3, eight-seat layout offers a level of accommodation that few rivals can match. The second row provides acres of legroom and is easily accessible through wide door openings, while the third row is surprisingly usable, and even features its own air vents, USB-C ports, and enough room for two adults to sit in relative comfort for shorter journeys.
While the interior offers undeniable space and a wealth of features, it is the Denali's heavy-duty utility that is its most compelling and unique selling point. And perhaps the single most compelling reason for a buyer to choose the Yukon over its rivals is its simply immense towing capability that is unmatched in the premium SUV segment.
The official maximum braked towing capacity is an impressive 3628kg, but achieving this maximum rating comes with specific requirements - a 70mm tow ball and a weight distribution hitch are needed - and the 2.6-tonne Yukon plus 3.6 tonnes on the towbar means you're already over the 6 tonne Gross Combined Mass (GCM) allowed under a car licence, so a Class 2 licence will also be necessary.
As far as safety goes, the Yukon Denali is packed with standard kit: Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with intersection, pedestrian, and cyclist detection, lane keeping assistance with lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, trailer sway control and side cyclist alert are all standard, while it also features curtain airbags that extend to protect third-row occupants, a vital feature for an eight-seat family vehicle.
The GMC Yukon Denali is unapologetically American, making it a vehicle that is a little coarse in some respects when compared to its polished European and Japanese rivals, yet it offers a unique combination of strengths and capabilities that simply can't be found anywhere else.
It's certainly not a vehicle for everyone though, and the ideal buyer is someone with very specific requirements and genuinely needs the combination of eight seats, the effortless power of a petrol V8, and a prodigious towing capacity for heavy trailers.
For that very niche buyer, the GMC Yukon Denali stands alone as a compelling solution.
How much is the GMC Yukon Denali?
Only available in a single specification in New Zealand, the Yukon Denali costs a healthy $184,990, putting it directly up against the likes of the diesel Lexus LX and petrol BMW X7.
What are the key statistics for the GMC Yukon Denali?
The Yukon is powered by a 313kW/624Nm naturally-aspirated petrol V8 that is hooked up to a 10-speed automatic transmission, with part-time 4WD and a two-speed transfer case. At 5337mm long it is roughly as long as a Ford Ranger, but at 2058mm wide and 1943mm tall, it is wider and taller than Ford's venerable best-seller.
Is the GMC Yukon Denali efficient?
It depends on what metrics you measure it by - with a combined average fuel consumption of 14.3L/100km, the Yukon is pretty efficient by enormous petrol V8-powered SUV standards, but not particularly by any other metric. Spend all your time running around town, however, and that will climb into the 20s because you aren't giving the Yukon's cylinder deactivation a chance to perform its magic and considerably reduce those numbers. Also, it goes without saying to forget all about efficiency if you are making the most of the Yukon's prodigious towing abilities...
Is the GMC Yukon Denali good to drive?
In a big, superbly comfortable truck kind of way. High-speed open road cruising is superb in the Yukon, with its effortless performance and surprisingly agile nature. Leaning on that big torque figure out of corners on a winding road is the most satisfying way to drive it on a winding road, however, as while it is surprisingly capable for such a huge ladder chassis SUV, the vague steering quickly puts a damper on anything too eager.
Is the GMC Yukon Denali practical?
It is supremely capable in terms of interior space and general daily driving, apart from the fact that it is utterly huge and simply won't fit in some places. Put it this way, you really will have to memorise its dimensions before even thinking about heading into a parking garage...
What do we like about the GMC Yukon Denali?
It's big, superbly comfortable and satisfyingly powerful. It does everything utterly effortlessly, with a superbly laid-back nature that belies the fact that it will still hammer to the open road speed limit in 6 seconds.
What don’t we like about the GMC Yukon Denali?
It is just so utterly huge.
What kind of person would the GMC Yukon Denali suit?
The Yukon Denali will appeal to a very limited number of buyers in a very small niche - that is, people who need eight seats and prodigious towing capacity, but have to have a petrol V8 and do rather like luxury - but it will be absolutely perfect for them, because it is really the only thing that offers all of those traits.
