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Why would someone spend six figures on a GMC Yukon instead of a Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, or something with a German luxury badge?
It took me about 24 hours to drive around town in the $101,040 2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate when it hit me: This answer is because no one is going to realize this giant three-row SUV costs six figures.
For some buyers that’s the bottom line.
With 16-way massaging front seats, rich leather, and suspension tuning found in Cadillacs, the team at GMC tapped into a different crowd with the Ultimate series.
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate tones down the bling
The Denali badge indicates that this Yukon is the “good one”. The Denali Ultimate badge just goes one step further, but it’s all about adding small details.
Picking Denali Ultimate from the lot will require keen attention. The flash is refined on the outside thanks to darkened chrome bits and satin trim. The 22-inch seven-spoke alloy wheels feature a two-tone finish, but may be too soft for the crowd. In a somewhat odd twist, the fender badges don’t feature the outline of Mount Denali as they do on the GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate.
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate provides hidden luxury
The cabin is where the Denali Ultimate steps up its game over the more standard Denali models.
Full-grain leather seats are covered with some of the finest leather found in mass-produced GM products today. The center console, dashboard and doors all feature warm open-pored Paldao wood trim. The cross-stitching on the seats and door panels really shows off the effort GMC has put into the Denali Ultimate’s cabin. This is further. The topographical map of Mount Denali is printed on the back of the chair. And the chair has 16-way power adjustment, heating, cooling and massage functions. They put this in the Escalade area and away from the Chevy Tahoe class.
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
The metal grille on the 18-speaker Bose audio system, which includes speakers in the front headrests, is a touch of class. But the system itself is a drop in sound quality from the AKG system in the Cadillac Escalade. The lows hit, but the overall sound is muddy and not as clear as the AGK system. It’s better than other Bose systems in GM products, but not great for AKG.
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
Yukon Denali Ultimate’s headliner isn’t all that special, but it could be better. It is a fabric material with a finish similar to the large shade that covers the panoramic glass roof. The GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate features a suede headliner that doesn’t match the blinds, creating an odd contrast to the roofing material. I prefer to have a roof that fits all over, like in the Yukon Denali Ultimate.
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
The GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate drives like a Cadillac Escalade
A 3.0-liter turbodiesel-6 with 277 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque comes standard in the Yukon Denali Ultimate, but my tester featured an optional 6.2-liter V-8 with 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque for a $1,055 premium. Like the other applications of this powertrain, the V-8 is buttery smooth and the 10-speed automatic transmission blends into the background without a 1-2 or 2-3 shift hiccup. But during a 615-mile Minnesota winter road trip, the V-8 consumed up to 17.1 mpg of fuel. The less expensive turbodiesel is rated at 26 mpg on the highway with four-wheel drive.
The combination of standard air suspension and adaptive dampers is the stuff of straight luxury SUVs. When the broken pavement tried to interrupt the ride, the Yukon fought back admirably. The tuning is the same as found in the Cadillac Escalade, which explains why bumps and potholes have been relegated to the background. The Yukon Denali Ultimate is a body-on-frame vehicle, and that’s hard to hide when it comes to tricky handling. However, this large SUV doesn’t feel as heavy as the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, because it isn’t, and is more planted with less body roll in corners than the Lincoln Navigator.
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
The Yukon Denali Ultimate I tested is equipped with GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance system. This $2,200 option was recently updated with the latest software that scales map data from 200,000 to 400,000 miles of road in the US and Canada and allows the system to be used on multiple undivided highways. In my thorough winter testing, the Super Cruise was still the best hands-free driver assistance system money could buy, with the Ford BlueCruise and Lincoln ActiveGlide coming in close second. The GM system is the most aware of its own environment, location, and capabilities given current conditions. When it couldn’t read the lane markings properly due to blowing snow, it warned me and closed it. It also has no problem staying centered on its lane on an undivided two-lane highway with sweeping curves.
Is the GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate worth the money?
Yukon Denali Ultimate can easily hit six figures, but is it worth the money? Well, “it depends.”
This GMC is not a value when pitted against Escalade or Navigator. The 2023 Yukon Denali Ultimate costs $97,300 (including 1,895 destination fees), and for that price the Super Cruise should come as standard. If I’m going to buy the ultimate Yukon, I want the ultimate gear.
Priced at about $9,000 more than the comparable equipped Yukon Denali, the Denali Ultimate combines most of GM’s best features into an under-the-radar luxury family hauler. It doesn’t have the interior pizzazz of the Escalade and it certainly wouldn’t make the same statement rolling into a hotel or country club, but maybe you don’t want to make that statement. If so, then the GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate 2023 is the stealth riches solution.
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