2005 GMC Yukon Preview

What's in a Name?

The difference between the GMC Yukon Denali and a Chevy Tahoe is the nameplate and about $20,000.

Should You Buy This Car?

From the outside, the Denali's costume looks pretty good, and certainly improves on the vanilla styling of the Tahoe. The perforated metal grille and well-integrated body-color trim is attractive and subtle. It looks, as GMC touts in their ads, "professional grade."

But when you spend $50,000, you want more than a pretty face, and even if you load a Chevy Tahoe with four-wheel drive, a V-8, and a $10,000 premium package that includes nearly every imaginable option (including the ability to tow 8,500 pounds), you're still well under forty grand.

We say take the Tahoe and keep the change. And we also say that the GM mothership should let GMC -- and all its brands -- create distinct vehicles to match their unique badges. Otherwise, their customers will continue to look to carmakers that actually deliver more when they charge more.