2005 GMC Yukon XL Preview

Extra Large Yukon Denali

Except for the Ford Excursion, they don't make SUVs bigger than the Yukon XL. But bigger isn't necessarily better.

In an ideal world we would all be able to ride around in zippy sports cars, unencumbered by the need for carrying two-by-fours back from Home Depot or children home from soccer practice.

Sadly, in the real world, lots of people need their vehicles supersized. In fact, SUVs and pickups account for more than half of all vehicle sales -- and there's no sign of the trend reversing. And even more large SUV models are still coming.

For example, in 2001, in the full-size SUV arena, General Motors sold a total of 234,012 Yukon XLs and its cousins -- the Chevrolet Suburban and the slightly shorter GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade.

That's a 29% sales gain over 2000, and with the arrival of the Escalade EXT for 2002 (a five-seat pickup version of the truck), sales are only likely to increase.

Meanwhile if you're inapt to buy the Escalade or EXT you might still be in the market for a somewhat luxurious SUV, like the $48,890 Yukon Denali XL -- the most luxurious Yukon. Particularly, this vehicle is great if you have to tow a large boat or horse trailer, regularly warp down the highway with a crew of seven or eight or need jumbo cargo capacity for vacation or commercial gear. But why do so many 97-pound suburban housewives love the Yukon? Most of these ladies rarely lug anything heavier than tennis rackets, the family groceries or 40-pound bags of chow for their golden retrievers. We'll leave that for you to ponder.

Meantime, one has to wonder why anyone needs the Yukon, even the XL (the XL is the stretched version, 14 inches longer in wheelbase and 20.5 inches longer overall), when the Chevy Venture minivan exceeds the XL's cargo capacity and can carry just as many people. That is, the XL has 45.7 cubic feet of capacity in the rearmost cargo area when the third row of seats is in the upright position. Maximum capacity (when the two rows of seats are folded down) is 131.6 cubic feet. Meanwhile the long wheelbase version of the Chevy Venture minivan exceeds that number, measuring in at 140 cubic feet.

Well, your retort might be that you have to tow a boat or horse trailer. And you have to do it over hill and dale. Of course, no one in his or her right mind would attempt to tow a horse trailer across country with a minivan -- not enough torque there to carry the extra weight, not unless you want to replace the transmission repeatedly.

Okay, and if you only have to haul dog food for Fido? Hmmm. And what's it like to drive a Yukon Denali XL day in, day out? And is it worth the extra dough to get the GMC rather than Chevy addition of this plus-size SUV? Or should you scrap the whole idea and get a minivan? Get answers by clicking below.