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.

From The Driver's Seat

GM restyled its big SUVs such as theYukon XL just a few years ago. (Prior versions of the GMC Yukon Denali XL were called the GMC Suburban.) GM designers did a credible job of smoothing the hard edges of the previous generation's exterior, but they were less successful in reworking the interior.

The inside of the Denali is glitzy, but not luxurious. It's like the difference between the dining room at a casino and one at a Ritz-Carlton. The latter says Lexus, the former, sadly, says Denali XL. The Yukon has a massive but boxy dashboard, a forest of fake dead tree that is supposed to look like Black Cherry Wood, but could also be called Middle Earth Gray. Ergonomics are also dated.

Despite the Yukon's weight and girth, the driver's position is cramped. Captains who sit up close will find their left knee bumping up against the dashboard. The left wheel well also gets in the way. And who designed the hard-to-find-in-the-dark inside front-door handles?

One gets the impression that GM's gurus switched the mission of the Yukon Denali XL -- from truck to luxury truck -- at the last moment. The end result: luxury touches that look like they were tacked on rather than designed from inception.

Example: The main heat/ventilation controls are located right where they should be -- between the driver and front passenger in the center console. But the ventilation controls for the rear passengers are set in a separate roof-mounted nacelle. The Yukon's two-tone leather, ten-way adjustable and heated power front seats are ok -- but just ok. One can find equally, if not more, comfortable seats in vehicles costing half as much.

A significant redo of the General's big SUV interiors is on tap for the 2003 model year, according to GM's GaryWhiteGary White , vehicle line executive for full-sized trucks. White also says that the company is making a few changes to the Yukon's steering gear next year to give the vehicle a better on-center feel (that sense of being planted in the heart of a lane even when you look away to change the radio preset). The 2003s should start showing up at dealers in late summer.

How does the Yukon XL ride? Not all bad for a vehicle of its size. The ride is fairly quiet and comfortable. But the Yukon is happiest on long, straight stretches of interstate. In congested stoplight-to-stoplight traffic it is ponderous.