Barker Motor Company

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Walk Around

The GMC Yukon and Yukon Denali feature clean lines with quiet, calm surface planes that minimize the look of extended length. Likewise, the smooth, gently contoured flanks and arrow-straight beltline visually lower the height. Remarkably tight tolerances between body panels invite comparisons with the highest quality imports.

The one-piece front end presents a friendly, welcoming face but without forfeiting the Yukon's presence. Large headlight housings promise good vision. The trademark grille and lower air intake ensure good breathing. A sharply raked windshield eases movement through the air.

Tall, symmetrical side glass fits flush with surrounding body panels. Door handles bridging deep recesses make for easy gripping in all seasons. Squared-off wheelwells carry forward a Yukon signature styling cue. They suggest trimming up with the available 20-inch wheels and tires, though that's not our choice from a driving and towing perspective.

At the rear, a broad, mostly flat, almost vertical tailgate resides between tall, narrow taillights. The independently hinged rear window is a nice touch, permitting easy loading of grocery bags and such.

The Yukon lineup was completely redesigned for 2007, and the Hybrid model was added for 2008.

The 2008 Yukon Hybrid has several styling cues that distinguish it from the other models. To reduce weight and drag, the front end features an aluminum hood, a lowered air dam, and a slightly larger grille opening. Openings that would house fog lights and tow hooks are blocked off. Along the sides, the running boards are reshaped for improved aerodynamics and the wheel flares are slightly reshaped. At the back, the rear pillars and center high-mounted stoplight have a unique shape, the tailgate is made of aluminum and has fixed glass, and LED taillights replace the standard bulbs. The wheels are more aero efficient and the tires have a lower rolling resistance. The spare tire and jack have been replaced by a tire inflation kit. The result is a 0.34 coefficient of drag and lighter weight. All of these measures add up and help improve fuel economy, if only by small amounts.

Interior

2008 GMC Yukon

The Yukon interior design is clean and uncluttered. Elegantly simple, the instrument panel and center stack would look right at home in a luxury SUV. The Denali is richer still, with a wood and leather-wrapped steering wheel and darker wood trim than the other models.

We think the Yukon dashboard is a friendlier, slicker and more integrated assemblage of gauges, display screens, touch pads and control panels than those in either the Range Rover or the Mercedes-Benz GL450, both priced substantially higher than any Yukon, including the Denali. The GMC's gauge cluster is more informative, reporting via secondary analog gauges powertrain data others leave to warning lights or bury in scrollable information displays.

Leather surfaces feel expensive, if not luxurious. The fit between panels and coverings is impressive, with tight tolerances. Less impressive is the finish of some of the hard plastic surfaces, which look better than they feel. The headliner is a woven fabric that looks and feels like mouse fur.

The new-for-2008 Hybrid model has a unique gauge cluster with a special tachometer and an economy gauge. In the economy gauge is a green bar that represents a zone drivers can aim for to maximize fuel economy. The tachometer has an Auto Stop reading to indicate when the gasoline engine is shut off.

The Hybrid comes standard with a navigation system and a 6.5-inch screen that shows a graphic representation of the hybrid system's power flow. This screen shows if the power is coming from the electric motors, the gasoline engine, or both, plus when regenerative braking is charging the batteries. The system also shows if the vehicle is in two- or four-wheel-drive mode. It's fun to monitor these readouts; they help you learn about how the hybrid system works and show when it is being used for the best fuel economy. But care must be taken by the driver to not be distracted by them.

The design of the Yukon's dash gives the driver an expansive view out the windshield, adding to the feeling of being above it all. Visibility is good all around, though the imposing right side C-pillar (the post between the rear side door and the rear quarter panel) does nothing to reduce the large side mirrors' blind spot. Along the same lines, the third-row seat blocks the lower third of the rear window; folding the third row down eliminates this.

The front seats are refreshingly comfortable and easy to adjust. They offer good thigh support, which is sometimes lacking in GM vehicles. The available second-row captain's chairs offer good thigh support, as well. We're disappointed with the folding armrests, however; they have one setting, which won't fit every occupant. Some way to adjust the angle of these armrests would be welcome. The Hybrid model has thinner front seats that reduce weight and open up slightly more second-row knee room. We found them to be as comfortable as the standard seats.

Room for people is respectable and competitive with other full-size SUVs. In the front seat, the 2008 GMC Yukon bests the Ford Expedition, Nissan Armada, and Toyota Sequoia by several inches in all three dimensions, though all three have plenty of room. Bring your Stetson or Resistol.

In the second row, the Yukon trails the Expedition and Armada in headroom and legroom and betters them in hiproom, but by less than an inch in all regards; it also slightly trails the Sequoia in second-row headroom, but has slightly more hiproom and considerably more legroom. In other words, all large SUVs have a lot of second-row space and the Yukon is no exception. As for second-row access, the Yukon suffers from small-feet syndrome, where the clearance between the base of the second row seat and the doorframe is so cramped, it's impossible to step in or out without turning your foot sideways.

Third-row legroom is limited in the Yukon where we found little space for our feet and our knees wound up at chest level. The Expe

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