Auto review: 2021 GMC Yukon Denali SUV scales new heights of luxury

The new Cadillac Escalade better be good. That was my first thought after a day driving the 2021 GMC Yukon Denali large SUV, which takes GMC's premium sub-brand to new levels of luxury. The '21 Escalade, GM's ultimate luxury flagship, will have to improve its interior design and materials significantly to top Yukon Denali.

General Motors executives hate it when auto writers think like that. They remind us Cadillac and GMC brands have very different images and customers. The brands rarely compete for the same buyer.

Well, I hate it that GM still makes blind spot alert an extra cost option on most of its vehicles. We all learn to live with our disappointments.

We'll dissect the new Escalade when it's available later this year. It better be mostly prime cuts, because the Yukon Denali's interior design, materials and comfort are outstanding — and competitively priced. Don't buy a three-row luxury SUV without sitting in one.

The Yukon Denali competes with three-row SUVs like the Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, Infiniti QX80 and Lexus LX 570. This column refers to the 2021 Yukon Denali, not the larger Yukon Denali XL, which also gets a new model for 2021.

Safety and driver assist features include automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian braking, following distance indicator, front collision alert, front and rear parking assist, high-def surround vision, high-def rear vision camera,. lane change alert with blind spot alert, and more.

Driving impressions

The entirely new 2021 model is the first time the Denali's interior is markedly different from lower Yukon trim levels. The instrument panel is unique, with a 10.2-inch touch screen that's set flush in the center stack, hand-finished exposed-grain wood, "fractal" pattern stitching and Bose 14-speaker sound system.

The Denali gets distinctive lights and a unique grille to visually distinguish it on the road. The interior is spacious, more than six feet nose-to-nose for passengers in the front and third-row seats. The interior of my test truck was wrapped in soft black aniline leather. The hand-stained wood trim in the doors and dashboard shaded from rich brown at the rear or outboard ends to nearly black.

Bigger inside and out

The Yukon grew 6.1 inches longer for the 2021 model year, thanks to a new platform that greatly increases the room and comfort of what was already one of the industry's leading large SUVs.

The new platform also adopted an independent rear suspension, or IRS, a layout that allows for a lower rear floor, creating more room for comfortable seating for third-row passengers and more room for cargo behind them.

The IRS also delivers a smooth, comfortable ride with responsive handling and steering that makes the big SUV feel adept in traffic and manageable in parking lots.

My test vehicle had a 6.2L V8 that produces 420 hp and 460 pound-feet of torque, four-wheel drive and a 10-speed automatic transmission. It had plenty of power to maneuver in traffic, pass and cruise on the highway. Towing capacity was 8,200 pounds.

How much?

Prices for the 2020 Yukon start at $50,700 for a base model with rear-wheel drive and a 355-hp 5.3L V8. Yukon Denali prices start at $68,400 with the same engine and RWD. GMC is one of GM's great success stories, a brand with such a strong image that customers happily paid more for its vehicles even when they were little more than gussied up Chevrolets. For years, GM's been upping GMC's game to justify that premium. The 2021 Yukon Denali interior is the peak: the best materials teamed with most creative and user-friendly design.