Driven: 2025 GMC Yukon Can Take On The Escalade For Luxury

The Cadillac Escalade is a remarkable family luxury vehicle, but some families may not feel comfortable driving off-road with its enormous 24-inch wheels. That’s where the 2025 GMC Yukon comes into the equation. Yes, you can get a luxurious version with 24-inch wheels, but for the more adventurous families, GMC has also introduced a new variant for 2025 called the AT4 Ultimate. This trim level combines the top luxury amenities of the Denali with the popular ruggedness of an AT4. Could this now be the ultimate full-size SUV from General Motors?

The current GMC Yukon was revealed in early 2020, just after its corporate sibling, the Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban, but before the luxurious Cadillac Escalade. All three full-size SUVs received a facelift for the 2025 model year, with the Yukon gaining a new Elevation trim to replace the SLE and SLT, as well as new Denali Ultimate and AT4 Ultimate trims to act as luxury range-toppers. How does the Yukon stack up against the full-size SUV market, and should you buy one over its equally large GM siblings? To find out, DrivingOnRoad spent a week on vacation driving the new Yukon AT4 Ultimate.

Exterior Looks: Brawny Luxury

For 2025, GMC made subtle teaks to the Yukon’s styling, including slimmer, more contoured headlights. Four different grille designs help set the trim levels apart. The Elevation takes the place of last year’s SLE and SLT base models, but still looks premium with 20-inch Satin Graphite wheels (several 22-inch wheels are available). The AT4 also rides on Carbon Flash Metallic 20s, but they come wrapped in all-terrain tires, and the AT4 Ultimate gets a nicer Talos Bronze Metallic finish. Buyers who prefer the road-focused aesthetic can opt for the Denali with its 20-inch multi-dimensional wheels, or upgraded 22-inch wheels in one of eight finishes and styles. The Denali can also ride on giant 24-inch black or bright chrome wheels, which require a $1,795 Premium Capability Package plus either a $10,885 Denali Reserve Package ($11,635 without the wheels) or a Premium Trailering Package ($2,385). Alternatively, the Denali Ultimate rides on After Midnight Metallic 24-inch wheels as standard, but can also be downgraded to 22-inch wheels.

This is a massive SUV, stretching 210.2 inches long in Elevation and Denali guises or three-tenths longer in AT4 form. The wheelbase is 120.9 inches long or 134.1 inches if you get the extended Yukon XL, which measures up to 225.6 inches total.

Interior & On-Board Technology: Elevating Upmarket

GMC moved the Yukon upmarket, eliminating the lowest SLE and SLT trims in favor of a premium Elevation trim. Heated leather front and rear seats come standard in either Jet Black or Dark Atmosphere (gray). The AT4 upgrades to heated and ventilated front seats in a unique greenish-blue leather called Forest Storm. Opting for the AT4 Ultimate brings a unique black/red interior scheme called Obsidian Rush with full-grain leather, ash burl wood, and massaging front seats. The Denali comes with either Jet Black or Teak leather, while the Denali Ultimate gets Woodland Mahogany full-grain leather. Even in the top trims, heated manual captain’s chairs come standard, but the Denali Ultimate has an Executive Second Row Seating Package ($3,995) that replaces them with powered seats that include ventilation and massage.

Infotainment: Simplify And Improve

GMC previously offered two different screen sizes in the Yukon, depending on the trim level. All Yukon models now get a 16.8-inch portrait-style touchscreen with built-in Google, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We are big fans of GM’s latest Google-powered infotainment system, though we slightly prefer the landscape layout used in the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban. Your preference may differ. The screen is easy to navigate and features intuitive voice commands that can be activated by saying, “Hey Google.” For full screen overload, GM offers a Rear Entertainment package with two 12.6-inch touchscreens that feature built-in Hulu and YouTube plus HDMI ports for gaming or streaming. Upper trim levels also get an eight-inch rear touchscreen to control rear climate.

A 10-speaker Bose CenterPoint audio system comes standard on most trim levels, while an 18-speaker Bose Performance Series CenterPoint Surround setup is found on the Denali Ultimate and AT4 Ultimate versions. We thought the Bose setup sounded decent, but lacks the clarity of the AKG system used in the Cadillac Escalade. The Denali Ultimate can be upgraded to a 22-speaker setup, but it requires the $3,995 Executive Second Row Seating Package.

Performance: Trucky Luxury

The 2025 GMC Yukon can be equipped with one of three engines, depending on the trim level. A 5.3-liter V8 powers the lower-end Elevation and AT4 models, while the AT4 can be upgraded to the 6.2-liter V8 that comes in the Denali, Denali Ultimate, and AT4 Ultimate as standard. GM is now the last automaker to offer an inline-six diesel engine in a full-size SUV, a 3.0-liter Duramax unit that develops more torque than even the bigger V8. Every trim level, regardless of which engine it has, sends power out via a 10-speed automatic transmission that’s among the best-tuned in the industry. We tested the rugged and luxurious new AT4 Ultimate trim, powered by the standard V8.

Performance Impressions

This is far from the first time we’ve sampled GM’s excellent 6.2-liter V8 engine in a full-size vehicle. It sounds great, delivers a healthy amount of torque, and the 10-speed automatic is so well-calibrated, it never feels jerky or delayed when you need a downshift. The AT4 Ultimate with its all-terrain tires is likely not the quickest Yukon variant, which could explain why the 6.4-second 0-60 mph time we observed was a bit behind the last Nissan Armada we reviewed (6.16 seconds). Yukons powered by the 6.2-liter V8 will be quicker than the smaller V8 or Durmax diesel, but turbocharged alternatives from competitors will likely be quicker, if that factors into your decision about purchasing a full-size SUV.

Ride and Handling

Body-on-frame vehicles usually feel compromised on the road, both in terms of ride comfort and handling. GMC has managed to minimize these attributes to the point where the Yukon feels perfectly comfortable tackling a trail, or blasting down the left lane of a highway. Wearing all-terrain tires doesn’t seem to impact road noise too drastically, as we could still have a conversation at highway speeds without raising our voices. Four-corner air suspension delivers a comfortable ride and can lift the vehicle by two inches to improve ground clearance. That being said, there are more capable vehicles in this segment, including the Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro. On the paved road, the Yukon handles better than you’d expect from such a large vehicle. The steering, while lacking in immediacy, is accurate enough to not make the Yukon seem boat-like. As expected, GM’s hands-free Super Cruise technology is the best of its kind, allowing for stress-free driving with automatic lane changes.

Fuel Economy

Fuel economy in a large vehicle like this is never going to be stellar, but one of the available engines is relatively frugal. You will see 15/20/17 mpg city/highway/combined from the 5.3-liter V8 with its cylinder deactivation technology, and the highway fuel economy drops to 19 mpg with 4WD. Opting for the larger V8 drops those figures to 15/20/17 with 2WD or 14/18/16 with 4WD. The Duramax diesel is the fuel economy king of the segment, yielding 21/26/23 mpg in 2WD guise or 20/26/22 mpg with 4WD. Even the hybrid-only Sequoia can only manage 21/24/22.

Verdict & Pricing: Climbing Upmarket

By eliminating the two base trim levels and replacing them with a more well-equipped Elevation model, GMC moved the Yukon higher upmarket, differentiating it more from the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban. You will now pay $67,200 for the base Elevation trim with 2WD and the 5.3-liter V8, which can be upgraded to the Duramax for $4,265, while 4WD and the longer XL body style each add $3,000 to the price tag. This is a substantial price increase from last year’s SLE and SLT models, which started at $58,200 and $64,900, respectively. Pricing only goes wildly up from there; the AT4 starts at $74,200, the Denali at $77,500, the AT4 Ultimate at $95,800, and the Denali Ultimate at $101,800. That means a Yukon can go well past a Cadillac Escalade’s $88,100 starting price, though it matches many of the features found in the top Escalade models at a significant discount.

GMC finally made the Yukon stand out against its Chevy and Cadillac siblings. It’s more luxurious than the former, but more rugged and affordable than the latter with some overlap baked in for good measure. If you want the best combination of off-road capability and luxury in a GM full-size SUV, it can only be found in the Yukon AT4 Ultimate. It looks tougher than an Escalade, offers a nicer interior than a Tahoe, and still has all the space found in either of those two models. The 2025 Yukon is a great all-around SUV, if you can afford the high price tag.