In the modern world of new cars, there’s not a lot of opportunity for a buyer to do what was the norm decades ago. That was the process of effectively line item selection various options, both mechanical and comfort-related for their new car. Production systems and line efficiencies have rendered that process virtually obsolete. Replacing that process has been the “package” system where singular options are now bundled together in various forms, be they the “winter package” the “performance package” and on and on. Well, imagine my surprise on checking out this 2024 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate and seeing the options added to the rig. There was one. A singular option was added to this big fellah. That option was the $495 Titanium Rush Metallic paint. How is it possible that there was a singular option on an SUV with an as-delivered price of $101,245? Everything else was already included. Literally.
This is the top shelf offering in the Yukon lineup. Of course you can go with the XL model which expands things in terms of the overall length of the vehicle, but the standard size Denali is the most popular model in the lineup. The Ultimate package adds things like the 22″ wheels, the black chrome style grille, and Alpine Umber interior that we’ll go through in a minute. This Yukon Denali Ultimate was also equipped with GM’s Super Cruise system which we were highly interested in testing out over the course of our week of driving.
In terms of exterior styling, the message is pretty clear to everyone laying their eyes on this rig. That message is that not only is this NOT the base model, it’s as nice a piece as one can have delivered to their local lot from the factory. The whole Ultimate package is tasteful and upscale. The 22″ wheels are unique in their design and frankly the wheel and tire package fit this Yukon better than virtually any other factory wheel/tire combo has in the past. The notorious amount of fender gap between the top of the wheel and the tire GM has long been known for is gone and perhaps that is a function of the air-ride adaptive suspension when the Yukon Denali is at rest but it looks proper and it exudes the one thing we suspect a buyer of this specific model would want it to, which is the fact that ALL the money was spent to get the best equipment possible.
Yes, tucked in there is a 6.2L variant of the GM Ecotec3 V8 engine. The engine produces 420hp and 460 lb-ft of torque and can move this 5,800lb beast 0-60 in 6.1 seconds. The 10-speed automatic which can be found across the GM lineup is as good an automatic transmission as has ever been built. It shifted with great firmness under full throttle acceleration and was as smooth as glass while cruising at low throttle input around town. The Yukon Denali Ultimate is not a drag strip terror but when you deck it from a standing start, it will get your attention and hustle you to highway speed without breaking too much of a sweat.
Of course the idea here is to move people and things around in the smoothest most unintrusive way possible and with ample sound deadening and insulation, the engine sounds good when being worked. The exhaust is also classy with a very healthy and throaty rumble when the V8 is being leaned upon to do work and carry the machine forward with alacrity.
As you’d expect, interior room is a strong suit here. Anyone who has been in a modern vehicle on this platform can appreciate the storage capability of the Yukon, Denali Ultimate or not. Even with the third row seats up, there is ample room for luggage, sports gear, golf clubs, and more. Lowering the third row seats electronically allows for a cavernous amount of space. Because of the luxury nature of this model and all of its appointments, we don’t suspect people will be hauling concrete or pallets with it, but if the desire arose, it would be able to do that job in spades. Obviously the XL takes this whole concept further but the reality is that the driving experience in the XL becomes more cumbersome and cautious wheeling around in parking lots and the like. In terms of a full size SUV, we like the dimensions but inwardly and outwardly of the Yukon Denali Ultimate.
Third row ingress in the Denali Ultimate is great because of the rear fold forward seats as shown here. Anyone of any size can climb in and sit in the third row without needing a contortionists skill-set. To us, this is one of the most functional and well designed parts of the entire SUV. If you have ever ridden in a smaller vehicle with a third row and drawn the short straw for having to enter it, the results are typically not pretty. Then there is the leg room issue in smaller vehicles back there. This does not exist here. Everyone has ample room for their legs and a virtual zero percent chance of embarrassment while entering.
As you can see, there’s a lot going on with the driver and passenger area in the front of the Yukon Denali Ultimate but for us, it’s the way this thing should be. We’re old school button people, not virtual buttons, weird touch bars, or other more snazzy space aged methods of activating things. While there are a lot of buttons for the driver to access, the layout is logical and easy to discern after a short time of driving the Yukon Denali Ultimate. The digital dashboard layout is clean and simple, some may say elegant in that simplicity.
It’s almost shocking, in a good way, that the Yukon Denali Ultimate uses a central screen that is ONLY about 10″ across diagonally. We loved this. We’re sure that eventually there will be a massive digital screen replacing all the tactile buttons and knobs but for now, this is the way a proper screen is integrated into a dashboard. It is not jutting out, it is not the size of an HGH injected iPad, and one can still do all the stuff they want with buttons and dials as opposed to be yoked to the screen for every one of the vehicle’s functions.
The function we were most excited to use in the 2024 Yukon Denali Ultimate was GM’s Super Cruise. This is the highly advanced, hands-free driving system you have seen advertised in all manner of ways over the last couple of years. While we used it on the highways traveling back and forth from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, it was flawless. It follows the road, maintains speed, changes lanes, and adapts to conditions on the fly.
The system reads the eyes of the driver and if they are directed away from the road for too long it will deactivate. Yes, it can follow your eyes even through sunglasses. The green bar on the steering wheel shows that the system is activated and operating and for a highway drive that doesn’t really provide a lot of driver entertainment was awesome. No, it is not fully “self-driving” in the sense that it will take you from door to door without touching the wheels and pedals but we can see the day when that is coming.
Using Super Cruise was impressive and kind of mind-boggling. It was our first experience with this comprehensive a system and it was really kind of fun to see all this engineering at work.
Overall, our week with the 2024 Yukon Denali Ultimate was a very positive one. Yes, the delivered cost on this SUV is $101,245 and that means it is 100% out of our immediate buying price range but the fact that GMC can hardly build them fast enough means that we’re not the market they are targeting. The bottom line is that this rig will stand in the ring with any other large ticket SUV from any manufacturer globally on performance, styling, interior quality, and then it exceeds virtually every other offering on the technical side with Super Cruise.
The 2024 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate defines, in many ways, an aspirational level of SUV opulence for many buyers around the country and it delivered on every promise the name made to us when we first laid eyes on it. A big ticket item that lives up to it’s asking price.
