Ken Nelson Auto Group
1100 North Galena Ave Dixon, IL 61021Sales: 866-607-2835
Vehicle Reviews
2009 GMC Yukon XL
Smooth and refined hauler. edited by New Car Test Drive
Driving Impressions
The GMC Yukon XL is for sportsmen and owners of race cars, boats, horses, or travel trailers who need the people or lockable cargo capacity of a full-size SUV instead of the open bed of a pickup truck.
GM's trusty 5.3-liter Vortec V8 is the standard choice and it's a good one, making 310 horsepower and 335 pound-feet of torque; smooth and not too raucous, though not as torquey as the Expedition's 5.4 or Sequoia's new 5.7-liter V8 are also quite impressive.
And for 2009 all Yukon XL's compete on a level playing field with Expedition, Navigator and so on because a six-speed automatic transmission is standard across the range. Fifty percent more gears offers better fuel economy or better performance, usually both since peak performance is infrequently called for. The differences will be more pronounced when towing, and we would choose the no-charge 3.42:1 axle ratio if we planned on anything more than lightly-loaded flat-terrain highway cruising.
If you need more power for towing with your 1500, the optional 366-hp 6.0-liter V8 boasts 376 pound-feet of torque, and the extra power comes with only a nominal dent in fuel economy.
If you have a trailer of 6500-7000 pounds or more and plan on towing with the Suburban full of gear and people, best to consider the 2500 XL. It has a heavy-duty 6-liter V8 with a bit less horsepower but more torque, stronger axles and transmission, stouter steering, suspension and brake systems and truck-service wheels and tires. It is for all intents and purposes a ¾-ton pickup with a nine-seat body on top. Also noteworthy to travelers, the 2500-series has a much larger fuel tank (39 gallons versus 31.5) so its effective range is superior to the 1500.
You can also opt for the Denali XL, with its Corvette-related 6.2-liter engine making 403 hp and 417 pound-feet of stump-pulling twist. Denali tow ratings are the lowest in the XL line and there is no 4WD version for off-road use; it's more likely employed as a six-seat fashion accessory or alpine limousine.
Active Fuel Management is standard on the 5.3-liter V8 and the 6.0-liter V8 in 1500 models. AFM shuts down four of the eight cylinders when they're not needed to save fuel. But at this size and weight all the cylinders are needed most of the time so the fuel saved is limited. A Yukon/Tahoe Hybrid, or BMW X5 or Mercedes GL320 diesel are the only three-row SUVs with decent fuel economy, and there is no Hybrid Yukon XL.
Ride quality in the Yukon XL is excellent, overall. Even when the optional 20-inch wheels are chosen, the suspension deals deftly with road imperfections and potholes but you feel them more. We prefer taller tires on our trucks, however. The Yukon XL is very stable, though it wallows a bit on undulating freeways. Autoride, the optional rear self-leveling and active suspension, electronically adjusts to the road as read by sensors. It reduces body lean in corners, rough road busy-ness and nose-dive under hard braking.
The 1500's rack-and-pinion steering feels fairly direct, though as in other big SUVs it is a bit slow; the 2500 series steers like a new pickup, a bit heavier but confidence inspiring. Also like all large SUVs, the Yukon XL is prone to body lean in turns and doesn't respond well to quick changes of direction. It's a full-size truck (think three tons, higher center of gravity) and needs to be driven accordingly and with respect for others, not like it's a sports car.
Hard crosswinds can blow it around. Driving in an 25-mph crosswind on the freeway at 75 miles per hour, our Yukon XL swayed all over the road, because of its billboard-like profile. Tires, and whether or not you have Autoride or a 2500, will both alter this behavior, and it isn't unique to the Yukon XL among big boxes.
The brakes are all vented discs with antilock, and perhaps the biggest improvement in this generation Yukon. New for 2009 is an integrated trailer brake controller that gives excellent control and eliminates any installation hassles; we would spend the $200 even if we didn't currently own a trailer.
