2025 GMC Yukon Denali Review Australia

The 2025 GMC Yukon Denali is what happens when someone in Texas decides that normal cars are for people who like compromise. This is not transport. This is a mobile declaration of personal freedom, the sort of thing you drive when subtlety has packed its bags and moved to another country. It arrives in Australia like an American exchange student who has eaten too much protein powder and now struggles to fit through doorways.

It towers over traffic, it buries fuel like a Labrador in a sandpit, and it has the sort of road presence that makes other drivers question their own life choices. Yet somehow, inside all this absurd bulk, it is calm, plush and weirdly charming. You sit in it like a king on tour, surveying the peasants as you glide past. It is completely impractical for our tight streets and tiny parking spaces, but that only makes it more entertaining.

Australia did not need the Yukon Denali. No one asked for it. But now that it is here, stomping around our suburbs, turning school drop off into a military operation, you cannot help but be fascinated. It is ridiculous. It is indulgent. And it is impossible not to laugh every time you start it up and feel the entire car wobble like a grizzly bear waking up from a nap.

Exterior Design and Features – A rolling skyscraper with chrome for days

From the moment you walk up to the 2025 GMC Yukon Denali, your brain needs a moment to adjust. It is not just large. It is so colossal that it looks like it has been parked here by mistake, possibly by someone who misread the instructions for a “compact SUV” on a rental form. It dominates the street with the self confidence of a professional wrestler who has wandered into a book club.

Here is what you notice immediately:

• The front grille is the size of a suburban fence
• The wheels look suspiciously like they belong on heavy machinery
• The LED lights could be used to land planes

The grille alone deserves its own postcode. It is finished in enough shiny metal to reflect your entire neighbourhood, which is great unless you prefer to see out of your own retinas instead of frying them. Those headlights do not just illuminate the road ahead. They illuminate the next postcode. They fire up with the intensity of a stage spotlight, making you feel like you are about to perform an encore.

Then there are the wheels. Twenty fours. Actual twenty fours. They look like they have been borrowed from a monster truck and fitted purely for the theatre of it all. Every rotation feels like the ground is quietly reconsidering its relationship with gravity.

Some other things that hit you right away:

• It is almost as long as a small bus
• The chrome is visible from low orbit
• People turn around to stare, even when they pretend they are not staring

And just when you think it cannot get any more dramatic, the powered side steps glide out politely as if the car is holding the door open for you. You do not get into a Yukon. You climb aboard. The whole thing is so outrageously over the top that it loops around to being charming. This is not a car that fits into Australia. It forces Australia to fit around it.

Price and Value – The moment your bank account quietly leaves the room

You do not simply buy a GMC Yukon Denali. You enter into a long term financial relationship that feels a bit like feeding a very large, very spoiled pet. The official sticker price in Australia sits deep in the “are you absolutely sure about this” territory, and by the time you add on road costs and a few accessories, you are flirting with two hundred thousand Australian dollars.

Two. Hundred. Thousand.
For a vehicle that barely fits into most suburban driveways.

Here are the thoughts that immediately cross your mind:

• You could buy a Porsche for this money
• You could buy a Mercedes GLS
• You could buy a small franchise and start a whole new career

But none of those options let you haul eight humans, tow a house, and frighten pedestrians with your sheer size. And none of them have this level of swagger. The Yukon offers value in the same way a five kilogram steak is “good value” because it is enormous and makes you laugh.

And here is the fun part. In the United States, the exact same model costs far less. Roughly the sort of price that makes Australians cry into their meat pies. But once it arrives here, it has to be remanufactured by Walkinshaw so the steering wheel is on the correct side, and that process is not cheap. A team of very clever people pull it apart, put it back together like a giant mechanical jigsaw puzzle, and charge accordingly.

Some things to consider before handing over your life savings:

• Walkinshaw’s quality is genuinely top tier
• The conversion adds a mountain of cost
• The warranty is only three years, which feels a bit rude at this price

So is it “good value” in the traditional sense? Of course not. This is not a sensible purchase. This is a lifestyle choice, a declaration that you enjoy excess and find pleasure in watching strangers mouth “what is that thing?” as you drive past.

If you wanted logical value, you would buy a Corolla. If you want something that makes you cackle every time it shudders to life, the Yukon starts making a strange kind of sense.

Interior Comfort – A leather lined lounge that happens to have wheels

Climb inside the 2025 GMC Yukon Denali and the first thing you notice is that it does not feel like a car interior. It feels like the lobby of an expensive hotel that has somehow learned to move. Everything is oversized, padded, stitched, polished and wrapped in more leather than a cowboy convention. You do not sit in the seats. You sink into them like you are being gently absorbed.

Right away, a few things smack you in the face:

• The seats are enormous and cooled and heated like a luxury spa
• The dashboard looks like it was designed for a tech billionaire
• The cabin is so wide you could rent out the passenger side as an Airbnb

There is genuine comfort here, the sort of comfort that makes long trips feel like minor inconveniences. Even the armrests feel like they have been engineered for maximum lounging. You get power adjustments for just about everything, which means you can eventually find a driving position that makes you feel like a captain on the bridge of a ship.

And despite its American roots, nothing in here feels cheap. The wood trim looks proper, not like something sourced from a school craft project. The stitching is tidy, the chrome bits are shiny and tasteful, and Walkinshaw’s conversion work is so nicely done you would never guess it started life with the steering wheel on the wrong side.

Here are the standout interior details you clock quickly:

• The centre console is roughly the size of a laundry hamper
• There are cubby holes for days
• The Bose sound system absolutely thumps

The amount of storage is genuinely comedic. The central bin could double as a child’s bathtub. The cupholders will accept bottles that look like they belong in a gym bag. And the little hidden compartment above the screen is perfect for storing secret snacks or perhaps a Swiss Army knife if you insist on feeling rugged.

It is all very plush, very comfortable and very quiet, which is amusing because the outside of the vehicle is the exact opposite of quiet. In here you float along in serene, climate controlled bliss while that enormous V8 burbles away somewhere in the distance like a disgruntled cattle dog.

The interior of the Yukon does not just feel premium. It feels decadent. It feels silly. It feels brilliant.

Technology and Screens – Big displays, big sound, and one or two big omissions

If the outside of the 2025 GMC Yukon Denali is loud and outrageous, the inside is its tech filled, surprisingly polite alter ego. Settle into the driver’s seat and the screens greet you like a Vegas slot machine that has decided to behave responsibly. Everything is bright, crisp and massive, because of course it is. This thing has the subtlety of a marching band, so even the tech has to arrive in size XXL.

Here is what jumps out immediately:

• A huge central touchscreen that reacts faster than your phone
• A sharp digital driver display that looks properly premium
• A head up display that works but sits at a slightly odd angle

The main screen feels like someone grafted a tablet into the dashboard and then polished it to within an inch of its life. It is quick, responsive and easy to navigate, which is not something you can always say about big American cars. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto look fantastic on it too. Your maps, messages and music float across the display like they are performing for the entire cabin.

And the Bose audio system is just outrageous. It does not play music. It launches it. The bass rolls through the cabin like distant thunder, the kind that makes you consider cancelling your outdoor plans. If you like driving while listening to music that makes your internal organs vibrate, this is your paradise.

Then you start to notice the quirks:

• There is no built in navigation, which feels ridiculous at this price
• There is no proper voice control
• The 360 camera is helpful but the feed looks a bit small on such a huge display

Lack of satnav is the most baffling omission. For a vehicle designed to cross continents, you would expect it to know where those continents are. Instead, you have to rely on phone mirroring and hope your mobile reception does not vanish when you are somewhere scenic and remote.

Still, the digital rear view mirror is brilliant. Flick the switch and it shows you a live camera feed from behind, solving the tiny problem of having a vehicle so tall and wide that rear visibility becomes a polite suggestion rather than a certainty.

A few final tech highlights:

• Tons of physical buttons, which means less touchscreen rage
• Rear entertainment screens for the kids that look fantastic
• HDMI ports that require dongles because nothing can ever be simple in 2025

In short, the Yukon’s tech is big, bright and mostly brilliant. It has some obvious misses, but when everything else is this gigantic and entertaining, you find yourself forgiving it. After all, you are too busy enjoying the sound system to care that your satnav is missing in action.

Space and Practicality – Room for eight, plus their egos and luggage

The 2025 GMC Yukon Denali is not just spacious. It is absurdly, hilariously spacious. You open the door and it is like someone has rolled back the wall of a small apartment. There is room for everyone and everything, and still enough leftover space to open a yoga studio in the third row.

Here is what hits you first:

• The second row feels like business class on a domestic flight
• The third row actually fits adults without folding them in half
• Every passenger gets their own vents, ports and cupholders

Your kids will lose their minds climbing through it. They treat it like a playground. They scramble over the seats, poke the screens and announce that this is now their favourite car in the world. And honestly, you do not blame them. Even the back row has decent headroom thanks to a clever little roof recess that looks like the engineers had a moment of pure genius.

Storage is another level entirely:

• A boot that still holds luggage with all three rows up
• Power folding seats that drop quicker than a deck chair in a windstorm
• Hidden hooks, nets and little compartments everywhere

Press a button in the boot and the third row collapses in a dramatic fashion, like it has fainted from all the excitement. Press two more and the second row follows suit, leaving you with a cargo bay large enough to transport a grand piano. The mechanisms are sturdy and fast, and they make you feel like a magician every time.

A few practical perks worth noting:

• The separate opening rear glass is brilliant for quick access
• ISOFIX points are easy to reach and not buried under cushions
• The flat floor means loading big items does not require athletic skill

Yes, the thing is huge, but the space has been used well. Families will adore it. Dog owners will worship it. People who like organising things in tidy compartments will weep with joy. It is not just practical. It is comically practical. The sort of practicality that makes every other SUV feel like it is wasting your time.

Engine and Performance – A V8 that drinks like it is celebrating something

Turn the key, press the button, do whatever ritual this beast requires, and the 6.2 litre V8 wakes up with a wobble that shakes the entire car. It is like a bear grumbling because you have disturbed its nap. Then it settles into a deep, confident rumble that tells you one thing very clearly. This SUV is not here to save the planet. It is here to make you smile.

Here is what you discover almost instantly:

• The engine is old school, simple, and completely glorious
• There is so much low end torque it feels like the earth tilts a little when you accelerate
• The soundtrack alone is worth a small percentage of the purchase price

Press the throttle and the Yukon surges forward with surprising eagerness for something that weighs about as much as a small moon. It never feels stressed. It never feels rushed. It simply gathers itself and moves like a confident heavyweight boxer strolling into the ring.

And the best part? Even gentle acceleration feels satisfying. You do not need to floor it. The slightest brush of the throttle is enough to send you wafting down the road with a smug grin.

A few things worth noting:

• The 10 speed auto is smooth and always seems to find the right gear
• Cylinder deactivation theoretically saves fuel if conditions are perfect
• Conditions are never perfect, so do not count on that

It is a very American engine. Big displacement, simple layout, two valves per cylinder, and enough charm to make you forgive its bad habits. It is not sophisticated, but it does not need to be. It is built to deliver noise, thrust and personality, and it delivers all three with enthusiasm.

And then there is the towing capability. With the right tow ball, this thing can haul serious weight without breaking into a sweat. Boats, caravans, horse floats, your mate’s broken dreams. Whatever you attach to it, the Yukon just shrugs and drags it along.

This engine is the part of the Yukon that makes you laugh out loud. It is indulgent. It is thirsty. It is completely unnecessary. And that is exactly why it is brilliant.

Fuel Use – Hope you enjoy chatting with the servo staff every week

Now let us talk about the bit that makes environmentalists faint and accountants cry. Fuel consumption. The 2025 GMC Yukon Denali drinks petrol with the enthusiasm of a uni student discovering happy hour. It has a claimed figure that looks reasonable on paper, but you have more chance of finding a unicorn doing your tax return than actually achieving it.

Here is the reality:

• You will not see the official number
• You will not come close to the official number
• You will become a familiar face at every servo within a twenty kilometre radius

Even when you drive it gently, like you are carrying a cake on your lap, the tank needle drops with the urgency of a bungee jumper. The V8 does try to deactivate half its cylinders under perfect conditions, but those perfect conditions usually require a downhill run, a tailwind, an empty car and divine intervention.

Some truths you accept very quickly:

• The 91 litre tank empties faster than you expect
• You will never brag about fuel efficiency
• You will not care, because the noise is fantastic

Every visit to the pump becomes part of the ownership ritual. You pull up. You fill up. You try not to look at the price. Then you start the engine, hear that glorious V8 burble, and immediately forget whatever trauma your bank card just experienced.

This is not a car for people who count litres. This is a car for people who count smiles. And with the Yukon, you will be smiling far more often than you will be saving fuel.

On Road Driving – Surprisingly civilised for something the size of Tasmania

You look at the 2025 GMC Yukon Denali and assume it will drive like a runaway shipping container. Then you get behind the wheel and discover something alarming. It is actually… pleasant. Comfortable. Strangely refined. Like a sumo wrestler who also happens to teach yoga on the weekends.

Here is what surprises you immediately:

• The steering has actual feel, which is shocking for something this big
• The ride quality is better than it has any right to be
• The V8 delivers torque so smoothly it feels almost polite

Once you are rolling, the Yukon glides along with the confidence of a cruise ship. The air suspension cushions the bumps, the cabin stays quiet and the only real noise is the occasional rumble of the V8 reminding you that life is still worth living. Even Melbourne’s lunar surface roads are handled with a kind of amused shrug, as if the car is saying “Is that all you have?”

Around town it can feel a bit unwieldy. Of course it can. You are driving something that requires its own weather forecast. But it never becomes stressful. It just moves through traffic with a calm, steady authority, like a seasoned bouncer patrolling a nightclub.

A few more things that stand out:

• The 10 speed auto is smooth enough to forget
• The visibility is excellent thanks to those enormous mirrors
• It feels stable and planted on the freeway, not floaty

The Yukon does not like being rushed. Throw it into a roundabout too quickly and you will feel every kilogram of its two point eight tonne mass tapping you on the shoulder and asking what on earth you think you are doing. But driven sensibly, it is charming and composed. It even corners with more grace than expected, as long as you respect physics and avoid pretending you are in a hot hatch.

Out in the country, this is where it shines. Long roads, open space and big scenery suit it perfectly. You sit high, you feel safe and everything feels effortless. It is the kind of car that makes you want to drive for hours simply because you are comfortable, amused and mildly drunk on the V8 soundtrack.

In short, the Yukon drives far better than something this gigantic has any right to. It is ridiculous, but it is also weirdly relaxing. A moving contradiction, wrapped in leather, powered by thunder.

Parking and Manoeuvring – Good luck, and may the parking gods be with you

This is the part where the 2025 GMC Yukon Denali stops pretending to be reasonable. Out on the open road it behaves like a gentle giant, but the moment you point it toward a shopping centre car park, it turns into a full scale tactical operation. You do not simply park a Yukon. You attempt to park it while questioning every decision that has led you to this moment.

Here is the honest experience:

• Standard parking bays feel like dollhouse furniture
• Multi storey car parks will test your faith in humanity
• Tight laneways become emotional journeys

You inch forward like a bomb disposal technician. You turn the wheel, check the mirrors, check the cameras, check your will to live. The 360 camera helps, although the display window is so small it feels like you are trying to park using a Nintendo DS. The digital rear mirror is brilliant though, because the standard rear window might as well be a postage stamp from the driver’s seat.

Some truths arrive quickly:

• You will develop new driving skills you did not know you needed
• You will avoid underground car parks at all costs
• Your heart rate will spike every time you face angled parking

The powered side steps are lovely until you realise they swing out exactly when you do not want to scrape anything. The mirrors are enormous, which helps, but they also stick out so far you feel like you are trying to steer an aircraft down a corridor.

And yet, somehow, you get used to it. You learn to judge the corners. You learn the turning circle. You learn how much space you need, which is usually “all of it”. Over time you build a kind of sixth sense, a supernatural awareness of your surroundings that only comes from piloting something roughly the size of a small yacht.

A few coping mechanisms you adopt:

• Park far away from everyone else and call it “exercise”
• Choose drive through bays like your life depends on it
• Accept that reversing is now a team sport involving cameras, mirrors and prayer

So no, parking the Yukon is not fun. It is not relaxing. It is not something you ever brag about. But it is part of the charm. Driving a giant American SUV in Australia is meant to feel slightly insane, and parking it is simply the final reminder that you bought a vehicle built for American football stadiums, not Australian shopping centres.

Towing and Capability – Built to drag your toys without breaking a sweat

If there is one area where the 2025 GMC Yukon Denali stops mucking around and starts flexing properly, it is towing. Hook something heavy to the back of it and the Denali responds like it has been waiting for this moment its entire life. Boats, caravans, horse floats, trailers full of dirt bikes. It does not matter. The Yukon just shrugs, tightens its metaphorical belt and gets on with the job.

Here is what becomes obvious very quickly:

• With the correct tow ball, this thing can haul serious weight
• The V8 torque makes towing feel almost unfair on the load
• Stability on the highway is excellent thanks to its sheer mass

Attach a trailer and the Yukon barely notices. There is no drama, no hesitation, no wheezing from the engine. It simply digs in, plants itself on the bitumen and pulls like it is dragging a feather. You sit there in your leather armchair, one hand on the wheel, while whatever you are towing obediently follows behind like a dog with good manners.

A few practical benefits stand out:

• The trailer camera angle is brilliant for hooking up alone
• The tow mode sharpens the gearbox nicely
• Low range four wheel drive gives you options if things get sloppy

Off road, it is not a rock crawler. Let us not kid ourselves. You are not taking a chromed up Denali down a muddy track unless you enjoy anxiety. But the mechanical hardware is there if you ever need it. Rear drive for cruising. Four wheel drive auto for wet days. Four high and four low for messy situations. It is reassuring to have the toolkit, even if you rarely use it.

Some capability notes worth knowing:

• The air suspension can raise the body for rough ground
• Ground clearance is decent, but the length limits your bravery
• There is an AT4 Yukon in America that is far better suited for real mud

Most people will not be taking this thing on outback adventures, and that is fine. The point of the Yukon’s capability is not to conquer cliffs. It is to haul your life behind it. Boats, bikes, trailers, gear for weekends away. This is the sort of vehicle that encourages you to buy ridiculous toys simply because now you can tow them.

The Yukon might be a suburban king most days, but give it a reason to pull something heavy and it transforms into a very capable workhorse, the kind that barely notices the strain while you sit comfortably sipping your drive through coffee.

Safety and Warranty – Plenty of tech, questionable coverage

Given the size of the 2025 GMC Yukon Denali, you might assume its main safety feature is simply being the biggest thing in the postcode. And while that is absolutely true, GMC has also packed it with the usual suite of electronic guardians to keep you out of trouble.

Right away, here is what you get:

• Six airbags covering all three rows
• Adaptive cruise that actually behaves itself
• Lane assist that tries its best but occasionally feels confused

The blind spot monitoring is useful because the blind spots are roughly the size of Perth. The parking sensors work overtime in Australian shopping centres because you will be using them constantly. And the digital rear view mirror is a lifesaver since looking through the standard rear window is like peering through a slot in a medieval turret.

Some safety impressions you get quickly:

• It feels incredibly stable thanks to its enormous footprint
• The brakes are fine but not spectacular
• Brembo brakes are optional overseas but not fitted here

Despite all its tech, the Yukon has no local ANCAP rating. It is too niche, too large and too American for a crash test here. But physics is very much on your side. You are sitting high, in a massive steel fortress, surrounded by airbags and driving something that weighs nearly three tonnes. If someone crashes into you, they are having the bad day, not you.

The disappointing part is the warranty. Three years. That is all. Three years on a vehicle that costs more than many houses in small towns. Walkinshaw will proudly tell you the conversion quality is world class, and it is, but a three year warranty at this price point feels a bit like ordering a steak and receiving a single potato chip as your side.

A few final thoughts on safety and ownership:

• Roadside assist for three years is included
• There are lots of driver aids, but none feel intrusive
• The sheer size of the thing gives you a sense of invincibility

So yes, the Yukon is safe. Very safe. But the warranty is stingy, and for a machine this expensive, you expect better. Still, once you fire up that V8 and feel the whole car wobble like a happy bear, you tend to forgive it.

Final Verdict – Utterly ridiculous, strangely brilliant, annoyingly lovable

The 2025 GMC Yukon Denali is not a sensible choice. It is not a rational choice. It is not even something you could defend with a straight face at a family barbecue. It is a monument to excess, a celebration of size and noise, a giant rolling middle finger to the concept of efficiency. It drinks fuel with the enthusiasm of a pub regular on a Friday night and takes up so much road space that other drivers give it the sort of wide berth normally reserved for escaped livestock.

And yet, once you drive it, the whole thing starts to make a strange kind of sense. The V8 fires up with that deep, satisfied wobble, and you feel it through the floor like distant thunder. The cabin is so comfortable you forget you are in a machine built for American freeways and not the narrow streets of suburban Australia. Your kids vanish into the back rows as if they are exploring a small continent, and you sit there grinning like an idiot because, for all its absurdity, it is just so much fun.

Everywhere it goes, the 2025 GMC Yukon Denali carries a presence that makes other SUVs look like timid hatchbacks. It has comfort that rivals a lounge room and enough character to make even its worst flaws feel like part of the charm. Yes, the fuel bill is catastrophic. Yes, the price is borderline offensive. And yes, parking it requires patience, determination and probably a support group. But the sheer enjoyment this thing delivers every time you start it up makes all of that feel oddly insignificant.

Owning a Yukon in Australia will never be the practical option, but that is exactly why it is brilliant. It is an experience, a spectacle, a rolling contradiction that is both outrageous and completely endearing.

Would I Buy It?

If I am being completely honest, yes, I would.

Because here is the thing. The 2025 GMC Yukon Denali is not the car you buy with your sensible brain. It is the car you buy with the part of your soul that enjoys noise, excess and the ability to look down on dual cab utes like they are tiny farm animals.

I would buy it because every time that V8 shudders awake, you feel like you are about to invade a small country.
I would buy it because the interior makes most luxury lounges look underfurnished.
I would buy it because nothing else on the road feels quite as hilariously unnecessary and yet so completely satisfying.

Would you I it if you cared about parking, fuel bills or environmental guilt? Absolutely not. The petrol station attendants will know you by name, and you will genuinely consider carrying a laminated apology for using two parking bays everywhere you go.

But would I buy it because it is ridiculous and brilliant and makes every trip feel like a televised adventure?
Without question.

Zachary Skinner

Zachary Skinner is the editor of TechDrivePlay.com, where tech, cars and adventure share the fast lane.
A former snowboarding pro and programmer, he brings both creative flair and technical know-how to his reviews. From high-performance cars to clever gadgets, he explores how innovation shapes the way we move, connect and live.