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2025 GMC Yukon mega-ute: New face, screens, models
Posted by Talbot Payne on August 22, 2024
Warren – The GMC Yukon’s namesake is Canada’s rugged, western-most, mountainous territory about 3,000 miles from Detroit. The 2025 mega-ute is designed to get you there in style.
GMC unveiled its latest model Monday with an updated face, bigger wheels, and a truck-load of new technology inside. And for those long interstate trips to the wilderness, Yukon options hands-free Super Cruise on all trims. Based on General Motor’s light-duty truck frame, the Yukon follows its Texas-built, mega-ute siblings, the Chevy Tahoe/Silverado and Cadillac Escalade in receiving a mid-cycle update after a full remake in 2021 that introduced an independent rear suspension to all three brands.
GMC’s 2025 Yukon AT4 and Denali, left. GMC
The GMC separates itself from its peers with its signature design, posh Denali trim, and a huge, waterfall center screen. Like its stablemates, the Yukon now comes stuffed with standard safety features and offers an extended version called the Yukon XL.
“The ‘21 model made significant architecture changes, (including) introducing independent front and rear suspensions, adaptive air ride, and magnetic ride control,” said Martin Hayes, General Motors’ chief engineer for full-size trucks and SUVs. The Detroit News got a sneak peak ahead of the Yukon’s reveal in GM’s Warren studio. “For 2025, we’ve added fantastic interior details. We have a large, 16.8-inch diagonal screen, 11-inch digital cluster in front of the driver, and head-up display technology. And we’ve taken our 16-way, heated, cooled, and massaging front seats and put them in the second row – including the head rest. “
While stuffing the Yukon with more tech, GMC has streamlined the model trim lineup. SLE and SLT have been replaced by a base Elevation trim, off-road AT4 model, and posh Denali. The latter pair offer upgraded AT4 Ultimate and Denali Ultimate trims.
Once spare with standard features, GMC’s starter Elevation trim now comes loaded with standard safety goodies like blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control, pedestrian-and-bicyclist braking, rear automatic cross traffic braking, side bicyclist alert, and more. Night Vision is optional – offering thermal object detection to better detect, say, a herd of moose on your trip through the Great White North.
Interior view of the 2025 GMC Yukon AT4 Ultimate featuring the 16.8-inch-diagonal, portrait-orientation infotainment touch screen. GM, GM
You’ll know the new GMC Yukon by its refreshed face and hind quarters. Revered for its handsome design language, Yukon tweaks its look with a revised c-clap headlamp design − moving the lights more to the middle of the fascia. Each trim gets its own grille design and features.
Under the available panoramic roof, Yukon’s acres of front, digital screens are complimented by an available, 8-inch rear climate control touchscreen. Notably, the Yukon’s push-button shifter has been replaced by a column-mounted shifter, and the console gets clever touches like a hidden storage compartment above the center stack. Google Built-in software – a phone-like operating system fast becoming an industry go-to – runs the displays.
Hayes says hard buttons compliment the touchscreens for better ergonomics. “We haven’t lost the controls you want to have in a vehicle. For example the climate, driveline, and headlamp controls are still operated by buttons,” he said.
“But the thing I like most is the accessible, vertical screen layout,” Hayes continued. “You can personalize the screen and use tile view where the map is in one part of the screen – with radio controls and trailering info are nearby. All that is configurable.”
For the full, blingtastic experience, get the Denali Ultimate with its exclusive, 24-inch, laser-etched wheels, front and second-row captain’s chairs, open-pore laser etched wood trim, and 22-speaker Bose stereo. It’s a rolling living room.
For a more rugged look, get the AT4 Ultimate with a higher front approach angle, front skid plate, and 20-inch wheels with all-terrain tires. Adaptive air suspension can add 2 inches of ground clearance.
Front 3/4 view of the 2025 GMC Yukon AT4 Ultimate. GM
At the heart of the gentle giant are three familiar engine choices driven by a 10-speed transmission.
The tried-and-true, standard, 5.3-liter V-8 engine makes 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque; the 6.2-liter V-8 produces 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque; and a sippier, 3.0-liter, Duramax Turbo-Diesel inine-6-cylinder puts out 305 horsepower and 495 pound-feet of torque – and increase from the last gen’s 277 horsepower and 460 torque. It is available across all trims.
Towing is high on the list of mega-ute customers and Yukon offers max towing capability of up to 8,400 pounds. With the trailer hooked up, additional safety systems come into play like: automatic, blind-zone steering; Transparent Trailer View with cameras that help the driver “see through” the trailer to detect vehicles behind; and a back-up, jack-knife alert.
Expect the 2025 Yukon at dealerships later this year at which time pricing will be announced. Expect a starting price above the 2024 model’s $60,195 due to increased standard features.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.