The 2025 GMC Yukon Denali has a greater braked towing capacity than its Japanese rivals, though not by much.
GM Australia and New Zealand (GM ANZ) has announced its upcoming full-size body-on-frame luxury SUV is rated to tow 3628kg, besting the 3500kg limits of the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and Lexus LX cousins, as well as the V8-powered Nissan Patrol.
The Yukon’s unbraked towing capacity is the same as its rivals at 750kg, while its gross vehicle mass (GVM) is 3447kg.
GM ANZ had previously promised the new SUV would have class-leading towing capability.
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For context, the related Chevrolet Silverado 1500 can only tow 3500kg with a 50mm tow ball, though it can tow up to 4500kg with a 70mm ball.
Local deliveries of the Yukon Denali will begin in May, and GM ANZ announced last week it was raising prices of the new SUV before the first examples reach customers.
Pricing is up by $5000 to $174,990 before on-road costs, attributed to “ongoing foreign exchange rate volatility and cost increases”.
The US-built Yukon is being remanufactured locally in right-hand drive by Walkinshaw Automotive, which also handles right-hand drive conversions for the Chevrolet Silverado.
The Yukon will be sold alongside the Silverado and the factory right-hand drive Chevrolet Corvette in local GMSV showrooms.
The new SUV will be offered in Australia exclusively with a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre petrol V8 producing 313kW of power and 624Nm of torque, featuring cylinder deactivation and mated with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
That means it pumps out 15kW and 64Nm more than the 5.6-litre atmo V8 used in the Patrol. It also produces 8kW more power than the twin-turbo petrol V6 in the Lexus LX, but is down 26Nm of torque.
Power is sent to all four wheels via an electronic limited-slip differential and a two-speed transfer case with 2WD Hi, 4WD Auto, 4WD Hi and 4WD Low modes.
The Yukon Denali rides on Air Ride adaptive suspension with GM’s Magnetic Ride Control, an adaptive suspension technology also used by brands like Ferrari, which features dampers with magnetorheological fluid.
You can view a full breakdown of standard equipment in our price and specs article.
The Yukon Denali marks the introduction of the GMC brand to Australia, which is also being rolled out in markets such as New Zealand and China.
GMC historically did little more than rebadge Chevrolet vehicles, but over the past several years GM has invested more in the brand to give its vehicles greater differentiation inside and out.
The brand has also expanded its lineup of Denali vehicles, a trim level that first appeared for the 1999 model year on the Yukon.
In the US, the Yukon Denali is positioned between lesser Yukons (and the related Chevrolet Tahoe) and the Cadillac Escalade.
MORE: Everything GMC Yukon
