As holiday lights go up on the houses in my neighborhood, and as Black Friday shoppers rest their weary feet following a weekend credit binge, the gas at my local station is priced at less than three bucks per gallon. If fuel is that cheap in suburban Los Angeles, it must be dang near free in, say, Texas, where the assembly plant that builds the redesigned 2015 GMC Yukon XL is located, and where General Motors has been operating three weekly shifts with overtime available on weekends in order to meet apparently insatiable demand for the new Yukon and its GM siblings, the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Tahoe, and Chevrolet Suburban.  There was a time when I thought the ultimate vehicular Leatherman tool was a Suburban 2500 with 4-wheel drive, so I absolutely understand the appeal of a GMC Yukon XL, especially when it is decked out in luxurious Denali trim. If you are planning to tow something really heavy, or you need to cram more than 1,750 pounds of people or cargo into a single vehicle, or you want to make sure your family is riding in an SUV that weighs the same as a couple of Honda Civics when a collision occurs, nothing else will really do.  As much as I genuinely like the new Yukon XL, these are the only rational reasons to buy one. Try to justify this purchase in other ways, and what you really mean to say is: “I can’t be seen in a minivan.”  If that’s the case, you’re gonna pay a big, fat premium for the privilege. You can’t option a Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona, or Toyota Sienna up to a Yukon XL’s starting price no matter how hard you try. Get a fully loaded Yukon XL Denali like my test model, and the price tag rises to more than $78,000.  You won’t be wanting for luxury, though. The Yukon XL Denali is equipped with premium leather, real Java Burl Poplar wood trim, and genuine aluminum accents, as well as heated and ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, a heated steering wheel, and triple-zone automatic climate control to ensure comfort.  Having spent a week with a Yukon XL Denali, I can confirm that the front seats are outstanding, providing plenty of long-distance support. The second-row captain’s chairs are not quite as appealing, though. They’re positioned a bit low in the SUV, but thigh support is decent, legroom is good, and foot space is adequate.  If you’re wondering, yes, I did ride in the third-row seat, and for a 90-minute cross-town jaunt while working on a laptop. This experience reminded me of sitting in row 38 of a crowded 737, with the guy in front of me reclined, and the pilot combating moderate turbulence. Certainly, the Yukon XL’s solid rear axle and optional 22-inch wheels were partly to blame, but grown-ups aren’t likely to be happy in this seat for very long.  Chances are good that you’ll leave that third-row seat folded flat most of the time, anyway, expanding cargo space from 38.9 cu.-ft. to 76.7 cu.-ft. That latter measurement can’t match a minivan’s capacity for cargo, and the Yukon’s maximum cargo volume measurement of 121.4 cu.-ft. is well short of what an Odyssey, Sedona, or Sienna will provide.  Compare those numbers to the previous Yukon XL, and you’ll notice that cargo room has actually shrunk. That’s because the third-row seats no longer require removal to maximize space, and the second row seats fold flat instead of tumbling forward. This new design adds simplicity and practicality, but robs the Yukon of space.  Where a minivan can’t hope to match a full-size SUV is in terms of towing capacity. A Yukon XL Denali can tug up to 8,100 lbs. and can lug as much as 1,583 lbs. of payload. That’s more than double a minivan in terms of towing capacity, and the GMC’s payload rating measures one Drunk Uncle more than a minivan. That makes sense, since the Yukon XL can carry up to nine people when properly configured.  Making all that towing and hauling possible, a 6.2-liter V-8 engine is standard for the Denali-fied version of the Yukon XL, one making 420 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft. of torque. This direct-injected engine features Active Fuel Management, a cylinder deactivation system designed to help conserve gas, and the EPA says it will return 16 mpg in combined driving. That’s exactly what I averaged during my week behind the wheel. Note, too, that my test vehicle had a 6-speed automatic transmission, which has since been replaced by a new 8-speed automatic albeit with no change in fuel economy estimates.  Despite the Yukon XL Denali’s hefty curb weight, the torque-rich powertrain feels responsive and proves energetic, getting the SUV up to speed in short order. Nevertheless, despite expertly tuned electric steering and optional 22-inch wheels and tires that provided unexpected athleticism, I did not feel comfortable going fast in this GMC. Cruising at 70 mph was about as rapid as I wanted to travel, the Safety Alert Seat vibrating frequently as I piloted the wide Yukon XL down narrow L.A. freeway lanes.  Ride quality with those 22s proved unimpressive on relatively smooth California roads, so I can’t imagine how jittery this SUV would feel on frost-heaved surfaces. While the underlying structure imparts a sense of solidity, surface shock travels straight to the driver via the steering column and is reflected in momentary lapses of the Magentic Ride Control suspension’s composure.  The Yukon’s brakes could do a better job of inspiring confidence, too. Pedal feel is fine, but stopping distances always seemed longer than I expected given the amount of pressure applied, teaching me to leave plenty of space between the Denali’s shiny billet-style grille and preceding traffic.  You should also know that rear visibility is significantly impeded by the raised third-row seat, and is virtually erased when the rear overhead entertainment screens are in use. If you’re zooming along at extra-legal speeds and you’re not checking your mirrors on a regular basis, you won’t see the cop trying to pull you over, and then you might end up on the evening news as the star of a chase. Instead of overhead entertainment screens, GMC needs to offer individual viewing screens. While the company is at it, larger side mirrors that are more appropriate for the size of this vehicle sure would be nice.  Speaking of screens, the latest version of IntelliLink is much improved over previous iterations of GMC’s infotainment technology. Simpler main menu navigation with sensible icons, better graphics, and larger touch-sensing buttons are just a few of the upgrades evident within my Yukon XL Denali. IntelliLink also includes text message alerts and Siri Eyes Free technology, and a 4G LTE Wi-Fi connection is standard equipment.  GMC also installs multiple USB ports, an SD card slot, audio/visual input jacks, a wireless smartphone charging pad, and a 3-prong electrical outlet in the second-row seating area, presumably for hooking up a video game console. Despite natural-language voice recognition technology, though, the navigation system sure had a hard time understanding me, and I resorted to using the 8-inch touchscreen to program destinations.  I’m also a fan of the Yukon’s safety tech, especially the vibrating Safety Alert Seat. At one point, while reversing from a parking space, it and the Yukon’s rear cross-traffic alert system notified me about an approaching car that I could not see. Beyond this, the Yukon XL Denali is equipped with blind spot warning, lane departure warning, and forward collision warning systems, as well as a Crash Imminent Braking system designed to reduce vehicle speed when a collision is unavoidable. An Enhanced Security Package employs a variety of sensors and a high-pitched alarm to prevent theft of the vehicle or its contents.  Clearly, the 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali is a technologically advanced vehicle, one equipped with a unique set of talents all wrapped in distinctive design and quality materials. It might not appear to represent much in the way of value, until you compare it to an equivalently optioned BMW X5, Lexus LX 570, or Mercedes-Benz GL-Class. Then, the bigger and more capable GMC starts to make all kinds of financial sense, especially at a time when the price of a gallon of gas is making headlines for a positive reason.  Did you find this article helpful? 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Bulk-rate size belies the luxury amenities and intelligent technology housed within the substantial proportions of the GMC Yukon XL Denali.