Immediately apparent in the Yukon's frontal view is the integration of a full-wrap front fascia in place of a conventional bumper
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| Adding to the vehicle's slippery aerodynamics and enhancing its sporty appearance is a dramatically raked windscreen angled at 57 degrees, shown here with the regular length Yukon. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
and grille setup. Not only does the new arrangement clean up the front-end treatment, it also eliminates gaps which can generate turbulence contributing to wind noise - however, GM's focus on wind noise reduction didn't end there. They smoothed-out the entire body shell while reducing panel gaps to an impressive 4 mm (0.0157 in). Referring back to my experience with the sister ship once again, I can verify just how silently the GMT900 Series of SUVs pierce the wind at highway speeds. Adding to the vehicle's slippery aerodynamics and enhancing its sporty appearance is a dramatically raked windscreen angled at 57 degrees, in contrast to the GMT800's windscreen which stood at a steeper 50 degree angle.
To achieve the windscreen angle, GM had to push the instrument panel forward and down by approximately 15 cm (6 in). The redesigned panel is absolutely gorgeous. GM really needs to take a bow for moving upscale in the area of interior fit, finish and quality. Based on what the Tahoe delivered, the interior packaging in the Yukon XL is expected to take a back seat to no rival, especially competitors in its mid-level price range. Look for premium-level options such as remote starting, rain sensing wipers, heated seats and steering wheel, touch-screen navigation, rear seat DVD, power-articulating fold/tumble second row seats, power-operated rear liftgate, rear backup camera system and power-articulating running boards to accompany a comprehensive list of comfort and convenience features. Many of options noted are included as standard equipment in the Denali edition.
In addition to refining the Yukon's cabin, GM aimed for world-class acoustics
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| The Yukon cabin shows significant improvements over the previous generation SUV. (Photo: General Motors of Canada) |
by minimizing and reducing noise, vibration and harshness. Engine idle noise and highway noise were also targets of the chassis engineers who gave the Yukon an entirely new frame assembly with increased strength and structure over the GMT800 series architecture. In doing so they also widened the Yukon's front track by 7.6 cm (3 in) and its rear track by 2.5 cm (1 in), improving the vehicle's handling and fortifying its stance by nicely filling its wheel wells. Onto the bolstered frame hang completely new front and rear suspension setups comprised of an independent coil-over-shock design up front and a five-link coil spring arrangement at the rear. Larger, more powerful 4-wheel disc brakes are now assigned stopping duties.
