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One of the largest SUVs sold by US car giant General Motors – a super-sized Nissan Patrol or Toyota LandCruiser rival with the DNA of a full-sized pick-up – is coming to Australia in 2025.
Family Cars
The GMC Yukon – an eight-seat SUV bigger than a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series or Nissan Patrol – is due in Australian showrooms in early 2025, the Australian division of US car giant General Motors has confirmed.
Planned for sale in a single ‘Denali’ luxury specification, the Yukon – sold under GM’s ute and SUV-focused brand GMC – is based on the same underpinnings as the Chevrolet Silverado full-size pick-up.
It will be remanufactured from left- to right-hand drive in Melbourne by the Walkinshaw Automotive Group – the former parent company of Holden Special Vehicles – and sold in General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) showrooms alongside the Silverado and Chevrolet Corvette supercar.
GMSV says “pricing and specification [will] be confirmed shortly before the start of sales.”
In the US, the Yukon Denali is priced from $US75,000 ($AU120,000), but once options are added – including four-wheel drive and a 6.2-litre V8 – prices can hit $US100,000 ($AU158,000).
It means top-of-the-range versions could be priced in excess of $150,000 plus on-road costs in Australia – once imported locally and converted to right-hand drive – or close to $200,000.
Confirmation of plans to sell the GMC Yukon – which has a Chevrolet twin in the US, known as the Tahoe – in Australia follow Drive’s discovery of trademarks for the vehicle in Australia in March 2023.
It will be the first full-size General Motors SUV sold in Australia since the Chevrolet-based Holden Suburban – which is half a size larger than the Yukon and Tahoe – was discontinued in 2000.
In the General Motors hierarchy, GMC vehicles are more luxurious than regular Chevrolets, but not as plush – or as expensive – as Cadillac models.
The GMC Yukon is sold in the US in two body lengths – though even the standard model measures 5.33 metres long, about 16cm longer than a Nissan Patrol and 35cm longer than a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series.
The Yukon XL measures 5720mm bumper to bumper – close to half a metre longer than a Toyota HiLux double-cab ute.
The longest SUV sold in Australia today is the eight-seat Land Rover Defender 130, at 5377mm long – and 1996mm wide.
The GMC Yukon shares its underpinnings with the Chevrolet Silverado pick-up – as well as the GMC Sierra pick-up, Chevrolet Tahoe SUV, and the even-larger Chevrolet Suburban and Cadillac Escalade SUVs.
While there is a broader range of engines available in cheaper model variants, the Denali in the US is powered by a choice of 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-diesel and 6.2-litre non-turbo V8 petrol engines.
More likely for Australia – given it is also available in the Chevrolet Silverado pick-up – is the V8, which in the Silverado develops 313kW and 624Nm, matched with a 10-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive.
The towing capacity in the US is rated at up to 3810kg – though this may change for Australian versions.
Available features in the US include a 10.2-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12-inch digital instrument cluster, head-up display, 18-speaker Bose sound system, and a suite of advanced safety features.
In the US the Yukon offers GM’s Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving technology – which operates on approved highways in the US and Canada – but it is unclear if and when this technology would be made available in Australia.
The GMC Yukon is due to receive a facelift in the US in the next six to nine months with a new look and updated interior. It is unclear if this will be the version planned for launch in Australia.
Family Cars Guide
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