In the car world these days, “go big or go home” has arguably been replaced with a new axiom: go fancy or go home. From Kia to Bentley, carmakers are going more upscale with nearly every model. It makes a certain degree of sense: automotive engineering and development has advanced to the point where there’s really no such thing as a bad car anymore, at least on sale new in America; given that, the easiest way to woo buyers is to simply offer more of what’s already good.
GMC, however, has already been doing this for quite some time — and quite successfully — with its Denali sub-brand. After starting out as a fancier version of the Yukon decades ago, it’s since spread to the entire GMC line, and reaped mighty profits for General Motors’s original-truck-and-SUV division along the way.
So, where do you go when you’ve already gone premium? You double down, of course. GMC’s new Denali Ultimate sub-sub-brand takes the existing fancy trim and elevates it further, adding even more tech, more elegance and more high-end materials to the mix. And, after launching on the 2022 GMC Sierra, the new trim level has now moved across the lot to the 2023 Yukon.
The GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate adds a dash of class
GMCFrom the outside, the easiest way to tell a Denali Ultimate from a mere Denali is by the presence of darkened Vader chrome trim, presumably named because it shines like Anakin’s helmet under those shiny Imperial corridor lights. There are also uniquely designed 22-inch wheels that pair bright chrome and dark paint, a dash of shiny chrome on the doors, and something GMC calls “meticulous Galvano appointments” on the front end. (I have no idea exactly what that means, as Googling “Galvano appointments” brings up a bunch of links relating to former Florida state senate president Bill Galvano.)
Inside, the upgrades are far more obvious. Perhaps handiest is the one indicated by that strip of light atop the steering wheel: like the Cadillac Escalade and top trims of the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado, among others, the Yukon Denali Ultimate boasts Super Cruise, GM’s excellent hands-free highway driving assistant.
