#1 Cochran Automotive

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Driving Impressions

When it comes to trucks, numbers matter, arguably more than they do with cars. The most popular engine for the GMC Yukon is the 5.3-liter V8, which produces 320 horsepower and 340 pound-feet of torque. Our test Yukon was listed at 5537 pounds.

Examining these numbers should give a good idea of how a 5.3-liter Yukon will perform against the competition. By comparison, the 2006 Ford Expedition puts up a 5.4-liter V8 making 300 hp and 265 lb.-ft. of torque with a six-speed automatic and tips the scales at 5805 pounds. The 2006 Nissan Armada's 5.6-liter V8 makes 305 hp and 385 lb.-ft. of torque, mates to a five-speed automatic and carries a curb weight of 5623 pounds. Toyota's 2006 Sequoia comes with a 4.7-liter V8 making 273 hp and 314 lb.-ft. of torque with a five-speed automatic and weighs 5025 pounds.

Note, however, that the Yukon's 5.3-liter engine comes with a four-speed automatic transmission, while many full-size SUVs now come with five-, six-, and seven-speed automatics. More gears generally means smoother operation, better fuel economy, quicker acceleration performance or all three. The Yukon's four-speed automatic negates any power advantage the Yukon might otherwise have enjoyed at least as far as outright acceleration is concerned. Put another way, while it'll easily hold its own on the interstates, the Yukon isn't going to win many stoplight grands prix.

Not so, though, the Yukon Denali, which would leave its lesser sibling and all the others in the dust were its driver so inclined. The Denali packs a 380-hp 6.2-liter V8 and six-speed automatic.

Fuel economy is a much better story for the new Yukon. The 2WD and 4WD versions each earn an EPA combined City/Highway estimate of 18 mpg. That's not exactly Toyota Prius territory, but the Yukon's Active Fuel Management system, which shuts down half of the engine's cylinders under light load, puts the 2007 Yukon at head of the class in the fuel economy competition. Both the 2WD and 4WD Yukons best all of the competition in EPA Highway estimates by as much as four miles per gallon.

In towing, the Yukon's 7700-pound rating beats the Toyota's 6500-pound rating, while Ford and Nissan rate their entries at a maximum of 9100 pounds.

From the driver's seat, much of this is not noticed. Power comes on smoothly, with no surges or hiccups and accompanied by a pleasant, dual exhaust-like tone. Transitions effected by the fuel-management system are invisible, with the only indication a telltale in the information display in the tachometer. The four-speed automatic selects gears with little fanfare. The six-speed automatic in the Yukon Denali is even smoother; the new six-speed automatic also has a manual shift function managed by a rocker switch in the handgrip on the column shift lever.

While trucking along twisty, two-lane roads in Georgia and on coastal California roads, the Yukon tracked flat and smooth through 70-mph sweepers marked with 40-mph advisories. The ride was comfortable and controlled on South Carolina freeways, both glass-smooth and buckled from severe winters. For this, credit the rack and pinion steering, which is new for 2007, that delivers sharper, more precise turn in, along with a stronger and stiffer frame; new, coil-over-shock independent front suspension; revised, multi-link, live axle rear suspension; and a wider track, by some three inches in front and an inch in the rear. The turning circle impressed us. It takes less space to make a U-turn in a Yukon than it does in other SUVs in this class; even some relatively small vehicles such as the Mitsubishi Eclipse need more space to turn around than the new Yukon. This is helpful in a world of big SUVs and compact parking spaces.

We found the brake pedal solid and firm, with a prompt and confident response. The new Yukon's disc brakes are larger than those on the previous-generation model, by almost an inch in front and by more than a hal

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