Refreshed 2025 GMC Yukon Gets A Column Shifter, A Giant Touchscreen And A New AT4 Denali Trim

General Motors has had trouble distinguishing some of its brands and their models which share platforms for a long time, but that seems to be changing with the General’s refreshed 2025 full-sized SUVs. Chevrolet released the updated 2025 Tahoe and Suburban’s design toward the end of 2023, but GMC just unveiled the updated 2025 Yukon and Yukon XL with an interior design that’s distinctly different from both its Chevy and Cadillac platform mates. The 2025 GMC Yukon gains a totally new dashboard with a 16.8-inch vertically oriented infotainment display as the centerpiece, and it now offers the first AT4 Ultimate trim that combines off-road capability with luxurious appointments.

Does the GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate Justify Its $101,000 Price Tag?

The updated exterior of the 2025 Yukon is a nicely modernized take on the current truck’s face, growing more aggressive and in-your-face than ever before, though not drastically different from either the current truck or the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban. The interior is where the biggest changes are seen, with a new dashboard design and giant vertical tablet-style infotainment screen dominating the landscape. At least the touchscreen features standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Mercifully, the redesign also does away with the current model’s unnecessarily unorthodox push/ pull gear selector design in favor of a user-friendly column shifter.

Photo: GMC

Gasoline powertrain options stay the same as the outgoing model, with the 5.3-liter producing 355-horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque coming standard on the Elevation and AT4 trims, and the 420 horsepower and 460 pound-foot 6.2-liter V8 standard on AT4 Ultimate, Denali, and Denali Ultimate and optional on AT4 trims. The 3.0-liter Duramax inline-6 turbo-diesel gets a power bump of 28 horsepower and 35 pound-feet of torque, bringing its power numbers up to 305 hp and 495 lb-ft. All models come standard with a 10-speed automatic transmission, but EPA fuel economy estimates haven’t been released for the updated truck yet.

In Denali Ultimate trim, 24-inch wheels are now available, and the second row of seats is now available with a new Executive Seating option which brings 16-way powered, heated, ventilated, and massaging seats to the second row as well as the first. The new AT4 Ultimate trim gains four-corner air ride adaptive suspension with 2-inch lift for improved ground clearance, a front skid plate, 20-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, and some unique interior materials and accents.

A side by side of the Yukon AT4 and Denali trucks parked on rocks in front of a plateau

Photo: GMC

The refresh brings with it more active safety features like available pedestrian braking, rear cross traffic braking, and intersection automatic emergency braking, as well as a new night vision feature. The Yukon’s towing experience improves, too, with new technologies like jackknife alert and trailer reverse trajectory to help drivers tow with confidence. Maximum towing capacity is 8,400 lbs for Yukon and 8,200 lbs for Yukon XL, though GMC doesn’t mention which engine configuration provides that capacity.

Pricing for the refreshed 2025 GMC Yukon and Yukon XL hasn’t been released yet, though it should be available closer to the sale date which is slated toward the end of 2024, though the diesel engine is listed as having late availability. The updates for Yukon should help it continue to remain popular among large SUV buyers, though the price is likely to increase over the current model.

the rear of a GMC Yukon Denali parked in front of a rock formation