Front and second row seats are quite comfortable; they are large and sufficiently supportive. The third row, well, it seems to me as though it was an afterthought. The 50/50 folding bench will hold two or three children as long as their legs are short and their feet are small, in other words, not for adults. What is worse is that said bench does not fold away and disappear. They flip up against the second row, remain in the way and, should you want to carry a large item, they will have to be removed. Not so with the Ford Expedition where the back bench is power-folds out of the way.

First and second row seats are extremely accommodating and comfortable.

More gears please!
The truck's 5,3L V8 is a healthy demonstration of minimal technology with maximal results. The OHV configuration is as old as time but it is combined with active fuel management and is E85 compatible. Off the line, its 340 lb/ft of torque scorch the pavement. The deep guttural sound increases and all is well with the World. That is, until the times comes when the fuel gauge hovers around the "E": $105 and 15 minutes later, the tank is full. The damage is of 17L of black gold per 100 km. This consumption may be huge but by comparison, it slots itself at the bottom-end of the full-size SUV average.

The Hydra-Matic 4L60 4-speed automatic transmission is both a blessing and a thorn in the truck's side. As far as smoothness is concerned, this tranny is the creamiest. It never misses a beat and responds as best as it can. Poor thing though has no choice but to kill engine speed when shifting from gear to gear. For example, from a stop, the V8 roars, the truck launches forward and reaches the 6,000 rpm redline. At this point, you are really moving but only a nano second later, nothing. You see, the engine revs drop more than 2,000 rpm when 2nd gear replaces the 1st. The rpm drop is so drastic that the engine falls out of its powerband. The Escalade's 6-speed tranny could easily solve this issue.

One lane wide
The Yukon is colossal and behaves like it too. Fat jokes aside, the GMC is still impressively nimble and surefooted for its post 2,500 kg weight. The ride is very smooth unless a series of potholes make up the road surface; in this situation, the rear axle will hop somewhat. Not usually associated with these types of vehicles are side-to-side weight transfers that are well controlled. By and by, the Yukon is much more competent than it lets on. The same applies to steering and braking.

The Yukon is a competent road tackler, despite its bus-like dimensions.