The Elevation and AT4 trims both come with the same 355-horsepower, 5.3-liter V8 that’s in the current Yukon and Yukon XL. This engine returned 17 mpg and 16 mpg overall, respectively, in our tests of the 2021 Tahoe and Suburban.
A 420-hp, 6.2-liter V8 is standard on the AT4 Ultimate, Denali, and Denali Ultimate, and available on the AT4.
A more powerful 305-hp, 3.0-liter inline-six diesel engine will join the lineup in the calendar year 2025. First launched on the Silverado 1500 pickup, this second-generation Duramax diesel boasts 10 percent more horsepower and 7.6 percent more torque, at 495 lb.-ft., than the previous diesel. This will be available on all trims but will be introduced after the 2025 models initially go on sale.
All three engines are paired with the familiar 10-speed automatic transmission. As before, these SUVs are available with rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. The Yukon will have a 24-gallon fuel tank, while the larger Yukon XL can carry 28 gallons.
Towing is a chief attraction for these SUVs, with a maximum tow capacity of 8,400 pounds for the Yukon and 8,200 pounds for the Yukon XL. These claims are not higher than the current vehicle, but the added low-end grunt from the diesel may make pulling heavy loads easier. To further aid towing, there are several technologies available, such as a trailer brake control, a hitch-view camera, trailer-configurable blind spot warning, trailer tire pressure monitoring, a forward camera view with guidance lines that account for the trailer’s path, the ability to use rear cameras to “look through” the trailer to see vehicles or objects behind it, trailer-friendly navigation routing, and a “jackknife alert” that tracks the position of the trailer to notify the driver to prevent the trailer and cab from folding in on itself like a letter “V.”
