In case you thought Dodge RAMs and Chevy Silverados weren’t already enough, the Indo-Australian tectonic plate just got a little heavier.

The GMC Yukon Denali has landed.

With no more Holden to worry about, General Motors is clearly pushing hard Down Under.

We’ve had the Chevy Silverado ute and Corvette for a while, both converted to right-hand drive in Victoria by ex-Holden fettling company, Walkinshaw.

This year, Cadillac arrived for the first time, but while that’s all about EVs, its latest arrival, the Yukon, very much isn’t.

Of all the cars to pick up for a weekend in inner Sydney, this was the worst.

At nearly 5.4 metres long and almost two metres wide, there wasn’t a hotel carpark anywhere in the city capable of comfortably swallowing it, so my wife and I had to settle for an Airbnb in the suburbs.

And even then, easing it into the driveway felt like docking a ferry.

So yes – I know what you’re thinking because I was thinking it too. A car like this is a pain in the city. A conspicuous-consumption, chrome-laden pain that not so much suggests as screams its driver might be making up for something.

Australia also only gets one version, the Denali, and at $169,990 before on-roads, it’s not cheap – that’s movie-star Lexus LM van territory.

However, you do get a lot for all that money, and I’m not just talking about square meterage.

Enough room for a baseball team. Photo: James Coleman.

Inside, it is a genuine eight-seater. Forget squeezing in. Three burly blokes could fit across the back, and three average-ish blokes could get into the third row with room still left over for luggage. Our weekend suitcases barely dented the boot space.

The spec sheet is also lengthy, featuring adjustable air suspension, retractable side steps, a panoramic sunroof, heated and cooled seats, a 16.8-inch infotainment screen, a Bose sound system, and even two 12.6-inch screens for rear passengers – perfect for placating kids on road trips.

It can park itself too, but honestly, its pure rectangle shape makes it easy enough to wedge into spaces some smaller and lither cars have trouble with (looking at you, Porsche 911).

The usual luxury touches are everywhere: leather, chrome, faux wood. But quality? Typically mixed in true American fashion. On my test car, the dash storage lid wouldn’t sit flush, for instance.

Moving this bulk obviously takes serious grunt, and the Yukon has it: a 6.2-litre V8 lifted from the Silverado (and old HSV Holdens). It’s thirsty at 12.8L/100km (with a good tailwind), but GMC reckons it’ll do 0-100 km/h in 5.8 seconds.

Plant your foot and there’s a bit of a lurch as it launches forward, and the 10-speed auto sometimes fidgets between gears, but it doesn’t feel sluggish at all.

And once you’ve punched a hole through the city and are out on the highway, that’s where it comes into its own – stable, planted, and yes, with enough presence to part traffic like the Red Sea.

Corners? Not really. Even in Sport mode, it’s wallowy. And unfortunately, those flashy 24-inch wheels also make the ride jittery over smaller bumps, even if larger bumps – like speed humps or small roundabouts – are shrugged off like they’re ants.

The glorious V8 ‘motor’ (pronounce it with a drawl). Photo: James Coleman.

Towing is 3.6 tonnes (braked), but given the fuel bill, you might want a deal with the Saudis first. A whole oil field type thing.

But in the end, General Motors has played the Yukon card very cleverly. In the US, it’s also sold with a 3-litre turbo-diesel option, but that would pit it against the Toyota Land Cruiser or Lexus LX in a battle it couldn’t win.

If you’re buying a cheesy slab of gun-toting Americana, you’ll want a big and lazy V8 motor. And it’s here. Regardless of why you feel the need to buy it.

Get yours in red. Although black, while wearing an earpiece, also works. Photo: James Coleman.

2025 GMC Yukon Denali

• $169,990 (plus on-road costs)
• 6.2-litre petrol V8, 313 kW / 624 Nm
• 10-speed automatic, part-time 4WD
• 12.8 litres per 100 km combined fuel consumption, 91-litre fuel tank
• 0-100 km/h in 5.8 seconds
• 634 kg payload, 3.6 tonne braked towing capacity
• 2813 kg.

Thanks to General Motors Australia and New Zealand (GMANZ) for providing this car for testing. Region has no commercial arrangement with GMANZ.