2007 GMC YUKON XL

From edmunds.com

2007 GMC Yukon XL

What Is It?
2007 Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Yukon XL

What's Special About Them?
They're nearly 19 feet long, weigh 5,600 pounds and can seat up to nine people, but according to General Motors, the Chevrolet Suburban, and its twin, the GMC Yukon XL, will get well over 20 miles per gallon on the highway when they go on sale in April. It won't be enough to get them off of the Greenpeace Most Wanted list, but it should make them a little less costly to the families that need them. Both trucks are 20 inches longer than their standard-size counterparts. The extra length allows for nearly 10 inches of additional third-row legroom and 29 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third-row seats. If you need maximum cargo and passenger space, these trucks are unequalled by anything else on the market. Unlike their Ford competitors, the third-row seats in the Suburban/Yukon XL twins don't fold flat. We asked John Larson, general manager of Buick/Pontiac/GMC, why they didn't incorporate that feature into these trucks. "We asked our customers what was more important to them when it came to the functionality of the third-row seats. They told us that access to the seats was more important than being able to fold them away." GM's solution is an optional power-fold feature for the second-row seats. It works well, but if you want maximum cargo space you still have to drag the backseats out manually. Like the standard-size Tahoe and Yukon models, the Suburban and Yukon XL come standard with a 320-hp, 5.3-liter V8 and a four-speed automatic. Three-quarter-ton versions get a 355-hp all-aluminum 6.0-liter V8 coupled to a six-speed automatic. If that's not enough for you, the Yukon XL Denali offers a 6.2-liter V8 with 380 hp. Tow ratings for both trucks max out at 8,100 pounds.

What's Edmunds' Take?
If you're one of those people who actually needs room for nine, along with decent cargo space and the ability to tow an 8,000-pound boat, these trucks are your only option. And now that they have decent interiors and reasonable mileage it won't be such a tradeoff to own them. — Ed Hellwig