Spy photos just keep coming and coming today, don’t you think? A new GMC Yukon XL Denali has just been spotted on a country road concealed under tarpaulin sheets.
According to an official press release, the upcoming fifth generation of the full-size luxury SUV will switch to a new architecture, lose between 150 and 200 kilograms (330 – 440 lbs) of weight and get multi-link rear suspension instead of the solid axle.
The current generation (see video) ships with a choice between a 5.3-liter V8 engine rated at 360 hp (268 kW) and 519 Nm (383 lb-ft) and its larger 6.2-liter counterpart with 426 hp (318 kW) and 624 Nm (460 lb-ft). The former hook onto a six-speed automatic transmission, whereas the latter gets its more sophisticated ten-speed equivalent.
Both engines support partial cylinder deactivation, but only as long as ‘partial’ means ‘four’. In the upcoming generation, the SUV will be able to control the number of cylinders to be deactivated flexibly and automatically. The similar-specced Chevrolet Silverado 1500 actually already supports this feature.
The new GMC Yukon and its platform siblings – the Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban Cadillac and the Escalade/Escalade ESV – will be officially revealed either before the end of this year or in early 2020.