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MPond's avatar
MPond
Explorer
May 29, 2015

2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali MPG (6.2L, 8-speed)

We did our first road trip last weekend in our new 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali with the 6.2L and the new 8-speed transmission. Towed my brother's boat to AZ, no trailer on the return trip. And I was really happy with the MPG both towing and not towing.

On the way out to AZ I averaged 11.4 MPG, while towing the 7,000 lb boat, including pulling the grades at 65-70 MPH - kept my foot in it to see what the new truck would do.

On the return trip (no trailer, but loaded with 5 people and the cargo area full of gear for the long weekend) I averaged 20.1 MPG over 300 miles. Because of traffic my average speed was down to 65 MPH, and I made it home from AZ on 15 gallons. In a truck making 420hp / 460 lb-ft of torque.

Thanks to the 8-speed and the next generation of Cylinder Deactivation, this truck is getting nearly twice the MPG I was getting in my 8.1L Suburban.
Tow Vehicles
  • MPond's avatar
    MPond
    Explorer
    May 29, 2015
    And FYI for anyone who is looking for one...

    The 2015's still had the 6-speed. The 2015.5's have the new 8-speed.
  • MPond's avatar
    MPond
    Explorer
    May 29, 2015
    Tystevens wrote:
    Thanks for the post, OP. Sounds like a great vehicle. Our best tank ever in our 2010 5.3 was 21.5 (avg speed about 63 mph) on a back roads trip. Incredible that GM is getting the same mpg with 100 more hp! The Yukon XL 6.2 is definitely in contention to replace our Suburban in a year or two.


    :D I haven't had many "best tanks" yet - only have 2000 miles on the new truck. But I have done a couple short 75 mile trips completely unloaded (no gear, no trailer, and only myself and 1 passenger) and got 22 MPG on those trips. But not really long enough to be indicative.

    I wonder if the MPG will change as the engine breaks in further?
  • MPond's avatar
    MPond
    Explorer
    May 29, 2015
    BurbMan wrote:


    According to the GMC website, the starting MSRP for 4WD is $71,415. With a few options tossed in, I had no trouble getting the MSRP to just shy of 80 large...


    IMHO it's worth it. This truck is night and day better than the last one I had, whether talking about interior features, comfortable seats, or overall performance.

    BurbMan wrote:


    ...With this new drivetrain, it's almost as capable as the old 2500 was in terms of towing, although still light on payload. I'll bet the OP was close to GVWR with passengers, cargo, and tongue weight of the boat in tow. If that had been a 7000 lb travel trailer, he would have been over weight for sure.

    Curb Weight (lbs.) 5981 lbs
    Max Payload (lbs.) 1519 lbs
    GVWR (lbs.) 7500 lbs
    Max Trailering (lbs.) 7900 lbs

    All in all, a very nice truck!! Congrats to the OP and good luck with it!!


    Yeah, you're right. I'd been sitting on my old 8.1L Suburban 2500 for exactly that reason - GM hadn't offered anything comparable for a while. Although the new one isn't rated as high as the old 2500, you wouldn't know it by driving it or towing with it. Everything about it feels as good or better, from the brakes, to the driveline and chassis - I'm very happy with it.

    Fortunately, I use this truck primarily for towing boats. For the larger trailers I usually use my 3500 dually. So that lower limits don't affect me much.

    I thought people might find the MPG interesting, as you'll likely see the drivetrain in more GM vehicles over the coming year or two.
  • Tystevens's avatar
    Tystevens
    Explorer
    May 29, 2015
    Thanks for the post, OP. Sounds like a great vehicle. Our best tank ever in our 2010 5.3 was 21.5 (avg speed about 63 mph) on a back roads trip. Incredible that GM is getting the same mpg with 100 more hp! The Yukon XL 6.2 is definitely in contention to replace our Suburban in a year or two.
  • ib516's avatar
    ib516
    Explorer II
    May 29, 2015
    Great mpg out of a gasser with that much power. Thanks for sharing.
  • BurbMan's avatar
    BurbMan
    Explorer II
    May 29, 2015
    Dick_B wrote:
    and what did that vehicle cost again?


    According to the GMC website, the starting MSRP for 4WD is $71,415. With a few options tossed in, I had no trouble getting the MSRP to just shy of 80 large.

    With this new drivetrain, it's almost as capable as the old 2500 was in terms of towing, although still light on payload. I'll bet the OP was close to GVWR with passengers, cargo, and tongue weight of the boat in tow. If that had been a 7000 lb travel trailer, he would have been over weight for sure.

    Curb Weight (lbs.) 5981 lbs
    Max Payload (lbs.) 1519 lbs
    GVWR (lbs.) 7500 lbs
    Max Trailering (lbs.) 7900 lbs

    All in all, a very nice truck!! Congrats to the OP and good luck with it!!
  • nevadanick's avatar
    nevadanick
    Explorer
    May 29, 2015
    We had a 2015 Yukon Denali with 6.2 and 6 spd and got 20 hwy also. Towing a 6x12 enclosed trlr with a motorcycle in it got 15. There were a few things we didnt care for so went back to a Mercedes. We paid 63k and after 6mo got 57k for it, not that what they cost really matters if its what you want and can write the check.

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