The Yukon and Tahoe appear boxy compared with the Expedition, but it'sa ruggedly handsome shape. Those cowboy looks come from sharing sheetmetal with the full-size General Motors pickup trucks. Power is plentiful, with GM's 5.7-liter Vortec V8 engine as standard equipment. It's a smooth, powerful and efficient engine, enabling the Yukon to accelerate quickly and pull trailers up to 6500 pounds on the 4WD model, 7000 on 2WD versions. The optional 6.5-liter turbodiesel V8 produces even more trailer-pulling torque and greater fuel economy for the two-door Yukon, but there hasn't been sufficient demand to offer a diesel four-door. The two-door 2WD Yukon starts at $21,265, the 4WD at $26,861. The four-doors are considerably more expensive--the 4WD four-door Yukon starts at $32,189--but they include more standard features. That compares to $27,988 for a 4WD GMC Suburban K1500. A 4WD Ford Expedition XLT starts at $30,510. Three trim levels--SL, SLE and SLT--are available for the two-door Yukon. Our tester, a black two-door 4WD GMC Yukon GT came with full SLT trim, which includes $6537 worth of popular options bringing the grand total to $33,398. These full-size trucks cost $4000-$8000 more than compact sport-utilities like the GMC Jimmy and Ford Explorer, but provide more utility and value when compared with the $41,488 Toyota Land Cruiser or the $56,125 Range Rover. And they also have more muscle.
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