Off-Road Credability
2021 GMC Yukon AT4 Story and photo by Benjamin Yong, additional photos courtesy of GM Canada
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ost domestic truck enthusiasts are familiar with GMC’s upscale Denali trim, offered on several models, which adds a touch of luxury to everyday driving. The AT4 designation is a little less known, recently expanded across the lineup to give customers seeking a bit more off-road credibility yet another option. Enter the first-ever Yukon AT4. Based on the 2021 fifth-generation Yukon that shares the same T1 platform as the Chevrolet Tahoe as well as the Cadillac Escalade, having tested all three I can confirm they all possess a classy feel, in varying degrees of course. “GMC Yukon is the full-size premium SUV that’s made to be used,” says Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick and GMC, in a press release. “The new Yukon delivers what customers value most – premium features, purposeful technology and all-terrain capability.” One of the immediately noticeable exterior similarities between the aforementioned trio of vehicles are the powered assist steps (included in the $9,795 Premium Plus Package) programmed to deploy whenever a door is opened, useful for the tall sport utility measuring 1,943 millimetres in height. Very un-Escalade however is all the protective skid plating and chunky 20-inch Goodyear allterrain tires. Instead of all the chrome and polish of the Denali, the AT4 employs a darker approach with a blacked-out and horizontally slatted grille and smoked LED headlamp housings — contrasting brilliantly against the White Frost Tricoat paint colour on the example we drove. A pair of bright red recovery hooks peeking out at the bottom of the front bumper and special badging on the doors complete the unique exterior highlights. 34 Trucks Plus MAGAZINE JUNE/JULY 2021
