The GMC Yukon Denali trim level won a spot on the 2025 Wards 10 Best Interior and UX Awards alongside several other GM vehicles and various other models from around the world.
The awards are intended to pick out the best vehicle interiors in terms both of aesthetics and “UX” or user experience, with the 2025 GMC Yukon Denali and other winning nameplates offering superior quality in both areas, per the WardsAuto judges.
While most vehicles among the 2025 winners had “ivory or pale beige and gray tones” that generate “a serene space for drivers and passengers and [help] soften the stress” of driving, according to WardsAuto judge Christie Schweinsberg, the GMC Yukon Denali took a different approach to win the judges’ approval.
The award compared the Yukon Denali interior to the Toyota 4Runner’s cockpit, which is all dark blue and represents “a daring aesthetic move that pays off.” Drawing a parallel to this, the judges said “the GMC Yukon Denali employs a less aggressive, but still beautiful, pale brown tone to decorate its western-themed cabin.”
This apparently refers to the Perforated Leather Teak / Light Shale (color code HFM) interior colorway, one of seven offered for the Yukon and two for the Yukon Denali specifically. The other colorway for the Denali trim level, tagged with color code H2X, is Perforated Leather Jet Black.
On the UX or user experience side the Yukon Denali makes use of the Android Automotive operating system by Google that won high accolades from the award judges. Dave Zoia, one of the judges, remarked that the “Android OS simply works well, and by not […] reinventing the wheel, automakers can concentrate on design and user-experience innovations that better delight customers.”
As a reminder, the 2025 GMC Yukon is powered by three engine choices, including the naturally aspirated 5.3L V8 L84 gasoline engine developing 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque, the 6.2L V8 L87 producing 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, and the 3.0L I6 LZ0 turbodiesel Duramax with 305 horsepower and 495 pound-feet of torque.
The SUV is underpinned by the GM T1 platform beneath the body panels. The GM Arlington Assembly plant in Texas is the current site of production for the Yukon.
Comments
The interior in my 2025 Yukon Denali Ultimate is beautiful. Plenty of attention to detail. The real wood accents are stunning. It is also very functional. Now if they would get rid of the black carpet that show every spec of dirt and fuzzies, the interior would be close to perfect.
Honestly, the pre-refresh dash and screen was better. This one is too larger and the drivers center looks like some weird desk pop up for charge ports. Like the color combo mostly, though the seats being that light can have issues with blue jeans. Big fan of the column stalk shifter.