2021 GMC Yukon VS 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe: Which one should you buy?

Overview

GMC and Chevrolet have re-designed their 2021 Full-size SUV line up. Both of the SUV’s are built on GM’s newest T1-Truck platform, so their re-designed Yukon and Tahoe are very similar to their truck brother Sierra and Silverado. A significant drawback of building vehicle on the same platform is that they ultimately look similar. The exterior carries the most difference in the two models, while the interior design is almost identical. That is a big disappointment for both the Yukon and Tahoe buyers. We assume GM wants to save the manufacturing and design cost on those parts, so most of the interior parts are interchangeable.

Size

Tahoe and Yukon have close to five inches more in their wheelbases compared to the previous generation, increasing the wheelbase from 116 inches to 120.9 inches and both gain six inches more in overall length increasing from 204 inches to 210.7 inches. This means more legroom for your 2nd and 3rd rows passengers. Both are using the newly designed suspension, and there will be more cargo space than previous models for both Yukon and Tahoe.

Exterior

The Yukon’s exterior shows the resemblance of a Sierra while the Tahoe shows much like a Silverado. In the front, the Tahoe’s front grille is wider, and the headlights are much narrower and higher up when compared to Yukon. The Yukon has an imposing grille, but the C-Shade headlights are wider and occupy more front-end real estate than the Chevrolet. In the rear, the SUVs have different taillights and tailgate design.

Interior

On all trim levels except for Yukon Denali, the gear selection lever, entertainment screen placement, climate control, and driver’s gauge cluster are identical on the Yukon and Tahoe. The largest interior difference is the badging on the steering wheel. On the Yukon Denali, the dashboard, entertainment screen placement, and wood used in the cabin are different from other trim levels. The Yukon Denali has the entertainment screen built into the dash and has moved two air vents to above the entertainment screen. The Yukon Denali has luxurious wood and leather materials in the cabin to justify it’s MSRP.

Both Yukon and Tahoe are equipped with full power control seats, and the driver can fold 3rd-row seats and unfold 3rd-row seats by pressing a button from the driver seat. This also same as in the cargo area, you can again fold and unfold the seats by pressing a button, but this time you can also fold down the 2nd-row seats.

Infotainment System

Both Tahoe and Yukon have GM’s latest infotainment system, and the buyer can also purchase an additional package that includes Rear Seat Media system. The Rear Seat Media system consists of a high-resolution 12.6-inch LCD Touchscreens pair. Passengers can connect to the system via USB (Type C USB port for both Tahoe and Yukon, an additional Type A USB port for Yukon) or HDMI ports, enabling streaming from a tablet, smartphone, or gaming console.

Each of the screens can be customized, which means two passengers can watch or listen to their chosen media. What’s more, the system enables audio streaming through wireless headphones, or the vehicle’s audio system, as desired. There’s a feature that allows passengers to submit navigation requests to the infotainment screen upfront, which provides directions without taking away the driver’s attention.

Engine

Both the Yukon and Tahoe get a 10-speed automatic transmission across all trim levels, and there are three engine choices. The base engine is a 5.3L V-8 making 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque; there’s also a 6.2L V-8 producing 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque (Only available for Yukon Denali or Tahoe High Country trim level). The third available engine is a turbo-diesel 3.0L inline-six typically found on Sierra or Silverado. The turbo-diesel engine can generate up to 277 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. Furthermore, they have featured a smarter cylinder deactivation system and auto start-stop system to increase fuel economy.

Suspension

Buyers can enhance the next-generation SUV’s versatility even further by adding in the Air Ride Adaptive Suspension option, which Chevrolet has offered on High Country and Z71 trim levels and GMC has offered on Yukon AT4 and Denali trim levels. Since this is a first time GM put an independent rear suspension on their Full Size SUV they have been able to increase cargo hold by 40% on both the Tahoe and Yukon.

Conclusion

If you like the new interior design of Yukon Denali, you should go for it because the only difference from the Tahoe is the interior design. However, if you don’t care about the interior design, then we will suggest the Tahoe for you. It’s because the Tahoe has a lower MSRP than the Yukon ( even the base model ). Also there are several packages for the Tahoe, the buyer can choose optional packages to get similar options to the Yukon Denali and pay less on the MSRP.