2012 Gmc Acadia Denali on 2040-cars

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Redesigned 2021 GMC Yukon gets a diesel, AT4 model, Denali-exclusive interior

GMC's most robust family hauler is getting a complete redesign for the 2021 model year, including a new, off-road centric AT4 model, an upscale interior exclusive to its luxurious Denali model, an available air suspension, and, last but not least, a diesel engine.  With Americans obsessing over trucks, it's no surprise that GMC is going hard with its AT4s-for-everybody strategy; the Yukon is no exception. This will be the first model year for the new trim on GMC's largest SUV. This off-road model gets all the goodies you'll need to veer off the beaten path with confidence, including an extra 2.0 inches of ground clearance with the adaptive suspension option (more below), a two-speed transfer case, standard Goodyear all-terrain tires, an off-road mode for GMC's "Traction Select" drive mode system, hill descent control, and some extra underbody skid plates. Since GMC is a premium brand, even the AT4 gets some luxury appointments, such as a heated steering wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, and heated outboard second-row seats. The interior is also adorned in black leather with tan accents and "AT4" embroidery in the seat backs.  Speaking of premium, GMC will introduce an air-ride adaptive suspension with an off-road ground clearance mode as a late-availability option for several Yukon models, and this feature will be included on the Denali trim.  The Yukon and Yukon XL are GMC's variants of Chevrolet's full-sized SUVs, the Tahoe and Suburban. Their fundamental body-on-frame architecture is also shared with GM's half-ton pickup trucks, and thanks to that common engineering, they can also share powertrains. That's normally just a trivial side note when it comes to a new GM SUV announcement, but this time around, it's a bit more meaningful thanks to the introduction of a new light-duty, inline-six diesel in GM's truck lineup last year.  Yep, that means that for 2021, like the Tahoe and Suburban, the Yukon is getting a diesel option. The 3.0-liter Duramax makes the same 277 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque as it does in GM's trucks.  GMC's standard engine is still the 5.3-liter V8 that makes 355 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque. The 6.2-liter V8 is also an option like before, producing 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. All engines come with a 10-speed automatic and a choice of rear- and four-wheel drive.

2022 GMC Yukon AT4 to offer 6.2-liter V8

A year ago, GM said it was considering making its 6.2-liter V8 available outside the flagship trims of its full-sized SUV trio of Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, and GMC Yukon. There has been a year of gnashing teeth on GM forums since the automaker decided to meditate on the issue, but GM Authority reports The General has finally made the call — the 2022 Yukon AT4 will offer the 6.2-liter. This follows last week's news that three 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban trims would also add the 6.2-liter as an option. With the Yukon Denali already in the 6.2-liter camp, only the Yukon SLE and SLT will be left out. Those latter two levels will continue to offer the 3.0-liter Duramax diesel as the optional engine, which the AT4 trim cannot take advantage of because the AT4's front fascia and skid plate interfere with the diesel's plumbing. The 5.3-liter V8 that's the standard engine makes 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. The 6.2-liter makes 420 hp and 460 lb-ft. As has been pointed out, the 5.3-liter can tow 200 pounds more than the 6.2, but fuel economy is a wash — the 5.3 only gains 1 mpg in the city over the 6.2. This is a pure power play. For the moment, it looks like Yukon AT4 buyers won't need to do anything other than check a box to get the 6.2-liter. That's the opposite of what some Tahoe and Suburban buyers will face when trying to get the 6.2-liter for their rigs; outside of the Premier trim, Chevy put the engine behind a paywall of option packages. Since GMC hasn't revealed pricing for the 2022 lineup yet, we don't know what the surcharge will be for the big engine. The GMC Sierra AT4 pickup charges $2,195 to go from the 5.3 to the 6.2, so that's probably in the ballpark. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

NHTSA investigating nearly 750,000 GM models over non-deploying airbags

Nearly 750,000 vehicles built by Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac are the subject of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation due to non-deploying driver-side airbags. While the investigation is ongoing, the agency believes the issue is likely due to rust particles that form on the inflator's connection terminal interface. The list of nameplates included in the investigation includes Chevrolet's Silverado, Tahoe, and Suburban, GMC's Sierra, Yukon, and Yukon XL, plus Cadillac's Escalade, Escalade ESV, CT4, CT5, and XT4. All of the potentially affected vehicles are 2020 or 2021 models, according to a bulletin published on the NHTSA's website. Investigators launched the probe in April 2021 after 15 consumers reported airbag-related issues, including nine who said an airbag malfunction light appeared in the instrument cluster. More alarmingly, the NHTSA is aware of six accidents that caused significant damage to the car's front end yet didn't trigger the driver's airbag. It adds that there are no fatalities linked to the issue, but there are six crashes and eight injuries reportedly blamed on it. No evidence suggests this problem is related to the millions of potentially deadly Takata inflators recalled over the past few years. General Motors is aware of the defect. It sent a technical service bulletin (TSB) to its dealers in March 2021 to address the aforementioned warning light. The note explains the issue is due to "rust particles in the connection terminal interface of the driver's airbag inflator." The company hasn't issued a safety recall yet, however. Whether it will partially depends on the NHTSA's findings. It's currently looking into the scope and the severity of the problem, and it wants to understand its implications on driver safety. Investigators will decide whether General Motors needs to recall the 749,312 cars that are part of the probe when they close their investigation. General Motors has already spent a significant amount of money replacing defective airbag-related parts in its cars. In November 2020, it was ordered by the American government to recall nearly 6 million pickup trucks and SUVs equipped with potentially dangerous Takata airbag inflators. It repeatedly argued that testing proved the inflators were safe, and it petitioned the agency four times starting in 2016 to avoid a recall, which cost an estimated $1.2 billion (about a third of its net income in 2020).