The Suburban and Yukon XL are familiar vehicles on the road. They share styling but differ in some details. For example, the Yukon XL has a cleaner air intake below the bumper than the Suburban, a different shape for the headlights, and the grille is not split.
While very large in size, the Yukon XL looks smooth, if not sleek. The contours are gently shaped. It isn't edgy like the Cadillac Escalade is. There's not a lot of flashy chrome and the side moldings and door handles are body colored.
The running boards are integrated and unobtrusive, extending no farther than necessary, with a black grippy coating. The tinted glass behind the C-pillar is expansive, and looks nice. The front end has a clean appearance, with beefy block-like headlamps over a front bumper fascia. All the panel tolerances are a tight fit. It's nice to see that GM can produce this kind of quality.
The rear window opens separately, which is convenient. Our SLT had the optional power liftgate, and we're not sure what we would have done without it. The liftgate is aluminum, however, which makes opening and closing it manually a bit easier.
