Compare the2023 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2023 GMC Yukon XL

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Land Rover Discovery have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The GMC Yukon XL doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

Both the Discovery and Yukon XL have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Discovery has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Yukon XL’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Discovery. But it costs extra on the Yukon XL.

The Discovery has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Yukon XL’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Discovery has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Yukon XL.

The Discovery’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Discovery uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Yukon XL uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Discovery and the Yukon XL have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

The Discovery comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Yukon XL’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Discovery’s 6 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Yukon XL runs out after 100,000 miles.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the Discovery have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of some of the engines in the Yukon XL.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Discovery’s reliability 23 points higher than the Yukon XL.

On the EPA test cycle the Discovery gets better mileage than the Yukon XL:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Land Rover Discovery higher (7 out of 10) than the GMC Yukon XL (3 to 6). This means the Discovery produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Yukon XL every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Discovery’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Yukon XL:

For better traction, the Discovery’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Yukon XL (285/40R22 vs. 275/60R20).

The Discovery’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Yukon XL’s standard 65 series tires. The Discovery’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Yukon XL’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Discovery has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Yukon XL.

The front and rear suspension of the Discovery uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Yukon XL, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

For better maneuverability, the Discovery’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Yukon XL’s (40.7 feet vs. 42.3 feet). The Discovery’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the Yukon XL w/20-22 inch wheels’ (40.7 feet vs. 43.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 3.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Yukon XL (11.1 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Discovery’s minimum ground clearance is 1.1 inches higher than on the Yukon XL Air Ride (11.1 vs. 10 inches).

The Land Rover Discovery may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 950 pounds less than the GMC Yukon XL.

The Discovery is 2 feet, 6.1 inches shorter than the Yukon XL, making the Discovery easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Discovery’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Yukon XL uses body-on-frame design instead.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Discovery when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the liftgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The Yukon XL doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

The Discovery has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Yukon XL SLT/AT4/Denali, the Discovery offers an optional driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Discovery’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Yukon XL’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

The Discovery has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Discovery to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Discovery has standard heated front and optional heated second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. GMC doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Yukon XL.

The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan has standard front air conditioned seats and the Discovery offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Land Rover Discovery has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Yukon XL SLT/AT4/Denali offers wireless charging.