Compare the2024 GMC YukonVS 2023 Tesla Model X

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Yukon are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model X doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Yukon (except SLE with front bench seat) has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Model X doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Yukon Denali offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Model X doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Yukon AT4/Denali 4WD’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Model X doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Yukon (except SLE) offers an optional HD Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model X only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Yukon’s optional Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Yukon has standard OnStar®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model X doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Yukon and the Model X have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and blind spot warning systems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the GMC Yukon is safer than the Tesla Model X:

	Yukon	Model X
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	23%	26%

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the GMC Yukon is safer than the Tesla Model X:

	Yukon	Model X
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	25	101
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	111 lbs.	157 lbs.
Hip Force	118 lbs.	217 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	248 lbs.	425 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	239	274
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	39 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are almost 11 times as many GMC dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Yukon’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Yukon second among large suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Model X isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 90 more problems per 100 vehicles, Tesla is rated below average.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Yukon’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Model X:

	Yukon	Model X
Front Rotors	16.1 inches	15 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Yukon’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model X (275/60R20 vs. 265/35R22).

The GMC Yukon’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Tesla Model X only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Yukon has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Model X doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Yukon has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Model X; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Yukon’s wheelbase is 4.2 inches longer than on the Model X (120.9 inches vs. 116.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Yukon is 1.3 inches wider in the front and .8 inches wider in the rear than on the Model X.

For better maneuverability, the Yukon’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the Model X’s (38.1 feet vs. 40.8 feet). The Yukon w/20-22 inch wheels’ turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Model X’s (39.7 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Yukon AT4 Air Ride has a 1.9 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Model X (10 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Yukon to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Yukon offers optional seating for 9 passengers; the Model X can only carry up to 7.

The Yukon has .6 inches more front headroom, 3.4 inches more front legroom, 5.8 inches more front hip room, 5.3 inches more front shoulder room, 3.3 inches more rear legroom, 2.4 inches more rear hip room, 7.9 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.1 inches more third row headroom, 5.1 inches more third row legroom, 10.7 inches more third row hip room and 22 inches more third row shoulder room than the Model X.

Cargo Capacity

The Yukon’s cargo area provides more volume than the Model X.

	Yukon	Model X
Behind Third Seat	25.5 cubic feet	15 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	72.6 cubic feet	33.8 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	122.9 cubic feet	88.2 cubic feet

The Yukon’s available rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Model X 6-Passenger doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Yukon’s (not available on SLE) optional second row seats and pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Model X doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Yukon’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Model X doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

The Yukon’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Model X’s (7700 vs. 5000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Tesla Model X is only 5000 pounds. The Yukon offers up to a 8400 lbs. towing capacity.

While the Model X w/22” wheels can only tow 3500, any Yukon can tow a minimum of 7700 pounds.

The Yukon 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Yukon can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Model X can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Servicing Ease

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Yukon to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes, air filter replacement, and brake pad replacement, based on actual driving conditions. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Tesla doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Model X.

Ergonomics

The Yukon’s entire steering wheel hub sounds the horn, facilitating hitting the horn in an emergency. The Model X has a small, single button on the steering wheel spoke that can be hard to find quickly in an emergency.

The Yukon (except SLE/SLT) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Model X doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Yukon’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Model X’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Yukon has a standard rear wiper. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

The Yukon’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model X doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Yukon has standard extendable sun visors. The Model X doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Yukon’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The Model X’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

The Yukon has a standard center folding armrest for the middle row passengers. A center armrest helps make middle row passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Model X doesn’t offer a middle row seat center armrest.

The Yukon Denali Ultimate has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Model X.

The Yukon has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Model X doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Model Availability

The Yukon is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Model X doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Yukon owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Yukon with a number “6” insurance rate while the Model X is rated higher at a number “8” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Yukon is less expensive to operate than the Model X because typical repairs cost much less on the Yukon than the Model X, including $528 less for a water pump, $9 less for front brake pads, $102 less for front struts and $679 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The GMC Yukon/Yukon XL outsold the Tesla Model X by over three to one during 2022.