Compare the2025 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2025 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.

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.

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, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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.

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

The Discovery has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Yukon XL. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

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

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 AT4’s standard 60 series tires.

The Discovery has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Discovery flat and controlled during cornering. The Yukon XL’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

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 2.6 feet tighter than the Yukon XL’s (40.7 feet vs. 43.3 feet). The Discovery’s turning circle is 4 feet tighter than the Yukon XL Denali Ultimate w/24” wheels’ (40.7 feet vs. 44.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 3.89 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Yukon XL Denali Ultimate Air Ride (11.2 vs. 7.31 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Discovery’s minimum ground clearance is 3.4 inches higher than on the Yukon XL AT4 (11.2 vs. 7.8 inches).

The Land Rover Discovery may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 900 to 1000 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 doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

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, the Discovery SE has a 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.

If the windows are left open on the Discovery the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Yukon XL can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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 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.

Optional air conditioned front and second row seats keep the Discovery’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Yukon XL doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.