2019 Ford Expedition vs. 2019 GMC Yukon Comparison Test - Motor Trend

Both these rigs cost luxury SUV money, but only one comes close to offering a luxury SUV experience. It takes but a few miles behind the wheel to understand the Ford is the more premium, more refined, more… evolved of the two. The Yukon, by contrast, feels exactly what it is—a truck in a tux. For a start, engaging a gear in the GMC means reaching around the leather-trimmed steering wheel and arm-wrestling a massive column shifter—straight out of a Chevy pickup—as it clunkety-clunks through the PRNDL detentes. And once underway you're constantly aware of the hoppy-skippy, live rear axle as it busily rhumbas over lumps and bumps in the road, those trick Magnetic Ride Control shocks notwithstanding.

That old-school rear axle makes its presence felt in other ways, too. Because the diff needs room to move up and down, the floor behind the Yukon's second row is stepped upward. Room and comfort in the third row is therefore remarkably poor for a vehicle of this size, with taller passengers perched uncomfortably on flat seats with their knees in their face. The Yukon interior boasts many of the modern luxury vehicle accoutrements—leather trim, power this and that, a digital infotainment interface—but once you get past the front part of the cabin, you're forcefully reminded it's merely a veneer, luxury thinly layered over a package that, for passengers riding in the back, is irredeemably compromised.

By contrast, the big Ford's premium credentials run more than skin deep. The impressive turbo V-6 under the hood and the aluminum intensive body are important, but what really sets the Expedition apart from the Yukon is its smooth-riding independent rear suspension and a rotary transmission interface you can actuate with your fingertips. These two features alone are the evolutionary steps that catapult the Expedition out of the truck gene pool and into the higher order realm of the personal-use SUV. It's not just easier and more comfortable to drive than the Yukon; the more compact independent rear suspension layout means the second and third rows are roomier as well as being much more pleasant places for passengers to ride.

It's not perfect, though. The Expedition's steering feels gluey, over-weighted compared with the more finely tuned tiller in the Yukon, and the 10-speed automatic doesn't always shuffle through the ratios quite as smoothly as it should. And though the big Ford rides better and tracks truer than the GMC, the shock tuning still needs a little work, particularly in terms of controlling secondary motions from the rear axle. Impact noise and harshness better controlled than in the Yukon, but the hefty 22-in wheels and tires can patter over broken surfaces.

Despite these quibbles, the Ford Expedition stands as the benchmark full-size mainstream American SUV. It delivers competitively modern levels of ride and refinement, and even more interior room, without compromising the relaxed toughness and endearing durability that has been the hallmark of the category. And although the Texas Edition version of the Expedition isn't cheap, it pulls together a suite of technologies that offer real consumer benefits.

By contrast, the Yukon SLT Graphite Performance Edition comes off as an overpriced marketing gimmick. On the road it feels like a wrestler auditioning for the Bolshoi Ballet, and that work-truck shifter sticks out like a hardhat at a black-tie ball. Of course, the Yukon is built on hardware that is nearing the end of its service life. A new generation of GM full-size SUVs is coming, and among the rumored upgrades is a new electrical architecture that will allow enhanced driver aides—including easy-to-use shift-by-wire transmission interfaces—and the availability of independent rear suspension.

Call it the evolution of the species.