Audi Sq6 E-Tron vs Gmc Yukon

What's the difference?

When it comes to a performance electric SUV, the Audi SQ6 e-tron is a fine example and showcases a masterclass in design. It drives and handles beautifully, even if it’s not as fun as I expected.

The technology looks amazing and I'm sure the little bumps we experienced will be ironed out with a software update.

The SQ6 will suit a smaller family best but the decent driving range and fast charging capabilities means regional families might like it too.

The 2025 GMC Yukon Denali is a big, comfortable, eight-seat 4WD with few rivals in the Aussie market. However, while it may occupy its own niche, it doesn't offer enough in terms of premium look and feel and towing capacity over what could be considered its rivals – and it all comes back to that price tag. 

While it lacks a competitive warranty and its price puts it way out of reach of a lot of 4WD buyers, if you are in the market for a big premium-style wagon with a V8 and eight seats – and the Nissan Patrol and Land Rover Defender 130 aren’t your cup of tea – then the Yukon Denali just might be the right choice for you.

But when all is said and done, for the price of the Denali, you could buy two Nissan Patrols – maybe not brand-new ones – and a camper trailer and a couple of cartons of beer. 

The SQ6 has a distinct look compared to the other mid-size SUVs in Audi’s stable with panelling that lacks some of the severe pleating of its cousins, instead incorporating swoopy lines and a more pronounced moulding around the base of the car.

The sporty S styling is seen in the large 21-inch alloy wheels and red calipers but the customisable light designs inside and out really make this stand out.

The interior is sumptuously styled with Nappa leather and suede upholstery and trims, and sports front seats, while the use of displays in the dashboard makes the SQ6 feel like a spaceship.

However, the main panel curves towards the driver and it still feels accessible and intimate for a cockpit. The cabin looks as expensive as what you’d want it to look like at this price point.

The 2025 GMC Yukon Denali is 5337mm long (with a 3071mm wheelbase), 2378mm wide, 1943mm high and has a kerb weight of 2813kg.

Suffice it to say, it’s big. 

The signature Denali grille – with LED headlights and chrome accents – is the size of a house and it’s eye-catching. 

In terms of design, the rest of the Denali is standard SUV, but it's so massive it can't help but have plenty of presence on the road. 

This 4WD has 24-inch rims, which are not suited to off-roading at all, but I’ll get to that later.

The Denali’s dual exhaust system, with polished stainless-steel tips, adds to the street-cool aesthetic. 

The rest of the Denali exterior works – but it’s an in-your-face kind of success. 

Inside, the space is cavernous and with leather upholstery, wood-look trim and soft-touch surfaces you’d expect it to feel like a plush, well-appointed cabin. But it doesn’t quite hit the mark. 

Sure, all three rows of seats offer enough in terms of comfort and amenities but, for a $175,000 vehicle, the cabin lacks a distinctive premium feel, as you'd assume it should in a vehicle at this price point. That's a bit of a disappointment.

The cabin's primary objective seems to be one of passenger comfort. Everything you touch feels soft under hand and while seat padding is on the firmer side, all but the rear middle seat is comfy on a longer journey because of their extra functions.

The rear-row back rest has two recline positions and the seat beds offer long under-thigh support. The middle seat bulges up, and coupled with the compromised legroom, it won't be a nice seat for an adult.

The front row offers the best legroom and there is enough space in the rear for my six foot three brother to squeeze into (somehow) but I wouldn't want to be in the rear for a longer journey if you're super tall.

Access is good for each row with wide door apertures and seats that aren't positioned too high. There will be no groans getting in and out of the SQ6.

Up front the glovebox and middle console shoulder most of the storage burden but there is a handy flip-down drawer at the driver's knee for a wallet and a centre console with the charging stuff but it is an awkward space that could have been better utilised. Things tend to move around in there if not secured.

In the rear there are a couple of net map pockets, storage bins and a total of four drink holders but that's about it. The other amenities back there soften the lack of storage options as you get directional air vents, climate control, heated outboard seats and a couple of USB-C ports.

The technology on a whole looks amazing and the touchscreen multimedia display is responsive and logically laid out. You'll be able to figure it out quickly and I like that important functions, like climate control, and shortcuts are pinned to the screen as it makes it easier to access them when on the go. The Audi voice assistant can be activated by 'Hey Audi' if you don't want to fiddle with screens on the road.

The wireless Apple CarPlay was simple to set up but at the beginning of the week it did tend to get booted whenever the climate or massage functions were activated. This was annoying as you'd have to reselect CarPlay and jump back into whatever app you were in and when you're using the Map app, it feels disjointed. However, this sorted itself out by the end of my week.

On the whole, all the screens and their functions are user friendly but there were a couple of gremlins that needed a car restart to fix. Randomly, my volume became useless and the touchpad/buttons on the steering wheel stopped working.

I do like a normal button over touchpad controls as I find them more responsive but the touchpad controls on the driver's door were really easy to use and I like the family-friendly option of being able to individually apply the child-lock to the rear doors.

Rounding out the cabin is the large 526L boot which offers a level loading space and the ability to adjust the height via the adaptive S air-suspension from buttons in the rear.

The rear row has a 40/20/40 split, which opens up storage options again and there is a deep under-floor storage pocket that houses the tyre repair kit. A handsfree-powered tailgate comes standard, which I always appreciate and the massive frunk (64L) takes care of all of the cable storage.

The Denali has retractable sidesteps, which is a big help to hobbits, such as me, and it also has big grab handles, again a welcome addition for the purposes of easier ingress for those on the wrong side of tall.

Once you climb inside, it’s easy to appreciate the fact that this wagon’s interior is vast, functional and comfortable, with plenty of storage spaces for everything – glove box, centre console, sunglasses case, door pockets etc – and plenty of charge points for your array of smart devices, even a wireless charge pad. 

It’s a well-designed cabin but, as mentioned earlier, the Denali lacks the prestige fit and finish and even build quality usually showcased in something at this price-point.

Instead, there are expanses of hard plastic throughout, storage receptacles with flimsy lids, and lacklustre fit and finish here and there.

The vertically-oriented 16.8-inch touchscreen multimedia system is simple enough to use, even when the road gets bumpy, although it sometimes took a few stabs of my finger to get the system to register a command.

Climate control switches and the like are located under the screen.

The three rows of seats offer more than adequate levels of comfort – the front seats are heated and ventilated and the second row’s outboard seats are heated – and each row also has the appropriate amount of amenity to suit its occupants, including cupholders, USB-C sockets, map pockets and the like.

The second-row seats even have 12.6-inch HD colour touchscreens – one on the back of each front-row headrest – with which to enjoy… whatever. Those units also have wireless headphones so everyone else in the vehicle doesn’t have to listen to… whatever.

Those in the third row get air vents, a USB-C plug and two cupholders on both sides. 

Rear cargo volume with all seats up is 722 litres. With the second row folded that number expands to 2056 litres, and with only the front seats left standing you have a 'yuge' 3480 litres to play with.

The boot area has tie-down points, a shallow section of underfloor storage and plenty of packing potential. The tailgate door is power-assisted with remote open and close.

As I mentioned, the Denali’s interior is very functional and very comfortable and that includes the second and third row, which offer plenty of space. 

Overall, my thoughts on the Denali’s cabin interior boil down to “massive”, “comfortable” and “feels cheap”.

The 2025 GMC Yukon Denali is a top-shelf, eight-seat, 4WD V8-powered wagon with a price-tag of $174,990, before on-road costs. 

The standard equipment list is a comprehensive and its more notable features include a 16.8-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto - but no sat-nav), a 14-speaker Bose sound system, power-adjustable heated and ventilated leather-accented seats, a head-up display, 12.6-inch rear HD touchscreens for the second-row passengers, a panoramic sunroof and an auto-sense power rear door.

It also has a 360-degree high-definition camera system (with up to 11 camera views), power-retractable sidesteps, 24-inch machined and painted 'pearl nickel' alloy wheels (on Bridgestone all-season tyres), all-around adaptive air suspension and a maximum braked towing capacity of 3628kg (when it has a 70mm ball and weight-distribution hitch).

Exterior paint choices include 'Onyx Black', 'Summit White', 'Titanium Rush Metallic', 'Volcanic Red Tintcoat' (on the test vehicle and costs $2000), 'Downpour Metallic', 'White Frost Tricoat' and 'Sterling Metallic'.

The SQ6 is a fully electric all-wheel drive and has two motors, one located on each axle. Together they produce up to 380kW of power and 580Nm of torque, which means this can do a 0-100km/h sprint in just 4.3 seconds when the launch control is activated.

There are three regenerative braking levels and a one-pedal mode which can be selected by sliding the gear-selector into 'B' otherwise the other two modes can be selected via the paddles on the steering wheel. You'll get the best efficiency when B is selected but it does take a beat to get used to and if you time your stops right, it can function as a proper one-pedal action.

The GMC Yukon Denali has a naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 petrol engine – producing 313kW and 624Nm – and that’s matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

This is an impressive set-up – the Denali is punchy off the mark, smooth and refined at highway speeds and overall it offers a composed and comfortable driving experience.

The Denali has a full-time 4WD system, selectable driving modes include 'Normal', 'Sport', 'Off-road' and 'Tow' and an electronic limited-slip differential is standard.

The SQ6 has a lithium-ion battery with a large 100kW capacity and can accept up to 270kW on DC power, which is excellent. There are two Type 2 charging ports (on either side of the car) and one has a CCS enhancement which means you can charge this from 10 to 80 per cent capacity in as little as 21 minutes on a 270kW ultra-rapid DC charger.

It is more common to see a 50kW DC charger though and that charge time sits closer to an hour and 20 minutes.

On a home 7.4kW charger, you'll get the same percentage after 15 hours, perfect for an overnight recharge.

With a claimed WLTP driving range of up to 568km and energy consumption between 17.5 and 18.6kWh/100km, the daily commute and odd family road trip is more than covered with this model.

My average consumption popped out at 18.1kWh based on the trip computer and that’s a good result for how hard I’ve pushed it over country roads, in the city and on the highway. 

Obviously, with such a big vehicle – almost three tons – driven by such a big V8 engine, fuel consumption is a concern. The 2025 GMC Yukon Denali has a listed fuel consumption figure of 12.8L/100km (on a combined, urban/extra-urban cycle).

I recorded 16.2L/100km on this test. I did a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing and this wagon was never working hard.

The Denali has a 91L fuel tank so, going by my on-test fuel-consumption figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 560km from a full tank. 

Outside of the initial acceleration thrill, I have to say that the SQ6 sort of drives like a lot of the other Audi SUVs I’ve sampled. Which is fine because it’s dynamic and handles beautifully on the highway or city but it’s just not as fun as what I was hoping it would be. The power will satisfy everyone though. 

The different driving profiles and adaptive S air suspension really personalises the on-road experience when you want it and my favourite profile is Dynamic as the suspension and steering feels more performance focused, which I prefer. 

Ride comfort is up there with the best and you won’t really be bothered by the bumps in the road, even with the stiffer suspension, but road noise does creep in at higher speeds. 

The visibility all round is good despite thicker pillars but the rear visibility is narrow even before a car seat or passengers are back there. A digital rearview mirror would have been handy here. 

Just something interesting to note is that when you accelerate from a full stop, there can be a small lurch as if it’s rolled backwards or the brakes have held a tad too long. It’s so quick when it happens that it’s not annoying but it is noticeable in stop/start traffic.

The SQ6 is really simple to park and navigating small car parks feels like a dream. The dimensions are forgiving and the 360-degree camera system is top notch. 

The Denali is imported to Australia as a left-hand drive vehicle and then Walkinshaw's subsidiary company Premoso remanufactures the US 4WD wagons to right-hand drive at their facility in Clayton, Victoria. 

And that mob has done a commendable job.

Firstly, the Denali is very impressive on general driving duties – settled and composed, that V8 just rumbles along. It’s pretty close to flawless on the open road - smooth and refined. 

But off-road is a different story – especially in low-speed technical low-range 4WDing – and a lot of that has to do with the Denali’s sheer bulk and its 24-inch wheels.

The big pizza plate rims and paper-thin Bridgestone all-season tyres (285/40) aren't suited to four-wheel driving as they don’t offer the grip of a decent all-terrain and you can’t drop air pressures because there isn’t enough tyre there. Worth noting the spare is a Maxxis Bravo HT-750 (265/70R17).

In its favour, though, the Denali has a range of drive modes – one of which is Off-road and that seems well calibrated for a variety of 4WD situations – as well as high- and low-range gearing and an electronic limited slip diff.

Steering has a nice balance to it at low speeds, throttle response is quite impressive and controlled. And you can call on that 624Nm from the big 6.2-litre V8 pretty much as you see fit, and it delivers it smoothly and in a controlled fashion. 

This top-shelf variant has air suspension – that does some levelling out of even major imperfections in the road or track surface – and it does have a special damper system also working away to even out ride and handling. 

In terms of off-road measurements, the Denali offers approach, departure and rampover angles of 24.8 degrees, 20.5 degrees and 22.5 degrees, respectively.

Ground clearance is listed as 205mm, wading depth is not quoted, but likely a guesstimated 700-800mm, and turning circle is 12.4m.

And again, this is a big vehicle – 2813kg – so it requires more consideration, more patience, more skill and probably more experience than perhaps some smaller four-wheel drives do. 

The Denali's payload is listed as 634kg, which is not a lot for a massive vehicle like this. Its towing capacities are 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg braked.

If you do, however, put a 70mm tow ball and a weight-distribution hitch on the Denali, you can tow as much as 3628kg legally (braked).

That's not a lot more than something like the Nissan Patrol, which is 3500kg, or the equivalent 4WD wagon or ute available in Australia already. So the extra towing capacity in the Denali is not that big of a selling point. GVM is 3447kg and GCM is 6577kg.

Ultimately, even though the Denali has sound four-wheel drive mechanicals and reasonable off-road traction control, it's hampered by its gargantuan dimensions and let down by its 24-inch wheels and paper-thin tyres.

If you got rid of the standard wheel-and-tyre combination and replaced it with a set of decent, aggressive all-terrain tyres on 17 inch or 18 inch, or even (if you had to) 20 inch wheels, those changes would go a long way to making this over-sized 4WD capable in some off-road scenarios.

In its current state, however, the Denali is a tow vehicle playing at 4WDing rather than the other way around.

The GMC Yukon Denali does not have an ANCAP safety rating because it has not been tested.

Standard safety features include six airbags (including full-length curtain airbags for all three rows) and a full suite of driver-assist tech includes AEB (with pedestrian detection), adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, front and rear parking sensors, tyre-pressure monitoring, a surround-view camera, trailer sway control, trailer hitch guidance with hitch view and more.

The SQ6 is covered by Audi’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and the battery is covered by an eight-year or up to 160,000km warranty, which are all standard terms for the class.

Audi also offers six years of complimentary roadside assistance and a servicing program for six years that costs $2080, which is competitive, and servicing intervals are at every two years or 30,000km. 

Audi includes the installation of a 7.4kW AC home charger, three charging cables and a one-year Chargefox public charging subscription with this model.

The 2025 GMC Yukon Denali has a three-year/100,000km warranty – which is on the wrong side of ordinary in this day and age.

Roadside assistance is available for three years but check with your dealership for more details on that.

Servicing is scheduled for every 12 months or 12,000km. The first three workshop visits come in at $398.33, $420.33 and $506.48, including GST. Not outrageous for such a hefty beast.