What's the difference?
If you're in the market for a premium-style four-wheel drive wagon with eight seats and a petrol V8 engine and you live in Australia, your choices have been rather limited. You'd be looking at something like the Nissan Patrol or the Land Rover Defender 130.
Well, that has now changed as General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) is importing the GMC Yukon Denali to Australia. This top-of-the-range Yukon arrives here as a left-hand drive vehicle and is converted to right-hand drive at a facility in Victoria to suit our market.
The Denali has a price tag just under $175,000, though, and that makes it a lot more expensive than most vehicles that could be considered rivals in the Aussie market. Is it worth it?
Read on.
An entry-level car doesn’t normally start at half a million dollars but that’s what the Ferrari Amalfi is; the most affordable way into the pride of Italy’s current line-up.
A 2+2 GT with the engine in the front, driving the wheels at the rear, it’s a substantially upgraded and remodelled version of the Roma it replaces.
No plugs, no motors, no drive battery, just a twin-turbo V8 pumping out 471kW of pure internal-combustion power in a sleek, relatively lightweight two-door coupe.
CarsGuide was handed the keys for a brief stint behind the wheel to see if it’s an improvement on its much-admired predecessor and a worthy alternative to the heavy-hitting, top-shelf machinery it competes with.
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.
It may not have the GT pedigree of the Aston Martin DB12, the luxury credentials of a Bentley Continental GT or the brutal acceleration of the Porsche 911 Turbo S, but the Ferrari Amalfi is a brilliant 2+2 coupe, retaining the cool character and best attributes of the Roma it replaces while improving dynamic response and progressing the ‘entry’ model’s design evolution. A joy to drive (and look at).