I'd tried the basic Yukon/ Tahoe versions, including quite a few times renting them in my weekly business travel and they are sloppy and somewhat slow. The Denali is a vastly different vehicle. Far more HP and torque, different wheels and tires etc. But definitely not in the same league as an X5 or Audi Q7 for handling. I really wanted a turbodiesel SUV but there is no American SUV with a diesel, and both the BMW and Audi are limited to 6600 tow rating. The Touareg tdi is rated for 7716, but is too small to pull close to 7,000 lbs, very short wheelbase, too narrow to see around the trailer etc. So the Denali was my compromise.

I have quite a number of friends I race with who have moved from X5's, Touaregs, and MDX's to Denalis, and all have been very happy with the move. While the Denali isn't as agile as an E53 or E70, it's still pretty spry for a big body on frame SUV. And I've got my 528 to play with for those times I feel the need to go have some fun on back roads, though now that I'm post-50, I find myself being more sensible on public roads and having my fun on the race track.

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'04 E53, 4.4 Sport
'97 E39 528i
'86 911 Carrera, track car
'96 BMW R1100R