So you're GMC. You're selling somewhere around 450,000 professional-grade products (read: trucks) a year. You are the second-best-selling brand in all of General Motors. You're selling like 7,000 Acadias per month... Times are sweet, right? Yes.
But here's the hitch: You can only sell trucks. Gas prices are rising and so are fuel-economy standards. Also, truck-based utes are fading to black. The Acadia is a nice step away from Envoy but what you really need is a carlike, truck-type thing. Hence, the Denali XT Concept.
In person, this Pontiac G8-based car/truck hybrid looks brutish in the best possible way. Forget what the designer Bryan Nesbitt says. (It's a precision tool for professional-grade fun.) We think Buick-Pontiac-GMC general manager is closer to the truth. "It takes the Ridgeline-type concept to a new place," he said. "Like an attractive place?" we ask. "Yes," he said, "to an attractive place."
It's not exactly a no-brainer for production, though. Forget about the Ridgeline for a second and forget the talk of the return of the El Camino (or Caballero). In concept the Denali XT most resembles the unloved Subaru Baja. There's a cautionary tale if ever we've seen one. Tread lightly, GMC. -- Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit
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This thing would be way bigger than the Baja, me thinks.
Think about this - 23" wheels, big V8, and how exactly is this going to *improve* GMC's average fuel mileage?
I would love to have one of these. Definately would blow the Ridgeline out of the water. I'm looking for my next new vehicle in 5 years so they have plenty of time.