The Denali

This morning I had to stop at the gas station for a fill-up. As I rolled toward an open pump, a huge black SUV came charging toward the same pump from the opposite direction. I slipped into the bay and the guy shot me a wicked dirty look. He had to back up and maneuver into a different bay. No big deal, I should have thought. Except that he was still shooting me dirty looks as he climbed down out of his tank and started filling it up.

I stood there, while I fed my car, and looked over his vehicle. It was huge—a new GMC Yukon Denali. The license tags said Maine. The guy was dressed expensively, driving alone. There was nothing about the man that would even hint at a weekend off-road warrior. Given the cost of the vehicle, I’m sure that it doesn’t see any off-road action. The thing didn’t have a speck of dust on it. I watched as his gas pump whirled numbers. My car was completely fed at 10 gallons and $22. As I replaced my gas cap, he was still feeding his vehicle. When I drove off, the numbers were still whirling on his gas pump and he was up to 17 gallons and $41. As I later learned, he still had another 9 gallons to go.

It wasn’t until I was driving away that his vehicle’s name kind of struck me. The Yukon Denali. Denali National Park in Alaska. America’s last frontier. Pristine beauty and fragile eco-system, yet rugged in its beauty.

And I’m wondering how the geniuses in Detroit came up with that name. It’s a master stroke of stupid marketing. In my not so humble opinion.

I looked up the specs for the Yukon Denali. It has a 26 gallon gas tank and gets an impressive 13 miles per gallon around town and 17 miles per gallon on the highway. What a travesty to call that vehicle a Denali.

According to the GMC site, there is a new and improved Yukon line of vehicles coming out this summer that offer a strong showing for power and fuel efficiency. No lie. The site says:

Yukon engines balance power with outstanding fuel efficiency.
Making Yukon among the most fuel-efficient full-size SUVs in the industry.
Highlighted by innovative Active Fuel Management technology, for added fuel economy.

Outstanding fuel efficiency? In whose universe? The new Denali gets a whopping 19 miles per gallon highway and the same 13 miles per gallon around town. Whoo! A whole two highway miles more per gallon than last year’s model. Let’s hear it for that innovative Active Fuel Management technology! Well pardon my disgust. How crass to name that gas guzzling, polluting tank after one of the last unspoiled eco-systems on the face of the earth.