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Napa Valley, CA -- As humans, we have an innate need to let others know our status in life. We may not like to admit it, but our materialistic nature has lead to us announcing said status via the objects we own, be it clothing, a house or a vehicle. When a vehicle is “used” as this status symbol, there are a few manufacturers that jump to mind immediately: Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche. GMC is not always at the top of the list.

It should be.

Enter the 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali, as luxurious as its European counterparts and just as large and in charge, Yukon Denalis are purchased because the buyer is rewarding his/her success in life by getting the best of the best of a given brand. The reward is most definitely visible when you get behind the wheel and realize what this luxurious American behemoth has to offer.


What is a GMC Yukon XL Denali?
Besides being absolutely huge, the GMC Yukon was first introduced in 1992, since then its popularity has steadily grown, and just seven years after the regular Yukon was introduced, the Denali was released.

Between 1997 and 2013, Denali sales account for 60% of Yukon sales.

With seating for nine available along with gobs of cargo space, the GMC Yukon XL Denali is the largest and most decked-out Yukon currently available.

2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali Price and Specs
Everything about the GMC Yukon Denali is large, even if you choose the shorter wheelbase version (i.e., not the XL). From the engine (a 6.2L V8) to the overall length of the XL (224.3”, which is a over 20” more than the regular Yukon), it's all very big. And that's perfectly fine, because that's what the Yukon is all about, being large and in charge.

With 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque available with the 6.2L V8, the 6-speed transmission makes very good use of the power at hand to help move the 6,000-lb behemoth. The smaller 5.3L V8, for the non-Denalis, offers up a good amount as well with 355 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque. Both engines and the Denali trim are available in the short and long wheelbase models. 2WD and 4WD models are also available.

Pricing on the 2015 GMC Yukon Denali starts just above $73k, a large price tag for an equally large vehicle. The XL tacks on an extra $3k.

Besides being absolutely huge, the GMC Yukon was first introduced in 1992, since then its popularity has steadily grown, and just seven years after the regular Yukon was introduced, the Denali was released. (Photo: Miranda Lightstone)

Driving the 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali
I was immediately impressed with the fact that although this vehicle really is ginormous, it doesn't drive at all “big.” With a turning radius better than some cars I've driven as of late, the 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali was a joy to drive though the winding, elevation-changing roads of Napa Valley, CA.

Throttle response is pleasantly delayed upon takeoff from stoplights, but not in an obnoxious way, as it keeps acceleration even and constant ensuring all aboard ride in supreme comfort. Braking is also handled very well via four-wheel disc brakes with Duralife rotors.

When pushed, the 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali's 6.2L V8 growls to life in an audible way that's quite nice, and so is the pick-up. Gears are found in ample time, and never did I find the Denali struggling to meet my demands, even on winding mountain roads we climbed at speed.

Steering is a bit vague, but that's not necessarily a horrible thing. While not uber precise, it is more connected than some SUVs I've driven recently. This is not a high-performance vehicle, and it's not trying to be one.

One of the best parts about driving the 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali is most definitely the Magnetic Ride Control suspension (on Denali models only). This suspension is stellar and makes light of any sort of imperfection on the road surface. So smooth is the ride sometimes that I wondered if we weren't driving on a cloud.

I was immediately impressed with the fact that although this vehicle really is ginormous, it doesn't drive at all “big.” (Photo: Miranda Lightstone)

Inside and Out of the 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali
Well, if you hadn't noticed, this thing is large. Very large. And I love it. I'm a huge fan of the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class design and because they are so fantastically boxy and purposeful. Same goes for the Yukon XL Denali.

The front fascia of the 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali is fabulously masculine and has almost as strong a presence as the Sierra pickup, and with the Denali grille that level of sophistication goes up a few notches.

Inside, the Yukon XL Denali there's 3,429 liters (121.1 cu-ft) of cargo room with all the seats folded (which is done via the touch of a button for both the second and third row). GMC will also offer OnStar 4G LTE connectivity with an available Wi-Fi hotspot.

An entertainment package sees two screens integrated into the roof for the second and third rows, and while the third row screen is OK when down, the second-row screen completely covers the driver's view out the back in the rearview mirror.

All manner of HVAC and HMI buttons are well within reach of the driver and front passenger, and the 8” touchscreen is easy to manipulate, and the natural voice recognition system offers another level of safe functionality.

All manner of HVAC and HMI buttons are well within reach of the driver and front passenger, and the 8” touchscreen is easy to manipulate. (Photo: GMC)

Comparing the 2015 GMC Yukon XL Denali
As far as large, seven-plus-passenger vehicles go, there are few that offer the space and luxuriousness of the GMC Yukon Denali. Of course, its sister vehicles the Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe offer the same space and a certain level of luxury. Lincoln's Navigator and the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class offer the interior space similar seating capacity.

From GMM

Felipe Massa can take his Williams all the way to the 2014 title.

That is the view of Brazilian countryman and F1 veteran Rubens Barrichello, who completed the last of his more than 300 grands prix amid the same Grove based team's slump in 2011.

Williams' slump, however, appears over now, with the specialist German magazine Auto Motor und Sport finding that the new FW36 could even be faster than the works Mercedes based on race simulations at the Bahrain test.

"Felipe has a good chance at Williams," 41-year-old Barrichello, likening Massa's Ferrari exit to his own "rebirth" at Brawn GP, told Globo.

"I hope he can go very well, win races and fight for the title, just as I did that year (2009)."

Photo: Martini Williams Racing

Barrichello is travelling to Australia this week, where he will continue his role in 2014 as an expert pundit for Brazilian television.

"I've been following all the tests and am anxious to see if the Williams car is as competitive as it seems," he said.

"The team to beat at the moment is Mercedes, but Williams is there."

From GMM

Gerhard Berger has admitted he thought of fellow F1 legend Michael Schumacher when he lay injured in the snow late last week.

Austrian Berger, a former Ferrari and McLaren driver and ex BMW and Toro Rosso F1 chief, is now recovering at home after surgery for a badly broken arm suffered when he fell at the Skiwelt Wilder Kaiser Brixental resort in Austria.

Unlike the comatose Schumacher, who tripped on a rock and struck another with his head in the French alps, 54-year-old Berger fell on a forest road onto a concrete drainage pipe.

"Further to the left and I would have hit my head on it," he told the Austrian news agency APA. "Good and bad luck lie so closely together."

Gerhard Berger confirmed that he had surgery on the injury to insert a plate with twelve screws in his arm.

"Even a nerve was injured, so I cannot really move my wrist, but I will again. The bottom line is that it was painful, but I'm glad it was that and no more. I already have some plates in my body, so it's just one more."

Asked if he thought of Schumacher's serious injuries when he was laying in the snow, Gerhard Berger admitted: "Of course I did. It was similar to him -- I was not going fast or doing a risky move."

Gerhard Berger, who recently attended the Bahrain tests, will watch this weekend's Melbourne season opener from home.

This year's season-opener has the added excitement of being the first race for the brand new 1.6-litre turbo hybrid power units.

It's sure to be an unpredictable weekend at Albert Park and one wonders how many cars will make the finish line on Sunday evening. When Melbourne first hosted the Australian Grand Prix in 1996, only 11 cars reached the chequered flag.

STATISTICS*
Albert Park street circuit
Circuit length 5.303 km
Race laps 58
Race distance 307.574 km
Lap record 1m24.125 (MSC, 04)

Albert Park Circuit (Image: Mercedes AMG)

Circuit characteristics
Number of corners 16 (6 left,10 right)
Distance to first corner 265 m
Braking events 8 (6 heavy)
Pit lane length under speed limit control 289 m
Pit lane time at 60 km/h 17.3 s
Tire energy (1 = low / 3 = high) 2
Brake energy (1 = low / 3 = high) 2
Race Characteristics (2004 - 2013)
Races featuring safety car 5 (06, 08, 09, 10, 12)
Total safety car deployments 11
Historical safety car probability 50%
Winners from pole position 6
Lowest winning grid position
P7 (RAI, 13)

2013 Race Stats
Fastest lap P1 1m27.211 (VET)
Fastest lap P2 1m25.908 (VET)
Fastest lap P3 1m26.929 (GRO)
Fastest lap Q1 1m43.380 (ROS)
Fastest lap Q2 1m36.194 (ROS)
Fastest lap Q3 1m27.407 (VET)
Fastest race lap 1m29.274 (RAI)
Race speed trap 310.7 km/h (VER)
Podium RAI, ALO, VET
Winning strategy 2 stops (L9, 34)

*Supplied by Petronas Mercedes AMG

From GMM

F1 rookie Marcus Ericsson has no plans to move to Monaco.

Many drivers enjoy the Principality's glamorous lifestyle and tax benefits, but 23-year-old Ericsson told the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat he is staying put in Kumlo, in his native Sweden.

"When you have no idea how long this adventure might last, and you don't yet have a great income, it is pointless to move to another country," Ericsson told F1 correspondent Heikki Kulta.

F1's famous 'Super Swede' Ronnie Peterson, twice runner-up for the championship before he crashed and died in 1978, also harked from Sweden's Orebro county.

Ericsson will drive for the backmarker Caterham in 2014.

"We've done everything possible to prepare," he said, "but I doubt that anyone has been able to prepare completely. All I know is that I am ready and am able to drive very fast."

Marcus Ericsson, Caterham CT05-Renault. (Photo: WRi2)

Fiat enthusiasts, rejoice: The new 500 1957 Edition will go on sale in Canada this spring as a limited-production model. Pricing has yet to be announced, although you should know it will retail for $20,400 in the U.S.

Available in three distinct colours including Bianco (white), Verde Chiaro (light green), and exclusive Celeste (sky blue), the Fiat 500 1957 Edition pays tribute to the 1957 Fiat "Nuova" Cinquecento.

Based on the 2014 Fiat 500 Lounge model, it features a 1.4L MultiAir engine mated to a standard 5-speed manual transmission or an optional 6-speed automatic transmission. Like all Fiat products, the 500 1957 Edition includes a driver-selectable "Sport" mode on the instrument panel to unleash a more aggressive throttle map.

Photo: Fiat

Reports indicate the second-generation Chevrolet Volt will hit the market next year as a 2016 model. It will be redesigned and built on a new front-wheel-drive platform developed by General Motors.

As for styling, don't look for major changes. "It is different, but not drastically different," a source who asked not to be identified told Edmunds. "Just really a bit of a styling change to it."

The Volt hasn't been updated since launching in 2010. Hopefully, the new model will deliver more range in EV mode than the current 60 kilometres.

Source : edmunds.com

Photo: Philippe Champoux

The soon-to-be-released BMW i3 will integrate Life360, a new app that's designed to help you keep track of, find and communicate with family members wherever they are.

Free of charge, Life360 is easily accessed through the iDrive system inside the BMW i3 after plugging in a smartphone that runs the app. It allows drivers to track a lost or stolen phone, create multiple family circles, and receive notifications when members of a circle reach their destination (let's say your son borrows your car).

Life360, which is currently used by 30 million families (according to company executives), only works if all family members have it installed.

Source : mashable.com

Photo: BMW

Michael Schumacher's first Formula 1 car, the Ford-powered Jordan 191, will be sold to raise money for charity.

Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan has put two of his most famous cars on sale to raise money for charity.

One of them is the first Jordan Grand Prix car ever built, 191 chassis number 01.

The 191 was the highly significant car driven by Michael Schumacher on his F1 debut at Spa in 1991. This car comes complete with Michael's original signed helmet.

Photo: Cars International

The other car is the first Grand Prix-winning Jordan, the 198 chassis number 03. It was driven to victory by Damon Hill in the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix and, perhaps uniquely, comes complete with the Constructor's World Championship trophy won on that historic day as well as Damon's race suit and helmet.

Eddie Jordan's collection has never previously been offered for sale and also contains a further fourteen significant Driver's and Constructor's World Championship trophies, eight Jordan team drivers' helmets and a selection of other memorabilia.

The cars are being sold privately through Cars International who can provide the buyers with an engineering team to service and maintenance the vehicles should the new owner wish to run them at events.

Canadian rally driver, “Crazy Leo” Urlichich is about to contest his first FIA World Rally Championship in a works WRC3 M-Sport Fiesta R2 rally car, nicknamed “Baby Beast”.

Urlichich of Toronto is one of the 12 competitors from 11 countries who will battle it out over the five-event Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy this season.

His first event will be the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, April 3-6.

“Since the announcement of my selection for the 2014 Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy on February 10th, I've been absolutely flat out," Leo told Auto123.com.

“There was only one day when I got enough sleep! There are so many things to deal with - the funding, the media, preparation for the event, understanding how things work in the WRC, etc.

"But I have to say that I'm loving it! To be learning the ins and outs of the top level of the sport is truly a great experience! I can't wait to get to Portugal and start driving!”

Ford Fiesta R2 WRC3 (Image: “Crazy Leo” Urlichich)

Ford Fiesta R2 WRC3 (Image: “Crazy Leo” Urlichich)

Ford Fiesta R2 WRC3 (Image: “Crazy Leo” Urlichich)

Ford Fiesta R2 WRC3 (Image: “Crazy Leo” Urlichich)

Ford Fiesta R2 WRC3 (Image: “Crazy Leo” Urlichich)

From GMM

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner is predicting an all-Mercedes silver duel for the 2014 title.

"Lewis (Hamilton) and Nico (Rosberg) -- who else is there?" he is quoted by the Times after a disastrous winter for reigning quadruple world champions Red Bull.

Horner may not sound confident about Red Bull's chances with its struggling Renault-powered RB10, but he is not writing off the Milton Keynes based team.

"It seems the Mercedes-powered teams are in good shape and we are, er, not," he smiled.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05. (Photo: WRi2)

"Looking at Mercedes' race simulation, it wouldn't be a surprise if they finished two laps ahead of everyone in Melbourne. They have a massive advantage , "said Horner to the Daily Mail.

Renault is taking much of the blame for the crisis, but car designer Adrian Newey admits Red Bull might also have been wiser.

"Looking back," he told the April issue of the Red Bulletin magazine, "it would have been smarter to concentrate full power on the new car earlier on.

"(But) in August, no one could have guessed that we would be so far ahead by the end of the (2013) season," Newey added.

Horner claims that with the 'power unit' so important in 2014, Red Bull is at a slight disadvantage compared to its main rivals Mercedes and Ferrari.

"The split between chassis and engine is obviously different in our team than it is at Mercedes and Ferrari," he is quoted by the Guardian.

"We're not totally integrated."

Outside Red Bull, there are cries of relief that Red Bull's run of dominance appears over.

"One team destroying it for four years, having ass-whipped so badly, is not good for the sport," Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton is quoted by the Express.

"I've been flying through all these airports and keep bumping into someone from a different country who says they used to watch F1 but not anymore," he added.

The 2014 Daytona Bike Week (March 7-16) is in full swing. The organizers of the 73rd edition hope to attract more than 1.5 million bike enthusiasts to Daytona Beach.

For the 26th year in a row, Harley-Davidson is the official motorcycle of the event. This year, the Milwaukee-based company decided to have just one big stand at the Daytona International Speedway rather than setting up a second one on Beach Street.

The 2014 Daytona Bike Week aims to raise safety awareness among motorcycle riders. After all, not all accidents can be blamed on car drivers.

Check out what's in store at the 2014 Daytona Bike Week.

Photo: France Ouellet

From FIA

One of the main talking points surrounding the new Formula 1 V6 turbo hybrid Power Units has been the sound they make. The FIA has come to an interesting conclusion.

Some have fixated on the idea that the noise made by current F1 is part of the allure and while the sonic signature is certainly part of the thrill it is but one element of the sport's appeal, allied to technical innovation, glamour, skill and heroism - all contribute to the ‘noise' that constantly surrounds the sport.

Having said that, it is true that the 2014 Power Units will make less noise than the V8 of previous generation. However, it is worth putting this decrease into perspective.

Formula 1 engine manufacturers estimate that the intensity of sound of the F1 powerplants with the former V8s was around 145dB. With the new units it is expected to be around 134dB.

The high pitch shriek of the old V8 engines made them sound louder.

“Quality of sound is a very difficult thing to assess, as we all have different taste,” says Fabrice Lom, former Renault Sport F1 engineer and now FIA Head of Powertrain.

“Some like rock, others classic music. In 1988, V6 turbo F1 engines were revving lower and had less capacity. Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost both had fans in those days and the show, as far as we remember, was quite good.”

The table below illustrates the difference in sonic intensity:

Threshold of hearing (TOH): 0 dB
Rustling leaves: 10 dB
Whisper: 20 dB
Normal conversation: 60 dB
Busy street traffic: 70 dB
Vacuum cleaner: 80 dB
Front rows of rock concert: 110 dB
Threshold of pain: 130 dB
Military jet takeoff: 140 dB
Instant perforation of eardrum: 160 dB

The difference of 11db, according to the physics of attenuation of sound in air, is equivalent to 2.5m if you are at 1m distance from the car, meaning that the difference will be hardly heard in the garage.

If you are 15m from the car, it attenuates to 35m - that roughly represents the difference you can hear from seating in the first row to seating in the last row of a grandstand.

From press release

Team Stange Racing owners John and Ashley Stange have announced they have hired Rick Crawford as crew chief for Team Stange for the rest of the 2014 ARCA Racing Series season.

Effective immediately, Crawford will be taking on duties of crew chief for Team Stange and their driver, Canadian Maryeve Dufault.

"I am ready to keep the momentum with the team, moving forward in the same direction that they left with in Daytona," Crawford said.

"The Stanges have been involved in other forms of racing and they have a vision and an understanding of what it takes to be a competitive team. They are fully committed to Team Stange and I am happy to be a part of that vision. I am looking forward to working with Maryeve, getting to know her and learning about what she wants out of her racecar to be able to have that competitive edge. 2014 will be a good year for Team Stange and we are all ready to make sure we are the best we can be."

Dufault is excited about moving forward with Crawford.

"I think Rick has proven himself at many levels of racing and also has an understanding being a driver himself. We started the season on a high note, running up front at Daytona in the season opener. Having Rick on board will keep us moving forward and on the right track as a new team."

The next scheduled race for the No. 46 Team Stange Ford and Dufault will be the ARCA-Mobile 200 at Mobile International Speedway Saturday, March 22, 2014.

In an era when smartphones are replaced every year or two, and seem downright prehistoric within five or six, Audi AG has decided that the auto industry's standard product cycle is too long to bear for in-car software.

Ford Motor is ending its sponsorship of the Champions League soccer tournament after more than two decades.

BMW said there is strong demand for its i8 plug-in hybrid supercar which will begin rolling out to customers in June.

BMW said there is strong demand for its i8 hybrid sportscar which will begin rolling out to customers in June.

The and#8220;Forza Motorsportand#8221; Alpinestars Car Pack went live online last week. That means players are already cruising around the game's 15 circuits in an assortment of cars from

Chevrolet is being lauded -- and ripped -- for an emotional new TV spot for the Equinox showing a woman saying goodbye to her pooch "Maddie" before the dying dog is euthanized. But the spot wasn't created by an ad agency.