Driver's Seat: Yukon Denali Hybrid: OK in a storm, but not all that

2011 GMC Yukon Denali Hybrid 4WD: Big boy, smaller appetite.

Price: $64,250 as tested, $61,360 base MSRP.

Marketer's pitch: We are professional grade.

Conventional wisdom: You are an overpriced Chevy.

Reality: Is it really worth an extra $8,000 for a couple of m.p.g.?

Rain gear: I put the Yukon Denali Hybrid 4WD to the test during one of our recent weekly hurricanes. I must admit: I now understand the security of a big honkin' steel box that travels through cascades and high water without slipping and can double as a second home in case your house slides off its foundation.

Great comfort? A minivan or a Chevy Traverse provides better seating comfort and more cargo capacity.

Advanced powertrain: A 6.0-liter V8 shuts down four cylinders when not needed and runs on electric power stored in batteries with 300-volt capacity.

The change in mode felt like nothing more than a transmission shift.

In control: Like the Traverse, the Yukon Denali heater controls are small and far away. But the front and rear wiper controls are all on a single stalk - always a good idea.

Simple gauges: Old-fashioned dials tell drivers about speed and engine revs, plus temperature, battery charge, and oil pressure, as a good truck should. Why can't all cars give us this much information?

But the "Economy" gauge left me puzzled. It didn't seem to follow the instant mileage readout. And does the dial go up as my economy goes up, or as the fuel consumption goes up? No numbers tell drivers just what it means.

 Friends and stuff: The middle and rear seats don't recline - always a bad idea. Sturgis Kids 3.0 and 4.0 deserve better. And I didn't realize the third row was meant for three people until I read it on the window sticker. Put more than one full-sized human back there and I think a call to Human Rights Watch may be in order. Plus, it only offers two cupholders on one side of the seat. Surely, violence will ensue there.

And behind the third row? Room for absolutely nothing. Even the Traverse, Durango, and Explorer offered more space.

Keep humming that tune: If you're like me, you pop in a CD but switch to the radio on occasion for traffic or to see if "Melt With You" is playing on XM 1st Wave.

Normal cars pick up the CD right where it left off. But the Denali keeps right on playing the CD. And then I notice it has a pause button on the touch screen. Probably because it doubles as a DVD player.

Not so entertaining: The only option on the test vehicle was this $2,390 sun-and-entertainment package, which included rear-seat entertainment, power sliding sunroof, and an extra nine months of XM service.

But the DVD goes in the CD player, so if Mr. Driver's Seat wants to hear some CSN and Sturgis Kid 4.0 prefers to watch "MST3K," then someone is denied.

Conestoga Trail? The 22-inch silver spokes with the thin strip tires look as if they come straight from a fancy covered wagon. I hope thin tires go the way of the tailfin. They're ugly and they reduce handling ability when the pavement is not perfectly dry.

Watch that first step: Climbing Mount Denali is an adventure, in part because of those giant wheels. I took secret pleasure in listening to my passengers yell as they fell out of the truck upon exiting.

Good vistas: Visibility all around the Yukon was excellent. No adventures in lane changing here. This made parking less of a drama than one would expect from a supersized SUV.

Fuel economy: Not bad. Almost 20 m.p.g. on a trip to Western Pennsylvania during challenging weather.

Where it's built: Arlington, Texas.

How it's built: About average in initial quality and predicted reliability, according to J.D. Power & Associates.

In the end: I'd like to have put the other SUVs through the kind of rain I had with the Yukon Denali, just to see how they compare in the splash zone.

Still, buy any of the others and you'd have enough money left over for a well-equipped hatchback. Plus, the other SUVs I tested offer a normal 6-cylinder instead of all this technology, which would worry me down the road.

With better cargo space as well. If you must have one of these, you could spring for the XL, but then you can't get the hybrid.