The 2022 GMC Yukon AT4: The Best Family Camping Car Our Family Has Ever Used

I’m not exactly what you’d call a “car guy.” Granted, in the course of my work I’ve done multi-day test drives of a Ferrari 488 Spyder, two Ferrari GTC4Lusso Ts, a Cadillac ATS V, a few BMWs, three or four Maseratis, a NASCAR stock race car, a Corvette… OK actually, the list goes on, so let me amend things: I’m not a car guy in that I’m not an expert on torque and CCs and crankshafts and such, but I am a guy who really likes driving great vehicles and who has been lucky enough to spend a good bit of time doing so. 

And I’m a guy who has driven and tested enough vehicles to tell you the 2022 GMC Yukon AT4 fits that description – especially when said Yukon is loaded with family members and gear and is headed for a campground.

We recently got the opportunity for a week-long test of this large, comfortable, and capable SUV, and it proved to be not only the best family camping car I’ve ever used, but just an all-around pleasure to drive. And it was a vehicle the kids fell in love with; so much so that “our” Yukon AT4 got a nickname which… well, let’s just get it out of the way: it was Woolly Potato. 

Yes, Woolly Potato. Why? Because a GMC Yukon AT4 is massive, thus reminded the kids of a Woolly Mammoth. Then our son made the Yukon Gold potato connection, and the christening became inevitable.

The Woolly Potato – er, the GMC Yukon AT4 is smooth and steady on roads and is surprisingly responsive, as I had the chance to find out when dodging and braking as a gold SUV with Jersey plates came swerving into our lane while we were on a highway at around 70 MPH. The vehicle hardly lets you know that roads have cracks, bumps, or potholes thanks to its super balance and shocks, and off road, it handles rocks and roots and mud and gravel with ease. In fact, don’t think I’ve ever driven a car I was so confident in while off the pavement.

But what was the most impressive and enjoyable about the car was its interior. (Which is not to say it’s not a good-looking vehicle even beyond its commanding size.) With a huge third-row bench, captain’s chairs in the middle, and a spacious forward cabin, an AT4 provides comfortable seating for seven, and it could easily accommodate four full-sided car seats, making it a great choice for anyone who needs to drive around four car seat-sized kids. 

The third row folds flat, as do the middle captain’s chairs, which can also be rolled forward to create a truly capacious amount of storage space. With the kids in those captain’s chairs, we had more than enough space to pack way more gear and supplies than we needed during a recent camping trip and I’m confident that, with proper Tetris skills applied, you could load this vehicle for a weeks- or even summer-long trip.

Along with four bikes strapped to a hitch secured behind the Potato, we headed out for a weekend in the woods made all the more enjoyable by our large home-away-from home in the comfort of the car. Because this vehicle really is like a rolling home in many ways. The seats are comfortable enough for hours of sitting, it can be configured to offer enough space to serve as a little playroom during stops, and then there are the amenities.

These include a pair of 12.6” touch screens in the back seat that allow for watching movies or playing video games – though candidly, we didn’t use them – the drive wasn’t that long so we stuck with conversation and music, which sounds great in this thing. It has its own 4G LTE WiFi, so you can be connected even as you’re on the go. It has a massive sunroof/moonroof that made watching the sky (and then rain) fun, and it has all sorts of compartments for tucking away toys and games and snacks and such.

For those of you who are car guys/girls, you’ll appreciate the “Active Response 4WD System” that automatically sends optimal torque to each wheel as needed to improve traction while off-road or in slick road conditions, a towing capacity just north of 8,000 pounds, an available 420 horsepower engine, an option for a 10-speed automatic transmission, and 20” wheels that will clear anything you’d ever reasonably want to drive over.

For us, we just appreciated having a safe family camping car that was a pleasure for me to drive and for the family to ride in. We’ll miss you, Woolly Potato, but the memories live on.