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Here is where people understand big trucks and big engines. But even some residents of this speed-crazed town were shocked by the 1999 GMC Yukon Denali.

The Denali is huge, in terms of size and presentation. It is made to look bigger by lower-body cladding that gives it the appearance of a motorized gladiator.

The more self-righteous among us would declare the Denali symbolic of all that is wrong in the sport-utility market. Such temptations also exist here, home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where big engines carry big dreams at speeds exceeding 200 mph.

“Oh, my God!” exclaimed one woman examining a “spruce green metallic” Denali. “What else can they do? How big can they go?” Similar reactions came in the District of Columbia, where I drove a “silvermist metallic” Denali. People gawked. Some lifted their noses.

Is the Denali, named after Alaska’s Mount Denali (formerly Mount McKinley), the tallest peak in North America, too far over the top?

Sales numbers in the sport-ute market say it ain’t so. In their celebration of affluence and water-cheap gasoline, U.S. consumers are buying every full-size, high-end sport-utility vehicle that manufacturers can turn out. Since 1992, sales of full-size sport-utes have grown 368 percent, according to auto industry figures. Sales of “prestige models,” those costing $40,000 or more, have grown 925 percent!

In all,an estimated 625,000 full-size and prestige sport-utility trucks are being sold annually in America. Some auto industry analysts expect sales of those models to reach 700,000 within a year.

Sales demographics show that buyers of the big sport-utes are married couples, average age 48, with average annual household incomes of $120,000, at least half of whom are college-educated, and nearly all of whom hold professional or managerial jobs.

These people want image, space, power and comfort in their family vehicles, auto marketers say. They are finding those things in trucks such as the Lincoln Navigator, Range Rover 4.6 HSE, Dodge Durango, Infiniti QX4, Mercedes-Benz ML 320, Toyota Land Cruiser, 400- and 300-Series Lexus models, GMC Jimmy/Envoy, and GMC/Chevrolet Yukon, Tahoe and Denali.

It is the free market at work. The Denali is a zealous rebellion against itty-bitty cars, perhaps too much so, because some of the stuff on this overdressed Yukon is in poor taste. The lower-bodycladding is the most egregious offender. It bulks up the normally clean lines of the Yukon and introduces splits and gaps — such as that between the grille and front bumper — that didn’t exist before.

And though I love supple, aromatic leather of the type used for the Denali’s seating surfaces, I loathe embossed names on those seats and leather-covered door panels. Denali, Denali, Denali. . .. I don’t need repeated reminders of the name of the vehicle I’m driving.

Other items, such as the Zebrano wood interior accents and the superb Bose Acoustimass audio system, are okay. Di tto speed-sensitive steering; more front-end damping to smooth out the Denali’s ride; multiple interior storage spaces; heated seats front and rear; an automatic four-wheel-drive system that includes a four-wheel low gear; a standard four-wheel antilock braking system; and the optional OnStar communications system, which prevents you from getting lost and keeps you in touch with emergency help.

Some people might find the Denali’s engine off-putting. But power is an aphrodisiac, and the Denali’s 5.7-liter V8 has lots of it — 255 horsepower at 4,600 rpm, producing 330 pound-feet of torque at 2,800 rpm. Put another way, this five-passenger truck hauls stuff and can pull a trailer weighing 6,500 pounds.

It’s a monster truck, with a four-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment. But if you want more truck and less monster, you’d do just as well to save money and buy a Chevrolet Tahoe or GMC Yukon.

1999 GMC Yukon Denali

Complaints: The body cladding and silly embossing.

Praise: A bodacious truck for those in need of being bodacious.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Triple aces, and the Denali stops smartly, too. Brakes are antilock front discs/rear drums.

Head-turning quotient: Lust and high envy served with equal amounts of disdain.

Mileage: Ha, ha, ha. Get outta here. About 14 miles per gallon. Fuel tank holds 29.5 gallons of regular unleaded.

Safety: Other drivers stay the hell out of your way, which is about as safe as you can get. Air bags, side-impact beams, the usual stuff.

Sound system: Six speakers plus deep-bass woofer; console-mounted CD as well as a six-disc player in center floor console. Bose Acoustimass will blow your mind.

Price: Base price is $42,855. Estimated dealer invoice is $38,570. Price as tested is $43,665, including $170 in options (California emissions package) and a $640 destination charge.

Purse-strings note: An excellent truck, albeit overdressed and a bit gaudy. It’s your money.