It’s no secret that America is in love with crossovers. You can get them in all shapes and sizes and even with nameplates that used to belong to cars. Automakers are all jockeying for a shot at being in your driveway. GMC has opened its latest salvo in the crossover arms race with the 2024 GMC Acadia. Despite the model year (many 2025s are launching soon), this is an all-new crossover and your neighbor is probably going to buy one if they haven’t already.
After driving the 2024 GMC Acadia Denali and the 2024 GMC Acadia AT4, I think the Acadia will deserve to fit in those driveways, too. It isn’t going to thrill you, but GMC has seemingly built a solid family car capable of eating up countless miles with ease. The crossover can even tow something here and there, too.
[Full Disclosure: GMC invited me out to South Carolina to test the 2024 GMC Acadia Denali and AT4. The automaker flew me out, put me up in a resort that costs more than my rent, and provided enough ice-cold drinks to offset the insane temperatures and humidity.]
The GMC Acadia is probably not a vehicle that the average Autopian thinks too much about. It’s not the latest and greatest Mazda Miata or the supercar of the week, but it’s something you should care about. After all, a lot of you probably drive regular cars to haul your family around during the week. That’s what the GMC Acadia is all about.
The original GMC Acadia launched in 2006 for the 2007 model year and marked a first for the historic automaker. GMC, the brand known for its hard-working trucks and sinister hot rod trucks, was building something that wasn’t a truck or SUV at all. The 2007 GMC Acadia was the brand’s first front-wheel-drive crossover. The whole point of the original Acadia was to provide eight seats like a van, the form factor of an SUV, and dynamics similar to a car.
The Acadia wasn’t alone, either. It had backup in the form of the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and Saturn Outlook, all of which rode on the GM Lambda platform. They all got the 3.6-liter High Feature V6, an engine that is infamous in the car repair world. Despite the Lambda’s spread, the brands found plenty of buyers. GMC sold 72,765 Acadias in 2007 and sales remained healthy throughout the Great Recession. Sales have remained pretty steady ever since with occasional peaks near or above 100,000 units.
In 2017, GMC was one of a few brands to buck the bloat trend with the second-generation Acadia. Whereas a first-generation Acadia was 200.8 inches long and 78.9 inches wide, the second-generation model lost seven inches of length and three inches of width, shaving 700 pounds in the process. The dramatic weight loss meant an improvement in fuel economy. Unfortunately, it also translated to a loss of a rear seat, down to a max of seven.
Despite this, sales remained healthy. However, GMC began receiving complaints from owners that the Acadia had gotten too small. GMC recognized this as a mistake, and in response, the 2024 GMC Acadia is back to being big. How big? At 203 inches, the new Acadia is three inches longer than the original Acadia and is almost an inch wider. To put this into perspective, the new Acadia is just seven inches shorter than a GMC Yukon.
The new crossover rides on the GM C1 platform, or specifically the C1XX-2 platform. The base C1 platform made its original debut in the second-generation Acadia as well as the Cadillac XT5. Variants of the platform find themselves also underpinning the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Cadillac XT6, Chevrolet Blazer, and Chinese versions of the Blazer and Enclave.
The Acadia’s platform isn’t going to blow you away. It’s a front-wheel-drive-oriented, transverse-mounted engine layout. The art of the C1 and its derivatives is the fact that GM is able to mass-produce so many crossovers on this platform. For the 2024 GMC Acadia, GMC says you get a longer 120.9 wheelbase. Another platform update also allows the dashboard to be lower and smaller, which we’ll get to in a bit.
Handsome And Not Overwrought
Let’s start with the exterior. GMC says the new Acadia is longer, wider, and taller. Your eyes probably see a chunky crossover in these pictures. Well, it’s like that in person, too.
The GMC Acadia looks muscular and handsome. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like a gym rat like so many trucks and SUVs try to be, but it looks like there are some thoroughbreds under the power barn. GMC has continued with the common trends of pronounced wheel arches, a little kink at the D-pillar, and creases that make the crossover look rugged. GMC’s designers also employed the visual trick of making the crossover look taller by using black plastic down below.
In terms of design, I don’t think the GMC Acadia is pushing the envelope. In a way, that’s a good thing. Sure, you’re not going to snap necks, but an Acadia is equally at home either in the drive-through of a McDonald’s as it is parked at a country club. Likewise, I doubt anyone is going to turn their nose up to you for arriving in this ride. One thing I do like is how the Acadia still has brightwork, but GMC decided to make it not as shiny as chrome. You get that nice bling, but it’s not in your face.
My one complaint is with that grille. It looks like it’s a nod to GMC’s trucks, but I still wish we didn’t have this era of massive front ends. With that said, there is some good design to be wowed by once you open the doors.
The Interior Slims Down
Open the door and you’re presented with an interior featuring either high-quality cloth or leather with two different grains. The dashboard gets more of that toned-down brightwork and when it’s equipped with wood, you’re getting a real wood veneer. Seating for eight people is also back, in theory.
(Update: So here’s something confusing. GMC’s press materials for the Acadia say that the crossover has seating for seven with an option to seat eight. However, you cannot create this vehicle in the configurator. Likewise, the new Acadia product page says seating for seven. It would appear GMC may have either delayed or discontinued the eight-seat option without updating press materials. I will ask for clarification.)
(Update: June 14 – GMC has confirmed that the eight-seat option has been deleted since the publishing of the press release. The GMC Acadia is a seven-seater for now and into the foreseeable future.)
Most of the surfaces in the Acadia feel good to the touch. There are some hard plastics here and there, but the majority of what you’ll touch feels like quality pieces. I loved running my fingers across the wood. The interior is interesting because, by GMC’s admission, this is supposed to be more than a Chevrolet, but less than a Cadillac. Automakers call it “premium” and it’s like luxury, but not. So everything feels like it wants to be in a Cadillac when it grows up, but it isn’t allowed to be. One neat touch is the fact that the second-row seats can fold forward for third-row entry without removing a child seat, removing one headache from parents.
The centerpiece of the interior is the 15-inch portrait-style display. Normally, I’m not a huge fan of displays but I do like what I see here. The volume knob is physical, large, and integrated with the screen. The controls that you use the most, like climate controls, are also physical buttons. The screen handles secondary functions like the heated and ventilated front seats, activating the rear climate control, vehicle information, and infotainment.
Personally, I love it when automakers give their vehicles interfaces similar to your phone. I think GMC has achieved something like that here. If you use a smartphone, you shouldn’t have much of a problem navigating this system. There’s another screen up front, and it’s an 11-inch digital instrument cluster with some customization options. For example, you could have it display turn-by-turn directions and your speed right there. The Acadia also has a handy head-up display which shows you critical information in a crisp rectangle of space. Of course, you get your favorite apps, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well.
Of course, I love listening to music, and I love it louder than many people play their tunes. I got to try the system in a base Acadia AT4 and the Acadia Denali, which had a Bose system in it. The base stereo sounded pretty meh. It wasn’t bad, but it’s not something worth screaming from the rooftops about. Sound clarity was merely ok, as was the bass and its resistance to distortion. If I had this stereo, I wouldn’t swap it out, but it’s also not something I’m going to brag about.
The Bose sound system, which starts with 12 speakers but could be optioned to have 16, doesn’t sound as awesome as it looks. The speaker grilles pop and catch your attention, but the sound system leaves some to be desired. It hits harder than the standard sound system but sounds more like the base system in my 2010 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI, but with more speakers. To put it another way, my 2004 Volkswagen Phaeton has a 12-speaker sound system, of which only 8 speakers are still functional. I’d take the Phaeton’s stereo over the Bose.
While it sounds like I’m being harsh, I still had fun with the sound system. Both systems played loud and hard while keeping my tunes clear enough. Both systems are Mercedes Jam Session Approved and I do think it’s worth upgrading to the better Bose system. With that said, I expected better from a system with the famous Bose name emblazoned on it.
GMC is also quite proud of the 15 safety features being introduced with the 2024 GMC Acadia. I won’t list them all out, but you get collision alerts, high beam assist, parking assist, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, a rearview mirror camera, and more.
Seven cameras come standard as well, with an option to get nine cameras peeking out of every angle of the crossover. To me, there are two real highlights of the interior. The first is the dashboard. GMC says improvements to the Acadia’s platform meant that the designers were able to lower the passenger airbag and thus lower the dashboard. This has the effect of making the cabin feel a bit more spacious. I also like how shorter drivers have a better time seeing out of the vehicle now.
Another design change happened in the back. GMC says there are 97.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the second and third rows folded. Meanwhile, there’s 23.0 cubic feet of space with the third row up. These are said to be 23 percent increases and 80 percent increases over 2023, respectively. That’s cool, but what I like is that third-seat arrangement. GMC gives third-row passengers real adult room back there. Even better for some is that the C-pillar was thinned and the D-pillar was moved back so that the third-row passengers could look out of the windows without craning their necks.
One more neat interior bit is the fact that if you walk up to the tailgate with your key on your body, it’ll open all by itself. There are no weird kicking maneuvers or anything like that. Just stand there for long enough and the tailgate will open so you can load heavy stuff with both hands occupied.
Before we leave the interior, I did spot something a bit weird. The windows in the Acadia have an auto-down function. However, the driver door panel in my tester only gave the driver the option of rolling down their window automatically. The passenger window is automatic, but the automatic function is on the passenger door rather than the driver door.
Driving The Acadia
The 2024 GMC Acadia comes in three trim levels. The Elevation is supposed to be the high-content base model. In the middle is the AT4, which is the off-road variant. Then the top-of-the-line is the Denali. GMC didn’t bring an Elevation along for the ride. Instead, I tested a high-option Denali and a low-option AT4.
I’ll start this off the easy way. Despite the changes between the Denali and the AT4, both crossovers drive alike. The AT4 is ever so slightly looser, and I mean ever so slightly that you might not even notice. To the average driver, both drive exactly the same.
All trims of the 2024 GMC Acadia come with an aluminum 2.5-liter turbocharged four making 328 HP and 326 lb-ft of torque. That sounds like a lot of power, but the Acadia seems to hide it.
I started my drives in both the Denali and the AT4 in Sport mode. When you punch the throttle, you first feel like there’s a half-second or so delay before the pedal does anything. Then the engine starts building power, but the power hits slowly like there’s a bunch of turbo lag. Peak torque is supposed to hit at 3,500 RPM, so it’s not like you have to find the end of the tachometer to get thrust. Instead, this feels like a pedal calibration thing. No matter what you do, you just won’t feel that turbocharged hit of power that you’re expecting.
That said I can forgive the Acadia because it’s not really supposed to be a sports car. It’s a family hauler, and it will remind you of that every time you hit the gas.
Hitting the gas also reveals that the engine isn’t the nicest thing to listen to. Punch it and you’ll listen to a soundtrack that almost sounds agricultural in nature. The engine makes a lot of mechanical noise up front and the exhaust tone in the back is comparable to a base model Toyota Corolla. None of this noise is offensive but it does feel out of place. This is a premium crossover that you might spend well over $60,000 on, yet it sounds like the Nissan Versa that you rented last week.
Unfortunately, this seems to be the state of affairs for many gas engines right now. These little fours are better on emissions and will still deliver good power and decent fuel economy. Speaking of fuel economy, FWD models are supposed to get 27 mpg on the highway while AWD models get 24 mpg on the highway. Those numbers change to 20 mpg in the city and 19 mpg in the city, respectively. In my testing, I was able to hit those marks without trying.
Ignoring the pedal delay, the 2024 GMC Acadia does get moving with some alacrity, and most of the time you don’t even notice that the eight-speed automatic is there. Another thing I liked is the haptic feedback sent through the driver seat. The vehicle will warn you of dangers like vehicles and people in your blindspots by vibrating your seat. It’s a neat reminder in case your eyes happen to be elsewhere while you’re trying to change lanes or turn.
There isn’t much to talk about with handling. The Acadia gets struts up front and a five-link setup in the rear. Body roll is well controlled, but carving corners isn’t the Acadia’s forte. A FWD Acadia weighs 4,501 pounds while AWD models weigh 4,695 pounds. You feel that weight when you push the Acadia through corners and you can practically hear “seriously?” come from deep within the chassis. That’s to say that the Acadia is a family crossover, not a Miata. Drive accordingly and you’ll be fine.
If you drive it like a crossover you will have a good time. The seats are comfortable and road noise is also well controlled. The suspension soaks up bumps well enough, too.
Super Cruise
GMC is proud of the fact that every trim level gets available Super Cruise. If you do not know what Super Cruise is, you’re looking at GM’s version of Autopilot and other level 2 driver assistance systems.
Super Cruise sets itself apart in a few ways. GM is actively mapping out as much of the United States as it can, starting with Interstates and trickling down to state roads. At first, Super Cruise worked only on divided highways that GM had mapped out first. Now, the system can handle highways without medians.
The system works using real-time cameras, sensors, GPS, and LiDAR map data to read the road ahead. There’s also an interior monitoring system that allows you to use Super Cruise hands-free so long as you’re paying attention to the road. If you look away from the road for too long it’ll get mad at you and disengage Super Cruise.
When Super Cruise works, it works great. The system usually has an easy time staying in the middle of a lane, keeping speed, and not freaking out in complex situations. Super Cruise also has the ability to change lanes by itself and handle all of these operations while towing a trailer, too. When Super Cruise is working as it should, you don’t feel like you’re babysitting a robot with the driving abilities of a 15-year-old.
Sometimes Super Cruise falls on its face. As noted above, the system works only on roads GM has mapped. Weirdly, GM’s mapping is inconsistent, so you’ll be driving just fine and then run into a random three-mile section that hasn’t been mapped, throwing you out of Super Cruise. The robot can also get a bit confused and when it does, it swerves back and forth in its lane like a drunk. If it gets super confused, it tosses you out of Super Cruise in an instant. Sometimes, it also seemed as if it wasn’t going to stop, too. Because of this, I ended up hovering my hand next to the steering wheel in case the robot got turned around.
Again, when Super Cruise worked, and it worked most of the time, it was an excellent system. I caught a glimpse of what Tesla fans love so much about their cars. However, the Super Cruise failures left me not fully trusting the system. With that said, if you keep your Super Cruise use to the interstates for now, I bet the ride should be pretty great.
Off-Roading
At first, I intended the Acadia AT4 drive to be a separate review. However, the off-roading offered by GMC at the event was so mild that it’s going to be more like a few paragraphs instead.
The 2024 GMC Acadia AT4 is similar to the two other trim levels, but GMC added some off-road bits. Whereas the Acadia Denali gets large 22-inch wheels, the AT4 has 18-inchers shod in 265/65R18 all-terrain tires. Those tires are ever so slightly larger in size, which gives the AT4 a 1.2-inch lift over the other trim levels. Don’t expect that to mean an actual lift in ground clearance. An Acadia Denali has 7.30 inches of ground clearance while the AT4 has 7.75 inches of ground clearance.
That said, you do get some real off-road goodies, including real off-road recovery hooks up front, an aluminum approach skid plate, and a steel engine skid plate. Hey, that’s better than what you’d get with a Subaru Wilderness nowadays. Other goodies with the AT4 include clearance lights, matte flares for a taller look, and a slightly wider stance.
There are two types of AWD systems available. The Elevation and Denali get the option of a standard AWD system with a 50/50 torque split. They also get a general off-road mode. Step up to the AT4 and you get a rear twin-clutch drive unit capable of torque vectoring and sending up to 70 percent of available power to the rear wheels.
Unlike other off-road-esque crossovers, the GMC Acadia doesn’t have the option to “lock” the rear clutch pack. Instead, you get a Terrain driving mode, which is intended to be a sort of one-pedal off-road driving mode. It uses off-road traction control and off-road cruise control to get you through obstacles.
The off-pavement situation around the venue consisted of dirt roads a bone-stock Toyota Prius could handle. The exception was a 10-second obstacle course set up by GMC. This course was highly controlled and while it showed that the off-road traction control does work and the off-road-tuned suspension does its job, it didn’t really show what the Acadia could actually handle. We didn’t even get to scrape the skid plates. I wish automakers trusted journalists a bit more with off-roading.
As another note, don’t think you’re going to get more ride height just through bigger tires. The A/Ts mounted to the AT4 are already very close to scrubbing the inside of the wheel wells. So, you’ll have to lift it another way first before going for bigger tires.
With that said, I think the GMC Acadia AT4 should be fine for getting down that fire road to your favorite camping spot. GMC calls the Acadia a credible off-roader and I think that claim is true so long as you keep your expectations in check. You aren’t going to conquer Moab with your Jeep buddies, but getting to a weekend campsite with your kids will be fine. Besides, that’s the kind of driving the Acadia was built for.
Towing
Towing was another experience that wasn’t long enough. The GMC Acadia can tow up to 5,000 pounds. GMC has not published payload weights as of yet but did let us tow a 3,500-pound enclosed cargo trailer.
In my experience, the Acadia towed exactly as you’d hope a tow vehicle to haul. The engine got the rig up to speed fast enough and had no problems holding speed. The towing driving mode also kept the crossover in the correct gear for keeping in a good torque range. Important to me was the fact that it also wasn’t hunting for gears all of the time. Some big trucks have that problem on such an annoying level.
Trailer control was also good. The trailer didn’t sway and I always felt like I was in control, be it accelerating, braking, or cornering. The Acadia doesn’t use any trailering tricks like today’s full-size pickups do, but it doesn’t need to, either. Towing a trailer with the Acadia is what I’d call a “classic” experience. If you know how to tow a trailer, hauling with the Acadia will be second nature. Sadly, I did not get a read of fuel economy during the towing test.
A final comment I will make about towing is that you will definitely feel the trailer back there. You will feel it in the reduced acceleration. You will feel it when the trailer loads the rear suspension on bumps. You will feel it when stopping, turning, or doing anything with the crossover. But that’s also just the nature of towing with a crossover and it’s just fine.
Might Be Your Next Daily Driver
I finished my drives in the 2024 GMC Acadias with one conclusion: This could be your next daily driver.
The Acadia is not a sports car and it’s not going to raise your heart rate. Likewise, the Acadia isn’t going to steal the show at Cars & Coffee. But it’s not meant to do that so I wouldn’t expect that out of one. Instead, the 2024 GMC Acadia is meant to do one thing really well, and that’s haul your family in comfort. I think it does that in stride.
The 2024 GMC Acadia is loaded with GM’s latest technology and genuinely feels like a step forward in crossovers. I like how you can cram eight people into this thing and everyone will get decent legroom. I like how third-row passengers won’t feel like they’re trapped in a dungeon and that the driver doesn’t have to be six feet tall to see over the dashboard. I even like the unnecessary but still neat headlight animation that you get with the Denali.
But most important is the comfort and the environment. A car that makes you sore and a car that is horrible to look at and touch fatigues you on a long journey. I feel like I could drive from Chicago to Orlando in a single sitting and get there feeling like a million bucks. That’s what the Acadia rocks at.
The hard part to swallow is the price. GMC’s target customers are between 35 and 55 years old and have an income of $120,000 or more. The base 2024 GMC Acadia Elevation is $42,600 with FWD or $44,600 with AWD. Next up is the 2024 GMC Acadia AT4, which is AWD only for $50,000. Finally, we arrive at the 2024 GMC Acadia Denali, which starts at $54,300 for FWD and rises to $56,300 for AWD. If you option your Denali with the high-end options shown in the tester, you’re looking at around $65,000. All of this is before a $1,395 destination fee.
Still, while the 2024 GMC Acadia offers some sticker shock, I think it’s a solid vehicle overall. The Acadia went on sale in May, so you may have already seen one. Heck, you may even want one yourself, and I couldn’t blame you. I have no doubt you’ll see these popping up in driveways very soon.
I have a family of 6 and a big dog we move around pretty regularly. Sold our telluride for an expedition max because the trunk wasn’t big enough for all of the above (and we actually use the towing capacity and move 4×8’s in the expedition) but it looks like this may be the right sort of size. I’m impressed by the trunk size with the seats all up. This will fit so many more big family needs than most of the other 3 row crossovers (not as good as a van for the most part though)
Also the expedition has the same third row access with car seat in and the telluride doesn’t. That is a game changer!
Have had mine for roughly a month and am coming from a 2018 Traverse Premier. We are a family of 5 with two dogs, and I’ve found this (and our previous Traverse) to be the best bang for the buck size-wise without going to a Suburban. I have a Thule Force XL box that I throw on the roof when heading on vacation, and that gives us plenty of space. That said, we can put one or two of the third row seats down since there is only five of us, so it may not work as well for a family of 6.
Nice! I leak hearing actual use cases for vehicles. Our telluride (and odyssey and journey before that) were great when there were 4 and 5 of us, but without that extra long wheel base, we end up crammed into basically anything
Looks good, clean and understated compared to many of it’s competitors.
I also really dig the recovery points on the AT4, which are superior to anything Toyota offers on any of their actual 4×4’s.
Per David’s article yesterday where is the hybrid? Why is toyota the only company with a hybrid 3 row that gets decent milage, this gets the same as my 2016 pilot, why would I upgrade?
This was a very well written and comprehensive review. Of all the grilles to pick on, though, the GMC stands out as one of the least offensive. Dare I say it’s tasteful considering what Toyota and Lexus are peddling.
GM has done a pretty good job with these latest refresh’s…they all look a lot better, to me.
Didn’t a vehicle like this used to be a “SUV”? When did everything become a “crossover”?
When they were built on FWD car-based unibody platforms.
27 mpg at 4600 lbs. Really? A lie perhaps.
31% USA Canada Content
UAW made
Turbo 4 from >gm< – NO!
$70,000 ! ? . I ll spring another $10,000 and get an X5. Or $10,000 less and get a Toyota.
Good looking tho.
The problem with that is that the X5 isn’t even in the same ballpark size-wise. The Grand Highlander is close, and it was my second choice, but we liked our 2018 Traverse enough that I decided to stick with GM and get an Acadia Denali. Looked at the Lexus TX too, but only having two seats in the third row wouldn’t work for us and it wasn’t a big enough step up from the Grand Highlander in my opinion.
Seeing that top of the line interior made me realize that I very much dislike the fake wood panels. Not all are like this, but that grayish deeply grained look just makes me unhappy. I would much rather have the normal interior than that.
probably gonna be in the junkyard in 10 years My aunt and uncle had one from 2008 and it was a turd sold that one and bought a 2023 Honda pilot and they love it
Wow if your aunt and uncle had one that sucked, they must all be horrible.
This is a completely different animal. The 08s in particular were spicy-hot garbage; but anything with that trash 3.6 HFV6 and accompanying dog turd transmission they had, might as well had a hotline to the junkyard on the dash board. This has a completely different drive train.
So this does have Apple CarPlay? I thought GM was ending support for new vehicles developed starting in 2024 model years?
Only for EV’s, I believe
It does have CarPlay and Android Auto!
The new Chevy Traverse has been pretty hot, and the dealers are calling it the baby Tahoe now. This looks like a similar evolution for the Acadia and should do pretty well for people who dont need a BOF SUV.
Nothing about this entices me to consider trading our Subaru Ascent for one.
Is it supposed to? I’m not trading my F150 or the wifes crosstrek for it either.
Mercedes, I see no way to build 8 passeger configurations (as the new Traverse offers), only 7. Did the press info state otherwise, perhaps for future production? Also, SuperCruise is available but is not standard on all trims.
The press release given to us says seven seats (second-row captain’s chairs) or eight seats (two rear rows of benches). The GMC people at the event made a big point that eight seats are making a comeback because that’s what customers wanted. The configurator was broken the last time I tried, so I have no idea what’s going on there. It could be that eight seat option is coming later or maybe the configurator isn’t set correctly. That part wasn’t communicated to us.
Also, thank you for pointing out that error. It should read “available” not “standard.” I’ll have that fixed!
Thanks for the replies, Mercedes!
Jay
Okay, so this has been stuck in my head all day since the PR people mentioned 8 seats and so did the press release. The current product page for the Acadia says 7 seats and the configurator also won’t let you build one with 8 seats. Odd.
Maybe the 8 seat option is coming later or perhaps GMC quietly discontinued it? I will ask for some clarification on this.
Curious, too, all that PR pride given that I just now found and read the official order guide dated May 10 that shows only 7 passenger seating and no RPO code to provide 8…
An “update” https://gmauthority.com/blog/2024/06/gmc-acadia-8-passenger-seating-under-consideration-exclusive/
I had a 2012. Towed really well.
I hope they gave the new one real payload. It’s was the real Achille’s heel for towing.
The 12’s had a 5200lb towing capacity (with the tow package) but only a 1300lb payload.
Well, my 4300lb travel trailer is well within the limits. But you have to budget tongue weight against payload. So math time:
Tongue weight: 550lb (travel trailers often end up nose heavy with everything on the front frame)
weight distribution hitch: 100lb
My interior payload has gone from 1300lb to 740lb.
Interior payload is whatever passengers and gear on top of a 150lb driver, so:
My fat ass: 150lb on top of the assumed driver weight
My lovely, curvy wife: 200lb
My favourite
monsterskids combined (at the time we sold the Acadia): 250lbWe’re down to 140lb of payload left. So basically, no gear in the back when travelling with the trailer and I have to stop feeding the kids.
That’s what put us in a Sierra 1500. We now have an extra 1000lb of payload to play with.
I run into the same payload issues with a late-model Durango R/T. Technically cannot carry ANYTHING in the vehicle except passengers when towing our medium-sized travel trailer.
And if you’ve stopped feeding the kids anyway, the extra cost of a high-option Sierra or Yukon is easily covered by what you save on food, clothing and college fund contributions.
Bose has been known for some time for not making good stuff. The 901’s were their high point. Car audio and headphones have never been highly thought of. Oh, and over priced. Buy Other Sound Equipment
I agree on Bose being terrible, but I do have to say that for OEM car audio, most brands have similar issues:
https://www.theautopian.com/the-open-secret-behind-most-premium-car-audio-systems/
Plus, even before screens came around that make changing the audio systems quite the pain, Bose systems used speakers with different impedances than common car audio speakers, which meant changing a Bose system involved removing all of it (speakers, amps and head unit.)
Quite so. Upgraded to a CarPlay receiver on my old Bose-equipped Acura and SO MANY THINGS had to get replaced.
oh, that was for the audiophile listening experi… yeah, that was done on purpose.
Acadias and Equinoxes are a literal plague on the road in Ohio. I’m not kidding when I say they have to comprise 25% of the cars I see on a daily basis, and the owners all act like they were recently lobotomized.
used as undercover by Cottonwood Heights in UT. when I saw it I had to acknowledge to myself that it would be what I would choose.
Too expensive and no hybrid=no care.
Its a nice looking vehicle. It’ll fit right in at the school drop of lane. I’d cross shop with Yokun once you get to the upper ranges.
Second gen Acadias didn’t lose a rear seat – you could get them in 5, 6, or 7 pass versions.
I actually liked the size of the Gen2, and wish I would have bought one instead of my CRV for the occasional times I need the 3rd row.
This is correct – GM makes so many crossovers and SUVs they had to differentiate on more than luxury. The Traverse was BIG – for big Americans! Think Atlas sized. The Acadia was manageable! For people who would cross shop a Highlander. It’s got a 3rd row, but isn’t as boaty. Seeing as Toyota now has a Grand Highlander – for BIG! It makes sense that the Acadia grew back in this gen.
GMC disagrees. Their word was that the original Acadia had the option for 8 seats, which meant that max capacity of the second-generation was down a seat from the original. Customers complained, so now the 8 seat option is back.
Aha! Lost “A” seat – not a “ROW” of seats.
Ah – yes, yes it did lose a seating position from the original. I read a “rear seat” as a “row of rear seats”.
A 3-seat middle row has always been available on the Acadia, but the 2nd gen did lose a seat, in the 3rd row – it was a 50/50 split 2 person seat. I imagine it was something about the third row space not being wide enough for comfortable 3-across seating in the smaller body as Traverse/Enclave continued to offer 3-across in the 3rd row.
The 4/5th scale Yukon look is probably a winner for people considering GMC.
I didn’t hate the previous gen either, but saw enough bad reports on the 3.6 motor to keep me from considering the Acadia any further.
Good call. Pure junk.
No floating roof, nor Shark fin pillars, nor divorced DRL/headlights, it’s a solid looking minivan!
I would really want to know whether or not GM has addressed the timing chain issues in the engine used in this because for years that has been a serious problem. Otherwise seems like a solid choice.
This has a different engine than the previous Acadias.
It’s not the 3.6 hot garbage motor. Its the noisy, but reliable 4 banger.
“Richer than Bill Gates” the other day and today “power barn”. I guess Derek should be flattered.
I was hoping someone would get those references! Sheryl and I watched VGG regularly. We’re at the point where we want to rescue a ’48 Plymouth from an undisclosed location…
Watching the latest one with the chopped truck. To be honest I’d prefer that over this, but I have no use case for a giant flavoured truck.
My last car (I JUST bought a 2017 Caddy ATS) was a 2013 Acadia SLT2. It’s underrated for sure. Looks better than the Traverse and Enclave. Is unreal how comfortable it is for a “rugged” crossover. The older model I have is larger but the new one is about the perfect size. Big enough for three rows if you give up rear storage and big enough with the seats down for a good amount of storage.
I have a Prem Lux with every option except the 18″ wheels (wtf lol) and I’m totally digging it. I drove a couple 3 series models and this was better in every way EXCEPT the infotainment. Driving it is great. Surprised by the power in the V6. I drove a couple 2.0t’s and they were arguably better despite the less power and obviously has a much better aftermarket, but the v6 is so quiet and refined by comparison. It makes me miss my 04 GTO more…
It’s kind of amazing how fast first generation Acadias and platform siblings Enclave, Traverse and Outlook all disappeared. These things were everywhere when they first came out… well, at least in my neck of the woods. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one now. Heck, even facelifted ones are uncommon. They seemed exceedingly popular with upper-middle management type family guys. They likely replaced them with a GMC Sierra…
Second generation ones are still common, especially Traverses. Did those first gens have some major reliability issues?
Every GM mechanic I know has something to say about those old 3.6s, and the comments are usually negative. My wife’s family had one (Saturn Outlook) and it gobbled up its timing chain.
I’ve been told second gens are better.
Around me it’s only relatively recently they seem to be fading, I still see Acadias, though those remaining do tend to favor the facelifted ones at this point and same with the Enclave. But what really surprises me is the number of Outlooks I still see given how much lower volume they sold in (the entirety of Outlook production being less than any single year of Traverse sales) and that they were the earlier years. Perhaps it is related to the buyer types, as earlier Traverses faded out quicker despite being newer but I imagine the lower entry price and higher share of fleet sales meant they got used harder.
IIRC the timing chain issue is that it would stretch, but it also suffered failures of the new 6-speed automatic, and leaky glass roofs on those so equipped. I imagine some electrical issues given GM at the time. GM interiors of this era had become much nicer places to spend time, but the paint used on common controls for the radio and HVAC seemed to flake off with a moderate breeze so they also just looked more aged more quickly.
I had a 14 that was generally bullet proof. I always worried about the engine issues after I bought it. I only found out they had bad quality after I bought it. We put over 100k miles on it and multiple long roadtrips. I heard the transmissions sucked too but it was fine as well. I guess I lucked out. I really like the way the new Acadias/Traverses look but I worry about these new engines being underpowered regardless of their spec. I wish they went with a straight 6 turbo hybrid for a vehicle of this size.
GM really hit this out of the park, the only real competitor is the Grand Highlander because it offers hybrid options but those are so rare at the moment. The GMC dealership I work at has a hard time keeping the Denali versions on the lot because there’s no Chevy equivalent.
GM’s people weren’t sure of direct competitors at the event, but I would say a high-option Grand Highlander would be right there. I’d go Highlander for the hybrid, but Acadia for the comfy interior.
The seats are shockingly comfortable. They perfectly support my bad back.
As someone in the market, I’ll probably play Toyota’s shitty game to get a GH Hybrid instead of settling for 23 mpg again. I mean if I wanted 23 mpg, I could buy a gas GH, which are not nearly as rare as the hybrid.
As someone in the business for GM, candidly yeah I’d get the GH Hybrid or Hybrid Max. It’s a unique offering and the price difference can actually be offset through cost of ownership. If gas mileage isn’t big deal though or you don’t want to pay dealer mark ups, the GM twins are the best bet imo.
Yeah maybe we’ll get worn out trying to buy a GH Hybrid and look elsewhere. We also need to actually drive the GH. I’m trying to at least find a Highlander hybrid with the same drivetrain to test drive before I start begging a dealer for an allocation or consider flying hours away to buy one in another state.
Although if we settle for 23 mpg, maybe we just buy a Yukon and get the more tried and true drivetrain. A 330 hp 4 cylinder worries me.
If you’re going to spend Yukon money, get the diesel. You’ll get nearly 30 city and over that on the highway. That’s where I think GM really dropped the ball with no hybrid Acadia, the diesel Yukon does better mpg! I get that the Yukon starts MSRP where the Acadia ends but what’s $5-$10k more on a $65k vehicle to get better mpg and torque?
The High Country variant of the Chevy doesn’t equate to the Denali? I have no idea, just assumed as much.
There will be no High Country version of this Traverse this generation per GM. Probably to prevent it from competing with the Denali lol
Oh, nice. lol. I saw a previous gen High Country and I was kind of shocked. If you have that kind of money why are you buying a Traverse but different strokes I guess.
I ordered a Z71 Traverse but ended up not taking delivery because while I think it actually looks better (exterior and dash) than the Acadia, it was missing a lot of features that I was used to on my 2018 Traverse Premier (memory seats, garage door openers, vented seats, heated rear seats) and the interior finishes were clearly a step down from my 2018 Premier. The glove box, in particular, felt like it came out of a K Car.
I’m nitipicking on those features and none of them alone were a dealbreaker, but it added up enough that I decided to look at the Acadia. Within a minute of sitting in the Acadia Denali, my wife and I both felt enough of an upscale difference that we were sold. We don’t need the capability of a Yukon/XL and space is our primary concern, so this made sense for us.
I work at a GMC dealership and we’ve been hearing your exact sentiment since we started getting the new Acadias. They sit in the Traverse and then come and sit in the Acadia and buy the Acadia lol.
Good for GM, I guess – they got me to spend $8k more so I wouldn’t have to manually adjust the seat every time my wife and I swap cars!