FAMILY FRIENDLY
HOLDEN LOOKS TO ITS SEVEN-SEATER ACADIA TO WIN BACK FAMILIES
It’s time to stop getting misty-eyed about Holden’s Commodore and embrace the very product that helped slay the Australian-built family sedan: the large SUV.
It’s been a torrid few years for Holden in the sales charts but with the help of the American-built seven-seat Acadia SUV the brand aims to stop the rot.
The Acadia’s just the car Holden needs right now. Big on size, engine capacity and styling, this range-topping LTZ-V version tries to win over our modern Aussie family of four. FIRST IMPRESSIONS
JULES: Now this is a Holden I can relate to. I’ve never been a Commodore kinda girl but a big SUV for family duties suits me.
IAIN: Huge, isn’t it? It wears its Made in America badge well with mighty dimensions, chrome-covered front end and muscled arches.
JULES: Holden’s answer to Toyota Klugers dominating school car parks then?
IAIN: Precisely. Toyota shifts more than 1000 Klugers a month and the Acadia wants a slice of that action.
JULES: Toyota’s reputation for reliability is pretty convincing for families es …
IAIN: Holden’s five-year warranty rranty is good, servicing is cheap and, d, like the Kluger, the Acadia uses a gutsy utsy petrol V6. Holden wins in the power er and fuel economy stakes.
JULES: Its other rivals? IAIN: Mazda’s CX-9 is my large arge SUV pick, then there are the e five-seat Ford Endura, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, Skoda Kodiaq and VW Tiguan Allspace among g others. Real quality there.
JULES: Priced similarly? IAIN: The entry-level Acadia ia LT is $43,490, which looks excellent value, but our LTZ-V Z-V with all-wheel drive is $67,490 90 — $43K-$60K is typical of rivals. Mazda’s CX-9 Azami LE range-topper is cheaper but t the flagship Kluger Grande costs ts more.
THE LIVING SPACE
JULES: It’s a proper big truck ck inside.
IAIN: This LTZ-V may be pricey ricey but it’s loaded. That said, the e base Acadia LT is generous enough, so the $20K premium is hard to justify.
JULES: The leather seats feel excellent and they’re powered, heated and ventilated, plus there are sunroof, 360-degree camera, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, digital driver info display, wireless phone charging and Bose audio. It’s packed.
IAIN: Agreed. It also has 20-inch alloys, trizone climate control, great active safety, adaptive suspension, adaptive cruise control, auto tailgate, navigation, park assist and rear camera.
JULES: It lacks any true premium feel though. It still feels like a familiar Holden.
IAIN: I think the same of Ford’s Endura and Toyota’s Kluger; they can’t match Mazda or VW for semi-premium feel of touch points, switchgear and design.
JULES: I won’t do it down though. The topgrade Acadia Acadi feels really comfy, solid and
ideal for families.
THE COMMUTE
IAIN: IAIN Diesels are smarter for hauling along big and heavy SUVs but a grunty grun V6 like the Acadia’s feels and sounds sou more muscular. JULES: JU It suits the American-ness of the car. I’m amazed how quick it is. IAIN: You sit up dominatingly high and Holden’s engineers have done a solid job blending r ride comfort and handling. It’s big but b feels balanced and safe and, when in Sport mode, it’s impressively composed for its size.
JULES: I found it cumbersome driving through town but on highways it’s a plush cruiser.
IAIN: But it’s a beeping and flashing nanny. Good grief. It has traffic sign recognition and once it picks up a speed sign, if you’re over that speed it incessantly flashes the limit at you. I couldn’t turn it off, which was distracting as it twice picked up the wrong speed limit on a motorway slip road.
THE SHOPPING
IAIN: Great for carrying shopping but large SUVs don’t like tight parking spaces.
JULES: Getting the kids out can be a squeeze but the parking bit was easy with 360-degree camera and sensors. Plus I cheated a couple of times and let it autonomously park itself.
IAIN: I’m a fan of simplicity and the third row seats easily drop and rise with a tether strap. The boot is a massive 1042L with five seats up.
SUNDAY RUN
JULES: It’s well set up for family holidays with that cargo space, clever storage under the boot floor, fast-charging USB ports in every row for kids’ screens and air vents in three rows.
IAIN: It’s not really something you’d take offroad, so $4000 extra for all-wheel drive is unnecessary unless you’ll be doing lots of unsealed road driving, live near the snow or regularly use the 2000kg towing capacity. Get a Holden Trailblazer instead. JULES: The V6 was quite economical on the highway as it lazily hummed along. IAIN: It liked a drink in town though — to the tune of about 15L/100km. Sadly, these are the journeys most Acadias will be doing.
THE FAMILY
JULES: Five child restraint anchor points mean kiddie seats can go in the second and third row. That’s excellent.
IAIN: Isofix points are only on two seats in the middle row. And once those seats are locked and tethered into place, you can’t fold the seat forward to get into the two back seats. It’s a through-the-boot job then.
JULES: A grandparent just squeezed between the middle row car seats.
IAIN: And the third row seats are tolerable for an adult if you slide the middle row forward.
JULES: Blind spot, rear cross traffic, forward collision and lane departure alert plus auto emergency braking and lane keep assist … it all means huge family safety.
IAIN: The lane keep assist was a bit aggressive, so I turned it off. I appreciated the warning to check whether you’ve left kids in the back; that only has to work once to prove a lifesaver.
THE VERDICT
JULES: Big, versatile and a composed drive, this is a Holden to be proud of. Expensive though.
IAIN: The entry-level LT with 2WD has the same engine and vast cabin space, so it looks the pick. It has almost the same safety and infotainment as standard too, so why pay more?