The amazing shrinking Acadia
If the 2017 GMC Acadia were a person, it could certainly be a spokesperson for the weightloss industry.
How else can you describe a vehicle that shrinks 184 millimetres in length, 88 mm in width, 101 mm in height and drops 318 kilograms in overall weight?
The Acadia’s dramatic shrinkage can be attributed to retiring the vehicle’s old Lambda platform in favour of the new C1 platform, which also underpins the Cadillac XT5 (reviewed previously).
But despite the decrease in overall size, the engineers still found room to create three rows of seats for occupants. Cargo volume varies from 362 litres with the third seat up to 2,237 litres with both rows of seats down.
The Acadia is slotted between the smaller Terrain and the larger Yukon in GMC’s offerings of SUV/crossovers.
The Acadia now comes in five trim models. I drove the top-of-theline Denali version. The base Acadia SLE, equipped with a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and frontwheel drive, starts at $37,995. My tester, with all the bells and whistles, has a list price of $54,795.
The 3.6-litre engine might share the same displacement as the outgoing V-6, but the new engine, which features direct injection, is more powerful, producing 310 horsepower (compared with 288), with torque essentially the same at 271 pound-feet. It’s interesting to note that peak torque now comes at 5,000 rpm instead of 3,400 rpm with the old engine.
Power gets to the rubber via a six-speed automatic transmission. This is at a time when some competitors and even its stablemate, the Cadillac XT5, come with two more cogs. With even a 10-speed available in the market, the decision to stick with fewer gears seems short-sighted.
My tester came with all-wheel drive with driver-selectable modes (via a dial on the centre console). Drivers can pick between twowheel, all-wheel, sport, off-road or trailer/tow profiles.
Although there is a sport mode, the driver can only activate manual mode on the transmission by shifting into the L (low) setting on the selector. The toggle button (to shift up and down) is atop the shift lever, with no steering-wheel paddle shifters.
Shod with 20-inch wheels and rubber, the Acadia Denali both looks up-market and delivers a comfortable ride. The new suspension is superior to last year’s setup as well, with less body roll when driven briskly on back roads.
The Denali builds on the trend of infusing trucks with luxurious interiors previously only available on premium cars.
The cabin is sharp, well appointed and truck-like, all at the same time. Soft surfaces are highlighted with tasteful wood accents and brushed aluminum trim.
The front seats are very comfortable and look welcoming for a long journey. As a bonus, the front seats were both heated and ventilated for summer trips.
My tester had second-row captain’s chairs that could recline as well as scoot forward or back. The rearmost seats can fit adults — albeit small ones. Lesser Acadias have a bench seat on the second row and can accommodate up to seven passengers.
Garages are getting smaller, and GM has a solution in the form of a control (mounted low on the driver’s door) that can limit the power rear hatch opening three-quarters of the way, so you don’t inadvertently damage your door or the garage ceiling.
The new platform means an opportunity to bring the Acadia up to snuff when it comes to electronics, covering both safety and convenience.
There is now an eight-inch touchscreen for the vehicle’s infotainment system, dubbed IntelliLink. The system is very intuitive to use and features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as built-in OnStar.
An active safety highlight comes in the form of Front Pedestrian Braking, where the vehicle will detect pedestrians with a warning, followed by automatically applying the brakes if it senses an imminent collision at low speeds.
The Denali also uses radar and camera technology to detect and alert the driver of fast-approaching obstacles on the highway. Forward automatic braking is available as part of a Technology package option.
Parents with teens can configure the Teen Driver mode, which can limit features, prevent safety systems from being turned off and generate a report on the teen’s driving habits for review afterward.
The Acadia Denali is proof positive that bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to SUVs.
THE SPEC SHEET
Type: Midsize SUV, front engine, all-wheel-drive Engine: 3.6-litre V-6, 310 hp at 6,600 r.p.m., 271 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,000 r.p.m. Transmission: Six-speed automatic Dimensions (mm): Length, 4,917; width, 1,638; height, 1,676; wheelbase, 2,857 Curb weight (kg): 1,885 Price (base/as tested): $54,795/ $58,875 (includes $1,800 freight and PDI and $100 AC tax) Options: Sunroof $1,685, metallic paint $495 Tires: 235/55 R 20 on alloy wheels Fuel type: Regular Fuel economy (L/100km): 13.3 city/ 9.5 highway Warranty: Three years/60,000 km new vehicle, five years/160,000 km powertrain and roadside assistance