2025 GMC Acadia Denali: Comfier, cooler, closer to its cousins
The three-row SUV from the company’s sort of luxury SUV brand gets more like its Chevrolet and Buick brethren, which is mostly a step in the right direction.
2025 GMC Acadia Denali AWD vs. 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 9 AWD Performance Limited: Mid-size SUVs with totally different approaches.
This week: GMC Acadia
Price: $63,915 as tested. The Super Cruise Package added $3,490. Another expensive package is noted below.
Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver lauds the “stretch-out passenger space with a third row that’s roomier than most,” that it “carries a decent load of luggage even with all seats in place,” and that it’s “sharp-looking inside and out.” The magazine bemoans a “second-row bench can’t be had, turbo-four feels lazy and sounds gritty, the Chevy Traverse does it all for less.”
Reality: So akin to other General Motors products that you’re really just paying for the nameplate.
SUV comparison: I hunted around my schedule for a great way to pit vehicles I tested against each other and noted the Acadia and Ioniq 9 were fairly well-matched for size and price. And it offers a pretty good example of what you get from an EV vs. a gas-guzzling SUV.
What’s new: The GMC Acadia got a redesign for 2024, making it more like the Chevrolet Traverse and certainly much better than the 2020 model. This year it just adds eight-passenger seating on the Elevation model.
Competition: In addition to the Ioniq 9, competitors include Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Explorer, Kia Sorento, Kia Telluride, Subaru Ascent, and Toyota Highlander.
Up to speed: The 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine creates a fairly strong 328 horsepower. It gets to 60 mph in about 7.8 seconds, according to Motor Trend.
I found the acceleration to be lively but nothing to write home — mine or yours — about.
Shifty: The 8-speed automatic transmission is controlled by a wiper stalk-like lever on the right side of the steering column, a la Mercedes Benz. This is not my favorite way to go, but on the bright side, I managed to think about using the stalk only once to turn on the wipers and stopped myself. You can get used to anything, I guess.
And as I learned in a previous GM SUV, low gear is a button the steering wheel. That’s odd.
On the road: The Acadia suffers from the same suspension system as the Buick Enclave. It defaults to Eco mode, and in that mode, the large SUV wanders all over the road. (This is the one that I was trying to impress friends in — and failing.)
Fortunately I remembered that embarrassing experience and used the inconveniently located mode button to the left of the steering wheel to switch to Sport mode, where handling became much more agreeable. Not fun, not joyful, but drivable.
Performance suspension comes with the Denali Reserve Package for the bargain price of $3,130, which also fancies up the wheels and tires. There’s more, but this already isn’t worth it.
I’m really not sure why an automaker would offer a vehicle mode where the steering wheel has as much play as a Pole Position arcade game, but what do I know? I’ve visited wineries that make drinks with a bouquet of wet cardboard and had restaurant food that was soggy and cold, so there’s a market for disappointment. Also, K Cups.
Driver’s Seat: I can’t complain about this, and regular readers know I sure would if I could. Comfortable, nice driving position, easy to see the dashboard, and the seat is comfortable and supportive, with cushy wings. (These may be a bit much for some drivers.)
The stalk-mounted gear selector opens up a lot of console space for storage underneath. A nice size diaper bag can slide under there.
Friends and stuff: Passengers will enjoy the Acadia far more than the driver will. The middle row captains’ chairs offer almost equal comfort to the front, and the rear row is as comfortable as any offered by a minivan.
Everyone should be pleased by the space, with plenty of room for heads, legs, and feet in every spot. Getting around inside is simple as well — the high ceiling means that clambering between the middle row seats is doable, but the seat also folds flat for easy access.
Cargo space is 97.5 cubic feet with everything folded; 57.3 behind the second row; and 23 in the back.
Keeping warm and cool: The HVAC is a hit, but also a miss.
We tested the Acadia in a super cold spell, and the heater provides plenty of hot air for a large family vehicle. Operation of the system is mainly via toggles underneath the touchscreen and overall is not too difficult.
On the downside, the seat heater settings are bake, broil, and third-degree, and it defaults to broil. Changing the setting (down one for Mr. Drivers Seat, up one for the Chilly Mrs. Passenger Seat) involves zeroing in on the Tiniest Touchscreen Icon in the World, opening up the Second Tiniest Touchscreen Icon in the World, and aiming just right for the new setting you’d like. If you’ve left the drive mode in Eco, plan for some swerving.
I’m sure there’s a way to program this, and of course, the best drivers will do that, and the scatterbrains will just look away from the road for 32 seconds while making their adjustments, blissfully unaware of the screaming cyclists and mailboxes in their path.
In and out: This is actually a fairly decent experience, with a just a bit of a step up.
Play some tunes: Sound from the Bose 16-speaker system is almost worth the $3,130 price tag for the Denali Reserve Package, which also adds sunroof. Its sound is an A- or even an A, capturing nice playback from your favorite tunes.
The huge 15-inch square screen is nice for making adjustments. Which further makes one wonder why the aforementioned seat heater icons have to be so small.
Fuel economy: The vehicle averaged 19.1 mpg for its entire 1,339-mile existence.
Where it’s built: Lansing, Mich.
How it’s built: The Acadia gets only a middling Consumer Reports reliability score for 2025.
Next week: Let’s see how the Hyundai Ioniq 9 goes about its week.