2017 GMC Acadia: Our First Drive With The Latest From Professional Grade
29
Sponsored Links
When you gather enough facts and figures and listen to 30-minute powerpoint presentations before even driving something, you’re left with a dialed-in expectation of what a product will deliver. Then one drives said product, validating much of what they were briefed on, and is left with no surprises. Repeat, repeat, repeat. From an entry level hatch, to a full-size diesel truck, to a two-seat performance car, the process is more or less the same. Occasionally, however, there are some eye-openers.
Take the second-generation 2017 GMC Acadia, for example. It’s a million 700 pounds lighter than before, partly because of the downsizing and also partly because of the new engineering methods utilized in its structure, versus if they just took what they had before and shrank it. At the same time, GMC anticipates a five-star overall crash safety rating with the new Acadia. It’s faster and more efficient also, while launching with two powertrain options: the ubiquitous 2.5L four-cylinder EcoTec and the more lively 3.6L LGX V6. Horsepower ratings are 193 hp and 310 hp, respectively. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, in a world where 8- and 9-speed units are slowly trickling into the market. But Honda and Toyota don’t have them yet, so the urgency to equip the extra gears seem to remain placid. With that said, in April of 2013, GM has announced plans to develop a 9-speed FWD transmission. Based on that, we predict more gears in the new GMC Acadia, eventually.
Moving around the winding roads of rural Virginia at sane speeds (because authoritarians out there will actually throw you in jail for just 20 mph over), the 2017 Acadia reveals more than just that it has a base curb weight of less than 4,000 lbs — relatively light, as even its exterior design suggests. The 2017 Acadia cabin virtually mutes the outside world, and its ride and handling setup is approvingly compliant. Which these days, along with V8 engines, RWD performance and trucks, I consider both hushed rides and chassis setup to be some of General Motors’ engineering core competencies. The larger, heavier first-generation Acadia (known now as the Acadia Limited) had a bit of squishiness to its driving characteristics. The new 2017 Acadia rides much less like a lumbering heifer, and adds a dose of precision to the motions. Multiple driving settings also dial things to preference, with a normal road setting, off-road setting and a racing checkered flag which probably means something else. All the while, passengers sit in a spacious, roomy and comfortable cabin. The latest version of GMC’s Intellilink system provides all the infotainment, and even introduces functioning apps such as a Weather Channel app.
There’s a plethora of save-you-from-yourself active safety features as well, including Teen Driver Mode – a GMC first. Another first is a back seat alert chime, for NEGLIGENT PARENTS WHO LEAVE THEIR KIDS IN HOT CARS. Because, unfortunately, the laws of Darwin would unfairly claim the life of a helpless baby in a car seat in this instance, rather than the incompetent idiot who left it there “for like only 5 minutes.” Active blind spot alert — which can set off a lead-foot driver’s radar detector — is also present, as is the safety alert seat which massages your butt for a variety of reasons, such as when the camera-based forward collision alert system goes off when the road changes color. These features are sold as a $790 option on 2017 Acadia SLE-2 ($35,995 MSRP) models and up. Though the drive largely consisted of top-of-the-line 2017 Acadia Denali models ($45,845), as well as the off-road friendly 2017 Acadia All Terrain models ($40,040).
The 2017 Acadia All Terrain is the best option here for the active lifestyle. It comes in AWD only, with a rather sophisticated twin-clutch system that can distribute 0-100% of the torque front to rear, left to right. The system is sourced from GKN, the same suppliers to the Range Rover Evoque. Despite all of the facts presented by GMC before driving the new Acadia, the off-road abilities of the Acadia All Terrain came as a pleasant surprise. Its reluctance to get stuck in the shallow mud, damp grass and small ruts is something this segment needs more of. Though some more off-road oriented tires are left to be desired on the Acadia All Terrain. Couple the off road orientation with scratch-resistant plastic cladding side skirts and a third-row seat delete for more cargo space, and this unassuming midsize crossover makes for a great vehicle to escape into some shallow wilderness (soft-roading, if you will). And it’s sure to surprise in the snow.
The 2017 Acadia Denali is of course the more luxurious choice. Matted wood, brushed metals and leather grace the interior, while a partially digital instrument panel displays driver information in vivid color. The exterior sports the signature chrome grille and accents that are staples to the popular sub-brand. Select a few options — such as the dual sunroof, RSE package and Technology package, for instance — and the 2017 Acadia Denali can quickly enter the mid-$50,000 range, which five years ago was bling-bling Yukon Denali money. Yet, GMC buyers don’t seem to mind very much, as most vehicles sold are well optioned and feature an ATP that would make most brands green with envy.
As clinical as these vehicles can be, the 2017 GMC Acadia does carry forward cornerstone elements of the brand such as sophisticated design and premium content on the high-end, which is what a large chunk of brand customers prefer. There’s an expectation of high levels of conquest sales, now that GMC is attacking the heart of the ever-growing crossover market. In many of the targets that matter most to many customers, the new Acadia delivers, and paints a positive outlook for the future of GM’s crossover plans.
Sponsored Links
The 9-speed transmission is debuting this year in the 2017 Malibu Premier mated to the 2.0L.
A very classy looking SUV. No doubt if I was in the market for such a vehicle, this would top the list to test drive.
Why do the screens have the Chevy MyLink Icons vs. the GMC Intellilink Icons?
I think this vehicle will be successful, but still wish they didn’t call it the Acadia when it is now a markedly different size. I think there will be confusion in the marketplace, which could slightly depress sales.
However, I do give GM credit: if someone wants something bigger, they can get the Traverse or the Enclave. GM can’t have every brand offer versions of the same thing; there needs to be differentiation and this lighter, smaller 2017 Acadia does that.
Having said that, I am assuming the Traverse and Enclave will stay the same size when they are re-done. They better — GM needs those bigger family haulers for people who don’t want a Suburban, etc.
You need to let GM complete the picture before you critic it. There is more to come at GMC and just because you don’t see it yet does not mean there is more in store.
On the Chevy and GMC on the screens I would guess these were just mules and they could be doing work on the Chevy version of this vehicle too that we have yet to see. The systems are the same accept for name.
Are you replying to me? I don’t need to see any complete picture for GMC — they just came out with a vehicle, named the Acadia, that is markedly smaller than the same named product it is replacing. That’s a recipe for confusion. My only suggestion was a different name — if GMC comes out with more product, that doesn’t change this fact.
I’ve seen the new Acadia, and I think it will be successful b/c cross-overs are crushing it right now. But it will be interesting to see how dealers react to customers complaining (and I’m sure there will be more than a few) that the new Acadia is smaller, and that the salesmen will then either have to a) sell them on the smaller vehicle or b) try to upsell them on the larger, but more expensive Enclave. (I don’t think many will go “c” and tell them to go to a Chevy dealer).
If I was playing with you I would have called you Ray Charles.
Always the GM apologist, Scott! Didn’t GM learn anything from “who shrunk my Malibu” syndrome? Unless the price point has been decreased, people are going to be angry and I’d make a bet that a good number of consumers went with GM due to the segment defying super sized strategy.
Arcadia looks like Buick (front facada) meets Ford and then beds Nissan!
No Aplogies here just the simple fact GMC will add another model based on the larger model before it is done so this slot will be filled.
Just because you can only see what is in front of you is not my fault.
When GMC adds the new model do you expect them to built two the same size in the same segment?
What do you expect to fill the slot left by the Terrain that moves down a size to fill a slot they do not cover.
This is not the same thing as the BU as in that case they were trying to under cut the size of the Impala that was coming. They went back in size and will either make a larger Impala, Change platforms or eliminate the car.
The difference here is I look ahead at the product profile while all you see is one model at a time and show you have no forward vision.
Are they all right moves no one knows till they so it but adding a new CUV/SUV here is only going to add high profit sales. In the end you will increases of over all volumes and profits with a 3 model line up vs the two model.
GMC will get a similar sized Traverse model once it arrives. GM no longer does all the same models at one time if you had not also noticed this too. Like the ATS Sedan and Coupe were done different years. Why because it spreads out development cost and lets them do more for the model in focus at time.
You appear to confuse apologies for knowledge on how GM is working new models. Just because you do not understand does not make it an apology. .
Wait, wait, wait…”GMC will get a similar sized Traverse model once it arrives.”
So you’re saying GM’s plan is to call the new, smaller 2017 GMC vehicle the Acadia…and then when the new Traverse comes out in about a year or so, GMC gets a version of the Traverse (which is the same size as the 2007-2016 Acadia), GM will call it something else?
That makes zero sense.
GM wouldn’t call this smaller vehicle the Acadia if they planned to release for GMC in the next 2-3 years a vehicle the size of the 2007-2016 Acadia
Rob, You make a great point! I just don’t see GM or GMC blowing product familiarity, model equity and consumer equity to rearrange it’s already successful nomenclature.
Rob there is a lot of clarity to this from a marketing aspect.
Here is the deal. GM had too few SUV/CUV models for the coming market demands. They also had models that were tweeners for the segments that the others played in.
How do you fix it. Well what they decided to do is the following.
You move the Terrain down to fit the segment it is in. The Acadia is moved slightly down to fit the segment it is in. and both receive lower prices along with the size reduction.
Now you are saying why not move them up vs. down. Well First off they are too expensive now. You make each bigger in their new segments and you you will have to add to cost that are already too high.
So what the marketing people have done is right sized them for the segments and lowered prices to better appeal to buyers.
Now you have a gap between the Acadia and the Yukon so you fill it with a Traverse version of a new GMC model or make it a LWB version of the Acadia.
Better yet you make it a Canyon based model that fits the slot to take on the Cherokee that GMC has been lacking so badly as the Acadia just never competed with it.
Finally you add a even smaller CUV at the bottom end to nail every segment there is in the market.
As for names no body in this segment buys based on names they look at size, utility and price. I own a Terrain now and may go to the Acadia as they are about the size I want and the price is just a little more than my loaded Terrain.
The fact is you are not selling Camaro’s here these are utility vehicles and utility, size and price is the name of the game here.
The CUV and SUV segments are game changers as they do not follow normal patterns. People shop them differently and have much different expectations from them than they do sedans.
It will not be long before the CUV models will easily out number the sedans. Sales are already there now in most models.
Now this is not my opinion but just how the market is and just an explantion of what GM is doing. Now is it the right thing? We will find out but I suspect on how the market is moving it will prove to be the right moves.
Also the future will be of more smaller CUV models as the larger ones will be more affected by CAFE and even higher prices. So in the future the Acadia and Terrain and future CUV will be the segments to carry the load on the volume so where else better to use the most common names?
I would wager in two years the new Acadia sales will easily our strip the present models and will continue to increase. No matter what GMC will sell a lot of them and make a lot of money and the worries you present will not really even be in play.
CUV and SUV models are like printing money and there is a wide margin of error here. Just look at the many crappy ones on the market now doing well or even the older models that really need updated like the Terrain.
Watch the Terrain as it moved to a lighter body with a packaged interior that will handle anything they have now at a price just a little less and just see how the sales increase. Same for the Nox.
No need to agree or disagree here as that is how it will pan out no matter what you or I say.
To screw this up they would have to make another Aztek that is how the market is today and even then that might even sell with what I see out there.
Just making the new Acadia look more truck like will sell many more. Hell the HHR was just a Cobalt wagon but because it looked like a truck they sold them in six figures nearly every year of production. There is little risk in this segment if it looks like a truck.
Buffoonery that’s what it’s called. Cadillac does not have the volume to carry the XT5 by itself so you have GMC carry some of the tooling load. As a current Acadia owner I love the package size. I am waiting to see the new Acadia and to open the rear side door to see how they chopped 7 inches out of it. Maybe I will be looking at something else. The Malibu downsize was a committee disaster. If the new Acadia flops look for the Acadia Classic off the Traverse. Sound familiar?
The plastic wood trim looks cheap!
GM is going to share platform just as every other MFG out there. Even the high end MFG are now leveraging platforms.
This platform is going to be use in many models and many sized and shapes and will pretty much be different in most forms. The hard points remain the same but the wheel bases and the widths will change with each version.
first off the Acadia will not flop and they will not move it up if there is another new GMC model already there.
You do realize you have not seen the last new GMC SUV model yet.
I expect the one taking the Acadia spot will be a Grand Cherokee fighter. At least that would be a good speculation for GMC.
Yes the wood does look cheap. Never been a fan of it.
2013-2015 Malibu was panned by critics, but 2016 latest generation Malibu was upsized back and completely reworked and it is now only slightly smaller than e.g. 2nd gen or 3rd gen Buick LaCrosse, and recent (2014-so far) Impala is considerably longer only because of the huge trunk, providing long rear overhang behind (both Impala and LaCrosse have the same platform, pretty much same cabin size, and both are formally one size class up from Malibu). So, the size issue with new Malibu is fixed, and new-gen 2016 Malibu is now praised everywhere. However, the new 1.5 turbo engine is only marginally more powerful, than new 1.4 turbo in new 2016 Cruze; to me, this 1.5 in new Malibu could have more power or better be 1.6, but they primarily aimed at fuel efficiency, I guess. This new 1.5 in new Malibu has really good mpg for the class, anyway – a nice little engine for megalopolis gridlock commute or even for steady calm highway cruising.
Tig you have to remember why we had the last BU.
The reason it came about is GM was coming out of chapter 11 and needed to revamp nearly every model in their portfolio. That takes two things time and money. Well they finally had the money but they did not have the time to not only build new platforms but also all the new needed models at once.
Chevy was needing a new Bu and did not have the new platform so they pulled out the Bu that was shown to the media back in 2009 they were working on and was nearly done. GM dumped the last of their money into new product back in 2008 to have new product coming out of the bail out. Unlike Chrysler that is still struggling to replace cars or where they did they are just cheap rebodies of FCA partner cars that have not worked out.
The last Bu was a short term car as they were buying time on the old platform and had to match it to the Regal platform that is why it was short. Also if you recall the old impala was about the same size and the BU so two cars the same size were not going to work.
The issue is so many people do not understand that car companies like GM can not revamp all models at will even with the size and funding they have. Coming out of Chapter 11 there was much to do but no where near the staff to do it all at once. They targeted the high profit vehicles first and moved on.
Cars like the XTS, Bu an the lingering Regal are all cars that were to buy time till the new platforms were ready as these were cars started much earlier. They did not do as well as time had passed from their inceptions but it was better than nothing. Even the ZL1 was a stillborn Z/28 and it was taken off the shelf and renamed. If you take a bumper off of one they have Z/28 stamped in the bumper material with the part number.
Next I expect the Impala to be addressed. It could remain FWD and grow larger than like the Lacrosse of it could be merged with the SS on an Alpha for a lower production RWD sedan that would be family and performance car In other words a Family Camaro in a way.
If you can spend time with some GM people you at times can learn what was behind these plans and just why they did some of the thing they did. Trust me we seldom get the full story and many on the web can really be off bases as they focus only on one part of a much larger plan or story.
The present Bu is what they wanted but the new platform was not ready in fact it was already started but was going to take more time to get ready. They knew the last Bu was behind as they moved it up a year to beat the Fusion that was coming as the impact would have been even less if it were second to market.
Like cards sometimes automakers have to play the cards they were dealt. They do not always have the ability to do what they want when they want due to high development cost and the number of people it takes to develop a new platform anymore. It is not like the old days,.
Dude, quit while you’re behind!
This makes no sense seeing as this new Arcadia will not suddenly get discounted as to make space for a new model with the last generation Arcadia’s girth and wheel base. GMC has no incentive to upend what has been a successful formula. Customers are going to say “Who shrunk my Arcadia” and “what’s with the blah design”. If Arcadia shoppers were looking for this size then they would have purchased Durango.
Agree! Wanted to trade my 12 acadia denali but this new one is too small, short, and narrow so no thank you!
Always the GM apologist spin doctor! Rob was very clear in his comment.
No you just can’t accept the truth.
Not telling you what I think just telling you how it is.
Wait but why you can’t buil the all terrain with the tan leather though? Like it’s still cloth
You need to upgrade to SLT-1 All Terrain to get the leather. For some reason, the webpage starts out on the SLE-2 model with no option to pick the leather to switch to SLT-1. The way to build the SLT-1 All Terrain is to start with an Acadia SLT-1 and pick the 2 tone leather option, the build changes to the SLT-1 All-Terrain model OR select All Terrain and go back a tab and edit the trim to SLT-1
The new Acadia looks like the old Ford Explorer from the rear and the side profile . This is still GM’s version of a mini-van , along with the Enclave and Traverse . Even with the all wheel drive you won’t see it doing anything rougher than plowing through snowy weather .
I don’t see a problem calling this smaller version the Acadia , GM has been doing this for years . What I think is going to confuse people is using the ” Terrain ” name plate on the Acadia All Terrain vehicle and then selling another SUV with what we know as the true Terrain . Just imagine a customer going to the dealership and looking at the new Acadia with the All Terrain badge on it and sitting right next to it is another smaller SUV with the Terrain badge on it which is something completely different .
There are some things I like about the new Acadia , but the interior looks like there is just way to much cheap gray plastic everywhere . And a shout out to GM , please get rid of that caramel pumpkin colored leatherette in your vehicles . Not sure what color it’s really called now it was called caramel like 2 years ago . How about a nice dark tan leather instead .
The issue I take with the “All Terrain” label is that we know darn well this drivetrain isn’t suitable for all-terrain.
I have been wanting a black exterior and tan interior but agreed that the Choco color is caramel and not a nice tan!
Wow the front grill it’s ugly,,,I have a 2013 Acadia slt I change last fall for a pickup better for work ,,but I love the Acadia but the new design hummm I dont know,,,
I own a 2012 Acadia Denali and looked at the new 17 Acadia. It is too small, narrow and short for my family and dogs. I completely agree as an owner and shopper for a newer model that it is nothing more than a Dodge Durango. It has some nice features but it is too small for me to downsize and I cannot afford nor want the large Yukon. I am reading about the Buick Enclave for 2018 and pray that it has a larger body because Acadia sadly is off of my shopping list now. I cant believe that the Enclave for its price doesnt have the HUD Heads Up Display that I so love especially traveling highways at night.
Acadia = Too Small and a Huge Mistake
Enclave = Missing Features of Denali
Yukon = Too Darn Expensive to purchase and fuel
So what do I do? Ford Explorer or Jeep Cherokee….arrrh so sad!!
Hard to find one of these for less than $35,000, which IMO is ridiculous. And as soon as you add any option the price skyrockets to $40,000 – $50,000. Just crazy!