2018 GMC Acadia essentials: Rejuvenating the lineup

What is it: The 2018 GMC Acadia is a three-row crossover sharing the modular, rock-solid C1 platform with the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave, though the Acadia is nearly a foot shorter than the Chevy. There are six Acadia trim levels: SL, SLE-1, SLE-2, SLT-1, SLT-2 and Denali, plus oodles of option packages available for them all.

Key Competitors:Ford Explorer Limited, Chevrolet Traverse RS, Mazda CX-9

Base Price: $42,535 As-Tested Price: $48,435

Highlights: The Acadia was redone for 2017 and now looks a whole lot better inside and out. There are mostly trim changes for 2018. There are two options for power: a 2.5-liter four making 193 hp and a 3.6-liter V6 making 310 hp.

2017 GMC Acadia review

Did you leave something in the back seat? A child maybe?

Our Opinion: General Motors launched the first GMC Acadia in 2007 along with the Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook and Chevrolet Traverse. At the time, GMC claimed its Acadia offered a more refined ride and better handling than the Mazda CX-9 or the Acura MDX. We didn’t drive them back to back but did say the Acadia looked good and performed well. With minor changes, it ended up staying in GMC’s fleet for 10 years, an eternity in the car world. Over the decade, competition predictably caught up, then overtook it. Suddenly, the GMC felt not so refined. One thing the Acadia had going against it was weight: Outgoing Acadias weighed 4,656 pounds in front-wheel-drive base trim, jumping to 4,850 pounds with all-wheel drive.

The 2017 (and this 2018) Acadia fixed that. Introduced at the 2016 Detroit show, autoweek.com said: “Lay off the 2017 GMC Acadia, it’s starving.” Depending on model specifics, the Acadia now weighs 700 pounds less. That’s huge. Some weight savings come from the smaller, more handy size and the lighter body structure. A 2.5-liter inline-four replacing the outgoing model’s base V6 helps, too, but GMC says even V6 models are more than 600 pounds lighter.

Our tester had the 3.6-liter, 310 hp V6, standard on SLT-2 and Denali. It was more than adequate -- not fast, mind you, but plenty competitive in the three-row crossover field. The car goes down the road smoothly and quietly and I would characterize the ride/handling as composed, as well as a huge improvement over the outgoing model. Body control is nearly (but not quite) as good as the Mazda CX-9 and there’s a lightness to the Acadia’s overall on-road feel only the Mazda exceeds. Then again, no other three-row crossover can really touch the Mazda, either. It’s a step or three ahead of the pack, but the GMC does feel less cumbersome than many others.

Five years ago, halfway through the original Acadia’s life, we wrote that its biggest problem was that it’s a crossover. We said if you want an SUV that can’t go off-road, or a minivan that gets bad gas mileage and has less stuff, you’re in the market for a crossover. Evidently plenty of people were and are in that market -- it just keeps growing and growing. Though the outgoing Acadia had definitely run its course, the new version should rejuvenate the lineup.

In the first two months of 2018, it landed about midpack in large CUV sales, well ahead of the Volkswagen Atlas and just behind the Chevy Traverse.

--Wes Raynal, editor

Options: All-Terrain package with 7-passenger seating, all-wheel drive, hill descent control, 20-inch aluminum wheels, black roof rack ($1,800), dual skyscape sunroof ($1,400), exterior convenience package - roof rack cross rails, molded assist steps ($860), trailering package ($650), navigation ($495), iridium metallic ($396), GMC interior protection package ($300)

Wes Raynal - Wes Raynal joined Crain Communications’ circulation department while still in college. When he graduated in 1986, he became a reporter for Autoweek sister publication Automotive News. He has worked as Autoweek’s associate editor, news editor, motorsports editor and executive editor before being named editor in 2009.
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On Sale: Now

Base Price: $42,535

As Tested Price: $48,435

Powertrain: 3.6-liter DOHC V6, AWD six-speed automatic

Output: 310 hp @ 6,600 rpm; 271 lb-ft @ 5,000 rpm

Fuel Economy: 17/25/20 mpg(EPA City/Hwy/Combined)

Pros: Drives much better than the outgoing Acadia

Cons: Third row is a bit tight

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