GMC’s “professional grade” family hauler carries over into 2016 with only the mildest of changes. The large crossover gains standard 4G-LTE internet and wi-fi hot spot through OnStar. Also new are two colours: Frost White and Ebony Twilight.
Powering the Acadia is a 3.6-litre direct-injected V6 engine that develops 281 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque. It comes paired to a six-speed automatic, and can be had in front- or all-wheel drive configurations. Fuel economy isn’t as bad as one might expect – 14.6 L/100 km city, 10.2 L/100 km highway with AWD. This is roughly equal to the V6-powered Terrain.
Although it is now in its ninth year of production, the Acadia has remained a current and capable player in the full-size crossover segment. Its cabin is still one of the most spacious in the business, offering flexible seating for seven or eight, and enough head and legroom for adults in all three rows. Indeed, there’s significantly more interior space than the similarly sized Yukon. Tilt and slide second-row seating makes ingress and egress to the third row easy.
The Acadia offers active safety features including forward collision warning and lane departure warning, but these systems merely alert and do not take corrective emergency action.
A new, lighter, and more compact Acadia will arrive in 2017, but for the time being the 2016 model starts at $37,520 for the base Acadia SLE FWD. The ritzy chromed-up Acadian Denali AWD sells for $57,635.
This vehicle has not yet been reviewed