2023 GMC Acadia AWD Review: Family SUV Test Drive - Reader Review

Editor's Note - Reader Reviews are submitted by readers like you and reflect the views of the author.

I went in to get a rental car and, as usual, the sedan I had rented was not available.  I was going to get upgraded into a SUV and asked what was available.  I was told about a Toyota Highlander and then a GMC Acadia was added to the short list.  For whatever reason, the Toyota Highlander has never gelled with me and the Acadia had more things going for it that I like – a GM product, a vehicle I’ve always wanted to test drive, and it’s even a place I like!

Having sat in various renditions of GMC’s Acadia in showrooms, I’m not too surprised that I mostly liked spending time in this vehicle.  The positives outweigh any negatives, and this is a pleasant vehicle for both everyday driving in many driving contexts and has the extra bonus of hauling space if you were to need that.

The closest thing I’ve driven was a Chevrolet Traverse, which I’ve reviewed here, but that was at least a handful of years ago and had a very different powertrain.  Like that Traverse, once on the road, the Acadia exudes that it’s quiet and stable.  (If only more people were that way.)  Both vehicles once shared the 3.6 DOHC V6, and those add weight up front, so I’d say this Acadia feels a little more agile and lighter on its feet owing to its 4-cylinder engine up front.  It’s a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder and it is turbocharged.  It makes 228 horses.  And with being nimbler, the handling feels fairly predictable.  However, since it sits up higher, I don’t know how being overly aggressive with the Acadia in the twisties would turn out.  I drove it around highway cloverleafs at the posted speeds.  The automatic transmission is a geared unit.  It has 9 speeds, which is a strange number.  How about 6, 8, or 10 speeds, for those of us who like even numbers?  The geared unit’s shifts are very smooth, with only 1 and 2 being felt and going by fluidly under normal throttle. 

The Acadia is attractive upon immediately getting into it.  This becomes evident upon seeing a front cabin compartment that imparts spaciousness, given both the substantial and nicely crafted bucket seats and the breadth to accommodate quite a bit in the expanse of its dashboard.  In that breadth is the main instrument pod that is clean and symmetrical, with a very logical arrangement of speedometer, tachometer, and fuel and temperature gauges.  (This makes you ask yourself why other manufacturers can be so illogical with such a set up.)  The same logic applies to the infotainment touch screen, engaged under the cowl of the dash, and also in how the center stack is vertically arranged.  The switches are those used across the GM stable and are both easy to operate and clean looking.  While automatic transmissions have recently used dials, shorter levers, and push buttons up to the right of the instrument cluster, this one places a pod toward the base of the center stack, yet above the phone cubby.  It has a good “plug and play” look about it that hopefully translates into being just that if needing servicing.  The console deck height is sensible.  And they were able to maintain that sensible placement while still putting an additional storage slot underneath that deck, in part owing to placement of the transmission selector “pod” within the center stack.  While it’s an exterior “control,” the Acadia follows the same formatting as other GM vehicles in that it has a capless fuel filler and a fuel door that doesn’t feature an interior remote release.  Many cheaper imports and some of the domestics are keeping the remote door release.  Several other functions such as auto stop-start, traction control, and emergency flashers are located on the console deck, both ahead of and behind the cup holders, rather than being placed here and there.

The roominess extends to the rear parts of the cabin, and this Acadia included a third row seat.  Clearly, those are never as roomy as the second row, in which the legroom is comfortable and in which the craftsmanship carries through from the front of the cabin.  A slightly bigger SUV like this Acadia requires a thick enough frame at the corners of its cabin and, even though the pillars at the rear are somewhat hefty, visibility seems to have improved a little with subtle restyling and reshaping.  It’s not the best, but one can work with it.  Parking assists and other driving assists help navigate these situations. 

The Acadia is up to the task on most occasions … and without a doubt for everyday driving.  This is when the powertrain is at its best – a muted hum from the engine and nice, clean upward shifts.  It also merges onto highways well.  I did not attempt a difficult pass with it.  In pulling a little quickly away from a light, the engine hums more loudly but, mostly, the transmission shifts were more identifiable and the time in each successive gear felt very “short,” which feels very different for people having cut their teeth on 3 and 4 speed automatics and, in more recent years, 6 speed automatics. 

Again, qualities such as quiet and smooth are expected to go together but, they can also diverge.  The Acadia feels quieter than it does smooth, although it is mostly smooth.  Imperfections in the road and expressways with some washboard paving can send a jiggle or two into the cabin, but it’s not offensive. 

The Acadia’s size, and AWD in the unit rented, push it over 4,000 lbs.  This doesn’t make for the best fuel mileage.  It was acceptable, but, for its small displacement, not that commendable.  I did not calculate fuel consumption (but was able to see the EPA ratings) and it seems like the last Impala fleet sedan with a brisker 300 hp N.A. 3.6 DOHC V6 got either the same or slightly better fuel mileage.

Lastly, this vehicle doesn’t slot into parking spots and through narrow spaces requiring nary a thought while doing so.  It requires more calculation than that on behalf of the driver because it’s a somewhat larger vehicle. 

I liked the feel of being at the helm of an Acadia.  It didn’t have the isolation and slightly more refined feel of the 3.6 Chevrolet Traverse I drove, but it came close enough.  For most U.S. and Canadian situations, other than a city where you’d hunt for on-street parking every night, the Acadia could be easy to live with and provide versatile motoring for many situations its owner might encounter.