Overview & Reviews

Building tough trucks for tough work has been the focus of GMC for years, but even GMC couldn't avoid the onslaught of the crossover SUV revolution. That's where the GMC Acadia comes in.

The Acadia is a large crossover SUV. Mechanically, it's very similar to its platform-mates -- the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse and now-discontinued Saturn Outlook. Thanks to its spacious interior, strong V6 engine and competitive price, the Acadia is one of the better crossover SUV choices. Although there were styling updates and a few other minor changes made for 2013, shoppers should know that Acadias from any year share most of the same pros and cons.

Current GMC Acadia
The GMC Acadia is a large crossover SUV that's offered in five trims: SLE-1, SLE-2, SLT-1, SLT-2 and Denali. Each comes with a 3.6-liter V6 engine that makes 288 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive are standard, but all-wheel drive is an option. Although even the base SLE-1 is fairly well-equipped, moving up through the trims brings luxuries such as Bluetooth phone connectivity, leather upholstery, heated seats, a navigation system, smartphone app integration and a panoramic sunroof.

The GMC Acadia is one of the roomiest crossover utility vehicles in its class, with seating for up to eight passengers. The second-row seats are captain's chairs, but a 60/40-split-folding bench is available as an option. Those second-row seats also slide 4 inches fore and aft and easily flip up and out of the way for access to the third-row seats. There's room for adults in the back two rows, though leg support is a bit lacking. With both the second and third rows folded down, the Acadia's substantial cargo space is topped only by minivans and extra-large SUVs like the Chevy Suburban.

In our road tests we've found the Acadia's handling respectable, especially considering the vehicle's large size, and its buttoned-down and quiet ride is particularly impressive. The V6 won't blow you away with its power, but it moves the Acadia out with decent authority. Overall, our editors feel that the GMC Acadia represents a compelling combination of functionality, luxury and value.

Used GMC Acadia Models
The GMC Acadia debuted for the 2007 model year. Its 3.6-liter V6 lacked direct injection until 2009, and hence was rated at a slightly lower 275 hp and 251 lb-ft of torque for its first two years of production. The transmission was reprogrammed for 2010 to address previous complaints of sluggish downshift response. That year also saw new features like Bluetooth connectivity, real-time traffic updates for the navigation system, and available heated and ventilated seats. The plush Denali trim debuted the following year.

For 2013, GMC heavily updated the Acadia. Changes included refreshed front and rear styling, improved interior materials and a new front-center airbag as well as larger, easier-to-use controls for the audio, climate and navigation systems. This year also brought GM's IntelliLink system, with its smartphone integration capability, as well as a slight shuffling of equipment and trim levels.

User Reviews:

• 

  Acadia Lives in Repair Shop - 2017 GMC Acadia
  By rlitton - March 22 - 3:16 pm

  Loved the car when we bought it. Good features overall but not as good as the Caddy I traded. Then the nightmare begins. the car has been in the shop for a total of 14 days on 3 occasions and is currently still there. A few problems that are not minor. 1. transmission leak, dealer did not have parts to repair and had to order. Mechanic broke the spindle nut putting it back together, and dealer did not have the part took days to get. 2. leaking rear shock and bad spring bushing, you guessed it, dealer did not have parts. 3. rear wheels out of alignment from factory wore tires to cord before discovered. shop says came from factory out of alignment. really frustrated with the vehicle. might have a lemon on my hands. One positive is the dealer has been very good to work with so far. going to contact GMC for a meeting with their rep.

• 

  Still getting used to it - 2008 GMC Acadia
  By BONK - March 5 - 10:06 am

  2000 miles in 6 weeks. Vehicle runs great, and is quick. Reminds me of a Grand AM GT with the space of an SUV. Looking forward to many miles of enjoyment.

• 

  Love This CUV! - 2007 GMC Acadia
  By Judy - March 5 - 8:10 am

  The Acadia is one great vehicle! Gas mileage is averaging about 21 mpg combined city and highway driving which is great for that size vehicle. I love the way it looks and handles. Easily makes sharp turns and parking is a breeze. Go GM!

• 

  Moved from Honda and Toyota to GMC - 2017 GMC Acadia
  By Hilde - February 19 - 3:59 pm

  We had owned a 201 Honda Pilot EX-L and we really thought it fit our needs well. We had several mechanical issues over the course of ownership, though, and some recent trouble with it - plus the 120k miles - and we were ready for a new vehicle. My wife and two young daughters test drove the new Pilot and Highlander and none of us liked them. Really, at all. Even though I wanted to like them, I just didnt. Then we test drove a 2017 Acadia Denali. We all liked this car much more than our 2010 Pilot - and WAAAYYYY more than the new Pilot and Highlander cars we test drove. We did a pile of research and decided to go forward with the purchase. It was easy to find one trimmed like we wanted. We were realistic - we were used to the space the 2010 Pilot had and this vehicle has less; that is just a fact. However, it rides better, gets better mileage, has a simpler dash and climate/infotainment interface/controls. A few drawbacks - the USB ports which are all over the place (in a good way) - are labeled as not to be used for charging devices. To me, that is really their sole purpose (beyond the option to plug in a USB drive with music in the front dash). I havent tried using them for charging but I assume they will charge a device. Another mild drawback is the faux wood trim panels. It is pretty faux - Id rather have a satin metal look than this plastic wood - and this is in the "Denali" trim (which to me is the luxury level - "Professional Grade"). There is an occasional shudder when driving it - like a transmission shift-point confusion or maybe the 2 cylinder shutdown process. It has only happened a few times and it isnt a big deal but you can feel something odd for a few moments while driving. The climate controls are easy to use/understand - I struggle with some of the cars out today that have buttons/knobs with multiple icons on them and you need to take 10 minutes to figure out how to do what you want. The Acadia system is simple. Same with the touchscreen - it isnt full of visual noise. Its a few big icons/tiles. The seats are comfortable, road noise is minimal and the interior is just a wonderful place to be. I go sit in the car in the driveway :) The kids love the captains chairs they get (and the heat option). The third row seats are comfortable, too and there is space for adults. If you use them, though, you are just about out of space - there isnt much if you flip those 3rd row seats up. We took an 8 hr trip recently with the car and it performed well - highway driving and long-term sitting/travelling was fine for all of us. The car accelerates strongly and handles well - much better than our 2010 Pilot. The various drive controls (2w/AW/sport/etc) are easy to use/switch and seem to give it a bit more oompf and sportier handling. A drawback - there isnt a dash indication of what mode youre in. Another drawback - there arent blinkers on the sideview mirrors - this is a good safety feature to me on the highway when changing lanes to indicate to drivers on your diagonal that youre moving over. The wheels are glorious and I favor Michelin tires and our model has them. The interior lighting is nice and the LED DRLs are great. Some reviews say its hard to see at night w/ the headlights - I dont share that viewpoint at all - the HIDs light the road very well. The bright lights are maybe a bit dimmer than one might expect but I dont feel its limiting in any way. As to active safety there is a lot going on - there is low speed help w/ 360 degree camera birds eye coverage - helpful when parking/backing out of the garage, etc. The backup camera is nice; the guidelines curve as the steering wheel is turned. A helpful feature is the seat vibrates to let the driver know there is something to be aware of - if there is an object on the left, the left side of the seat vibrates (same w/ the right). If it is in front/behind, the whole seat vibrates. You can change this to a beep if the seat vibrating freaks you out. Id like to be able to have both - audible and vibration - but that isnt a choice; its either/or. There is also low-speed and automatic braking if the car senses objects in front - I cant tell if this works or not. There is also the adaptive cruise control (related to the auto-braking) and this does work - it was nice on our recent trip - if I approached a vehicle in my lane, cruise would ease back and hold until I switched lanes (or the other car did) and then it would resume my set speed. It did this without gunning the throttle, either - Ive been in those cars where resume thinks its a race back to the set speed. I cant say much about the reliability yet. Fuel economy is fine/as expected. The dash has several modes that you can cycle through to see instant fuel economy/per trip/per last xx miles, etc. On our road trip, I think we were getting 26 mpg on the highway (there is a feature to turn off 2 of the 6 cyl).

• 

  2008 SLT2 AWD - 2008 GMC Acadia
  By Deuce - February 19 - 10:53 am

  I have had this vehicle for 3 weeks now and love it . It drives like a car. If you accelerate slow and study and try to keep it under 2000 rpms it will obtain the gas mileage as stated on the window sticker. GM has really hit the mark with this vehicle. Fun to drive.

• 

  Service Stabilitrak/Service Traction - 2008 GMC Acadia
  By Stranded by GMC - February 16 - 12:56 pm

  I have owned my 2008 Acadia for going on 1 year. Since December 2007 we have had countless problems with the vehicle. the service stabilitrak and service traction control lights come on every 2 weeks or so. It is July now and this morning the light came on and my car shut off on the highway. The dealership never can figure out what is happening with the vehicle. It has put a "sour taste" in our mouths about the GMC brand. I had 3 young children in my car when this happened. It is in the shop again and hopefully it can be remedied.

• 

  Great Vehicle - 2008 GMC Acadia
  By Rob F. - February 6 - 5:06 am

  We purchased our "barely used" 2008 Acadia 3 weeks ago. It had 9600 miles on it when we bought it and we have put cose to 1000 miles on it in the time we have had it. So far, we feel that this is an awesome vehicle. We have averaged right around 20 mpg in both city and hwy driving, and have experienced none of the transmission problems that so many reviews mention. This vehicle is definately an improvement over the 2002 Ford Windstar it replaces. The only gripe I have is the poor rear visability. A back up camera would be nice to have.

• 

  Great Milti-Purpose Vehicle - 2007 GMC Acadia
  By Hornetsp - January 29 - 3:10 am

  The vehicle handles extremely well and the features make it a car worth having.

• 

  Good but not great! - 2008 GMC Acadia
  By New Acadia Drive - January 27 - 6:10 am

  I love driving my new Acadia. I have no complaints about the ride, interior design, etc. I highly recommend it. The only downside is I am not getting the gas mileage I was told it should get. I am only getting 14 mpg. I took a trip with it and I expected to get 22-24 mpg but only got 18. There is a problem with the Acadia- if you park on an incline the computer gets confused on how much gas you actually have and your fuel gauge will show that you have less gas than you actually have. I was told that GMC is trying to fix it.

• 

  2008 Acadia - 2008 GMC Acadia
  By max63 - January 26 - 8:43 pm

  Got a FWD SLT-2 fully loaded. I test drove all the CUVs out there and this was the vechicle that fit all my familys needs. Very roomy, my 3 year son cant kick the back of my chair like in my volvo XC90. Large cargo area in the back fits all the family gear. Never thought I would buy a GMC, but we love this car.