And what it does end up saying is more slow-and-lazy C-SPAN than high-drama HBO. The steering is now handled by an electrically assisted rack-and-pinion system that is fitful about communicating. The front suspension is by struts, while the rear employs a new multilink independent system. There’s nothing shocking about what’s under the Acadia Denali’s skin. The big difference between the two generations of Acadia is the bigness. GMC shares the C1 goods with the 2017 Cadillac XT5 and new Buick and Chevy variants coming soon. Redesigned for 2017, the new Acadia moves from the previous generation’s decade-old Lambda platform that it shared with the Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave, and long-dead Saturn Outlook to General Motors’ new C1 platform, designed specifically to underpin mid-size and full-size crossovers. The Denali is the loaded-up, top-rung member of the Acadia family. The Acadia Denali may be the least trucklike thing ever to wear the brand’s logo. But that Suburban was a truck, and GMC’s existence has always been justified as being the division that builds trucks for people who just like trucks. The GMC Suburban hit the market in 1937, or 61 years before Lexus began churning out the RX300 and 66 before Porsche introduced the big-leap-of-sports-car-betrayal that is the Cayenne. It's impressive, and it's why the Acadia Denail is my new favorite luxury SUV that isn't actually a luxury SUV.GMC has been in the SUV business longer than most of the competition has even existed. It's almost as if this SUV has nothing to prove, but goes ahead and proves it anyway. But the Acadia Denali doesn't approach with a lack of confidence. The midsize crossover is an incredibly competitive segment - one of the most important for automakers doing business in the US and increasingly in China. So the Acadia Denali comes off a more serious ride than, say, a Lexus RX 350. Instead, it's based on the true utility of a truck, even if it's a crossover SUV. The weird thing about the Acadia Denali is that its fully optioned pricing is right up there with Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, and others, but its brand reputation isn't based on luxury. (The 2017 Acadia is actually 700 pounds lighter than the previous generation of the vehicle, which was also bigger.) We're not talking about a sports car, but the Acadia Denail comes off as rather nimble for a crossover than can accommodate so many people. This is an SUV that you can hop into and feel comfortable with right away. This could be because of the XT5's eight-speed transmission versus the six-speed on the GMC. The GMC's engine, however, felt more robust than the Caddy's, even thought they're effectively the same. Stiffer, to be sure, than the Cadillac XT5, with which it shares a platform. If I had one complaint, it was that the Acadia Denali's ride, no matter which mode it was in, was a tad stiff. (In cities, there's a helpful front pedestrian-detection system.) A bunch of advanced cruise-control features - ranging from a forward-distance indicator to low-speed forward braking, a following-distance indicator to lane-keep assist - made for a low-key jaunt. On a highway cruise from New Jersey the east end of Long Island and back, everyone traveled in mellow comfort, enjoying the quality audio system and the extensive OnStar 4G LTE connectivity. The vehicle is packed with unpretentious premium materials and high-end technology, and it has all the versatility a family of five could want without graduating to a full-size SUV. If you want to get cleaned up for a night on the town once the day's labors are done, check out GMC. If you want to bust up your truck in fields and streams, then look to Chevy. These are trucks and SUVs for the discerning contractor or the demanding rancher. There are no passenger cars in the GMC portfolio, just pickups and SUVs/crossovers, and the division has lately been making an enviable boast: Its average transaction price is stratospheric for a 'non-luxury' brand, at $45,000.Īlmost a third of all GMCs sold are Denalis, which means that GMC is something of money-printing machine inside General Motors.Īcross the board, however, GMC has a lofty brand promise to live up to: upscale utility. GMC has been around for a century and has long been thought of as an upscale truck-maker, especially under the Denali subbrand. Its core purpose is to haul families, groceries, gear, and pets around the nation's suburban enclaves. Unless you're talking about purpose-built off-roaders - SUVs from Land Rover or Toyota - the modern premium SUV is a station wagon on steroids. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.

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