Topic: 2023 GMC Acadia SLT with Elevation pkg

[Blueprint]

Cue the rental car jokes. Nevertheless, this Acadia saved my family vacation after the CX-90 puked a front differential gasket with 400 km on the odo. It was repaired just in time, but Plan B was already in place and I wanted to avoid serious cross-border miles after this major surgery.

[Blueprint]

The Acadia has been around for ages in its current form - it bowed in 2017 and received a minor refresh and a new drivetrain in 2020. I wanted to try the 2.0t in this platform since it came out, but sadly my tester had the optional 3.6 litre V6. It did have the new-since-2020 9-speed automatic, and unlike platform-mate XT5 awd is standard here. People who want to tow stuff need to order the towing pkg that comes with a mandatory V6 upgrade. This yields a 4,000 lbs capacity, but without the pack you're stuck at a puny 1,000 lbs.

I never liked the excess chrome of the Acadia, but here the Elevation pkg - essentially a $995 blackout with exclusive wheels - elevates (see what I did there) the looks, especially with this very nice shade of silver. As-tested, the look grew on me, and I like the right-size of this rig. It looks and feels smaller than the CX-90.

[Blueprint]

What struck me as I wrote the review is how much of a bargain these things are. The Basic SLE has awd, power liftgate, captain seats, 3-zone automatic a/c, smart key etc. for only $43k. My one step up SLT, loaded with goodies, was priced at $56k. All four trims give buyers the choice of a 3-accross bench in the middle, and at zero cost. I would recommend it, as the twin seats in the 3rd row basically replace the trunk - as with most 3-rows.

[Blueprint]

They don't look the part, but these bucket seats are Volvo-worthy. I came out of there fresh as a rose after a 5 hr stint. Excellent support, just right padding and in the tester air-cooled and fully electric.



Center captain's seats were almost as good. GM used to offer park benches or camping chairs in the back of its SUVs. Not anymore. Great support here too, and not any complaints from my adult kids.



Way back there, we had one seat occupied and the other layed flat to act as the trunk for our week on the road. Headroom is better here than in the Ascent or Highlander, but all passengers must cooperate to manage the overall legroom.

[Blueprint]

Furnishings are truck-like, going with the GMC vibe. Big buttons, big shapes, nothing fancy, but everything is highly legible and easy to use. That silver trim looks better in person since it has a brished-metal like surface.



No infotainment nonsense for hvac - you get nice rotary controls inset with digital temp readouts. "Shifter" worked a lot better than expected, Acura/Honda should copy the design and replace their crappy longitudinal and confusing layout.

[Blueprint]

The big V6 is at home on interstates, loafing along at 1,800 rpm at cruising speed, yielding a 9.1 l/100 km on our way down to the Maine beaches and a 9.9 overall over 1,500 km. Plenty of passing power, but it's trashy at higher rpm's. At 310 hp, it offers 25 ponies more than the Honda Pilot's V6.

Is the Acadia fun to drive? Not really. You don't feel the mass of the 20" tires through the wheel, nor anything else for that matter. Suspensions do a great job at isolating from the road with no undue floatiness, although there's a bit of lateral wiggles at low speeds on bad pavement. To be honest, few competitors are really fun to drive in this category, but the Acadia is competent and not as floaty as the Ascent, and it felt more buttoned-down than my last Highlander.

[Blueprint]

All and all a pleasant surprise, and very good value if one ignores the steep depreciation that is sure to follow, as with most GM products. The SLT is the sweet spot of the line-up, adding the Bose stereo and niceties like built-in Nav to avoid roaming fees accross the border.

[ArticSteve]

That vehicle found it's rightful home; a rental company.

Why is GM sabotaging their fleets with push and pull tranny selectors?  It's just what they do.

[Blueprint]

That vehicle found it's rightful home; a rental company.

Why is GM sabotaging their fleets with push and pull tranny selectors?  It's just what they do.

Not a rental - media fleet vehicle! Not common up here, but once we crossed the border they are all over the place. I actually liked this better than the dreadful Highlander.

I'm not a fan of non-gearshifts, but this is easily the best I've lived with. The worst, and bottom line dangerous, is Acura/Honda's. Next up are rotary selectors, like the ones Genesis uses. Pretty, but sitting where you expect the infotainment knob to be (it's in the same vincinity).

[Fobroader]

I still don't know what was wrong with a column/console shift. The stupid one in my Ridgeline doesn't even open up the console for more storage/cupholders/power outlets, just makes shifting something I have to look down to do.

[bridgecity]

The buttons from the center dash area look like they're pulled from a 2000's GM product.  GM finally updated their pickups to get rid of the same awful controls.  Much better now.

[Blueprint]

I still don't know what was wrong with a column/console shift. The stupid one in my Ridgeline doesn't even open up the console for more storage/cupholders/power outlets, just makes shifting something I have to look down to do.

Your truck has the worst shifter design in the industry - its one Achille's heel.

In the Acadia, the room freed by the button-based shifter was put to good use with cubbies, simple switchgear and a huge cavity under the "floating" console:

[ArticSteve]

The worst, and bottom line dangerous, is Acura/Honda's

See everyone has a different opinion.  For a non stick type shifter, I think it's the best in the business.

[Fobroader]

The worst, and bottom line dangerous, is Acura/Honda's

See everyone has a different opinion.  For a non stick type shifter, I think it's the best in the business.

No, there is no need for it nor does it have a bunch of upsides to it. I can go from P to R or D, or really any other gear, with a column/console shift blindfolded. These stupid button or rotary things are absolutely horrendous for that, there's no rhyme or reason to them.

[Blueprint]

The worst, and bottom line dangerous, is Acura/Honda's

See everyone has a different opinion.  For a non stick type shifter, I think it's the best in the business.

Another bad one is Cadillac's BMW-inspired shifter. The thing toggles forward and back, but if you omit pushing the button on the side, the gear is not selected. That can induce costly mistakes during parking manoeuvres.

[Fobroader]

I still don't know what was wrong with a column/console shift. The stupid one in my Ridgeline doesn't even open up the console for more storage/cupholders/power outlets, just makes shifting something I have to look down to do.

Your truck has the worst shifter design in the industry - its one Achille's heel.

In the Acadia, the room freed by the button-based shifter was put to good use with cubbies, simple switchgear and a huge cavity under the "floating" console:

If they moved the buttons up to the dash or, you know, stuck a console shift like the first gen Ridgeline, you could really open up the console for more activities

[Fobroader]

This whole shifter idiocy is really like manufacturers going, "we did a thing!!!" for no benefit.

[Blueprint]

The worst, and bottom line dangerous, is Acura/Honda's

See everyone has a different opinion.  For a non stick type shifter, I think it's the best in the business.

No, there is no need for it nor does it have a bunch of upsides to it. I can go from P to R or D, or really any other gear, with a column/console shift blindfolded. These stupid button or rotary things are absolutely horrendous for that, there's no rhyme or reason to them.

The one I had last week was the best in the business:

[ArticSteve]

I still don't know what was wrong with a column/console shift. The stupid one in my Ridgeline doesn't even open up the console for more storage/cupholders/power outlets, just makes shifting something I have to look down to do.

Right, but you don't have to lean forward to do it and really look at what you're doing.

I really miss the column shifter.  The Tremor has a plastic console stick shifter that auto folds into the console if you want it too.   Somebody at Ford thought that would be a cool marketing gimmick.  Consequently, it doesn't have a solid feel to it whatsoever.  Column would be so much nicer.

As for dial shifters 

[Fobroader]

The worst, and bottom line dangerous, is Acura/Honda's

See everyone has a different opinion.  For a non stick type shifter, I think it's the best in the business.

No, there is no need for it nor does it have a bunch of upsides to it. I can go from P to R or D, or really any other gear, with a column/console shift blindfolded. These stupid button or rotary things are absolutely horrendous for that, there's no rhyme or reason to them.

The one I had last week was the best in the business:

Lets not even mention the Lords transmission....thats on another whole better planet of superiority