Take a Ride in Style With the 2013 GMC Acadia Denali

I have been tooling around town in a few small and sporty vehicles that were fun indeed, but I have to admit I have a weakness for all things BIG.  J  Therefore I felt a bit giddy when I went to pick up the 2013 GMC Acadia with a Denali trim.  In reality for a family like ours, bigger is indeed better.  The sporty hatchbacks might just fit us and our stuff but then what about friends, grannies, etc?  Seven-seater cross-overs like the Acadia really are the type of vehicle for families like ours.

I may or may not have started to call the Acadia ‘my precious’ during the one week road test.  Honestly, my biggest disappointment with the Acadia was the cargo space.  While you can fold the seats down to a max space of 116.9 cubic feet (whatever that means), but with all three rows up (which with 3 kids you need) the space at the back would not do at all for things like, say camping for example.  A car this big should have more room.   The Honda Pilot seemed to have far more cargo space. The Santa Fe that I tested can come in an extended version, but I couldn’t find any information about this being the case for the Acadia.  If you know, please share.

Apart from that, I was pretty much hugging this car.  I loved it.  The kids loved it.  The interior seats more like a minivan.  This mean that more than limber kids can fit into the third row without being as flexible as a performer from Cirque.  The Acadia Denali is all about safety and substance wrapped up in a stylish package.

The LED interior lights make night traveling feel cozy and luxurious.  Add the optional wood trim and other accents as well as the floor step that is lit up to welcome you in and you are riding in style.  I feel that leather seating is a must with kids, and seats that can be heated or cooled are not to be sniffed at either. And who doesn’t love DVD players in their vehicles?  The entertainment system is nothing to be sniffed at in the Acadia Denali.

The Acadia Denali doesn’t sniff at safety either.  You and your passengers are cushioned on all sides by airbags for all rows of seating.  It also comes with their ‘StabililiTrak’ electronic stability control as well as traction control.  This gives you the impression that you are hugging the road, no matter the conditions.  The ‘Side Blind Zone Alert’ system and their ‘Rear Cross Traffic Alert’ with the rear view camera that warns of cross traffic as you back up, means you are safe on crazy Vancouver roads.  And my giddiness was palpable when I spotted the Heads-Up Display RIGHT ON THE WINDSHIELD that gives you your speed and navigation information without you taking your eyes of the road

Did I say this was a fun ride?

The 2013 Acadia Denali that I test drove was MSRP’d at $61,325.  Not a low income vehicle by far, but for the size and features…..I will now look upon it with envy when I see one on the road.