At first, I was a little sceptical about this vehicle but… after the first few kilometres, I found it to be a very comfortable and a fun to drive vehicle…

2014 GMC Acadia Denali.
2014 GMC Acadia Denali.
2014 GMC Acadia Denali.

The 2014 GMC Acadia Denali is truly a full-size crossover vehicle.

That’s right, an eight-passenger crossover that is big enough to haul eight adults and still have room to store your gear.

Saturday is my usual run around day; picking up things, dropping off people, some of whom I don’t know but someone in my family has volunteered me to drive them anyway. You know the kind of day, the one that finds me buying things that we don’t need but can’t live without, returning things that apparently we can live without, and providing hourly updates to my wife on what I have accomplished thus far.

Hectic and stressful.

Well, this particular Saturday I had the Acadia Denali and with a few hours driving this vehicle I was actually relaxed. Luxurious seating and a premium Bose stereo system with steering wheel controls that drowned out all the chatter from the back seats. It also came in handy for when they tried to include me in the conversation; with a simple push of the volume button I could yell back, “Sorry, I can’t hear you!”

All three rows receive the same level of luxury. French stitching on all of the leather seats with a choice of colours – Ebony or Cocoa Dune. The second row seats are a SmartSlide flat-folding 60/40 split bench while the third row is a 60/40 split bench that folds flat as well. The third row is surprisingly comfortable and enough leg room for adults.

The steering wheel is leather wrapped with mahogany wood grain trim; it also features a tilt and telescopic steering column. The centre of the dash is the location for the colour touch Radio/Navigation screen with IntelliLink. A 165 mm (6.5”) colour touch screen display, AM/FM stereo with CD player, auxiliary audio input jack, Bluetooth streaming audio, hands free calling, and a rear seat entertainment system.

If you’re excited about cup holders then hold on to yourself, this vehicle has twelve. I know because I had to clean each one. Twelve in an eight-seater, go figure.

The Acadia comes standard with driver and front passenger airbags, seat mounted side impact bags and side curtain air bags. Traction control and stability control with roll stability control are also standard. Forward collision alert, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert, and side blind zone alert are some of the latest technologies that have gone into this vehicle.

Power:

The 3.6 Litre V6 engine puts out 288 horsepower @ 6,300 rpm with 270 ft pounds of torque. The transmission is a 6-speed automatic that can be shifted into manual mode.

Pump frequency:

13.3/ 8.8 L/100 km (City/ Highway)

Warranty support:

Basic 3 year/ 60,000 km

Power-train 5 year/ 160,000 km

Roadside assistance 5 year/ 160,000 km

At first, I was a little sceptical about this vehicle… but after the first few kilometres, I changed my mind and found it to be a very comfortable and a fun to drive vehicle.

Although there is lots of room inside it does not give the impression of a big SUV, and it manoeuvres quite well.

With the latest technologies added, I found it easy to use and very useful. Shoulder checks are something I do by habit, but with the side blind zone alert feature it is like having someone else take a second look, which is comforting.

Sticker price:

$57,695

Contact: ian [dot] harwood [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca

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