2013 GMC Acadia

The 2013 GMC Acadia is available in five trims which are namely, SLE-1, SLE-2, SLT-1, SLT-2, and Denali. The Acadia starts at $34,050 and can climb up to $43,200 which could be a tad too pricey for what the Acadia can offer. You get an 8-passenger cabin as standard which is reduced to seven as you opt for the captain’s chairs. The Denali is the top-end luxurious trim in the lineup and will be reviewed separately.

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The SLT-1 trim priced at around $41,000 proves to be the most value for money trim out of the bunch by a significant margin. The added convenience features over the SLE-2 are well worth the marginal price bump and you also escape the bottom tier trim tag. The leather upholstery and 19-inch wheels do make the otherwise generic-looking Acadia quite distinctive.

The 3.6 L V6 that powers the 2013 GMC Acadia produces 288 hp and 270 lb-ft. of torque which although is the highest of the lot can be quite underwhelming to experience. Yes, we don’t expect the Acadia to pin us to our seats but we definitely would have appreciated enough power on tap to do the bare minimum of an overtake especially with the most amount of brute power available in the segment. 

The engine can appear to be pretty lethargic when subjected to heavy loads and the 6-speed automatic that the motor comes mated to doesn’t help Acadia’s case as all in all the performance is an outright dud. The 2013 Acadia might not have been designed to be the fastest on the block, agreed, but if it can make 288 hp feel insignificant we do believe that it should be brought to the eyes of the readers.

With a 0-60 time of 9.6 seconds, the Toyota Highlander comes in dead last when pitched against the pack while the Honda Pilot establishes a clear lead despite being the least powerful car in the segment. The fact that the GMC Acadia is the second slowest vehicle off the lot is disheartening since all that power apparently channelizes nowhere due to its hefty weight.

Since the GMC falls flat on its face when it comes to being spritely, one would expect that it would be conservative with its fuel-sipping habits but its EPA estimates would have you take a second glance with amazement. The 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg out on the highway drags it right down to the bottom which is highly disappointing. It is capable of returning 17 mpg in the city,24 mpg on the highway, and a combined 19 mpg.

Even though both the Chevrolet Traverse and the GMC Acadia have the worst fuel efficiency of the bunch, they do offer decent ranges due to their large fuel tanks. The Acadia in fact manages to trump even the pilot when it comes to range estimates even though the Pilot is the most fuel-efficient of the bunch. Yes, none of the vehicles here have great fuel economy as such, but we would have appreciated if the Acadia offered better numbers as it might have managed to justify the poor performance.

Even though the GMC is positioned to be a luxurious proposition in its segment, the interiors of the 2013 Acadia aren’t really up to the mark. We do appreciate GMC utilizing some decent materials for its construction, but the overall design and layout are a far cry from what we could term modern. The overall cabin appears dated and stuck in the past and finding good things to say about it is a little tricky. Yes, the seats on offer do give high comfort and the option of captain seats in the second row means that more body types can be better accommodated in the rear, but it still can not rule over the fact that the competition offers far better value and reasonably more luxury for a lower price.

The use of hard plastics coupled with an overall dated interior silhouette moves it further away from anything that we could dub as “Modern”. The dashboard layout might be simple but we would have expected some level of oomph especially in the Denali trims. The middle row comfort on the other hand is praiseworthy as the Acadia is quite roomy on the inside. The seats have just enough bolstering to accommodate most body types without feeling intrusive. Much like many other vehicles in the segment, the Acadia’s last row of seats is also best suited for children although it is still more spacious than a number of other competitors.

The GMC constantly lags behind when compared with its rivals but when it comes to space it is evident that the GMC is finally a front runner. With all the seats propped up, the space advantage on both the GMC and the Chevy is quite clear as they offer significantly more cargo room. The Honda Pilot does offer the ability to lug along an extra passenger but we doubt it being comfortable. Even though we wouldn’t consider the GMC the best in its class, it does have some notable interior features. Standout interior features in the 2013 GMC Acadia include:

• Vinyl Upholstery
• Leather Steering Wheel
• Electric Power Steering
• Defogger
• Keyless Ignition
• Interior Air Filtration
• Interior ambient light pipe in the instrument panel

How intuitive is the 2013 GMC Acadia’s infotainment unit?

Much like the rest of the 2013 Acadia, the infotainment on offer is pretty much a disappointment as well which is no surprise at this stage. It seems very simple, those who like the simple setup would love it. The 6.5-inch touch screen IntelliLink system that the 2013 GMC Acadia comes with is downright painful to operate. 

The system is frustratingly laggy and the user interface is quite simple and user-friendly. For a vehicle that is pitched at a premium and is showcased to be a luxury entity, GMC has some serious strides to make in the infotainment department. The graphics are comical to witness and the touch response is so bad that we might have preferred physical controls after all. Some Standout infotainment features are:

• 6.5 Inch IntelliLink System
• Wi-Fi HotSpot
• USB Port
• Satellite Radio
• 8 Speaker Sound System
• Navigation System
• Optional Bose 10 speaker premium sound system

The heavy chrome treatment, van-like proportions, and an overall outdated design language do no favors to keep the 2013 GMC Acadia feeling relevant. The Acadia has been around for quite a while, with its facelift, the front fascia looks better and more appealing to your eyes. The headlights are bold and curvy and integrate a dual halogen projector lamp.

 The extremely wide body hinders its maneuverability as well while the front end also fails to do justice to the regular imposing GMC family face. The 19 and 20-inch rims on offer are decent choices. The taillights on the other hand look stylish and maintain the class of GMC and the design of the rear windshield is quite outlandish but quite stunning to behold from the rear angle.

The GMC and the Chevy are the largest vehicles in the pack and the hefty weight that tags alongside it can prove to be quite troublesome. Not only does it make the GMC and the Chevy slow, but it eats away at its efficiency figures as well. The higher ground clearance does lend some peace of mind but doesn’t expect to take the Acadia off-road any day as we highly doubt the GMC’s AWD would come in clutch for anything more than the occasional snow on the road, we would much rather have the Toyota Highlander in this case. Standout exterior features in the 2013 GMC Acadia are:

• Rear privacy glass
• Dual halogen projector headlights
• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Chrome grille
• Splash guard
• Wheel locks

With a 5-star crash test rating from the NHTSA and an overall “Good” rating from the IIHS and also has been awarded 2013 Top Safety Pick, we are glad to report that one thing that the 2013 Acadia doesn’t disappoint us is when it comes to safety. GMC has managed to update the Acadia with some modern active safety features which foreshadow its age. The shell has also been constructed rather well as even though it is a high riding vehicle, it manages a 4-star rating in its rollover crash test. Standout safety features in the 2013 GMC Acadia include:

• Blind Spot Monitor
• Lane Keep Assist
• Forward Collision Warning
• Tire Pressure Monitor
• Post-Collision Safety System
• Rear View Camera

Recommending the GMC Acadia to potential customers proves to be quite tough as it gets easily outdone at its own game by its modern peers. Not only do rivals offer better performance, and efficiency, they also manage to offer a more luxurious cabin that is richer in terms of features. Yes, if you do want the GMC badge and the interior and exterior styling appeals to you, maybe going for the Acadia isn’t too bad but we would still suggest you cross-shop as there are better vehicles out there.