Smart and Sustainable Electric Mobility
Filed under: Jaguar,Land Rover,SUV,Electric,Future Vehicles,Luxury,Off-Road Vehicles,Special and Limited Editions,Performance,Sedan
Continue reading Jaguar kills all products but the F-Pace this year
Jaguar kills all products but the F-Pace this year originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Jul 2024 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Plus Mazda CX-50 hybrid debut, electric Porsche news, a helicopter-derived Caterham and more
Driving the Toyota Land Cruiser, Lexus GX and Hyundai Ioniq 5 N | Autoblog Podcast #840 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jul 2024 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Continue reading GMC Sierra EV AT4, Chevy Silverado EV Trail Boss caught in spy photos
GMC Sierra EV AT4, Chevy Silverado EV Trail Boss caught in spy photos originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 9 Jul 2024 14:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Plus some sad discontinuation news and rumorsContinue reading Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato and GMC Acadia driven | Autoblog Podcast #837
Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato and GMC Acadia driven | Autoblog Podcast #837 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Jun 2024 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Continue reading Rivian R1T Quad Max to tackle Pikes Peak with 1,025 horsepower
Rivian R1T Quad Max to tackle Pikes Peak with 1,025 horsepower originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jun 2024 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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In the beginning, buying an SUV almost certainly meant you were going to be buying a midsize SUV. Early models like the Explorer, Blazer, Grand Cherokee, Pathfinder and 4Runner are the reason a niche, off-roading vehicle segment morphed into the bread-and-butter family transportation choice and then spawned numerous offshoot segments based on size, capability, performance and luxury.
All those different directions can be easily seen in today's selection of midsize SUVs (most of which are technically crossovers), including the current versions of those SUV pioneers. There are the three-row family haulers that consumers happily gobble up instead of minivans. These are best suited for families, likely with more than one child, who can use the extra cargo space and/or extra row of seats -- even just for occasional use. There are two-row, style-oriented choices like the Chevy Blazer, Nissan Murano and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport that are resolutely intended to stay nice and clean on-road. These are still great choices for families. On the opposite end, there are the old-school, body-on-frame, definitely-not-a-crossover Jeep Wrangler, Ford Bronco and Toyota 4Runner. While plausible for family use (especially the huge 4Runner), they are less efficient and comfortable. And then you have segment-bending oddities that don't exactly fit into a single category like the Kia Sorento and Subaru Outback, plus the new selection of electric SUVs that are vaguely midsize in dimension and vaguely SUV in shape. Oh, and lots and lots of luxury choices, which we cover in our Best Luxury SUVs list.
So here are our best midsize SUVs, listed alphabetically: Two-row midsize SUVs, Three-row midsize SUVs and Electric midsize SUVs. You can also read our list of the Best midsize luxury SUVs.
The Honda Pilot was completely redesigned for 2023. It maintains its predecessor's family friendly packaging and overall focus, but it has injected a welcome sense of style (especially in the TrailSport pictured above) that makes it stand out much better from the big crossover crowd. The Pilot's restrained adornment and classic proportions are refreshing compared to the increasingly busy Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade and Subaru Ascent. Let's talk about practicality, though, which is ultimately the Pilot's best attribute. While every other three-row SUV makes owners choose between a second-row bench seat or captain's chairs (and therefore six-, seven- or eight-passenger capacity depending on vehicle), the Pilot's removable second-row middle seat means that every Pilot can be a seven- or eight-passenger vehicle. That middle seat even fits under the cargo floor in all trims but the TrailSport (its full-size all-terrain spare tire takes up too much space). There's also plenty of thoughtful, family-friendly storage throughout and a well-rounded driving experience true to the Honda norm.
The Hyundai Palisade is mechanically related to the Kia Telluride, and choosing between this pair of masterfully executed family haulers could basically come down to a coin flip. Or, more realistically, which you think looks better. For its part, the Palisade has a more luxurious vibe, which is most obvious in its Limited and Calligraphy trim levels that could easily compete with actual luxury-brand SUVs. The main reason for this is the stylish, well-made cabin that not only looks great, but boasts useful storage, user-friendly infotainment tech and more space than nearly every competitor — bigger kids and even adults will be perfectly comfortable in the third row, and you can fit more stuff behind the raised third row. Hyundai's driver assistance and safety tech is also among the best-executed in the industry. If there's a major hole in its game, it's the lack of a hybrid powertrain or a more powerful version.
The Kia Sorento basically has the exterior dimensions of a two-row midsize SUV, but manages to sandwich in a third row for those who could foresee needing one on occasion, but not frequently enough to warrant driving around a bigger, thirstier and pricier vehicle like Kia's Telluride. It's basically for those who don't necessarily think that bigger is better. And for its part, the Kia Sorento is appealing for myriad other reasons. Interior materials quality is elevated, the designs are handsome and technology is excellent. The same well-executed driver assistance and safety features that so impress in the Palisade and Telluride are also available in the Sorento. Perhaps most significantly, however, is that the Sorento is one of the very few three-row SUVs offered as a hybrid. Its 37 mpg blows away the V6-powered competition, and there's an exceptional plug-in hybrid choice (pictured above right). It is important to note, however, that 2024 is an odd year for the Sorento. The gas-only versions get revised exterior and interior design, and new infotainment tech. The hybrids get those updates for 2025, meaning the 2024 versions carry over from last year. The Sorento is recommended regardless of these updates.
If you've already read the above description of the Hyundai Palisade, you've been briefed about its mechanical commonalities with the Telluride and that they share the same fundamental strong points: space, technology, quality and value. They also do so to an extent that outpaces their competitors. Of the two, the Kia Telluride has received the greater share of accolades, largely because its styling seems to resonate with more people. Basically, style is the tie breaker. There's more than a whiff of Range Rover to its blocky proportions and restrained detailing. Heck, "Telluride" is even written across the hood, much like a Range Rover would be. Basically, the Kia Telluride doesn't look like a three-row family hauler despite being one of the best three-row family haulers. Win-win.
While the Toyota Highlander has previously been on this list, it was almost entirely because of its hybrid model that provides exceptional fuel economy none of its competitors could match. We always included the caveat that you'd be sacrificing third-row and cargo space for that fuel economy. That is not the case with the new Toyota Grand Highlander, a separate model despite its name, that's substantially larger where it counts: in the third row and behind it. It too is available with a traditional, fuel-sipping Toyota hybrid powertrain that achieves a sky-high (for a three-row family vehicle) 33-36 mpg combined, but also offers the performance-oriented Hybrid Max powertrain that gets above-average fuel economy while also boasting 362 horsepower -- an amount few rivals approach. Add it up, and the Grand Highlander is an easy replacement here for its non-grand sibling. The hefty price tag does give us pause, but you're at least getting an awful lot of family hauler.
We were tempted to exclude the Bronco from this list simply because it's so difficult to get, and even if you could, dealer markups could seriously reduce its appeal. That said, supply constraints are easing, so welcome to the list Bronco! Ford's iconic off-roader makes its long-awaited return, and it's just as good as we all would've hoped when we first saw its cool, retro looks applied to both two- and four-door body styles. Beyond those choices, it offers a wonderful array of trim levels that go beyond a simple escalation of equipment to include differing style, capability and areas of expertise. We've tested many of those combinations at this point and have enjoyed them all, including the Black Diamond (pictured above), the new Everglades, the insane Bronco Raptor and anything with the available manual. Many will ask is the Bronco better than the Wrangler? As a daily driver, yes. As something to attack a trail or barren landscape, perhaps not. Would you be happy with either? Most definitely, and that's why they're both here on this list.
After a decade of valiant service, the fourth-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee has finally been retired. Long live the fifth generation. It's very much an evolution of its predecessor in terms of design and overall concept, but key upgrades include a beautiful new interior packed with well-executed technology. In top-end trim levels, the leather-lined interior can easily compete with luxury-branded SUVs. Although every Grand Cherokee is more off-road capable than the typical crossover SUV (which the JGC technically is given its unibody construction), the rugged Trailhawk model can go even further thanks to its extra ground clearance (its air suspension, available elsewhere, can go even higher), electronic sway bar disconnect (shared with the Wrangler Rubicon), all-terrain tires and additional Selec-Terrain drive modes. If there's one area of disappointment (and lack of advancement), it's under the hood where Jeep returns the old V6 and V6 engines with inconsequential changes. One is iffy on power, the other fuel economy. This is the main reason why the Grand Cherokee L fails to climb above the other three-row SUVs on this list. There are fewer two-row midsize competitors, though, and the two-row Grand Cherokee offers something the L does not, at least for now: the plug-in hybrid 4xe.
The Wrangler isn't really a competitor for any of the above midsize SUVs, and we definitely don't recommend it as a family vehicle. In fact, we are quick to point out the Wrangler's innumerable practical drawbacks: handling, ride comfort, interior noise, safety ratings, fuel economy, cargo space, windows that come undone with a zipper. ... Basically, think long and hard about whether you can live with these drawbacks to what is otherwise a masterful off-roading SUV. Available in two- and four-door body styles, five engine options (including the plug-in hybrid 4xe and 470-horsepower Rubicon 392), multiple hard- and soft-top roof styles, and numerous trim levels and special style packages, there's bound to be a Wrangler for everyone. Heck, there's also the Jeep Gladiator pickup. Ultimately, we recommend the Wrangler because despite those many drawbacks, this latest generation is in fact far more refined and livable than past generations. A Honda Passport it isn't, but it's now unlikely to beat up your spine, blow out your ears and confuse your hands with spooky steering.
You're right, the Outback isn't technically an SUV. But then, everything else on this list except the traditional, body-on-frame Wrangler and 4Runner aren't technically SUVs, either. They're crossovers that feature car-like unibody construction — just like the Outback. And despite looking like a wagon, it has more ground clearance, more cargo capacity, more back seat space and better fuel economy than most other midsize crossovers. It's a genuinely sensible and usable vehicle, especially for those who actually like to take their vehicles off the beaten path (versus those who just like to project the appearance of such weekend adventures). The Outback Wilderness, pictured above, lets you go even further off that path. Throw in its abundance of safety and infotainment tech, standard all-wheel drive, solid reliability ratings and improved interior quality with its most recent redesign, and you have a vehicle that's easy to recommend.
One of the most talked about (and controversial) new cars is also one of the best electric cars you can buy. No, this is not "the new Mustang" (this is). The Mach-E is a new thing, not a replacement, that effectively makes "Mustang" a Ford sub-brand by creating an electric crossover with styling cues and a performance-oriented driving character inspired by the still-very-much-on-sale Mustang coupe and convertible that are still powered by gasoline. That's a big part of the Mach-E's appeal: It looks cooler and drives better because it's a Mustang. Plus, its crossoverish body style provides usable backseat and cargo space, its giant Sync 4A touchscreen has impressed our editors with its clean simplicity, and its wide variety of drivetrain and battery combos makes Ford's first from-scratch electric car open to a wide range of needs and taste. Although there are now additional crossoverish EVs available for roughly the same price, the Mach-E remains firmly entrenched on this list of favorites even if it's awfully hard to get one.
We're not sure if the Ioniq 5 looks like it came from the future or from a "Back to the Future Part II"-style vision of the future, but either way, it sure is different. Although it looks like a compact hatchback, in reality, it's as long as the quite-large Hyundai Tucson with a wheelbase longer than the very-large Hyundai Palisade. It's not very tall or high off the ground, but inside, its deceptive dimensions provide a surprisingly airy, spacious and versatile cabin. We also love its user-friendly and well-executed technology, both in terms of infotainment and safety, plus the clean, minimalist look that still maintains some physical controls. Yes, that's a knock on Tesla. The base Ioniq 5 includes a 58-kWh battery, 220 miles of range and a single rear motor with modest power. The upper trim levels get a 77.4-kilowatt-hour battery pack and a choice of a single rear motor good for 303 miles (RWD) and 225 horsepower, or a dual-motor AWD setup good for 256 miles and 320 hp. That's as big of a performance jump as it seems (7.3 seconds with RWD vs 5.1 with AWD). Importantly, every Ioniq 5 has 800-volt electrical architecture, making it possible to charge from 10-80% at a 350-kW charger in just 18 minutes. It'll speed things up at less powerful chargers as well.
Although based on the same platform as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, including its 800-volt electric architecture, the Kia EV6 is its own thing. You definitely can't tell they're mechanically related by looking at them inside and out. The EV6 is similarly shaped and sized as the Mustang Mach-E, itself an unusual "what is it exactly?" body style that's somewhere in between SUV, wagon and hatchback. The term "crossover" has never been so apt. Like the Mach-E, the EV6 skews toward the sporty end of the spectrum — especially the new 2023 EV6 GT that boasts 576 horsepower and 0-60 time of 3.4 seconds. The Ioniq 5 doesn't offer such a high-performance model (yet). The EV6 starts things off with a 58-kWh battery pack with a range of 232 miles and modest performance; the 77.4-kWh pack kicks it up to 310 miles with RWD and 274 miles with AWD. All of this basically means the EV6 is fully competitive on the EV front, but simply viewed as a car, we love its design, its well-executed tech, comfortable and engaging driving experience, and nicely crafted cabin that's also pretty cool to look at.
JOSHUA TREE, Calif. – Subjectively, the 2025 Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster is a deeply lovable truck. It is dripping in character, from the bank of cockpit-style switches on the dash and ceiling console to the name itself. You know you’ve got something interesting when answering “What car is that?” stretches to 10 syllables. For those longing for an even simpler, more analog off-roader than the Wranglers, Land Cruisers and G Wagens of this world provide, it proudly flies its old-school flag packing front and rear live axles, recirculating ball steering, high and low range selected with a sturdy shifter, and multiple locking diffs. If you see some sand ahead and feel the need to turn a dial to an icon with a little cactus on it to get you through, the Quartermaster isn’t your truck.
Objectively, however, the Quartermaster probably won’t be your truck for a whole lot of other reasons. Price is the big one. It starts at $86,900, or $15,400 more than the Grenadier SUV or “Station Wagon” as Ineos calls it, inevitably to the confusion of every American. You can read more about that version in our Grenadier first drive review. The reason for the Quartermaster premium has little to do with the frame and wheelbase that’s a foot longer, nor the 61.5-inch-long bed that stretching accommodates. No, the blame goes to West Germany, Lyndon B. Johnson and chickens.
Back in the early 1960s, the Johnson administration responded to French and West German tariffs placed on a variety of American products, most notably chickens, with a 25% import tax. The United Auto Workers, meanwhile, wanted to curtail the importation of West German-made Volkswagen commercial vans and pickups, and effectively negotiated with the Johnson administration to apply the chicken tax to such commercial vehicles in exchange for not striking. The auto industry would continue to lobby for its application long after chicken tax tariffs were lifted on other products, thereby making it much harder for Japanese companies, particularly in the 1980s, to import its small trucks.
Companies have circumvented the tax in various ways over the years, but Ineos doesn’t feel the need to do so for the Quartermaster, which is built in Hambach, France, in an old Smart factory. The result is a pickup that’s not only far more expensive than its nearly identical SUV sibling, but one that can easily stretch past $100,000 with a reasonable selection of options. It doesn’t feel like it should. Admittedly, there’s no other pickup of its size and power source (gasoline versus electric) in that price range, nor does another off-roader of that price tag offer a pickup bed. Still, it’s a tough pill to swallow.
At least here in the United States. In Australia, the Quartermaster should have no problem finding homes. Its relatively narrow width and short bed, not-palatial crew cab and old-school off-road capability perfectly match the modern definition of the Aussie “Ute.” Indeed, Ineos anticipates 80% of Grenadiers sold Down Under will be either Quartermasters or the chassis cab variant we won’t get.
The American venue chosen to showcase the Quartermaster could certainly be mistaken for Australia, albeit with beige dirt instead of red, and Joshua trees in lieu of eucalyptus. We’re tackling dusty, rocky trails just outside Joshua Tree National Park, often at a decent clip that has the sturdy Grenadier proving resilient to the vicious vibrations caused by washboard surfaces and the solid thwacks of big heaves.
The recirculating ball steering rack is the Grenadier’s most controversial element, a fact telegraphed by how often the folks at Ineos seem to bring it up. There have been potential customers who said “no thanks” after giving it a try, no doubt finding the dead on-center feel, lack of self-centering and stiff turn-in disconcerting and totally different than modern rack-and-pinion systems, typically with electric power assistance. Younger drivers in particular, who may never have driven a car without EPS let alone a recirculating ball setup, should find it particularly foreign. They also may find it novel, just one of many throwback, analog sensations expected for not only the Grenadier but off-roaders in general.
I personally didn’t find it that big of deal, and it’s certainly not as agricultural as I was expecting. The biggest issue is on-center corrections at highway speeds, as well as sudden turns. There was a point while driving at a higher speed in convoy with other Quartermasters that the dust ahead cleared to reveal a sudden right-turn and a metal fence beyond. Quick decision! I yanked the wheel to the right to be met by a wall of resistance that wouldn’t be there with other steering systems. I muscled the two-spoke wheel even further and harder, while hitting the long-travel brake pedal. Fence avoided, worst case experienced.
So why bother with ye olde steering? Well, we also did some mountain goating. I’ve long been trained to not wrap my thumbs around the steering wheel spoke while off-roading, as sudden kickback can, well, break them. That’s a rack-and-pinion thing. It’s far less likely to happen with recirculating ball, and indeed, our rock-crawling stints were easy-cheese from a steering perspective.
The throttle could be difficult to modulate in such situations, however. There’s not much reaction with initial throttle tip-in and the delay in response created some anxiety that I’d over-gun it and launch the Quartermaster into a boulder. I didn’t, but finer pedal feel or a change in throttle application would be appreciated.
Perhaps this is related to the Quartermaster sharing its powertrain with cars that are almost the opposite of a body-on-frame, live axle pickup truck. The 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six is by BMW (it even says so on the hood) and the eight-speed transmission by ZF, both of which go together in umpteen BMWs. Output stands at 281 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque, and although the 0-60 time is estimated to be a slow-by-modern-standards 8.8 seconds, it certainly doesn’t feel as slow as I was expecting. Out on the open road, it gets up to speed smartly with ample low-end torque. The smoothness and sound you’d expect from the Bavarian Motor Works is certainly present, too. That said, the ZF transmission is too quick to upshift while driving at speed uphill. In anattempt to compensate, I instinctively slapped the BMW-sourced transmission lever over to the left to select the Sport mode promised by the M/S marking, but discovered there is no S. Only M.
Better than nothing, I suppose, but it’s a curious bit of half-assed parts bin pilfering for a cabin that is otherwise shockingly bespoke. All the other buttons, toggles, stalks, etc. are Ineos pieces. The toggles in particular are super-cool, as it’s hard not to turn the car on (via a switchblade-style key, BTW) and immediately flick two or three unconnected auxiliary toggles in the ceiling just to feel like an astronaut. I may not be Buzz Aldrin, but I play one on the way to Lowe’s.
Speaking of such journeys, the Quartermaster bed has a payload capacity of 1,889 pounds, which is about 500 more than a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, which is quite obviously the closest thing in concept to the Quartermaster (although the Jeep has a different frame than its own SUV sibling). The 61.5-inch-long bed is an inch longer than a Gladiator’s, as well as 6.9 inches wider at its greatest point (63.7 inches). Of course, a Gladiator does not have its spare tire taking up space in the bed, which the Ineos does. It’s cleverly sunk into an indentation on either side of the bed (you could stuff two spares back there if you’d like), but it takes up space nevertheless. The tailgate is also not damped, a common truck feature nowadays, meaning it just uncouthly slams down.
As with the regular Grenadier, there are grab handles/tie-down points above the rear doors, unique movable tie-down points on the doors, and available “safari” windows over the front seats. There are numerous customization options, including a unique contrast-painted ladder frame (there was a Quartermaster painted Britannia Blue with a Halo Red frame and Scottish White roof that was particularly cool) and numerous accessories such as an integrated front winch and removable rear winch. Should make for a fun tug of war.
The cabin forward of the front seats is common between SUV and Quartermaster, though the truck’s rear seat back is notably more upright and it sure seems like passengers will tire quickly of riding along bolt upright. Legroom is iffy, too, especially if those up front take full advantage of the admittedly appreciated vast seat travel. If they do, hope you like sitting cross-legged. Furthermore, utilizing the fold-flat rear seatback for storage requires you to first flip forward the rear seat bottom which in turn pushes the driver seat far forward. Either way, not ideal.
Other niggles include double-sealed doors that pretty much never close on the first go unless you get in the habit of slamming them. Once inside, there are Tesla-style instruments baked into the center touchscreen, with a panel in front of the driver exclusively devoted to the turn signals and various warning lights that go bonkers when you engage Off-Road mode. The touchscreen itself, which is a unique user interface that comes equipped with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, also washed out throughout the day in the intense desert sun. While its placement makes sense for a British company trying to minimize costs by not creating two different angled center stack designs for left- and right-hand drive markets, there is definitely a downside.
Ultimately, given the Quartermaster’s lofty chicken tax price tag, compromised back seat and the Gladiator’s lackluster sales compared to the Wrangler, it seems likely that the Grenadier “Station Wagon” will find a lot more takers. It has just as much charm (and better rear-end looks I might add), along with the inherent benefits and drawbacks of Ineos’ purposeful, throwback concept. Then again, if you’ve got the money, have extra room in the garage, and are already well accustomed to paying more tax than you think you should, why the heck not? The guy with the Bronco Badlands down the street will be so jealous.
Filed under: First Drives,Truck,SUV,Luxury,Off-Road Vehicles,Ineos
Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster First Drive Review: Dripping in character, damned by chickens originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2024 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Automotive History,Economy Cars,Electric,Hybrid,Luxury,Off-Road Vehicles,Special and Limited Editions,Performance,Supercars,Classics
Continue reading The Autoblog 20: The most significant new cars of the past two decades
The Autoblog 20: The most significant new cars of the past two decades originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Jun 2024 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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John Beltz Snyder
John Beltz Snyder
BLUFFTON, S.C. — The 2024 GMC Acadia is a revamped take on the brand’s popular three-row SUV. It’s quite a bit bigger than the outgoing model, with 8.4 more inches of wheelbase and 10.6 extra inches of overall length. That’s a huge boon to cargo space (up 80%), while also adding 27% to second-row legroom. Its new looks align more closely now with the GMC Sierra pickup, granting it a brawnier personality.
While it’s in many ways quite similar to the updated 2024 Chevrolet Traverse, (including in size, now) GMC did an admirable amount of design work to differentiate the Acadia from its close relative. The tall, truck-like grille gives the Acadia more presence than before, and the C-shaped LED headlights add character. Along the side, the chunky C-pillar is hidden from sight, while the D-pillar is expanded. This provides a better view for third-row passengers, and has the added benefit of obscuring the cargo area from onlookers. Around back, we see more LED lighting, as well as quad exhaust tips GMC said were inspired by the C8 Chevy Corvette, complete with their squarish shape. The overall look is more truckish, but it still has a sporty slant.
Under the skin, much is shared with its Chevy platform-mate. It sports the same new 2.5-liter turbo four producing 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque and shifts via an eight-speed automatic transmission. The engine employs the same “ePhaser” to adjust the camshaft on the fly to advance and delay the spark according to power and efficiency needs. And just like the Traverse, the front-wheel-drive Acadia gets 20 miles per gallon city, 27 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined, or 19/24/21 mpg with all-wheel drive.
In addition to the base Elevation trim ($43,995 including destination, with AWD costing another $2,000), the Acadia boasts the more luxurious Denali trim ($55,695 for FWD and $57,695 for AWD), as well as the off-road-ready AT4 trim ($51,395 with AWD standard). We’ll have to wait to evaluate the feature content in the Elevation, but the Denali and AT4 were on hand for us to evaluate in South Carolina.
Our first stint in the Acadia was in the Denali. Getting inside, it’s immediately noticeable that the Acadia’s interior is a big step up over that of the Traverse. Up front, the centerpiece is the tech interface standard on all Acadia trims: a portrait-oriented 15-inch infotainment screen running Google Built-In, as well as an 11-inch driver display. The Denali also comes with a head-up display as standard. One feature that helped immensely (in both Acadias we drove) on unfamiliar roads was the ability to switch the instrument panel display to donate most of its real estate to mirror the Google Maps navigation, putting our directions directly in front of us while freeing up the infotainment screen for any other functions needed along the way. And, yes, this GM product still has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The rest of the Denali’s interior design is inviting, with leather seats boasting truly attractive stitching. There are still some grainy, hard plastics to be found, but they don’t dominate the cabin. We really like the look of the open-pore ayous wood trim, complete with the Denali name etched at the far end of the dash. The fairing that covers the driver’s side of the dash is interestingly shaped, with good character for an element that would otherwise be easily overlooked both by designers and consumers. Its big center console is open underneath for convenient storage, thanks to GMC relocating the drive selector from the console to the steering column. We also appreciate the big, sturdy HVAC toggles integrated at the bottom of the infotainment screen.
Standard across the lineup is a seven-passenger layout with second-row captain’s chairs; there is no bench seat option. The second row is quite roomy, with seats that adjust backward and forward to offer more room or to punish whomever is sitting behind you. The third row is fairly large, though. With the driver’s seat in my ideal driver position and a comfortable second-row position behind that, I squeezed my 6-foot self into the third row and found my knees touching the seatback ahead of me. With a couple of minor adjustments from the forward seats — ones that wouldn’t be asking too much of the other occupants — I could fit in the third row fairly comfortably. A kid would be right at home for long trips. Adults would at least appreciate the decent headroom.
You could carry a good amount of luggage for all those passengers. Cargo volume behind the third row checks in at a segment-beating 23.0 cubic feet, with a large under-floor bin as a bonus. If it’s just a family of four taking the trip, flattening the third row opens that up to 57.3 cubic feet. Fold all the seats down for a maximum 97.5 cubes, and you’ve got a decent moving vehicle. There’s also 5,000 pounds worth of towing capacity if you somehow run out of space inside the Acadia.
Our particular Denali tester was equipped with the standard 20-inch wheels, not the optional 22-inchers and the “performance suspension” included in the Denali Reserve Package. That upgraded suspension uses passive, frequency-based dampers that behave differently according to input from the road. It’s probably more important to have when rolling on the bigger tires with their shorter sidewalls, but the 20-inchers with the standard suspension proved just fine for our drive. We didn’t encounter some of the tire-flattening, cratered pavement we see up in Michigan, but the imperfections we did encounter passed under tire without complaint.
GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance system is optional across the Acadia lineup, and our Denali had it. It’s still a great system, reducing fatigue and inspiring confidence in its abilities as it deftly moves along with traffic — or around it with automatic lane changes. As GM adds more mileage to its map of compatible roads (about 750,000 miles now!), we were sometimes surprised by some of the smaller highways it would work on. One such stretch of road had its share of intersections with stop lights. Ahead of some of these busier intersections, the Acadia would let us know to take over steering with a red light on the steering wheel, a message on the driver display and a vibration of the seat cushion (a great way to deliver an alert without freaking out any passengers on board). Super Cruise remains one of the more advanced driver assist systems that we actually enjoy using.
The 2.5-liter turbo engine felt like a good fit for the Acadia. While it may not seem as macho as a V6, it offered plenty of power to get and keep the Acadia moving. It doesn’t sound bad, either, and what you do hear isn’t very loud. Turbo lag is at a minimum, and there’s enough power on hand to get the front wheels to spin from a stop (which is accompanied by a suggestion on the driver display to switch to AWD mode). We’ll be interested to see if the engine still feels up to the task when loaded up with passengers and a trailer in tow, but nothing so far suggests it won’t.
John Beltz Snyder
The next morning, I got in the off-road-leaning Acadia AT4. That comes equipped with all-terrain tires mounted on 18-inch wheels. In all, the AT4 gains about 1.2 inches in ride height over the Elevation, about two-thirds of that coming from the suspension, while the tires account for the rest. The AT4 uses a version of the optional performance suspension from the Denali, though tuned for more rugged duty, and including the same hydraulic rebound stop found in the Chevy Traverse Z71. It also gets red tow hooks, underbody skid plates, a twin-clutch all-wheel drive system and Off-Road and Terrain drive modes. The exterior brightwork isn’t exactly bright, using tinted chrome that comes off as a broody, glossy graphite-ish color. We’d be remiss to ignore the AT4’s marker lights on its wheel arches — it’s a small detail, but a neat one, nonetheless.
Inside, the AT4 doesn’t automatically get the Denali’s standard features, like a head-up display, leather upholstery, ventilated front seats, heated second-row seats, one-touch-folding second-row and power-folding third-row seats, power steering column, memory settings and premium floor mats. Some of that is available, some not, but what you do get is still good and, we’d argue, suited to its purpose. The combination fabric and synthetic seats are comfortable and feel durable, and the rest of the interior design is still attractive, complete with wood trim. But despite fewer luxury trimmings, the AT4 feels even more special to drive.
The AT4 is particularly at home traversing down gravel roads at speeds that left huge plumes of dust behind us, the suspension doing an absolutely superb job of smoothing out the ruts and bumps. Once the gravel turned to fine, dry sand, the AT4 was a hoot. In Off-Road mode, it was perfectly happy to carry momentum and even accelerate fairly quickly through the loose medium. It felt a little playful, but not unruly as the front tires clawed through the sand, keeping the Acadia’s grille pointed where we wanted it. Just for fun, we switched the drive mode back to Normal mid-sand-rip, and the AT4 did indeed struggle to keep up momentum, slowing down significantly despite my inputs, as the traction control system fought against slippage. Popping it back into Off-Road mode via the (poorly placed) toggle to the left of the steering column, the Acadia was once again eager to charge forward as the AT4’s Active Torque Control AWD system allowed the wheels a little more freedom to spin.
GMC was kind enough to dig up one of the sandy roads on our drive route to let us get some wheels in the air. The AT4 was happy to creep through in Terrain mode without us having to fumble between the gas and brake pedals. Furthermore, every liftoff and touchdown of the wheels took place without drama — no noise, and managed with comfort (at least from the driver’s seat). We also turned on the vehicle’s exterior cameras, which would be useful if that portion of the trail had any turns.
Later, when we’d come back to the same spot, newly refreshed by GMC’s on-hand earth-moving equipment, the sandy ruts were deep and loose enough to get the Acadia temporarily stuck, wheels spinning to no avail. There was no need to resort to the tow hooks, though, as backing up a couple of inches, then rolling the front wheel back onto the incline and keeping a steady foot on the accelerator was enough to allow the all-wheel-drive system to sort the torque enough to get us up and out of the pit and, eventually, back onto mostly level ground.
On the pavement, the AT4 proved just about as comfortable as the Denali we had driven the day before. We were able to elicit a bit more wheel spin from the all-terrain tires when gunning it from a stop, and they gave a little bit of a roar when we called upon its lateral grip reserves when pushing through a corner. Excess body roll didn’t pose a problem from the driver’s seat, and the sweet suspension continued to level out whatever came at it on the straight parts of the road, too.
Our AT4 was also equipped with Super Cruise, which worked just as well as it did in the Denali. The only difference was that we noticed a bit more correction from the steering system, with just a slight wobble of the steering wheel on center as it cruised down the highway. That did not translate into any extra motion in the cabin, however, as everything felt calm and stable as we chugged straight ahead with our hands in our lap.
The 2024 Acadia is an attractive three-row SUV, perhaps more so than the slightly more affordable Chevy Traverse — even more affordable than that if you walk further down the Chevy’s deeper trim lineup. The Acadia’s exterior design is unique, and its interior design is a big draw over its cousin when comparing these comparable trims. Is that worth an extra few grand to you? Because beyond that, there’s not a lot, especially in terms of driving, that sets it apart from the Traverse. With that in mind, it’s simple enough to go test them back to back; they’re both in dealerships now, and they represent big upgrades over their outgoing versions.
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