Suburban Dad: 2007 GMC Acadia

It seemed familiar — like I’d been there before. From the outside, it looked like a great big American-made SUV. There were the large tires, the aggressive front end, the long lines down the side, the liftgate in the back.

Once inside the Acadia, though, the memories came rushing back. The captain’s chairs in the second row. The third row that collapses almost flat to the floor. The space between the captain’s chairs to allow access to the third row. Could it be?

(Music from “Psycho” kicks in…)

Yes! I was in a minivan! Even my daughter picked up on it. “This is exactly like our car, Dad,” she noted. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

And that’s what really ticks me off. I live in the suburbs, surrounded by all these suburbanites who have turned their collective back on the minivan. “They’re not cool enough,” they sniff. “They’re not manly enough.”

I have to take a stand and disagree. It’s OK to drive a minivan; hell, it’s OK to even like a minivan. But it’s clear where GM is going with the Acadia and its sibling, the Saturn Outlook. They can hear the angst from young moms and dads who grew up riding in Chrysler minivans who today say, “You wouldn’t catch me dead in one of those.” So GM has made it easier for them: The Acadia and Outlook are minivans, but with four swinging doors instead of two sliding ones. And that’s OK too.

The Acadia has plenty of space inside, ergonomic controls, seats that are easy to move around, collapse and fold, along with most of the amenities a suburban driver would want. (Of course, I’ve now become addicted to navigation systems and really regret when I drive something without one.)

The kids were perfectly happy, and were certainly spread out enough that they didn’t get on each others’ nerves. I liked the look of the Acadia, definitely pitched at male buyers with its strong snout and aggressive stance. “It looks too much like a truck,” my wife objected, but I suspect GM is counting on that very look to help sell both the Acadia and the Outlook.

I wasn’t wild about the gas mileage I was getting (around 13 mpg), but to be honest, I was only able to drive it in rush-hour traffic, so I rarely got to run at top speeds. Plus, it had already been driven for about 100 miles in heavy city traffic by one of the Cars.com editors before I got the keys, and I didn’t reset the trip computer. The window sticker says 18/26 mpg city/highway.

It had good acceleration (a problem in the Outlook that GM has since adjusted), and it was quiet in the cab, no matter how fast I was going.

Would we buy one? I might, but my wife was pretty adamant that it was too muscular-looking for her.

And you minivan haters? Just wait for the days when your 5-year-old dings every car at every mall you visit with those swing-out doors.

Comments

[Michael]

Too bad GM doesn't have the shorter axle ratio that the Lincoln MKX has 3.39 vs. 3.16

It needs as much help because the weight is ~4700bs for front drive, and ~4900 lbs for the Versatrak.

[FThorn]

At one time I had three minivans last year. I think they are cool because they make sense.

[Zerf]

Sorry to see the gas mileage you were getting. I was hoping for better based on the window sticker. I have found on most cars if you are even on the acclerator you get rewarded with excellent gas mileage. We don't need something big like this yet but when I saw the fuel numbers I thought it was a good alternative to the Sienna/Odyssey. Those are fine vans but we are able to get our GM cars for rediculously low prices compared to all the competition and they have all held up very well for us. I liked the tow rating on this too.

[Expat]

In my opinion it has a really clever design, right in the middle of a tough Tahoe truck and the nice fancy looks of a car like the Murano. A lot of people will like both styles.

[Juan Carlos]

would the mrs go for the outlook? soon buick will bring one out. granted, it isn't a truck, but how much of truck is it?

[Stacy]

Ouch! I have NO idea how you got such poor gas mileage. We recently purchased an Acadia and it's amazing! The very worst we've MPG we've gotten in DC metro city driving is 18.6 mpg! When we get a chance for 50/50 mixed driving, the onboard computer shows 22.8 mpg. You can read all about owners experiences at http://www.acadiaforum.net

[SuburbanDad]

I just want to point out that the mileage situation was not optimal for me; I drove it almost exclusively in stop-and-go traffic, after a Cars.com reviewer drove it in heavy urban traffic. It may get better mileage on the more open road.

[Dave T.]

I forgot to mention, in the third to last photo it looks like your neighbor got a white Acura MDX. Perhaps they were swayed by the MDX you tested a while back.

[ermatthe]

I sell GMCs. I recently talked to the customer that bought the very first Acadia that we got in and he said he was getting better MPG than the window sticker said. He said they took a trip to Florida and averaged 28 on the highway.
We can't keep the things on the lot longer than a week or two- whether its a cloth package front wheel drive or a loaded up all wheel drive.
Great vehichles- worth a test drive.

[F.B.A Mafia]

Hey ermatthe do you have a website for your dealer?
If you sell any.

[F. Starr]

roll rear windows down on the highway, then see what you think.