The Acadia is a customer pleaser from my stand point, and one of my SUV’s. My customers actually complain if they get a vehicle such as oh say a prius.

The gas mileage isn’t great but if you’re looking to buy something the size of the Acadia you are all ready aware of that. They are looking to move people, things, and probably haul trailers and such.

I can understand wanting to save the environment and everyone wanting to be all granola and stuff, but in all reality when Mt. St. Helens blew it released more toxic chemicals and pollution into the air then over 10 years of daily SUV exhaust for the whole planet.

Generally people hate mini van’s, wagon’s not so much but they still aren’t very popular. Basically the Rav4 is a horrible vehicle to compaire the Acadia to. People are looking to see if it is a reliable vehicle that won’t break down, not be guilt tripped into buying something that is more economical. Why don’t you go pick on the rap stars driving Hummer H3 stretch limo’s and in all reality probably only get about 3 miles to the gallon. There is an obvious need for something like the Acadia or it wouldn’t be on the market.

For us, choosing the Acadia was an easy choice – based on our preferences and lifestyle:

1. 2-2-3 configuration. This was huge for us… having the second row captain chairs make the third-row bench seat much more manageable. Now, our older children can easily get in and out of the car (and to the back) while we strap in the baby. Same goes for adults. Many competitors were knocked out of the running due to the middle bench seat configuration. This might add a passenger to your overall capacity, but any parent hauling a few kids (and their friends) will tell you “mountaineering” is no fun, especially if one kid is pretty small and needs help.

2. Towing… mentioned a little bit in the previous comments, but when comparing the Acadia to a minivan or something smaller like a RAV4, this can be a deciding factor if you regularly tow a boat or trailer. Sure, it’s not going to tow a huge load – but the 4500 lbs capacity suits us just fine – and saved us from having to get a large SUV (Tahoe, Yukon, Navigator, Sequoia) and enduring its thirsty tendencies at the pump.

3. Mileage. The Acadia gets minivan-like mileage but has the aforementioned capabilities/configuration of a Yukon.

4. Price point. The Acadia can be as expensive/more expensive than its counterparts, but we just bought and at the supplier pricing going on for the (few) remaining 09s, we got a nicely equipped one with DVD, rear-camera, AWD, etc. for under $36K, and with 0% for five years. Very tough to find a deal like that with any other competitor.

I think Frank did a good job with the review, criticizing the Acadia where it deserved it. I, too, wish GM would spend the cash on the interior and keep it at its price point – if only… but it would have a real world beater.

BTW, I’m told the 2010s have the “visibility package” standard in all trims, along with power liftgate. So that’s nice.

Will be interesting to see how the new GMC Terrain competes, as it seems like it’s going to replace the Envoy and Torrent.

BTW, I did also look at the RAV4 and hated it with a passion. The seats were horribly uncomfortable, it rode really rough, and I felt like I was snuggling with the front seat passenger because it was so narrow. I tried to make myself like it because of the better fuel mileage and cheaper price, but it was just too icky for me.

I ended up with a Ford Edge. Plenty of room for my 2 kids in carseats, and my german shepherd fits nicely in the cargo area. Only gripe about it is I keep hitting my head getting in because it’s so much shorter than I’m used to.

The RAV4 was definitely appealing due to its fuel economy, but size-wise simply did not meet our needs. And I’ll emphasize needs, not preferences. Even a small family needs not only seating room but room for a lot of cargo. I’ve not regretted the decision – the Highlander and Pilot were not options at the time – the Highlander was quite a bit smaller in the last model year, and both it and the Pilot were due for a new 2008 model so I did not consider the 2007s. If I were shopping today I would certainly consider them as well, but have no regrets with the Acadia. It runs well, is quiet and smooth, gets excellent fuel economy for its size/class, and has plenty of feaures at a fairly cheap price (I’ve never stepped into a Honda or Toyota dealership where I can get $3000 in incentives and 0% financing). From an subjective standpoint, its also a lot nicer looking IMHO than the other two.

I’d personally give it a 4 out of 5 – the interior could be nicer, yes, but its not that bad (and frankly better IMHO that the RAV4s, if we’re going to make that comparison). I agree with the nits mentioned here – not having a handle on the third row and the chrome details inside reflect too much sunlight were obvious oversights.

When you can pay essentially the same price for a top-of-the line RAV4 or SLT2 Acadia, it was obvious to me where the value was.

I still haven’t been able to figure out why people get so upset over the whole SUV craze…what is it with these folks and SUVs? Heck, minivans are just as wasteful and “evil” as SUVs…yet you rarely hear people railing against minivan owners. Maybe everyone should just drive a Prius – heck, they’ll fit 9 people just so long as they’re small and don’t mind being knocked around a bit.

While I’m obviously exaggerating for effect, my point is that no matter what vehicle you drive you could actually get away with something smaller and more fuel-efficient. Perhaps SUV owners are victims of fashion, and minivan owners are victims of convenience…but let’s face it, *all* of us drive more vehicle than we need. They say that people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, and from where I’m sitting that’s all I can see. Heck, I have a 30+ mpg 4 cylinder sedan as my daily driver, and yet there are people out there who would say that I’m still wasteful because I don’t carpool. Or, maybe I could drive one of those little scooter things…it’s only 10 miles to work, and I probably wouldn’t freeze my face off in the winter. If I wasn’t handicapped I suppose I could ride a bike to work…though maybe the neighbor kid could pedal me to work, and I could sit on the handlebars.

What happened to just buying what we want? Should the guy buying an M3 feel guilty because his car gets worse mileage than a Prius? Should we criticize the guy in the Prius because he doesn’t carpool or ride the bus? The problem with being holier-than-thou is that there’s always someone out there holier than you.

Okay, I’m off my soapbox…I just don’t see why we need to justify our vehicle decisions, or why we would expect other people to justify theirs. I have 5 different cars & trucks right now, and I have the same reason for buying all of them – I wanted to.

If you have enough kids to fill both rows (like we do every other week) you wouldn’t put your car seat/booster seats in the third row IMHO.

The published dimensions of the Sienna vs the Outlook show that while the overall length is the same, there is a huge difference in the 3rd row legroom as one would expect in a minivan which has been disguised to look like an SUV. Passenger volume in the Sienna is about 20 cu ft more than the Outlook, also as a result of the SUV-like “styling” of the Saturn.

A Consumer Reports comparison doesn’t actually favor the Outlook’s reliability, although it’s very good for a GM model.

It seems apparent that there are lots of people who want and use the room of a minivan, but the long hood/short interior minivan design of the three-row CUV makes little sense for those who would use the third row or want added cargo volume.

But how does it dive. All you say about the drive is that the engine is quiet?
How about real life MPG?

By the way, I just got a 1998 Passat with only 80k on it for $1000. Very nice ride.

I need to comment on the “need” for a third row in almost any vehicle outside of a van/bus.

My wife, when we were looking for a new vehicle three years ago insisted that we should get a vehicle with a third row. We have one child who will be three in a month and we are having NO more (doctors can work wonders with a knife). She thought we needed it for when family came into town with their kids, etc. I argued that it was a ridiculous expense – vehicle would cost more, have higher insurance costs, and fuel mileage would probably be lower than some of our possible choices that didn’t have a third row. Of course it narrowed our choices considerably considering that we both wanted a manual tranny, and if we really wanted/needed that feature we should just get a van (of which she or I will NEVER do). She finally bailed out on the idea. My primary arguement was “how many times in a given year will you REALLY need this feature and can we substitute it with a rental, etc.”? This falls into the reasons I purchased a two-wheel drive 2000 Passat GLX with a manual tranny. When I was shopping (I lived in Colorado at the time) I asked myself how many times I REALLY would like to have all-wheel/4motion and I figured that it would be six or seven times a year. I ski all the time and in spite of this I never had a problem getting up there. And as those who live in Denver know, Denver isn’t all that bad for snow. The 4Motion required an auto (which I did NOT want) and costed about $1500 more based on recollection. So it was at least $3k more with lower fuel mileage and a slower car. There was no way this was worth it. Along the same lines my wife wanted to finish the basement in our house for when the family came out to see us. When I told her it would cost about $25k to do so and when I clued her into the fact that our in-laws/family DIDN’T come to visit she gave that idea up as well.

Well…same goes for the Ford Edge which almost outsold all three Lambda’s combined. Like Frank, I think the Lambda’s are a little on the big side. We only have 2 kids so saw no need for three rows and the extra 1.5 feet of exterior length—thus we chose the Lincoln MKX over the Acadia. BTW—earlier poster talked about the second row room in the Edge / MKX—-the big and comfortable second row IS one of the primary reasons we chose the MKX—no kids kicking the back of my seat !

True, but the Acadia meets our towing needs. But the Highlander has significantly less cargo capacity, which is a big deal to us.

“By the way, I am curious as to how real-world fuel economy has been, and what about any rattles or trouble spots in the interior?”

The fuel economy is a bit of a disappointment. We’re getting about 16 mpg city. Most of our day-to-day miles are put on by the wife who takes a lot of short around-town trips. It does seem to get better over time, but I would like for it to be closer to 20 mpg. At least it runs on regular. There are no rattles or trouble spots in the interior.

“Are you satisfied with the switchgear?”

Yes.

MPLS:
Plus, most people are not paying $40k for the Acadia, they are paying around $30k.

I doubt it. The Acadia starts at slightly over 30K, and it quickly goes up from there once you start adding any options. AWD is not included in that base MSRP.

Nobody pays stick forer this or any GMC vehicle. On ebay as well as locally brand new base model Acadia’s start at $27k and a SLT2(leather, DVD, moonroof., etc) are at $36k. I live in the midwest where people still tend to buy from Detroit so thes are the highest prices GM can possibly garner.

Except the new Highlander of course, which tows up to 5000lbs. It can tow more than most other CUVs/minivans and it will also tow more than your Acadia.

By the way, I am curious as to how real-world fuel economy has been, and what about any rattles or trouble spots in the interior?

Are you satisfied with the switchgear?

Note to GM/Bob Lutz: simply saying your interior is competitive isn’t enough. It actually has to be, y’know, competitive.

What happened with the 2004 Malibu that GM said would be competitive with the Camry and Accord? It became a fleet queen. If I were a betting man, I would be in Vegas right now betting that this new 2008 Malibu would end up a fleet queen as well.

Then there is the Impala. Didn’t GM say the Impala would be competitive with Honda and Toyota products?

Or how about the Cobalt, that GM said was going to bo competitive with the Civic and Corolla?

We can keep going here, there are countless examples of GM providing more hype than actual product, and yes this DOES include their newest products as well.

Like you said, same old song and dance from GM.

There was so much hype about the Acadia/Enclave/Outlook and what do sales look like? The three models combined *barely* outsold the Highlander by itself.

Wagoner recently stated that he “thinks” GM can increase marketshare for 2008. I hope TTAC keeps this in mind and does a story at the end of 2008 on how wrong Wagoner was. Who here honestly thinks GM will increase it’s marketshare in 2008? GM has very little new product for 2008, meanwhile there are some significant new/redesigned models that the competition has coming. Toyota has the very significant new Matrix and new Corolla for 2008, for example.

Exterior – A good looking vehicle. Nice proportions, nice curves that make it look smaller in person than it actually is.

Interior – I find the material quality to be class competitive (better than the standard GM fare). It’s not Audi, nor is it priced like one. The color contrasts are nice and the shapes are pleasing. Gauge illumination looks very nice. The center stack looks good and the audio and climate controls operate intuitively. The third row will accomodate my 6′ frame, but the low cushion compromises comfort slightly (who really has a fantastic 3rd row?). My only complaints are the aforementioned center chrome A/C vents that reflect sunlight around noon (I’ve only experienced this a couple times, but it’s annoying as hell when it happens), and the unpleasantly textured standard (non-leather wrapped) steering wheel. With all seats folded down, it is nearly as roomy as a minivan, and much roomier than all other CUV’s on the market, including the Mazda CX-9, which I view as its closest competitor. We seldom use the third row, but have on several occasions filled this thing up to the hilt with cargo, so this was a consideration in the purchase decision.

Drivetrain – The 3.6 liter V-6 has decent but not overwhelming power. Most published road tests put the 0-60 time between 8-9 seconds, the best I’ve seen is Car & Driver at 8.1. I feel this is sufficient for a 4900 lb beast. The 6 speed auto shifted jerkily when we got the vehicle, but a quick trip to the dealership for a reprogramming fixed this. It now works smoothly, but seems eager to upshift (a nod to fuel economy).

Handling – Surprising good. The cornering is relatively flat, and I’ve taken turns much faster than I should have without a lot of drama. There is no float in the suspension. The ride is quite good. Try a racetrack manuever and it will fall to pieces like the 2 1/2 ton pig that it is, but most reasonable inputs are met with pleasingly predictable responses.

Towing – We tow a 3800 lb boat/trailer and the task is handled adequately. A little more torque here would be nice, but the 6 speed made the most of the engine output. This was another reason we selected this vehicle, as most other CUV/minivans only tow 3500 lb.

Overall – We are very pleased with this vehicle. There have been no problems in our time with it. Other than the few minor quibbles I mentioned, it has been a very satisfying and reliable vehicle.

Now if you’re talking about a 1994 Toyota Previa All-Trac LE S/C with 154,000 miles that I bought for $500, then you would have a valid point.

I bought this ugly Morkmobile a couple weeks back and let me tell you, it’s one strangely screwed up little bastard.

For starters… you have a 4-cylinder, supercharged, All-Wheel Drive minivan that seats seven. Eight if you go to the boneyard and get a $50 bench. The Previa gets better fuel economy than anything mentioned, probably has a better stereo system (Best Buy gave me two wrong connectors so far), actually goes faster if you put a brick on the accelerator, and is so advanced…. most people can’t even find the engine.

The 2nd Row Leather Seats apparently swivel back and forth which makes it fun for the kids and gin rummy players. Oh, and the car handles like it’s on…. um…. well… it’s probably better than most other minivans of that time.

On a serious note, none of these models mentioned really compare with an Odyssey or Sienna. At least to me, I just don’t see where the value is. Then again, I’m the type of fellow who prefers Jaguar XJ’s and W116’s so the pulse of the SUV loving public is probably well out of my understanding.

I can understand why someone would buy a Hummer. It’s design and driving experience is well outside the proverbial box and dare I say it, fun. But the overwhelming majority of SUV’s strike me as 30 different shades of mediocrity designed by people who have a greater love for market studies than they do cars.

Exactly. This is just another typical case of GM providing more hype for a vehicle than actual substance, and GM’s minions proudly sharing that hype with everyone they talk to. It’s a common misconception that GM’s new interiors are world beaters or class leaders. The lack of little details alone cements this fact.

Case-in-point: the Buick Lucerne. Recall all the hype about it having a Lexus-rivaling interior? Even the bathroom-friendly hardcopy auto rags fawned over it in their first tests.

I work in the rental car industry, and as such, have been in quite a few Lucernes for varying periods of time, including nearly every trim level (base CX to loaded CXS V8 and every CXL combination in between). My mother owns what can be described as the Lucerne’s indirect predecessor – a 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora 4.0. The Lucerne – even in CXS trim – drives worse, rides in a more floaty manner, has a vastly cheaper interior, and generally isn’t even the equal of a seven year old, less expensive Oldsmobile. The second-generation Aurora was even panned for having a cheapened interior compared with its direct predecessor – a car which was designed more than 15 years ago and shared interior bits with the Oldsmobile Achieva, of all things.

I was also thinking, as I sat in a 2008 Grand Prix rental the other day, of how the new-for-2004 GP was supposed to beat the Accord and Camry on interior design and materials quality. Where’d that ever go?

My point: it’s the same tired, old song and dance from GM.

Note to GM/Bob Lutz: simply saying your interior is competitive isn’t enough. It actually has to be, y’know, competitive.

Well here in Ontario we have had a few feet of snow recently. As I was clearing snow off the driveway the other day I noticed one of these new fangled Acadias trying to negotiate the unploughed street. I don’t what tires it had (I am assuming factory all season radials) but it kept getting stuck and at one point it lodged itself firmly against the curb. The driver left his vehicle, walked back to his house to get a shovel. While he was gone an old FWD Corsica with radials passed the Acadia going through the same snow as did a Sunfire, an Elantra, a Montana, a Fusion and a Jeep. A group of people including myself gathered to help the driver and with a lot of pushing and shoving the Acadia broke free only to get stuck again a few meters down the street. This time the driver managed to get it out and as soon as he turned the corner onto a street that had been cleared all was fine. Cars of all description continued to make their way through the deep snow and then another one got stuck, this time a Pontiac Torrent. The pushing and shoving restarted and we soon got Mr. Torrent on his way. At this point we all suddenly got the same idea and fled the scene in case any more GM off-road, AWD (yes both were in 4WD when they got stuck) vehicles came along. Later that afternoon I had to move my son’s 20 year old civic to get my wife’s car out. The street was still not ploughed and I completely forgot about the troublesome snow bank. It all came back to me when I reversed out of the driveway and stopped in the middle of it. Smooth move ExLax! I was stuck fast in a snow bank in a car with old all season radials and less than 4 inches of ground clearance! A few ‘rocking’ motions later I was out and away. This little true story proves little but it does beg the question of why these so-called SUV’s/CUV’s could not negotiate a bit of snow, after all, in Canada a lot of people buy these vehicles because they don’t want to get stuck in the snow.

I can’t speak to this particular circumstance, but I live in mid-east part of the country (an hour or so due south of Pittsburgh, PA), and have yet to get stuck despite quite a bit of snow. We don’t have feet, granted, and we don’t have many snowfalls per year, but we often get ~10 inches 3-4 times per winter. I’ve passed 4WD SUVs that were stuck in my ‘96 Galant (didn’t even have ABS, let alone anything else), and recently in my ‘02 Diamante (it has ABS, as well as traction and stability control, which I turn off for snow driving) on stock-sized Goodyear TripleTreads rain tires. My guess would be it goes down to driver skill and/or the over-assisted traction control systems put into nearly every car these days. If one didn’t know to turn the traction control off (as many people, such as my mother, thing traction control helps you gain traction – though as discussed in the Prius thread a few days back, it’s actually a liability in snow driving more often than not), or if they drove a car in which they couldn’t disable traction control (such as in many GMs and Toyotas), I could see just about anything getting stuck, regardless of how many wheels are driven.

If it’s snowing, I hop into my Diamante, turn the traction control off, watch my speed, and stay out of the icy ruts created by other vehicles. I’ve yet to have a snow-induced wreck or get stuck in any way, and we have hills here that nearly immobilize most cars if even a slight snowfall occurs – as well as road crews that accomplish nothing until many hours later.