The GMC Acadia will be dramatically downsized from the big crossover that has been in service for almost a decade when the next generation rolls out this spring. The 2017 Acadia rides on a new platform that makes extensive use of high-strength steel, which helps make the new model about 700 pounds lighter than its predecessor.
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The Acadia, which competes in a segment with a new Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander and Jeep Grand Cherokee, starts at $31,900 for the 2016 model.
The 2017 Acadia also gets better gas mileage.
GM also confirmed it will shift production of the Acadia from its Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant to its Spring Hill Assembly Plant in Tennessee.
Both engines will be paired with a six-speed automatic gearbox and customers will also have the option to buy front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Depending on the model, the Acadia is available in 5-, 6-, or 7-passenger configurations. City fuel economy is a GM-estimated 22 mpg with the help of GMC’s first stop/start technology.
A more powerful alternative is the 3.6-liter V6 producing 310 hp at 6,600 rpm and 271 lb-ft at 5,000 rpm.
It’s important for GMC to offer up its new Acadia with all of the tech you’d expect to find in a new GM vehicle.
A new drive mode selector includes Normal, Snow, Sport and Trailer/Tow modes for FWD Acadias, and 2×4 AWD disconnect, 4×4, Sport, Off Road and Trailer/Tow modes for AWD models.
A new, five-passenger All Terrain model joins the lineup and visually sets itself apart with a body-color grille surround, black chrome trim, and special wheels. The Acadia gets new wraparound headlamps and grilles.
The exterior design changes are subtle, with some of the current Acadia’s angular, trucklike cues giving way to smoother lines. The now-midsized SUV sports a split-folding second-row seat, with the outboard seats sliding and tilting forward, even with a forward-facing child seat in place. Instead of a third row, the All Terrain trim feature covered storage bins in the cargo area. When equipped, the third row folds flat in a 50/50 split and offers a maximum of 79 cubic feet of total cargo space, down from 2016’s 116.1 cubic feet. A rear seat alert feature is standard and lets drivers know when an item has been left in any of the rear seats, and USB charge ports are in all three rows to keep things like tablets and smartphones juiced up.
Phone integration through the optional IntelliLink system offers both Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto, while internet access is available with an OnStar 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot.
The new Acadia is available with a new Tow Vision Trailering system that uses a camera with guidelines to assist when hitching up to a trailer.
If you’ve ever driven the current Acadia, you know that it’s longer, wider, and porkier than many of its mid-size crossover SUV competitors making me think GMC’s decision to right-size the new Acadia is a smart move.
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The much talked about 2017 GMC Acadia makes its big debut at the Detroit Auto Show today.
