GMC Acadia - I'm completely shocked
Posted by:
Harvey Xiao
It’s rare that a car commercial fails to do the car justice. Think about this - car manufacturers spend hundreds of thousands of dollars making their vehicles look desirable to consumers on TV and print.
Somehow, this approach doesn’t work well for the Acadia. In photo shoots, the interior looks too flashy and cheap, and its exterior dimensions seem bulky and awkward.
Well, one showed up with my colleague this week (thanks, Hertz) and was immediately crowned “Team Vehicle.” The car scooted the 6 of us around all week in comfort and luxury. Yes, I said luxury. The thing has soft leather seats, a silky smooth drive train, and a capable, quick-shifting transmission. The fit & finish is best in class, and stellar for the brand.
My colleague calls it “Men’s Minivan,” and I tend to agree. The big difference is that this one of the only such vehicles than can really be used like a minivan. Before this came along, Men’s minivans came in the form of Ford Explorers, Dodge Durangos and the like. These were spectacularly inefficient vehicles that lacked 3rd row seats. The Acadia actually seats 6 comfortably (7 if you squeeze) and achieved over 20 mpg in our week of mostly city driving.
So the big question: Would I buy one? Well, if my choices were it or a Tahoe, then yes - absolutely. But when you consider other brands, it’s where the other shock comes in: price. The loaded Acadia we had this week stickers at >$46k! Sorry, GM, that’s infringing on MDX territory. I don’t like it THAT much.
Somehow, this approach doesn’t work well for the Acadia. In photo shoots, the interior looks too flashy and cheap, and its exterior dimensions seem bulky and awkward.
Well, one showed up with my colleague this week (thanks, Hertz) and was immediately crowned “Team Vehicle.” The car scooted the 6 of us around all week in comfort and luxury. Yes, I said luxury. The thing has soft leather seats, a silky smooth drive train, and a capable, quick-shifting transmission. The fit & finish is best in class, and stellar for the brand.
My colleague calls it “Men’s Minivan,” and I tend to agree. The big difference is that this one of the only such vehicles than can really be used like a minivan. Before this came along, Men’s minivans came in the form of Ford Explorers, Dodge Durangos and the like. These were spectacularly inefficient vehicles that lacked 3rd row seats. The Acadia actually seats 6 comfortably (7 if you squeeze) and achieved over 20 mpg in our week of mostly city driving.
So the big question: Would I buy one? Well, if my choices were it or a Tahoe, then yes - absolutely. But when you consider other brands, it’s where the other shock comes in: price. The loaded Acadia we had this week stickers at >$46k! Sorry, GM, that’s infringing on MDX territory. I don’t like it THAT much.
Nicholas Hsu 
John Shen 
Harvey Xiao 
Middleclassmotoring 
Sicheng Su 
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