DETROIT – Electrification is in the air, but not on the GMC stand at the North American International Auto Show, as the brand unveils its new Acadia 3-row CUV that grows in nearly every measure except engine displacement and transmission ratios.
Powered across the trim levels by a 2.5L turbocharged 4-cyl. that delivers 328 hp and 326 lb.-ft. (442 Nm) of torque, GMC’s latest utility vehicle eschews the 310-hp, 271-lb.-ft. (367-Nm) 3.6L V-6 that’s been under the hood for the past generation. GMC also nixes the 2.0L turbo I-4 (228 hp, 258 lb.-ft. [350 Nm]) from the previous model. The ’24 model drops a gear ratio, down to an 8-speed automatic.
Stephanie Ernster, vehicle performance engineer, notes the 7- or 8-passenger CUV is larger in every other dimension: 10.6 ins. (269 mm) longer, 3.2 ins. (81 mm) taller (4 ins. [102 mm] in ATX trim) and riding on an 8.4-in. (213-mm) longer wheelbase. Inside, there’s a 15-in. (38-cm) portrait-oriented information screen paired with an 11-in. (28-cm) instrument cluster. The vehicle touts 80% more cargo space behind the third row, replacing what had been a notoriously undersized luggage area.
The ’24 Acadia gets General Motors’ Super Cruise, the fifth model in the GMC lineup to offer the advanced driver-assistance system that provides hands-free driving and lane-changing assistance on some 400,000 miles (643,738 km) of highways in the U.S. and Canada.
Trims include the base Elevation/Elevation Premium, Denali and AT4, the brand’s rugged off-roading grade. AT4 rides higher and comes with an exclusive Active Torque Control all-wheel-drive system employing a twin-clutch rear differential to direct power as required for traction and control. Denali features a wide array of luxury appointments and equipment, including etched real-wood trim, an available 16-speaker audio system and a power-folding third row.
“Brave, but not intimidating,” is how Ben Zavala, lead exterior designer, describes the Acadia’s large, squared-off front end now becoming familiar across the GMC lineup. Zavala says one of the “wins” in the exterior design involved moving the C-pillar rearward to the D-pillar location, opening up outward visibility for third-row passengers while decreasing visibility into the rear cargo area.
Alex Scartezini, interior lead designer for the CUV, says the Acadia is the first GMC to show off the brand’s new interior design language which he says leans on modern housing architecture for inspiration. It features a wide, horizontal layout and a “waterfall” overlay of materials surrounding the integrated information screen.
Sales of the Acadia have nosedived during its current lifecycle. Since it was last redesigned for ’17, annual volume declined from a high of nearly 100,000 units in 2019 to just 53,000 sales a year ago, Wards Intelligence data shows.
Built at GM’s Lansing (MI) Delta Assembly plant, the ’24 Acadia goes on sale early next year. 
