2024 GMC Acadia Denali Review: Full Of Features, But Short On Fun

Describing something as merely “competent” can sound like a bad thing, especially if you don’t have any other accolades to bestow. It’s meant entirely as a compliment when I use it to summarize the 2024 GMC Acadia Denali. The Acadia sits in a fiercely competitive segment, of two-row luxury SUVs. It faces strong rivals from not only American brands like Ford, and Japanese brands including Toyota and Honda (not to mention their upscale Lexus and Acura counterparts), but also German brands like BMW, Mercedes, and Volkswagen. That’s before you get to the fact that the Acadia has other brands within General Motors to spar against, like Chevy, Buick, and Cadillac.

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Despite the heavy incoming fire, the GMC Acadia shines. Not as a flashy SUV that will wow you with brilliance and gadgety toys, but standing out with its confidence and competent attitude. It’s boring in the best possible way; in the same way that you probably don’t want an oven to be exciting, and nor do you want your accountant to be extravagant. You want them to do their job. The GMC Acadia does its job, and it does it very well.

The Acadia, as a model within GM’s oeuvre, slots between the Terrain and the Yukon. It rides on the same platform as the Chevy Traverse, and though billed as “mid-size” SUV by GMC, in reality it’s positively huge (more on which later). Under its hood is a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that generates a healthy 328 horsepower and 326 pound-feet of torque. Paired to that engine is an eight-speed automatic transmission, an inoffensive gearbox familiar from many other vehicles in General Motors’ line-up. 

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Those features are present no matter what flavor of the Acadia you decide to sample, but the Acadia I was tasked with reviewing was a Denali. That nameplate means it’s GMC’s version of a bona-fide luxury car, second only to Cadillac in included features. Among GM fan circles, Denali-trimmed cars are given descriptors like “great” and “dang dude, how did you afford that?” Prior to the Acadia, I had only one experience with a Denali and it was a 2005 Yukon XL that could only be described as “tired.” So, consider me highly curious to see what GMC had to offer.

To give the 2024 Acadia a good test, I drove up to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for some sightseeing and junk shopping with a friend of mine. Over the course of all of my tests, I like to get the opinion of friends and family. We spent about two hours in the Acadia Denali and, by the end of that period, my friend declared it to be “very nice.” I would say that’s a ringing endorsement, given that the chief end of a car is to provide transportation.

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Given the Acadia’s notable heft, parking on the narrow and somewhat crowded streets of the towns surrounding Gettysburg was a bit of a challenge. However, with the Acadia’s array of safety sensors and camera’s it wasn’t entirely insurmountable. All those sensors might not make a lot of sense (ha, get it?) in a giant rural parking lot, but they can be a good set of eyes when traffic is less than forgiving. On open roads, it ate miles like it was nothing and I could spend several hours behind the wheel without feeling much strain.

Over the whole week, I noticed (or actually didn’t notice) one important detail regarding the Acadia. It wasn’t exciting in any definition of the word. Looks wise, it’s just a scaled down Yukon; the interior doesn’t have the same intricate visual cacophony of something like a BMW X6; and it doesn’t look like a swanky private jet as per a Cadillac Escalade. It’s simply well constructed and comfortable. The white leather might be the only hint of any personality at all. Performance wise, it doesn’t stand out at all, aside from the faintest engine growl.

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I would argue that the GMC’s quiet competence is a strength rather than a weakness to a certain demographic of car buyers. It shows up to work and does the job without any note of fuss; it might not crack a joke at the water cooler, or have anything particularly interesting to say at happy hour, but it gets things done with the best of them. The GMC Acadia Denali is the automotive equivalent of a credit score in the 800s and nicely diversified 401k and retirement account; very good, and not even remotely interesting.

With all of the strength the GMC demonstrates, it is weak in a few areas. It’s really big and, at times, can be cumbersome to drive. The hood is long and you sit high off the ground, which has an impact on visibility. GMC notes that it’s 10.6 inches longer than older Acadias — in fact, that increase in scale was intentional to add to the latest Acadia’s prestige — and that translates to somewhat nautical steering and navigating experiences in tight spaces. 328 horsepower seems like a lot, but the Acadia is not quick. It’s not lethargic or slow, it just doesn’t move with much zest or hurry.

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Still, GMC says it can tow upwards of 5,000 pounds, so all that oomph clearly has value in places other than speed. As one would expect from a vehicle like the Acadia, fuel economy wasn’t fantastic. I could only manage around 22 miles per gallon over the five days I had the SUV, and that is actually slightly better than GMC’s estimate of 21 miles per gallon. A hybrid drivetrain might a worthwhile addition for future GMC models; beyond the near-six-figure ridiculousness that is the Hummer EV SUV, an electric GMC SUV equivalent to the Chevrolet Blazer EV or Cadillac Lyriq is conspicuous by its absence.

While not as flashy as Cadillac, GMC models do sit towards the higher end of GM’s price bracket. The 2024 GMC Acadia starts at $43,995 and that’s without the addition of all-wheel drive. The Denali with all-wheel drive starts at $57,695. At the risk of this review consisting almost entirety of an options list, the standard equipment on the 2024 Acadia Denali is fairly staggering: a heads-up display, a wireless charging pad, triple-zone climate control, heated and ventilated front seats, power folding third row, a 15-inch infotainment system, adaptive cruise control, and an automatic lift gate. 

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The Acadia I tested was fitted with the $3,490 Super Cruise Package which add’s GM’s hands-free driver assistance features; as we’ve seen on other GMC models, it supports automatic lane-changing when behind slower traffic. It also had the Denali Reserve Package which bumps the stereo to an 18-speaker Bose system, gives it a more plush suspension treatment, adds a panoramic sunroof, and throws on a set of 22-inch wheels. The handsome $495 “Ebony Twilight Metallic” paint scheme and $1,395 destination charge rounded out this Acadia Denali to a total of $64,810. That’s a lot of cash for any vehicle, true, but it’s right in line with higher end Toyotas like the Grand Highlander.

The 2024 Acadia isn’t going to win any awards for speed or showmanship, but it will keep you comforted and happy as long as you are in the cabin. To some SUV buyers, that alone is worth its weight in gold. 

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