G14 AUTOMOTIVE
OPQRS
THE CAR PAGES Too much is not always a good thing
S cornwall, n.y.
uch mixed feelings: Driving a vehicle that has more of everything while being keenly
aware that you and the vehicle in question would be better off with substantially less. It is the Denali Effect, evident in
the 2011 GMC Acadia Denali crossover utility mobile, which also masquerades as a sport-utility vehicle. It suffers from what politicians
might call “overreach.” And indeed, who would know better than those masters of the art of being all things to all people, decrying federal debt with one voice while passionately arguing against budget cuts and higher taxes with another? The Acadia Denali with all-wheel
drive, sampled for this column, attempts something similar. It boasts “premium luxury” while declaring itself a master of the rough-and-tumble universe, ready for “any challenge you can send its way,” according to its marketers. The implication is that the
Acadia Denali, the top of the four- member Acadia crossover line, can dance the light fantastic along rugged off-road trails while providing all the amenities of a luxury home. On top of that, it promises to be a best friend of the environment and your pocketbook, delivering a “class leading” 16 miles per gallon in the city and 23 on the highway. But “class” in the automobile
industry, as it is in society in general, is very much amatter of perception. Let us say, for example, that the
Acadia Denali crossover and the 2011Honda Odyssey Touring Elite minivan are premium members of the PHC (People-Hauling Class). The Odyssey Touring Elite has front-wheel drive. The subject Acadia Denali offers all-wheel drive as an option. Both comfortably accommodate
eight people. Both, with proper winter tires, can get you through snowstorms. Both offer every electronic amenity and connectivity
GM/WIECK
hospital or to traffic court in the Odyssey Touring Elite just as quickly as you can in the Acadia Denali. An urban traffic jam in one is just as frustrating as it is in the other.
WARREN BROWN On Wheels
portal demanded by today’s consumer. Both have V-6 engines that use regular gasoline—a3.5- liter V-6 (248 horsepower, 250 foot- pounds of torque) for the Odyssey Touring Elite, a 3.6-liter V-6 (288 horsepower, 270 foot-pounds of torque) for the Acadia Denali. My experience is that those relatively minor differences in horsepower and torque mean little when it comes to actual on-road performance. You can go to the
Also, there’s this: You are as
unlikely to take the puffed-up all- wheel-drive Acadia Denali off the road as you are unlikely to take the equally puffed, but front-wheel- drive, Odyssey Touring Elite on an off-road romp. Whatmatters is weight. In comparison with the Acadia Denali, the Odyssey Touring Elite has 297 pounds less of that (4,560 pounds for theHonda product, compared with 4,857 pounds for the Acadia Denali). The Odyssey Touring Elite’s
relative lightness of being translates to better handling and better fuel economy (19 miles per
gallon in the city and 28 on the highway). That is what buggedme about
the Acadia Denali. Although it is an excellently crafted people hauler— comfortable, luxurious, safe—it is a heavy runner. You feel its weight in tight city traffic. You account for its weight at the gas pump. And you pay for its extra weight at point of sale—a base $45,220 for the Acadia Denali, compared with a base $43,250 for the Odyssey Touring Elite. In fairness, much of the Acadia
Denali’s weight also comes from GeneralMotors’ affection for stuffing sound-deadening materials in its premium vehicles. The Acadia Denali’s interior is so quiet, it’s eerie. Behind its wheel, I don’t know whether to kneel and pray, or drive.
brownw@washpost.com
BD
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2010
NUTS&BOLTS 2011 GMC Acadia Denali
Bottom line: The extra weight bothers me. I feel it. It makes me think there is too much of something there, something I could do without.
Ride, acceleration and handling: Ride gets superior marks. The Acadia Denali is a motorized womb. Acceleration and handling are very good at highway speeds, but they are discernibly ponderous in the city.
Body style/layout: The GMC Acadia is a full-size, front- engine, unitized-body-construction crossover utility vehicle — a minivan with SUV pretensions. It is available with front- wheel or all-wheel drive. It is offered in four trim levels: SL, SLE, SLT and the top-of-the-line Denali.
Head-turning quotient: It’s the motorized version of French provincial styling — attractive, but decidedly overdone.
Engine/transmission: The Denali uses the GMC Acadia line’s standard 3.6-liter, 24-valve, direct-injection gasoline engine (288 horsepower, 270 foot-pounds of torque). It is linked to a six-speed transmission that can be shifted automatically or manually.
Capacities: There are seats for eight people. Maximum cargo capacity with middle and rear seats lowered is 117 cubic feet.With middle and rear seats raised, luggage capacity is 24.1 cubic feet. Fuel capacity is 22 gallons; regular gasoline is recommended.
Mileage: My real-world highway mileage, running with three adult passengers and an estimated 400 pounds of their luggage, was 22 miles per gallon. I averaged 15 miles per gallon in the city.
Safety: Standard equipment includes front and rear ventilated disc brakes, anti-lock brake protection, electronic brake-force distribution, electronic stability and traction control, side and head air bags, and a six-month initial subscription to the OnStar emergency communications and navigation system. The OnStar system is firmly recommended by this column. It can save your life.
Price: The base price for the 2011 GMC Acadia Denali with all-wheel drive is $45,220. Dealer’s invoice price on that model is $42,959. Price as tested is $49,630, including $3,635 in options (onboard navigation with backup camera, rear-cabin audiovisual entertainment system and second- row console) and a $775 destination charge. Dealer’s price as tested is $46,933. Customer rebates and other incentives totaling $2,000 were available at this writing. Hint: The best value in the Acadia line is the front-wheel- drive Acadia SLE, starting at $34,465.
6 Next week: The 2011 Toyota Venza compact crossover.
(Can’t we admit we still need station wagons and minivans?) 3
washingtonpost.com/cars: Search a database of past reviews, plus the latest auto news.
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