It's a family thing. General Motors is never one to let a good idea go to waste but it's only when you look behind the badge that you begin to realise just how far its dedication to platform-sharing goes. Take the Yukon, Tahoe and Escalade - three different brands, three very different looks and packages, yet underneath they have exactly the same running gear. It's no different with today's car.
The Acadia is GMC's version of General Motors' Lambda family of crossovers. It was the first version of what actually became three different vehicles - the Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse, though we only get the first and last of those in the UAE. No matter, our version is the most popular of the lot and it doesn't take long to see why.
It's a big car, more than 5m long, a shade under 2m wide and almost the same in height. The immediate advantage is obvious - space. Depending on how you specify the middle row of seats, you can accommodate seven or eight people in reasonable comfort, though the third row is a bit of a scramble for adults to get into.
For the Ikea run those second and third row seats slide forward or can be folded almost completely flat, opening up a surprisingly large cargo space, essential for all of those flatpack bookcases.
With all seats up, there's a useful 558 litres of space but fold everything flat and that balloons to a massive 3,310 litres of carrying capacity. Many small vans don't have this much room.
You can even have a power operated liftgate, which makes life much simpler when you have your hands full. That same key fob has another handy button - remote start - so the inside of the car can be cooling nicely by the time you've sweated across the car park. Genius.
You might also be glad to find that there is an option of cooled front seats - very nice if you spend a lot of time on the road in the UAE heat.
Time for a road trip
The size of the Acadia has another advantage - there's excellent legroom front and back and the clever sliding seats allow your passengers to make themselves very comfortable, too.
There is also the possibility of fitting video screens into the back of the front seat headrests to keep the little darlings entertained on a long journey.
In fact, long road trips are something you might actually look forward to in the Acadia. The biggest surprise for many is just how car-like it is to drive. Despite its size, the ride and feel are much less like a large SUV than you might expect from the external appearance, and are much closer to the sort of heft and response you would expect from a large saloon car.
This is partly due to the commendably stiff construction of the body and the suppleness of the independent suspension, which is clearly focused on road manners rather than ultimate off-road ability. Given that most Acadias will spend by far the greatest proportion of their time on the school and supermarket runs, this seems a very sensible decision.
Interestingly, the many suspension components are made from aluminium to reduce weight, and this clearly helps with its responsiveness and impressive ride.
There's only one engine option across all trim levels, a direct fuel injection 3.6-litre V-6 producing 288bhp and 366Nm of torque.
What the figures don't tell you is how willing and punchy it feels, again, swift and car-like in its responses rather than ponderous and heavy like its larger brothers.
It's a very modern engine, with double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, giving it a very revy and enthusiastic nature. Drive goes through either the front wheels or via an electronically controlled differential to all four wheels.
This ‘Active Intelligent All Wheel Drive' sends power to the rear wheels when needed, which helps with stability in corners and traction under acceleration, but allows for more economical cruising.
Another car-like feature is the fact that the gearbox has six gears, which can be left in fully Automatic mode, or swapped using a button on the gearstick.
Refined and quietly fast
Out on the highway the Acadia boasts a surprisingly thrilling turn of speed. That V6 engine under the bonnet may not sound like very much but it's quiet and refined and coupled with the equally smooth ride its soft hum can lull you into a false sense that you're simply drifting along a perfect road.
It really does pay to keep an eye on the speedometer to avoid getting too carried away! Fortunately, our car was fitted with a very useful option, a ‘heads-up' display that shows your speed in the windscreen ahead of you. The actual numbers appear to float in the air somewhere over the leading edge of the bonnet but they are clear and readable and higher than you might expect.
Safe and well mannered
With all that speed potential, it is as well that the Acadia comes with a very full set of safety features as standard. There's a combined traction and stability control system called Stabilitrak and this includes rollover mitigation as standard.
For protection of all the occupants, front, front-side, and three-row curtain airbags are also standard.
It is also worth mentioning the brakes, again, nothing fancy, just standard steel discs and abs all round but boy do they work well! Push the pedal hard and you can almost make the Acadia stand on its nose. Fortunately, less aggressive behaviour gives you very progressive control and the Acadia stops smoothly and in a straight line without any sign of distress. If only all SUVs were as well mannered.
Loaded with features
During our time with the Acadia it became abundantly apparent why it is such a big success for GM. It is just incredibly easy to live with. Driving is quiet, stress-free and comfortable and fast when you want it to be. What more can you ask for?
The fact that the Acadia is a mid-size SUV means it is easier to manoeuvre in confined spaces and yet the choice of a relatively compact V6 engine means that there is still plenty of interior space.
It rides well and quietly thanks to the American obsession with sound damping and there are plenty of neat gadgets to enjoy.
How many other cars include separate audio controls in the back? Seems a perfect way to keep the family content.
GM really does seem to have thought of everything and with prices starting around Dh135,000 that's a lot of car for the money.
All it takes is a few minutes behind the wheel to find out for yourself exactly why it is America's most popular SUV.
Inside info
- Engine: 3.6l V6, 288bhp
- Torque: 366 Nm
- Transmission: Six-speed Hydramatic auto box
- Price: From Dh133,000
