The GMC Acadia debuted for 2007 as one of the first stretched three-row crossover utes to hit the streets. But by the time the second gen rolled around, GMC felt a shorter, nimbler Acadia would be the hot ticket. Well, it turns out fans wanted their Acadias large and in charge, so for 2024 the Acadia returns to its extended status.

Yes, the Acadia is now large and in charge once again, but there’s a lot more to this 2024 GMC Acadia than just casting a bigger shadow. Just for reference, the original Acadia was 200.7 inches in length with three rows of seating standard; second gen saw overall length shrink by 7 inches. This one, at 204 inches long, is even bigger than the original, on a 121-inch wheelbase, which is also 2 inches longer than first gen.
From the base Elevation you can take the rugged route to AT4 trim or to luxury-minded Denali. Only the AT4 gets all-wheel drive standard; it’s a $2,000 option for front-wheel-drive Elevation and Denali.

We opted for the Denali which gets the signature Denali grille, bright trim work, and available 22-inch wheels. But there are bigger benefits inside, fancy materials with even fancier names like Galvano chrome and laser-etched wood. Now, some might call it a little over the top, but that’s exactly what Denali buyers want. A Bose sound system with Active Noise Cancellation is included, but buyers can upgrade from 12 to 16 speakers. GM’s SuperCruise driver assistance is also available. Front seats are wide, finely stitched, and fully onboard with the luxury vibe.

Second row can be a three-place bench or pair of captain’s chairs making seating for either seven or eight, as a third row remains standard. The captain’s chairs here in the Denali have lots of adjustment and are super comfortable. Seatbacks fold down with just the touch of a button, while the third row gets full power operation.

And it is cargo space that benefits most in this bigger Acadia, especially behind the third row which sees an 80% increase to 23.0 cubic-feet; there’s 57.3 cubic-feet of space behind the second row seatbacks, and a max 97.5 with all seatbacks folded flat. Up front, there’s a big Google-based, 15-inch, portrait-style infotainment screen, with a few manual controls along the bottom.

A standard V6 engine was part of Acadia’s journey at the beginning, but became optional for the second gen where a four-cylinder was more appropriate for its smaller size. Third gen is biggest of all, but there’s strictly four-cylinder power these days. Though it is a new turbocharged 2.5-liter unit that rocks out 328 horsepower and 326 lb-ft of torque, 18 more horsepower and 55 lb-ft of torque more than the V6. It feels very powerful in most driving situations and is capable of pulling 5,000-lbs of trailer, but it’s also fairly noisy.

Still, there was plenty of power to move this big ute to 60 in 6.8 seconds. It didn’t feel overly powerful off the line regardless of drive mode or any other setting, but all-wheel-drive grip was good, and speed built quickly. All Acadias work with an eight-speed automatic transmission which delivered very smooth shifts that kept the power flowing throughout our quarter-mile, ending in 15.1 seconds at 89 mph. For a big vehicle, it performed quite well in our handling course. Despite soft and vague steering feel, the Acadia exhibited very little body roll or understeer, as Sport mode tightens up the suspension quite nicely. Even with a soft brake pedal, we could feel the ABS working overtime in our panic braking runs; but it’s job well done, with stops averaging only 111 feet from 60 mph.

Surprisingly, City and Combined Government Fuel Economy Ratings for the new four-cylinder with all-wheel drive are exactly the same as the outgoing V6 at 19 City, and 21 Combined; Highway rating is actually 2 less at 24. We averaged 21.7 mpg of Regular.

Pricing starts with Elevation at $43,995; things do elevate from there to AT4 for $51,395 and Denali at $55,695.

Bigger isn’t always better, but it’s clearly a positive outcome for the new Acadia. GM was instrumental in launching the whole large crossover scene, and has since seen a crowd of rivals enter into it. The 2024 GMC Acadia is now even more ready to take them all on than ever.