Payne: Swank GMC Acadia Denali is a couple cylinders short of luxury

Posted by Talbot Payne on April 30, 2026

The 2026 GMC Acadia comes standard in front-wheel-drive, then can be optioned with AWD in models like the Denali Ultimate and AT4.

The 2026 GMC Acadia comes standard in front-wheel-drive, then can be optioned with AWD in models like the Denali Ultimate and AT4.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Romulus — With the I-94 interchange underwater, I exited Detroit Metro Airport and waded through the flood waters in my 2026 GMC Acadia Denalia. With a GMC truck-like 7.3 inches of ground clearance and all-wheel drive, the big three-ton, three-row ute shrugged off the hazard while smaller cars turned around.

After churning through the Strait of Romulus unscathed, I scaled the on-ramp to I-94 East. Before activating hands-free Super Cruise for my ride into Detroit, I floored the throttle to merge into traffic. GROOOOOAN! droned the four-cylinder engine with a compact car-like note that sounded like the small sedans I had left behind.

The handsome, high-tech, roomy, rugged Acadia is a welcome injection of luxurious GMC cred into the three-row SUV segment, but for one flaw.

It lacks a V-6 or V-8 engine that GMC cred demands.

GMC has become a sales juggernaut in a portfolio hampered by upscale Cadillac and Buick premium brands that carry a lot of baggage.

Read full article here.

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