2007 GMC Acadia SLT AWD

2007 GMC Acadia SLT AWD - In any case, the change was fortuitous, because the Acadia is not a truck. Not in the traditional body-on-frame truck sense. It looks sorta like a truck, and the EPA calls it a truck, but the bones are front-drive unibody. They call it the Lambda architecture, designed for GM’s big new front-drive utility vehicles. The result is one of those new-breed rides we call crossovers — neither car nor truck, and a first for GMC.

Separated from her boyfriend, Gabriel Lajeunesse, when the Redcoats herded the Acadians onto transports, Evangeline wound up in Louisiana and spent the rest of her life trying to reconnect with Gabriel. And even though she was a fictional figure, she has come to be regarded as the original queen of the Cajuns. (Acadians.Cajuns. Get it?)

That’s the essence of this new GM line, which includes the Saturn Outlook, with the Buick Enclave due next fall. Although these new vehicles lack sliding doors and have more ground clearance, they serve essentially the same function as minivans. They have to serve that function, because GM, like Ford, is giving up on minivans. So you can forget about the Buick Terraza, Chevy Uplander, and Saturn Relay. Which should be pretty easy.

To be fair, most minivans have more cargo capacity than this, but they don’t have the Acadia’s ground clearance (7.4 inches) or towing capacity: with the Trail­er­ing package (primarily a bigger radiator) it’s rated to drag a trailer weighing up to 4500 pounds. Body-on-frame SUVs have a clear advantage in this area — half-ton Yukon trailering limits range between 7500 and 8200 pounds, but 4500 is pretty good for a unibodied vehicle that’s primarily a front-driver. The basic trailering capability for the Honda Pilot, for example, is 3500 pounds.

Interpreting from the finished product, the Acadia design charter seems to have been to duplicate the Pilot’s excellent ergonomics, build quality, and nimble (by SUV standards) dynamics on a larger scale. We have to say mission accomplished. The Acadia’s responses are, inevitably, tempered by its mass, but those responses measure up as exceptional among vehicles in this size class.

We’re talking about arresting 2.5 tons on 255/60-19 Goodyear Eagle RS-A mud-and-snow tires. For contrast, the last BMW X5 we tested [C/D, November 2004] required 168 feet for its 70-mph stop. The last Porsche Cayenne [C/D, January 2005]: 175 feet. The Honda Pilot, now celebrating its sixth C/D 5Best Trucks award: 195 feet. The latest Tahoe: 201 feet, two-thirds of a football field.

From a standing start, the Acadia takes 8.1 seconds to hit 60 mph and 16.4 seconds at 85 mph in the quarter-mile. That’s a half-second slower than the Pilot in both categories, although a bit quicker than the Tahoe. Accelerating from 50 to 70 mph consumes 6.0 seconds, 0.7 second slower than either the Tahoe or Pilot. The new six-speed auto is a smoothie, and it makes the most of the engine’s output, but the Acadia isn’t going to pin anyone against the seatbacks.

In the realm of everyday family usefulness and livability, the Acadia is going to be a very pleasant traveling companion. The second and third rows provide adult roominess, and the second row provides fore-and-aft adjustability as well as reclining seatbacks. They can also be folded up against the front seatbacks, in addition to flat.

The only real demerit from a driver’s perspective is the view to the rear. Forward sightlines are excellent, thanks to a relatively low cowl and sloping hood, but it’s another story when you’re backing up. The backlight is high, making it hard to see much in the immediate rear. GMC offers a rearview-camera option for the Acadia. It wasn’t part of our otherwise loaded test vehicle, and we recommend it for illuminating those backup blind spots. It’s also great for centering on a trailer hitch.