The 2024 GMC Acadia begins the third generation of the premium brand’s three-row SUV. It is longer, wider and taller with more space for people and their belongings. GMC also widened the third row for more room for the occasional extra child and booster seat or just for cargo.

All Acadia trims come with a new turbocharged four-cylinder with an eight-speed automatic. All-wheel drive is available on the off-road Acadia AT4 and luxury Denali. When pressed, it can tow 5,000 pounds.

I didn’t do any towing during the week, but I did drive kids and people to and from the suburbs to the city and up north and back to get a good feel for the daily life of this vehicle.

KEEP: Super Cruise

GM Super Cruise is still the best hands-free and eyes-free assisted steering system on the market. There are now three quarters of a million miles of road on which it can be used. Michigan’s major highways are covered, allowing for a good 45 minute drive on I-75 for the next trip. It also operates on the north-south divided highways of central Michigan.

The new automatic lane change system was almost flawless. Only once did it shift into a lane, which immediately slowed down. When you’re about to change, an icon flashes on the center screen and the seat on the side where you’re changing vibrates. Fortunately, it can be set above the speed limit.

CHANGE: Powertrain

The 2025 Acadia has a new turbocharged powerplant with an acceptable 328 horsepower, but for some reason it feels like it’s working hard in this application when loaded with adults. The four-cylinder also makes 326 pound-feet of torque, but it rumbles in the cabin at high revs. In a GMC, we’d expect more sound deadening technology or materials (or both).

It’s also supposed to return 21 miles per gallon (mpg) in combined city and highway driving, though it was mostly older than a hundred miles or so during our week of ownership.

KEEP: Comfortable ride

Despite the engine, the new Acadia’s ride is excellent with all small and medium bumps absorbed and large ones mostly dampened. The SUV does a great job of staying true even when bouncing around that tattered roof.

Even on a bouncy dirt road, it stayed straight. I selected all-wheel drive with a button on the dashboard and let the system distribute power back and forth and side to side on slippery surfaces.

CHANGE: Screen properties

The portrait screen looked great, but the icons are tiny and mostly monochrome. Google News is easy to see out of the corner of your eye, but everything else has to be searched for. And the driver-facing Super Cruise camera noticed and scolded me for looking away from the windshield.

Apple CarPlay has made it a little easier, mainly thanks to the easy-to-read colored icons we’re all used to, but they’re also small. I don’t mind if CarPlay doesn’t take up the whole screen – I like having access to some native features – but those Apple icons should be huge too. And maybe my eyes aren’t what they used to be

KEEP IT: GMC interior

The 2025 Acadia looks and feels like a GMC from the driver’s seat. The stitching is impeccable and the three rows do a good job of bringing the GM industrial feel with a luxury accent. The controls are robust and all have good plug-in sounds. There is no confusion when flipping a switch or pressing a button.

The seats are also beautiful with patterns and panels and perforations for heating and cooling. They are comfortable and adjustable for the perfect riding position. Most of the common touch points are comfortable and the storage spaces are smart for a family of four with lots of travel stuff.