The 2007 Acadia will be GMC's first volley in the CUV segment. Built on an all-new Lambda platform, the Acadia soon will be flanked in the GM family of SUVs by the Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave. Although the three will share the same unibody, engine and suspension systems, the three will have unique interiors, exterior designs, and different features. Acadia designers and engineers benchmarked vehicles like the Acura MDX, Dodge Durango, and even some sport sedans before arriving at the vehicle that will go into production.


2007 GMC Acadia Photo Gallery

Exterior Design

Acadia will be available in two trim levels: SLT, which will be the top of the line, and SLE will be the entry level trim, as it is with all GMC products.

The short front and rear overhangs, pronounced wheel arches, and lowered cab help give the Acadia more of a sporty appearance. In addition, a lot of attention was devoted to aerodynamics, with the overall coefficient of drag at a low 0.344, close to the Corvette Z06's 0.31; an impressive number for a CUV.

The front fascia features the trademark GMC grille, but with a wider, more angular shape. The large dual halogen projector beam headlamps (High Intensity Discharge lamps are optional) have a distinctive design that blend nicely into the body panels. Chrome details, inset foglamps and a lower air intake project the sporty image GMC designers wanted to emphasize.

Around back, the Acadia features wraparound taillamps and an available power rear liftgate. More chrome details, a quad-exhaust setup, and standard 18-inch wheels and tires (19s optional, 20s to come soon after) complete the strong exterior styling.

Powerplant

Under the hood is one engine choice: a 3.6-liter V-6 with Variable Valve Timing, good for estimated horsepower and torque numbers of 267 and 247, respectively. This also will be the powerplant for both the Outlook and the Enclave. The engine is mated to a new Hydra-Matic 6T75 electronically controlled six-speed automatic transmission.

The engine compartment is compact, to state the obvious. Everything is covered to help reduce engine noise from entering the cabin. The battery is located in the middle of the body, underneath the second row seats. This allows for more room in the engine bay, as well as keeps the battery cooler to help with induction. Positive and ground connectors are located on the passenger side under the hood if a jump start is ever required.

Body Structure

Acadia is built on a body-frame integral setup, which means it has all the strength of a body on frame in a unibody design. It utilizes dual-phase steel for structural integrity and patented corrugated inserts on the front rails to help absorb the kinetic energy of a frontal impact. This platform design allows the Acadia to have a maximum tow capacity of 4,500 pounds.

Safety

Six airbags will be standard on all GMC Acadia models, and include dual-stage front airbags, front row seat-mounted side airbags, and side curtain airbags at all three rows that include a rollover sensing feature that is part of the Rollover Mitigation System. The front- or all-wheel-drive Acadia also offers standard ABS, standard StabiliTrak stability control, and standard traction control. Traction control is even standard on AWD models.

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