In an economy of ever-soaring gas prices, unless you’re in construction or hauling a family, it’s hard to really justify driving a large SUV - or truck - of any kind. They’re big, tough to maneuver, and take more than 80-litres of gas to fill from empty - however, deep in the crevices of those big leather seats, there is some desire that comes with driving a truck that is evident as soon as you put the key in the ignition and light that engine up. That desire is called power. Power that you don’t get from driving the small to medium-sized sedans in market.

So, after a week of driving this monster was my desire for power suppressed? Read on to find out.

First Impressions:

I still can’t put my finger on why, but the aesthetic appeal of the Acadia struck a chord with me. Not sure if it was the uni-body design or the 288-horsepower, direct-injected 3.6-liter V-6 six-speed automatic transmission, but I felt compelled to drive it everywhere and anywhere. It was comfortable (sat eight comfortably), well designed, and drove like a champ (let’s just not talk about the gas mileage, because frankly, I still have a bad taste in my mouth about it), and emanated the kind of masculinity only found in a full-sized in its category. While I’ve driven several larger SUV’s in my time, the GMC Acadia felt like it was made to be a truck first, offer an experience second; something other trucks in its class just don’t offer.

IntelliLink System:

Though a bit tricky to manoeuvre through for a first time user, once linked up with my device, I found GMC’s “IntelliLink” Infotainment system very easy to figure out. You’re given access to XM radio, sound source options for bluetooth A2DP (which worked fantastic for RDIO), USB port, or just your device’s internal memory. One highlight was how easy it was to pair with my phone and, of course, how clear the calls were when in use. The system was very intuitive and began learning from frequent actions; at one point it even offered me the option of my favorite XM channel before I needed to change to it.

Trunk Space:

We mentioned above that the Acadia seats 8 comfortably, so you can imagine with those seats down, the space this truck offers. A friend and I had to move a couch (sorry, no pictures were taken, something I fully regret now) during the week that I had the Acadia and the couch fit so well in the trunk, you’d think GMC designed the trunk around the three seater.

Overall:

All in all, the Acadia isn’t made for everyone and frankly GMC doesn’t want everyone owning it. It’s made for the person who needs a well built, long-lasting, take-no-prisoners workhorse of a truck. While it isn’t at all practical for a city living young professional like me, a suburban father of three would appreciate its price point $35K and inclusive offerings.

Learn more about the 2013 GMC Acadia here

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