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Odd One Out for Gmc

GMC, formerly known as GMC Truck, has always been known for producing, as the name suggests, trucks. Aside from trucks though, the General Motors brand also produces vans and SUVs for the United States auto market. Recently though, GMC came out with a vehicle that seems to be out of place in its lineup - a crossover SUV which goes by the name GMC Acadia.

General Motors started marketing the GMC Acadia in the United States in December last year. The introduction of the Acadia is in response to the growing demand for vehicles with flexibility and the roominess of an SUV but with handling and fuel efficiency similar to smaller cars.

The crossover SUV market is the fastest growing segment today in the auto market and General Motors decided to give GMC its first crossover vehicle. The Acadia is built around the same platform as the luxury crossover SUV Buick Enclave and the Saturn Outlook. These three vehicles are built around the General Motors Lambda platform. Of the three, the Enclave is priced the highest while the Acadia is the mid-priced sibling and the Outlook the least expensive of the three.

According to General Motors, starting price for the Acadia is $36,495. That figure is for the front-wheel drive base model. For the upscale all-wheel drive SLT trim Acadia, pricing starts at $60,000. Compared to other crossover SUVs, the Acadia is priced lower which is an effort by General Motors to increase sales.

With the upscale Acadia SLT, customers will be treated to a complete lineup comfort, convenience, and entertainment features the industry has to offer. General Motors though has given the GMC features which are not offered by its competitors. Its Xenon lighting and 19-inch wheels are just the tip of the iceberg for the Acadia in terms of features.

One of the Acadia’s not-so-common features is its remote start capabilities complemented by heated leather seats. This feature comes in handy during winter and cold seasons. With a touch of a button, a driver can start the vehicle and heat the seats before jumping behind the wheel instead of suffering the cold while starting the car and waiting for the seat to heat up.

Another unique feature that the Acadia boasts of is its heated washer fluid. In just 15 seconds, the Acadia can heat the washer fluid before squirting it against the windshield to get rid of bugs stuck to it. The heads-up information display ensures that drivers need not take their eyes off the road to check for needed information.

Aside from the 12-Volt outlet, the Acadia also offers a 110-Volt outlet which makes it easy to recharge and power up different gadgets. Aside from this, General Motors promise a lot more features for the upscale version of the GMC Acadia.

Powering the Acadia is General Motors’ 3.6-liter V6 engine with an output of 275 horsepower. The power produced by the engine can be enhanced by aftermarket parts such as GMC cold air intake. Transmitting the power of the engine to the drive wheels is the task of General Motors’ six-speed automatic transmission. This gearbox is equipped with a tow-haul mode. While this is an automatic transmission, it lets drivers change gears on their own with a manu-matic mode.

About the Author

Given her background on cars as an auto insurance director, Lauren Woods finds the world of cars to be constantly changing.

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