2011 Gmc Acadia Sle on 2040-cars

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2013 GMC Acadia Denali

Refreshed, Not Refreshing
I'm probably ill-suited to accurately and fairly take the full measure of a vehicle like the 2013 GMC Acadia Denali. This is a machine conjured around the express notion of corralling and then herding a brood of rafter-swinging hatchlings to and fro in relative comfort, and with no such passel of wee Bowmans to call my own, it's difficult to give this rig a fair shake. While I can certainly weigh cargo capacity, legroom and fuel economy stats with the best of them, I'd be lying to your face if I said the word "crossover" didn't urge some uncontrollable Pavlovian recoil from the murky recesses of my frame. To put it simply, I just can't stand the damn things.
As a rule, the segment is built on a bed of compromise. Manufacturers love nothing more than to spin up a tired yarn about the virtues of this particular neck of the market. We're told the crossbreeds deliver all the ride quality, driving dynamics and fuel economy of a car married with the seating position, capability and interior volume of the SUV set. That all sounds as swell as a sunset, but as the 2013 Acadia Denali so artfully illustrates, the advertising on the box is rarely congruous with the prize inside. Even with an imaginary squad of younglings at my heels, the refreshed luxury crossover doesn't quite manage to scratch the promised itches.

2020 GMC Sierra Heavy Duty First Drive Review | King of the haul

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — The 2020 GMC Sierra Heavy Duty is a bit of a mixed bag. It excels at the tasks an owner is likely to require from a massive pickup truck, but the interior is a definite letdown. Taken as a whole the truck boasts several class-leading specifications and features that make up for the lackluster look and feel of the cabin. And it's much more successful than the mechanically similar Chevy Silverado HD, which shares the Sierra's weaknesses but few of its subjective strengths. GMCÂ’s Sierra HD may share most of its major bits and pieces with the Silverado, but the strongest reason to pick the GMC over the Chevy is that the SLE and SLT trims of the Sierra HD are legitimately handsome. And the rugged, off-road-themed AT4 package is new for 2020 with a blacked-out look that we think a lot of buyers are going to love. Even the ostentatious, chrome-dipped Denali trim looks classy compared to the in-your-face look of FordÂ’s Super Duty line. The same canÂ’t be said for the Silverado HD, which, depending on trim level, varies from garish to just plain ugly. The six-function MultiPro tailgate is the next major differentiator. ItÂ’s not perfect — and mounting a hitch ball in the receiver renders some of its functionality unusable — but itÂ’s unique and potentially very useful to a subset of truck customers. WeÂ’ve covered MultiPro several times already, but if youÂ’re still not clear on its advantages, watch the video below for a demonstration (that's a light-duty Sierra in the video, but the tailgate works the same). This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Another unique selling proposition is the AT4 trim, since Chevrolet doesnÂ’t (yet) offer its Trail Boss package on the Silverado HD. The most obvious competitor to the Heavy Duty AT4 is the Ram Power Wagon, and the GMCÂ’s 3,615 pounds of payload and 18,500 pounds of towing capability handily outdo the RamÂ’s ratings of 1,660 and 10,620. Granted, the trucks arenÂ’t aimed at quite the same buyer — the Power Wagon has legit off-road credibility thanks to upgrades like its electronically disconnected sway bars, 12,000-pound Warn winch, and a forward-facing trail camera. But unlike the GMC Sierra AT4, it isnÂ’t available with a diesel. No matter; those aiming for a rough-and-tumble appearance in a heavy duty now have a couple options.

2018 GMC Sierra Denali can help you tow without breaking a sweat

Towing a trailer once meant that only those who possessed certain knowledge would be able to go fishing, tow a race car or pull a camper safely. For me, it took four long years of practice working a job behind the wheel of a jacked-up Ford F-250, hauling tons upon tons of mowing equipment for my local parks department, to become proficient. Just how far things have come since then became evident after a recent trip to Utah with GMC, in which we used the half-ton Sierra Denali to tow a set of Polaris side-by-sides through the state. Modern safety technology and a suite of electronic aids make towing simple enough that anyone with a driver's license and something to haul can do it. This revelation came behind the leather-wrapped and heated steering wheel of GMC's outgoing 2018 Sierra Denali. Sitting in the plush, heated and cooled captain's chair, I could barely feel the 6,000 pounds I was towing behind me. Even GMC's smallest full-size truck engine, a 5.3-liter V8 generating 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque, felt like overkill for what used to amount to a heavy load. With Utah's pristine landscape, the plush confines of the cabin and the uneventful nature of modern towing, mile after mile just streamed by at highway speeds without incident (or excitement). When we finally reached our destination a few hours later, one of GMC's representatives who had chosen to sit in the rear of the cab asked me what I thought about the drive. I pondered for a few minutes and answered with this: "Modern pickup trucks have removed nearly every skill-based variable once associated with towing. I could drive this truck and trailer confidently with just one finger." Consider the near overabundance of towing-assistance systems in the GMC Sierra Denali that I piloted through Utah. Let's start with the most basic of towing skills — something that's now been relegated to the annals of history: reversing a pickup to meet the trailer's hitch. Once upon a time, this required knowing a truck's dimensions and understanding proximity, as well as having a keen eye, a steady foot for both the gas and the brake and the patience to get it right. Now, though, pickups such as the Sierra Denali offer customers a trailer reverse camera system that helps the driver align truck to hitch with pinpoint accuracy.