Holden Acadia is a late entrant into the family seven-seat SUV market in Australia.
It sits in the same segment as the Mazda CX-9, Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe and the Nissan Pathfinder.
The Acadia range comes in three models, the LT, LTZ and LTZ-V in both FWD and optional AWD.
There is one nine-speed auto transmission and one 3.6 litre V6 petrol engine. Acadia also has eight colour choices and a range of factory fitted accessories.
External
Looking better in the flesh than images, Acadia has a bold stance with a strong bonnet and grill and the designers have made excellent use of detail lines to accentuate the lower air dam, grill surrounds and headlights.
With a lower than expected roof line, character detail in the side and rear panels the Acadia has a subtle style that many will find appealing.
All models come with roof rails, alloy wheels and colour coordinated external mirrors.
Internal
Acadia is big inside, possibly bigger than the Mazda CX-9 which is huge.
First impressions are of space providing comfortable seating for seven occupants.
Front seats are supportive with LT being fabric and manually adjusted.
The LTZ and LTZ-V have electronically adjusted leather seats with an excellent lumbar adjustment.
There is heaps of slide adjustment combined with more than adequate head room (even with the sunroof).
The steering wheel is thick and adorned with the usual controls.
The dash varies by model, but all are clear, crisp and easy to read and use. All have two large dials on the sides with a variable MFD in-between.
The LTZ-V has a Head-Up display as well.
From the driver’s seat the visibility is actually pretty good. Large external mirrors assist and the 360 degree camera in the LTZ-V is excellent.
There are soft touch points everywhere for elbow resting. The centre console and stack is well designed and typical Holden with a mix of subtle style and patches of bland plastic.
The rear seat is where things get interesting. When I jumped into the back for a section, I was actually really comfortable as my knees didn’t touch the back of the driver’s seat, I had enough head, knee, leg and foot room to sit comfortably for hours if needed.
And the ride was smooth and quiet.
Access to the third row seats is by a clever upright slide forward of the middle row, that allows a child seat to remain in place if necessary.
Passengers can slide the middle row seats in a 60/40 configuration to adjust the legroom of both rows.
Boot space is enormous and with flexible seat folding allows a practical boot area.
The size is a minimum of 292L through to a cavernous 2102L with all the seats folded.
Features
Holden has packed the Acadia with both comfort and safety features.
Just a couple of brief highlights
- The entry level LT is jam packed with safety and comfort features
- The clarity of the centre screen is awesome, probably class leading.
- AWD is optional for each model
Feature Highlights Standard on Acadia LT:
- Traffic Sign Recognition with Intelligent Speed Assist
- 2000kg braked towing capacity
- Hitch View System
- Towing package (accessory ball mount & tow ball required)
- Passive Entry Push-Button Start (PEPS)
- Satellite navigation
- Tri zone climate control
- 18″ Alloy wheels
- LED Daytime Running Lamps
- Side Blind Zone Alert
- Lateral Impact Avoidance
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert
- Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist
- Autonomous Emergency Braking
- Driver Mode Control
- Forward Collision Alert with Head-Up Warning
- Following Distance Indicator
- Rear Park Assist
- Rear View Camera
Acadia LTZ Additional features to LT:
- Leather-appointed trim
- 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat
- 8-way power adjustable front passenger seat
- Heated front seats
- Auto dimming interior mirror
- Chrome door handles
- Front fog lamps
- Rain sensing wipers
- Wireless phone charging (on compatible devices)
- Hands-free power tailgate
- Front Park Assist
- Advanced Park Assist
Acadia LTZ-V Additional features to LTZ:
- 10-way power adjustable front passenger seat
- Memory driver’s seat
- Ventilated front seats
- 20″ Alloy Wheels
- Dual-panel sunroof
- Bi function HID headlamps
- FlexRide Adaptive Suspension
- Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go
- Autonomous Emergency Braking (all-speed)
- 360-degree camera
- 8″ colour driver information display
- Eight-speaker Bose Premium Audio with amplifier and subwoofer
Drive and Engine
The Acadia is powered by a 3.6L V6 petrol engine with direct fuel injection, stop/start and active fuel management across the entire range. It produces power of 231kW/367Nm.
This runs through a 9 speed automatic transmission and either FWD or AWD.
Acadia returns ADR combined fuel consumption figures of 8.9 L/100km in two-wheel drive and 9.3 L/100km in all-wheel drive using standard unleaded fuel.
Acadia will tow 2000kg and has a tow ball rating of 200kg
Holden’s 9 speed transmission is well matched to the engine and seems to find the right gear almost at all times. Rarely did I find the transmission hunting for a gear.
Ride and handling was excellent, especially for a large SUV and delivered a smooth and compliant ride.
On all road surfaces the Acadia seemed unflustered.
Safety
As mentioned before the Acadia packs most of its safety features into the entry level LT.
This is a real bonus for consumers as often they have to climb the model ladder before the good stuff starts appearing.
Features include:
- Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian and bicycle detection
- Following Distance Indicator
- Automatic High Beam Assist
- Safety Seat Alert
- Forward Collision Alert with Head-Up Warning
- Lateral Impact Avoidance
- Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning
- Side Blind Zone Alert with Rear Cross Traffic Alert
- Rear Parking Assist
- Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)
- Plus more as above in the features section
Good Bits:
- Interior space
- Ride and handling
- Value for money especially in LT
Not so Good Bits:
- No diesel option
- Some interior a little bland
- Small door pockets
Summary
Acadia will fit seven with ease, has an abundance of comfort and safety features, with luxury ride and handling and reasonable performance.
The Holden team kept referring to this as ‘Caprice Like’ and after spending a little time in the vehicle that reference may not be a far-fetched as first thought.
While the first drive was brief, we will have a chance to have a longer drive in a few weeks.
I have to say that the initial impressions are overwhelmingly positive and buyers definitely should put this on their shopping list.
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Facts and Figures: 2019 Holden Acadia
- Engine: 3.6 litre V6 petrol producing 231kW/367Nm
- Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
- Safety: Not tested
- Warranty: 5 years/unlimited km
- Origin: United States
- Price: from $42,990
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