Driving and living impressions
Engineers have made every effort to make the Acadia friendly. It's simple to board and easy to park. Visibility is reasonably good, though backing up can be a chore with the small rear windows. There are backup sensors and auto-tilting rearview mirrors to help the driver out.

Extra security and peace of mind come by way of a traction control system, tire pressure monitoring and OnStar. There's a 160,000-kilometer powertrain warranty too.

The roomy and comfortable cabin can accommodate 6 or 7 passengers.

Seating is flexible, with seven chairs available. The rearmost two are best left for the kids, stowing into the floor when not required. The middle seats are fully trained in acrobatics, sliding, folding and flipping around as needed for easy access and storage versatility. The rear liftgate is motorized, though noisy and fairly slow to open or close.

All in all, your family will likely find the interior to be roomy and comfortable. If they don't, you can keep them preoccupied for hours with the built-in DVD player.

On the trails, as needed
With plenty of ground clearance and an automatic all-wheel drive system, the Acadia isn't scared to tackle some mild trails. Traction is provided intelligently where it's needed, though it can sometimes take a considerable amount of slippage to engage the rear wheels.

The ride is balanced well between tough and rugged but car-like. It has a better road feel than many competitors too. Compared to, say, the Edge / MKX, the Acadia feels more connected and less harsh over rough bits of pavement.

An impressive powerplant
GM's new 3.6-litre V6 has an output of 275 horsepower and 255 lb-ft of torque. It's designed to be quiet, smooth and very efficient--goals it generally meets well. I was averaging better highway fuel consumption than usual for such a machine, around 10 litres every 100km while watching my speed. Not bad at all. There are a wide selection of smaller, less powerful crossovers that drink more.

Power is handled by a six-speed automatic transmission with a tow-haul mode and manumatic function allowing drivers to call their own shifts. The ratios are such that cruising at 120 km/h has the rev clock hovering at just 2,000 rpm.

The Acadia's 275-hp 3.6L V6 is impressively economical.