The Acadia GMC 2020 gets an off-road look and a zany shifter



[ad_1]

All Photos: GMC

In the United States, the SUV and crossover market is highly heated and, to stay competitive, automakers have deployed new turbocharged powertrains, more transmissions, and a variant that appears to have at least some off-road capacity. road. That's what GMC did with the new GMC Acadia 2020.

The GMC Acadia began life as a high-end version of the Chevrolet Traverse's gigantic, chunky crossover, but in 2017, it fell into the mid-size segment and achieved a more elegant style. Now, for 2020, it has a face quite similar to that of the GMC Sierra pickup and, in fact, it is rather beautiful.

It is equipped with standard C-shaped LED headlamps, a square grille that falls on the bottom corners and a revised rear fairing with new tail lights and a different shape of the trim bar above the registration plate. I think the back looks good, but the front is downright handsome. For a crossover, that's it.

For the first time, Acadia's SLE, SLT and Denali skins are joined by AT4, GMC's new off-road sub-brand launched with the 2019 GMC Sierra. But unlike the van, the Acadia AT4 does not does not have a lifting kit, protection plates, Rancho shocks or a locking differential. No, the Acadia AT4, which comes standard with the 310 horsepower V6 and a 'double clutch' all-wheel drive system, is more aesthetically pleasing: it adds touches of black chrome to the exterior, unique 17-inch wheels and standard all-terrain vehicles. tires (which, if I'm honest, have a nice appearance with all that flank).

To be honest, in its press release, GMC does not really call the AT4 a true off-road variant, it only uses the term to describe the style, claiming that the vehicle adopts a "vehicle-inspired design while -ground".

Off-road inspiration.

In addition to the new styling, there's a new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine
The engine joins the V6 3.6-liter four-cylinder and 310 horsepower 193 horsepower. The new engine is a variant of the 2.0-liter that we find in the Cadillac XT4 crossover. It develops 230 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 258 lb-ft at 1,500 rpm, the same torque as the Caddy, but 7 fewer horsepower.

All Acadia engines are now locked to a nine-speed "Hydra-Matic 9T65".
automatic instead of six-speed, which was the only option in the 2019 model.

The user interface for this transmission in an interior much like the outgoing model is a new push-button selector replacing the PRNDL lever of the old school. Called "Electronic Precision Shift," GMC presents the configuration (similar to that of the GMC Terrain) as a way to free up space on the center console. Take a closer look at the gear lever at the bottom of the center stack:

GMC also claims to have improved the Acadia infotainment system with a higher resolution screen and better speech recognition, and that the user interface has been improved. Other changes include "suspension enhancements" (changes made were not specified), new wheels, LED turn signals in mirrors, and other items you can read on the media site. GMC.

But in reality, the big changes concern the new 2.0-liter engine, the nine-speed transmission, the "robust" styling (especially on the AT4) and the push-button shifter. Most of these improvements seem to be decent improvements, but I have to try this gear selector before making a judgment. Because it looks wacky.

[ad_2]

Source link