2013 GMC Acadia Denali impresses On and Off the Beaten Path

The 2013 GMC Acadia Denali feels just as at home on the off-road Rocky Mountain trail as it does on Rodeo Drive.  The Rocky Mountain Automotive Press association has just completed its inaugural 2012 4xFall Off-Road Experience and the 2013 GMC Acadia Denali was one of the participating vehicles.  This event is meant to give automotive journalists a chance to sample a selection of AWD crossovers, SUVs, and 4WD vehicles in the challenging but beautiful high altitude environment of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

I spent limited time behind the wheel of the2013 GMC Acadia Denali and in the passenger seat, both on and off pavement; it was immediately clear that this luxurious cruiser is not afraid to get down and dirty.  I was lucky enough to direct the Acadia Denali on an intermediate off-road trail near Caribou, CO, followed by a drive down a graded dirt and gravel road, as well as navigating around the small town of Nederland.  We were not using this car to crawl over large boulders, but it handled the rock littered and sometimes muddy trail without a problem.  This was even more impressive, considering that this Denali was wearing 20 inch aluminum wheels and street tires.

The 2013 GMC Acadia Denali gets its name from a rugged and wild region in the heart of Alaska, so it seems fitting to test a vehicle with the Denali badge in this off-road environment.  However, the capable AWD system and the adequate ground clearance are not the only bold attributes of this 2013 model.  The 2013 GMC Acadia Denali receives a mid-cycle refresh that brings with it a more aggressive and serious front end design.  2013 GMC Acadia Denali The headlights get the very distinctive LED daytime running lights and there was no end to the compliments and comments that these LEDs received during our test.  There are also the more pronounced fender flares and the all LED tail lamps.  The 2013 GMC Acadia Denali also boasts the industry first front center air bag to prevent the driver and the front passenger from hitting each other in the event of an accident.

 

Our tester was a fully loaded model that included dual sunroofs, rear video entertainment system, GMC IntelliLink media and navigation system, cooled and heated front seats, and other luxury goodies.  The sticker price for all this goodness stood at $51,840.  We will have a more thorough review of the 2013 Acadia Denali when we get a chance to spend more time with it.

 

 

2013 GMC Acadia Denali