Used 2015 GMC Acadia SUV Consumer Reviews
2015 Denali Acadia: Nothing much better.
John Metya, 02/24/2016
Denali 4dr SUV (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
27 of 28 people found this review helpful
The Pros: Build quality, engine and transmission are reliable and well balanced, ride, cabin comfort, seat configuration (dropping seats and re-erecting them for cargo space configuration is superbly easy), handling, super quiet cabin, predictable handling, lack of roll or sway, great towing, superb acceleration, great a/c (a must in south Florida), HUD display (it's amazing how much we've come to love it), the lighting is great, the backup camera is superb, the lumbar support and overall seat design is as good it can be, seat belts are easy to use and comfortable, cooled seats are really great, navigation is very good. The Cons: Unless you bought a badly designed and built car, this stuff only becomes obvious over time. The 20" tires are supposed to be maintained at 35 psi, they lose pressure (all four of them) constantly, and not over months, but over days. Put in 35 psi (measured by a good handheld pressure and the you'll be down to 34 the next day, and down 31 or 32 pounds in 7-10 days. We own a 1994 Mercedes SL500 in mint condition, and I only add air once a year. To be sure, this isn't a deal breaker, but it is a hassle and it will cause my tires to wear down faster. The dealer is aware of the problem and has no solution. I wish they would have spent a buck more and used real chrome on the exterior where they have used chrome looking plastic. This is a $52,500 car. How much would chrome add to the cost? The Envoy had an air pump built into the car. They should have left it in the Denali. The instrument panel controls, and far worse, the navigation controls are NOT accessible (meaning, you can't enter an address, ask for the location of the nearest Best Buy, etc.) once the car is in Drive and moving. You can just hear the committee of lawyers deciding it's too dangerous to have these controls active while the car is moving. So, now we have to stop on an Interstate (cars flying by at 85 mph) so we can enter an address. Does that sound safer? Or, we've have to enter the address into a tiny screen in our phones. Is that any safer? NO. NO. NO. The solution is simple. There is a pressure sensor in the passenger seat ANYWAY, so when there is someone sitting there, allow the controls in the navigation system to be active. Stop doing dumb things - stop trying to mommy us. If it's a lawsuit you're worried about, well, I just laid out the plaintiff's wining case. The sunroof is too small, and awfully noisy even at 40 mph. On the plus side, the wire mesh sun screen is unbelievably effective. The windshield wipers are noisier than they should be. It's no a deal breaker, but noise is noise, and it is somewhat bothersome. The backup camera gets wet and uselessly blurry in rain. My wife always points out that the second row should have drop down (from the back of the front seats) trays. I am sure this must be a lawyer overruled issue, as well. But, I am sure they can design a break-apart tray in case of accident. But, she's absolutely right. You need a tray for the people (read, kids) to eat and play while they sit back there. This is the third GMC SUV we've owned. We owned two Envoy (4X4) in the first decade of the 21st century, and this is our fist GMC (2X4) Acadia Denali. We liked the Envoy, but the Denali is a game changer. It's a large SUV (but, not a huge SUV like a Yukon), and will provide you with all the space you need. Our Denali has four captains seats and a bench third row. The interior is amazingly roomy, even for third row passengers. But, those sitting in the first two rows, the spaciousness and comfort is like sitting in an airliners first class cabin. This SUV is luxury car that's a pleasure to own and drive.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Disappointed in the 2015 GMC Acadia Denali
Aaron S, 06/06/2016
Denali 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
My wife loves how it looks, loves the space, and loves not having to drive a minivan but after 15K miles, the alignment is out, the chrome trimming is falling off and has to be replaced, and the entertainment system is glitchy and is starting to squeal when it spins a DVD. The engine on the Acadia is WAY under powered, the navigation is cumbersome and difficult to use, the various other controls are antiquated, the collusion alert and lane departure are too sensitive and provide a lot of false alerts, but, the heads-up display and the a/c chairs are pretty cool. Our 2012 Acadia LT was much better. For as much as this cost it is a big let down. Nice job screwing this one up GMC! Last time I'm buying domestic.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Leaks!
Laura Fairchild, 11/03/2015
SLT-2 4dr SUV (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
23 of 28 people found this review helpful
We recently purchased a 2015 GMC Acadia, my second GMC Acadia. Previously we owned a 2008 GMC Acadia that had a sun roof. With my old car we had an instance where the car had issues with electrical panel shorting out. We were told the drains on the sun roof caused the problem. Filed an insurance claim and that was that. With my 2015 GMC Acadia which we purchased in May 2015, I specifically said my only problem with my other car was leak from "blocked sun roof drain". Imagine my distress when last Monday my car was soaked again. There is no sun roof to leak. The service department said because there was leaves and acorns under the hood....????? What the heck does that mean? To me it means a serious design flaw. The service rep asked if I parked under a tree...no I do not. Do they have trees in my neighborhood yes.
- Performance
- Comfort
AMAZINGLY UNCOMFORTABLE; POOR console layout
Drew, 01/02/2016
SLT-1 4dr SUV (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
32 of 40 people found this review helpful
After extensive reviews of this vehicle (edmunds.com, consumer reports/consumer search, cars.com), it's surprising that not a single review comments on the uncomfortable headrests and unfriendly layout of the most-used console features. Front seat headrests are so uncomfortable that I contemplate selling this brand new vehicle on a weekly basis, and swapping it for similar SUV from Nissan or Toyota. Unfortunately, it's not exactly like returning a piece of clothing to a store for a refund. The headrests (both driver and passenger) cause the head to protrude so much that it creates MAJOR discomfort. I ended up removing and reversing the position of the headrest, so that it essentially faces backwards. The layout of the center console buttons are considerably cumbersome and unfriendly. For example, the front cupholder is really not usable if planning to use the 12 volt outlet (i.e., for a phone charger or radar detector). The button to open the rear lift gate is immediately next to the 12 volt outlet/front cupholder, so it can be triggered inadvertently, and is really annoying. For example, the lift gate can be opened at most inopportune time, with vehicle already parked in garage or backed up to a wall. That happened twice (first time, passenger was plugging USB cord into the receptacle, triggering the lift gate; second time removing outlet plug adapter). The front seat heaters are really nice for Chicago weather (or any cold weather), but the buttons are lower on the center console than they could be and can easily distract when trying to adjust while driving. The wifi that GMC so proudly boasts of is only 3G, which is basically useless. However, it becomes really annoying because anytime I try to use my phone (for bluetooth streaming of calls/music/Pandora) the phone's wifi connection asks to select the signal. Since the GMC is only 3G, it is never fast enough to be useful. Thus, I must turn phone's wifi connection OFF in order for the phone to work properly. That is a MAJOR pain in the ass when driving or as a passenger. Also, I find the bluetooth a bit slower than I've found in other vehicles/radios (Infiniti I35 w/aftermarket Clarion stereo, Toyota Sienna w/OEM radio, Toyota Tundra w/aftermarket Sony stereo). The handling/road holding is excellent (have driven in rain, 1-2 inches of sleet, and 3 inches of snow). It is an assuring and comforting feeling. Gas mileage is NOWHERE close to the estimated specs listed on any of the websites. I drove from Chicago to Benton Harbor, MI (all highway, avg 65-70 mph), and mpg was only 19 mpg (not the 23-24 mpg listed on websites). It is nice that the vehicle uses 87 octane gas, so that will save $ in the long run. In hindsight, I regret not test driving Nissan Pathfinder or Toyota Highlander.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
If you want true Voice Nav, DO NOT buy this SUV
Alf Peterson, 09/29/2015
Denali 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
15 of 19 people found this review helpful
GMC is selling this vehicle as a voice navigation capable SUV. The GMC Intellilink Voice Navigation system is supposed to recognize expressions such as: “Intersection”, “Where am I”, “Points of Interest”, “My Location”, or “Current Position”. These features do not work. Several trips to the dealer have produced the service tickets with the comment, “functioning as designed.” Apparently GMC is advertising and selling vehicles that do not function as described in their sales brochures and owners manual. In addition, I have had several GMC case numbers, all of which are not resolved. Don't buy a GMC Acadia with the advertised Voice Navigation. The on-screen portion works but you have to stop the vehicle to make changes. The whole purpose of Voice Navigation is to speak a phrase like "Find me the nearest hotel" or "find me the nearest restaurant." These features DO NOT WORK. The vehicle is very comfortable and quiet. The rear bucket seats do not fold flat. The mileage is worse than my Tahoe. The acceleration is fair. 'Not satisfied with this vehicle at all.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Great car with zero maintenance costs
Steve B., 11/11/2017
Denali 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
While this vehicle has it short-comings, i.e., transmission sometimes hesitates when corning, acceleration is lacking when trying to merge with traffic, it still was a wonderful car to own, especially the maintenance costs: ZERO. I have never owned a car that did not need some kind of adjustment, repair, or attention. Not this one.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Not what I expected for the price.
Mom of 3 Teenagers, 10/25/2017
Denali 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
10 of 13 people found this review helpful
While the comfort and features are more than expected, so are the repair bills. I have a 2015, bought a brand new GMC Denali AWD in 2015. The first year was great, comfortable road trips, basic maintenance services included by the dealer, it was a dream. Then things wend down hill fast. First service light- Side detection system failure. (Caused by road salt, really after one year??) $400 to fix. Next trip, horrible sound coming from right front tire, findings: the axle nut was OFF and rolling around inside another $200 !! Next, banging noise coming from outside while driving higher than 30 miles per hour. That was the roof seals, one came loose and was flapping in the wind. (easy fix for me, pushed back in when it comes out) Service light is one again- Side detection system error, back up camera malfunction- This time we had to replace the other side detection system for corrosion ($400) nope still not the issue. Had my truck for 4 days trying to figure out the issue. Wiring harness was bad had to be replaced. That trip was $1200!! At this point I have had enough, but they just tell me I got a bad one.... nice. NOPE, non of this was covered by the warranty. Now I am holding my breath for the next issue to come. Low and behold, here we go, stalling at stops and hesitating on acceleration---- Check engine light is now on. back to the dealer, who at this point knows my name when I walk in the door- this is NOT a good thing. O2 sensor is bad and needs to be replaced- out another $400 !! oh and the hood support rod is broken (I have NEVER opened the hood my self so how does this break???) The service guy said they have to find something to prop it up with so i should replace it for $65 get out of here! Here I am 3 weeks later and guess what, I can feel the transmission not sifting properly. I am DONE... this was the WORST by ever, not only that, but I am going to lose a ton of money on it as there is NO resale value. DO NOT BY GMC!!!! I am going back to Toyota or Honda, where I had more than 100,000 miles without one service visit. If you like to visit the guys in the service shop on a regular basis than this is the truck for you, but if you don't like the headache and wasting money- DO NOT BY GMC!!!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Not a great value
Sunshine Mom, 05/11/2018
SLT-2 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I purchased this car brand new 3 years ago. In the time I have owned it the ac has gone out twice, to the tune of $4000 of work in 3 years. The first time was picked up by the GMC warranty. This time I fortunately had an extended warranty that covered everything. There's no reason this should happen to a vehicle so new. Also about a month ago the Bluetooth stopped working. You can manually connect after several tries but it will no longer automatically connect to my phone. The tech from our local dealer couldn't find a problem he said. Very poor value for the cost of this vehicle.
- Technology
- Performance
- Comfort
- Reliability
Best driving SUV ever
Pete, 08/10/2018
SLT-1 4dr SUV (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Enjoyed driving this vehicle, best ride. No hesitation on shifting to more power, very smooth. I would have been an Acadia driver for life, except GMC took 2.5 inches out of the driver's seat for fuel economy. They saved 1 mile, good fjob GMC. The Nav and Bluetooth were problematic. Nav didn't understand my words. Bluetooth kept unpairing. The dash design is nice, but cheap material covering it. Leather seats won't wear well. The outside paint is good, not like Dodge, scratches at a mire touch. Fuel economy diminished after a few years.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Value
Smooth, quiet, and spacious ride!
Noah G, 12/27/2020
SLE-1 4dr SUV AWD (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
This is a reliable, smooth ride! This has the most head and legroom in the midsize class. Great body style similar to a Durango or Explorer but bigger. Makes the Jeep Grand Cherokee look small and a bit cheap. The interior is made with quality parts. Even shutting the door you can hear the sturdiness off this vehicle. True ride quality. It could use a few more horsepower if you have more people in the car but I pass V8s often in this crossover. Truly a car like ride. I’ve had it almost two years and no problems minus a blown tire. You sit high with great safety ratings and lots of visibility. Even the low trims look great with leather dash and stitching. Awesome back up camera with sensors and trajectory. I enjoy just cruising in this and the acceleration is good! The newer Acadias are small now. If you need a new SUV this big go with the traverse or Yukon. The little things help too...automatic on and off lights with pretty LED headlamps. I have the SLE 1 but would be worth a few more thousand for the leather seats and chrome of the SLT. Slight hesitation in the transmission turning low speeds sometimes but it’s just a quirk from reviews I’ve read. GMC got this vehicle right!