When GMC offered the Acadia Denali for a test drive, I was a little hesitant at first. Is the 2025 GMC Acadia Denali a luxury car, and if so, why?
It all goes back to how you define “luxury”. I have been behind the wheel of $160k SUVs, including some of the SUV EVs out there now. I just drove a CAD $116,000 Porsche Macan 4 to Picton, Ont., and back to Toronto, six hours of highway driving. It was beautiful (with less range anxiety).
The 2025 GMC Acadia Denali is priced around CAD $70k. Price comparison aside, I am here to tell you that it is luxury.
How Does the 2025 GMC Acadia Denali Compare?
The SUV isn’t as compelling an argument when you match it against a BMW X5 or X7, or a Mercedes-Benz GLS SUV, for example, which are true luxury segment vehicles. Those vehicles offer higher levels of brand prestige, interior quality, superior engineering. and advanced technology.
You are making a status statement driving one of those. BMW and Mercedes have decades of history and heritage crafting superior vehicles. Go down the list of features, particularly with these German-engineered vehicles – hand-stitched leather on the seats, with tactile richness, premium metals, authentic wood or carbon-fiber trim, dynamic performance and handling, and cutting-edge tech, like the 12.3-inch dual-screen setup in the Mercedes-Benz GLE, with AI-powered voice control (“Hey Mercedfes”). Just meticulous attention to detail.
Is the 2025 GMC Acadia Denali a Luxury Vehicle?
There is a memorable scene in The Sopranos when a member of Tony Sopranos’ crew orchestrates the theft of a bunch of luxury cars during a Jewish wedding. Security comes rushing in to the ceremony, with everyone dancing and singing, to tell that there’s been this theft, and everyone rushes in a panic outside. Some guy asks if his Mercedes has been stolen. Another guy asks about the BMW. A voice in the background says the thieves didn’t touch any of the North American cars.
U.S President Donald Trump is working to get more access to European markets for American-made cars and we’re about to see what that really means. Can they compete against the German-made manufacturers, for example, when those gates open more?
The Acadia Denali has several premium features and design elements that I would categorize as luxury entry points, certainly above more standard mid-size SUVs that are out there. But it is luxury. A lot of this comes down to what your personal definition of “luxury” is. Perhaps look at it as a bridge between a Chevrolet and a Cadillac.
Premium Interior Features
The truck offers a refined driving experience with high-quality materials, such as perforated leather-appointed seating with quilted stitching in the first and second rows, Paldao wood accents, and soft-touch surfaces throughout the cabin. The front seats are ventilated and heated. There is a massage option for the front seats. The panoramic sunroof is standard for SUVs, I know, but you have to have it. Definitely sophisticated and refined enough for most of us.
Advanced Technology
The Super Cruise hands-free driving system was something I called on a fair amount, during some highway driving. What is it? It’s technology that uses high precision GPS, cameras, radar and a driver attention monitor to maintain lane centring, automatic lane changes, adaptive cruise control. You activate it from a steering wheel button, and it works on over 400,000 miles of mapped roads in the U.S. and Canada. If driver attention lapses, it disengages. So don’t fall asleep.
This is what I am talking about. Super Cruise is a feature that places the Denali in a luxury segment, in my view.
Here’s where I used it – a longer distance drive, where I had a coffee going, and wanted to find something to listen to on Sirius Radio. The 2025 GMC Acadia Denali comes equipped with a standard 12-speaker Bose audio system (high-quality sound is another luxury touch point), with an optional 16-speaker Bose Performance Series system.
The SUV features a 15-inch vertical infotainment touchscreen and an 11-inch digital gauge cluster. Both of those run Google built-in software, seamlessly working in Apple CarPlay (which I use), Google Maps and Android Auto.
Does It Have Head-Up Display?
Head-Up display has always been a big defining point for me, when reviewing a luxury car. It’s an absolute “must”. I remember a drive through downtown Manhattan in a BMW, trying to navigate, and the car’s Head-Up display bailed me out countless times.
The Denali has it. The Head-Up Display (HUD) is a projection system that displays critical driving information in the windshield right in your sight line. It will show speed, navigation directions, safety alerts, infotainment details, all adjustable for height and brightness. I’ve had cars which will post up an alert on the HUD if I have been driving a long time, asking if I need a coffee break?
I have always said we don’t need self-drive vehicles. If you get into an accident driving a luxury vehicle these days, it must only be because of a medical emergency, or a deer runs out in front of you. These vehicles totally have your back on the safe driving front. The whole driving experience is far more intuitive and safer, these days.
Spacious cabin
This version of the Denali offers up more interior space than its predecessors – ample leg room over its three rows, 97.5 cubic feet of cargo space. That leg room for adults in the third row is a rarity among mid size SUVs. There are multiple charging ports and ceiling vents, for all passengers.
How Does It Handle?
The 2025 GMC Acadia Denali SUV comes equipped with optional adaptive or performance suspension for a comfortable ride, another touch point that makes it comparable to the “true luxury” SUVs. I found it very stable and more than adept at absorbing bumps in the road.
All of these luxury vehicles comes with multiple drive modes to tailor the vehicle to different driving conditions, even different moods. The 2.5-liter turbo 4-cylinder engine generates 328 horsepower and 326 lb-ft of torque, paired with 8-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive.
Safety Features
The Denali comes equipped with 15 standard safety features, like automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and front pedestrian braking. For a week, I managed to navigate it into a tight underground parking spot in my downtown Toronto condo.
Is a GMC Acadia Denali better than a KIA Telluride?
Interesting question, since something like the Kia Telluride SX Prestige X-Pro is in the same price bracket (around CAD $72,000). Plus it’s the same narrative as the Denali – a near-luxury feel at a mainstream price, for those who want premium features, willing to give up the luxury brand badge.
The Telluride has a less aggressive exterior than the Denali, which has a bold, upscale style, marked by its distinct chrome grille, animated LED headlights, Galvano Silver finishes, and its 22-inch machined aluminum wheels. Plus the Telluride doesn’t have Super Cruise (it does have Highway Driving Assist II). Some say its V6 engine is smoother, though.
There are a lot of similarities with the two. The Kia Telluride has a premium interior as well, with Nappa leather seats, and a 12.3-inch dual panoramic display, heated and ventilated front seats, premium Harmon Kardon audio system. There’s 87 cubic feet of cargo space, and a comfortable third row of seating, ideal for families. It has all the safety tech features as well, and a 3.8-liter V6 engine, generating 291 horsepower, slightly less powerful than the Acadia.
Conclusion
I loved the Denali, mostly because of the value proposition. I feel the same way every time I take out a Lincoln SUV. There are a lot of people out there that don’t want to jump head first into a BMW or Mercedes, and drop that extra $20k. I have driven both levels. There’s more than enough here, from a luxury vehicle perspective, to bring long-term happiness.
Images by Mark Keast
I am a 50-something Torontonian who loves everything about my city. It’s been my home, my playground, for my entire life. I went to school here. I met my wife here. I own real estate here. I love writing about the transformation of my city on the world stage, which hasn’t been anything short of dramatic. That continues on, as I write this. I write on the real estate scene. I write on travel and fashion. I like following the world of luxury watches.
But I love writing about cars – check that, luxury cars, a level of superior, engineering sophistication, high performance and style, that transports you not just from one destination to another but also out of whatever you are going through on a particular day, whatever mood you are in, all to another head space. It’s complete and total exhilaration, head to toe.
Check out my stories, and email me direct at mkeast@regardingluxury.com
