Big, Bigger, Biggest: GMC Terrain, Acadia, or Yukon – Which Size is Best For Your Family?

As modern crossovers and SUVs evolve, we are seeing a move from rugged mudslingers, towards tough luxury drivers.  GMC has embraced this trend, creating a lineup of stylish, spacious vehicles that still hold their own off-road. These SUVs combine powerful performance with fuel efficiency and offer a variety of sizes to fit different lifestyles. The hardest part might be choosing the perfect GMC for you and your family!

In this article we’re comparing the Big GMC Terrain, Bigger GMC Acadia, and Biggest GMC Yukon.

The Big: GMC Terrain

There is plenty to love about the GMC Terrain, which now comes with a little extra toughness. Adding all-wheel-drive is an important move for GMC because it further defines the Terrain crossover as something a step above the others in its class. AWD offers more power than front-wheel-drive, but it doesn’t guzzle as much gas as four-wheel-drive. It’s a great in-between that still gives enough power to haul friends and family up a mountain or comfortably cruise down the open road. 

What we like about the GMC Terrain is that it’s a big enough SUV to make it substantial, but it’s still compact enough to maneuver easily through cities like Charlotte. Inside, the cabin is spacious, with a plethora of switches and controls running the dash. Some of the knobs and shifting controls may seem a bit small, but Terrain drivers have expressed that this is easy to get used to. Need to haul a larger-than-usual load? The Terrain, even at the standard trim level, comes with 60/40 split-folding rear seats and an available fold-flat front seat.

Though the Terrain is the smallest of GMC’s SUVs, it certainly is not tiny. In a test to see how much carry-on luggage could comfortably fit inside the Terrain, 24 cases could fit in the back (with the seats folded) and still allow plenty of room up front for a driver and passenger. By offering an SUV with a roomy interior yet with a smaller frame, the GMC Terrain is your perfect driver for zipping around the city.

The Bigger: GMC Acadia        

The GMC Acadia is an SUV for the entire family. It offers plenty of room, creating a comfortable atmosphere for short or longer drives. It may not be as easy to maneuver in the city as the Terrain, but a few practice rounds of parking in tight spaces is all it takes to feel like a parking pro. The third generation of the Acadia is a little taller and wider than it has been in years previous, and now it comes with a turbocharged, 328-horsepower inline-four engine. There is also a front-wheel-drive with all-wheel drive as an option.

What makes the Acadia so spacious is the three rows of seating that fold and tuck away if needed. Throughout the interior, there is evidence of high-level tech with shiny buttons and switches strewn across the dash. There is plenty of cargo space, including a substantial storage area under the floor behind the third-row seats. What’s more, there’s a ton of safety tech added to the new Acadia, including the following:

• Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking

When driving below 50 miles per hour, this feature will alert you if there is a potential for a front-end collision and automatically apply emergency braking if the driver does not respond quickly enough.

• Safety Alert Seat

This specialized seat vibrates and pulses at the bottom of the seat for various warnings—this is an option instead of having auditory or visual warnings. This is a great option to keep you safe when you have a car full of talkative kids, or you feel like blasting your favorite song.

• Front and Rear Park Assist

Park assist detects objects or people around you while driving at low speeds. Typically, it gets used when parking or navigating through congested areas. We have found this feature to improve even the worst of parallel parkers.

• High Definition Surround Vision

This digital bird’s-eye-view comes in high definition and gives a crystal clear image of the area around your vehicle when driving at low speeds. The image of your area pops up on the Infotainment display, helping you to avoid objects and perfectly park in just about any spot.

The Biggest: GMC Yukon 

The designers at GMC utilize space well, and the new GMC Yukon is their masterpiece.  The new GMC Yukon comes with a V-8 engine—and a very unique engine at that. The Yukon’s V-8 has the capability to reduce itself, when activated, to only operate on four cylinders (for those slower, laid-back drives in town), saving you gas and unneeded wear and tear on the engine. This feature alone will add years of life to your Yukon.

Perfect for large families and long road trips (even if that includes a little off-roading), the Yukon comfortably seats the entire family and easily stores all your cargo. Here is a good gauge on whether or not you need the biggest Yukon: if you have at least two child car seats, and you want everyone to be as comfortable as possible, the Yukon is the right choice. As mentioned, the full-size Yukon offers three rows of seating and can fit up to eight passengers while allowing plenty of room to stretch and relax. If you are worried about fuel economy with such a large SUV as the Yukon, check out the turbo-diesel inline-six engine option that provides an EPA-estimated 27 miles per gallon.

Since the Yukon is one of the most popular SUVs on the road today, and has been this popular for some time now, Yukon drivers have been anxiously awaiting what GMC will bring by way of upgrades. The first bit of excitement is the arrival of the Denali Ultimate: a fancier version of the (already fancy) Denali trim level. What does the Denali Ultimate include? Check out these features:

1. Alpine Umber leather upholstery throughout the SUV.
2. 16-way power front seats, including a message feature.
3. Open-pore wood trim running throughout.
4. 18-speaker Bose sound system with all the modern features.
5. Super Cruise Control, which is a hands-free, autonomous driving system that helps to keep you safe and on the road at all times.

When shopping for that perfect family vehicle, look no further than GMC’s big, bigger, and biggest lineup. Come test drive an SUV the entire family will enjoy.