Holden Acadia LTZ-V 2019 VIDEO Review

2019 Holden Acadia LTZ-V Road Test, Review

Introduction:

Holden sales stand at 5.2%, down from 7.2% this time last year. Sales of Commodore and Equinox have not met expectation. Although still in the top ten it’s been a sad slow slide for GM’s Australian subsidiary.

The Australian market is down 7.4% over all, but Toyota still leads the way with 19.5%

Holden remains undeterred, and in its latest effort to turn those sales figures around, we have this. Holden’s first GMC car, Acadia.

There are 3 grades: LT, LTZ, and LTZ-V. This is the top model, the LTZ-V.

This is the top model and retails for $67,990 drive away. Holden has opted for drive away pricing on all Acadias.

https://youtu.be/jeRohLcDoyQ

Exterior

This 7-seater competes against Mazda’s CX9, and Kia’s Sorento, among others. It is usually a disappointment back in the 3^rd row. To be otherwise would ruin the look of the exterior.

It is a big car that comes in 8 colours.

Acadia comes straight from the GMC factory in Tennessee. And I can imagine myself toting a bunch of friends around the bourbon joints.

It is pure America on the outside. The chrome grille is masculine and bold. HID headlights replete with LED running lights flank the grille, and fold around and long the front guard.

There is more chrome lower bumper

A careful eye will note cameras high on the windscreen, in the grille, under the side rear view mirrors, and on the rear tail gate. They form a 360° view picture on the driver instruments.

Radars are concealed within the bumper covers.

In side profile, Acadia looks even better. 20” wheels look big, yet to look small on such a large car.

The effect of the impressive exterior is enhanced by more chrome 2/5ths of the way up the doors, and slims them visually. The chrome-trimmed windows have a slight coupe look thanks to the gentle kick-up the rear ¼ window.

There is no chrome on the back windows. It looks like the General ran out of the shiny stuff and said, “oh bugger it, no one will notice.” Well we did and it looks daft. The tailgate is a success with, you guessed it, more chrome. The rubber button to unlock the doors is under the unbuilt handle on the lower edge of the door surface.

Tail lights wrap across the door after lighting the corners. There is some complex surfacing going on here and there, and some lower matte chrome garnish around the chrome exhaust tips.

There is a luggage rack, and a neat overhang at the top of the hatch, forming a spoiler. Just in front of the spoiler is a roof mounted radio aerial.

Interior

The cabin is accessed by smart entry/start. The key stays in your pocket at all times.

The interior design, while generally good, had a few let-downs. Our LTZ-V came with all the goodies, so seating was decent leather. There is good support, heating and cooling, and a couple of memories to store your personal settings.

Face level vents have limited adjustment.

Controls are well laid out. The rear tailgate has an oversized adjustment knob on the lower driver’s door. Most brands allow you to limit opening height from the rear of the car, but Holden insists on a knob.

High-wear parts of the interior are harder plastic.

The rest of the plastic feels soft. There is some nasty matte-plastic-chrome effect around the infotainment screen and on the steering wheel. I like the shape, but it looks cheap. There is a rather unattractive stripped wood-look on the door, dash, and centre console which we could do without.

Buttons for the gadgets are easily accessible, except for the one to turn off the stop/start. There isn’t one. Actually, you can’t turn off the stop start, but you can fool it in to not working. More on that later.

The door has window, lockout, and mirror buttons. The steering wheel has most of the auxiliary controls on the front, and volume and track select on back surface.

The centre stack is self-explanatory. There are the ubqitous infotainment controls, tri-zone climate controls, and seat heating and cooling. Lower down is a large bin, as well as the QI charging pad for wireless phones. The USB and 12volt power are there too. All USB sockets are 2.1amp “fast chargers”.

Below are sensors, hazard flashers and self-parking buttons.

Driver readouts are a combination of conventional dials and a large LCD screen. It would have been easier to make all instruments part of the LCD screen.

I’d like the digital speedo to be independent of the rest of the menu items. When You scroll through fuel usage etc, the speedo disappears. Why?

A large centre bin in the console is topped by an armrest lid.

There is plenty of room in the first 2 rows. The 2^nd row seats adjust move forward and aft to allow space in the 3^rd row. As usual all 5 seats need to move forward if the 3^rd row has anything other thing munchkins in them.

You’ll find 2^nd row climate controls and another USB socket at the rear of the console. There is a further USB in the 3^rd row. 3^rd row access is a little fiddly.

Like almost all 7 seaters, the 3^rd row is best left to lit’luns.

Other than that, the cabin is spacious and comfortable with cup holders in every row, plus bottle holders to boot.

Features

Acadia adds features as you move up the range. LTZ-V gets the whole kit and kaboodle including Active cruise control can be switched to normal mode. Active lane control does a decent job of centering a large vehicle between the lines.

Active steering will also work with the blind spot monitor to steer you back into the lane if another car is approaching, or there is someone in your blind spot. Radar warns of approaching vehicles, and pedestrians, as you reverse. Brakes are applied if obstacles are detected.

Apple CarPlay/Android Auto work reasonably well. It can be slow to respond. That’s a gripe I with most brands

Bose Sound from a 6-speaker system is sensational. With settings to neutral, the bass is deep, with just the right mix of mids and highs.

Advanced traffic sign recognition uses the camera to scan for road signs which are then displayed it in front of the driver. You then have the option for the smart cruise control to adopt that speed.

More features:

2000kg braked towing capacity
• Hitch View System
• Towing package (accessory ball mount & tow ball required)
• Passive Entry Push-Button Start (PEPS)
• Satellite navigation
• Tri zone climate control
Memory driver’s seat
• Ventilated front seats
• 20″ Wheels (up from 18” on LT)
• Dual-panel sunroof
• Bi function HID headlamps
• FlexRide Adaptive Suspension
• Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go
• Autonomous Emergency Braking (all-speed)
• 360°-degree camera
• 8-inch colour driver information display
• 8 Speaker Bose Premium Audio with amplifier and subwoofer
• AWD optional
10-way power adjustable front passenger seat
Walk-away locking
Traffic Sign Recognition with Intelligent Speed Assist

Drive and Engine

There is a single 3.6 V6 with 231kw/361Nm engine, 9-speed transmission option. It powers through 2 or 4 wheels. AWD is a $4,000 extra cost. A car this size needs at least 1 diesel option.

The transmission has no manual mode as such. Moving the selector to L allowed gears to be shifted with the button. So, why not call the “L”, “M” instead?

This is also how you fool the stop/start into turning off. Shift the lever to L, the move the + button until “9” shows in the gear indicator on the dash board. When you then move off from go, the transmission will shift back in to 1 and act normally and stop/start is deactivated.

The transmission changes down without you noticing whenever power is needed. As a result, Acadia feels incredibly light. In fact, it feels so light, you feel like you’re in a little city-hatch.

Even in the rather optimistically named “Sport” Mode, steering is very light.

Automated parking is one of the easiest to use but will rarely park where you want if more than one option is available to it.

The 360°view camera comes on when obstacles are detected, and if you don’t like the view, you can switch to another.

Around town Acadia feels big in tight spots, but otherwise nimble. On the highway you feel like a king. The steering centres you in the lane and the smart cruise keeps a socially acceptable distance from the car in front.

At the speed limit, Acadia handled like a big American car. If you want a sports car, buy a sports car.

To open the tailgate hands free, you wave your foot along from the back bumper to the back wheel on the passenger’s side.

Safety

Acadia just got the full 5-star ANCAP/Euro NCAP rating They’re now fully interchangeable. It is bristling with both active and passive safety

360°view camera with cross traffic alert
Sensors
Active steering
Stability control
Active cruise control
Collision avoidance and AEB

Good Bits

Plenty of interior space
Tons of gadgets
Apple CarPlay/Android Auto

Not So Good Bits

Takky plakky
No diesel
Claims of “premium” over-stated

Summary

You get a lot of car for the money.

It looks good. It doesn’t have the awkward bits of Commodore and Equinox. It is a very pleasant drive. It feels light and breezy at all speeds and is easy to park.

For most of us, 7 seats are wasted. The space could be better used by having a spare tyre.

Acadia looks good in a car park too.