GM’s trio of full-size crossovers gets makeovers. MotorWeek’s John Davis with the road test review of the 2013 Chevrolet Traverse, 2013 Buick Enclave and 2013 GMC Acadia.
General motors pretty much invented the large 3-row crossover with the 2007 saturn outlook that lamda platform quickly spread to gmc buick and chevrolet and the general soon had quite a hit on their hands not surprisingly a lot of non gm brands are trying to mimic that success so for 2013 while the outlook is history the remaining gm trio gets some much-needed
Updates so let’s see what the outlook is for this big three the 2013 buick enclave gmc acadia and chevrolet traverse may not be the only full-size seven and eight passenger crossovers around anymore but their popularity remains we’ll start our tour through the updated trio with a luxurious buick enclave among this group the enclave boasts the most features it
Looks the classiest updates include a new instrument panel standard intellilink voice prompt and touch screen radio with music apps ambient lighting and richer materials throughout high-tech safety additions include an industry-first front center airbag standard backup camera an available blind zone and cross traffic alerts the enclave is already the sales leader
In three row luxury crossovers but both ride and performance have been improved thanks to a reworked suspension and reprogramming of the 6-speed automatic transmission exterior enhancements are fairly comprehensive for a mid-cycle refresh more than just the usual updated fascias the enclave gets reshaped fenders a new hood and chrome side moldings the cabin is very
Comfortable and the wooden steering wheel looks and feels great but gauges and controls still seem a generation behind and while the ambient lighting is welcomed the aqua green color divided us are on clays 2nd row captains chairs were very comfortable but the smart slide feature wasn’t as smart or as easy to operate as some newer rivals maximum cargo room remains
At the top of its class though at a huge 115 point two cubic feet on the road the enclave is ultra smooth with buicks quiet tuning tuning out all but a little engine noise moving on to the chevrolet traverse you might think it would be a huge step down from the enclave but save for the enclave steering wheel and trim they actually share a lot from side body panels
To hill start assist brakes we also found the traverse very attractive inside and gm has added lots of soft touch materials with exposed and again ambient lighting chevrolet’s mylink apps radio works very well including its many voice-activated features the only up-to-date item the traverse lacks is push-button start diverse also gets an exterior makeover but one
That pretends more of a sporty theme than enclaves luxury essence this full body threesome all shares the same powertrain a 3.6 liter direct injection v6 with output based on single or dual exhaust but maxing out at 288 horsepower and 270 pound feet of torque that’s enough to tow 5,200 pounds and that brings us to the final member of our trio the gmc acadia which
We chose for trek work with a slow but steady feel we think in 8 seconds to 60 and 16.4 for the quarter-mile and 84 miles per hour is pretty good for such a big vehicle and if you have to navigate some curbs on the way they all independently sprung acadia approved more than capable here as well attacking our cone course with confidence good grip and feeling much
Smaller than it is acadia also gets a fairly comprehensive update to the interior as well as the exterior the acadia is by far the most rugged looking of the three government fuel economy ratings are acceptable for a big family hauler well they are all wheel drive acadia rating 16 city 23 highway and 18 combined we manage 21 miles per gallon of regular making the
Energy impact score a bit worse than average at eighteen point three barrels of annual oil use with co2 emissions of 8.1 tonnes we have such extensive updates you expect a jump in price and indeed prices have climbed a bit ranging from thirty one thousand three hundred seventy dollars for a base traverse to forty-eight thousand eight hundred forty dollars for a
Top-of-the-line gmc acadia denali we sure do love these big crossovers both for their room and for their easy to maneuver nature that belies their size but we don’t think they’ve changed enough to leapfrog newcomers like the infiniti jx and nissan pathfinder still the enclave traverse an acadia provide a wide choice of big family people movers with an outlook that remains good you
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Road Test: 2013 Chevrolet Traverse/Buick Enclave/GMC Acadia By MotorWeek
