GMC Joining Luxury Crossover Market with 2010 Acadia Denali

GMC is commonly known as the rugged, work-ready division of General Motors and consistently offers trucks, vans and SUVs to back that up, but the “professional grade” division also has a more luxurious side thanks to the Denali edition of the Envoy, Yukon and Sierra. According to Dayna Hart, communications group manager of Buick and GMC, GMC has approved a Denali version on the Acadia, and it will offer the luxury full-size crossover soon. The 2010 GMC Acadia Denali would replace the short-lived Envoy Denali which is being discontinued (along with the entire Envoy lineup) following the 2009 model year.

Like the current luxury lineup at GMC, the Acadia Denali would get extensive exterior enhancements to help distinguish the upper trim level. New for 2010, the GMC Acadia already offers chrome-clad 20-inch wheels and a “Yukon Denali-style roof rack,” so we’re guessing these design components will carry over to the Acadia Denali along with the signature Denali honeycomb-style grille. To finish off the Denali look, we’d also expect to see additional chrome trim, standard running boards and maybe even restyled, LED taillights. Inside, the Acadia Denali would likely get a plush, leather-trimmed interior that would put it on top of the Lambda lineup in terms of luxury, comfort and price.

While a V-8 engine option was rumored late last year for use in the Acadia Denali, chances are the production version of the 2010 GMC Acadia Denali would be limited to the only engine currently available on GM’s Lambda crossover, which is a 3.6-liter direct-injected V-6 that is capable of 288 horsepower. Unlike the Envoy Denali’s 5.3-liter V-8, the Acadia’s platform does not currently offer a V-8 nor do we see GM spending that kind of research and development time and money to add a less efficient V-8 engine. One powertrain aspect that a proposed Acadia Denali could match up with its bigger siblings is by offering all-wheel drive as standard equipment. In base form, the Acadia comes in a front-wheel drive layout, but the optional all-wheel drive system would likely be incorporated into the Denali package.

In terms of pricing, we would expect the 2010 GMC Acadia Denali to cost considerably more than a base Acadia. On the full-size Sierra and Yukon models, the Denali package adds roughly $11,000 over comparably equipped vehicles, while the Envoy’s top-end trim level added about $6,000 to the base Envoy. For 2009, the GMC Acadia had a starting MSRP of $31,740, so pricing of just under $40,000 for the Denali model should be a good starting point.

Although the Acadia Denali would replace the Envoy Denali, the all-new GMC Terrain is the vehicle that will directly replace the Envoy in GMC’s vehicle lineup. No word yet as to whether the midsize Terrain would also receive the Denali treatment in the future, but with its massive grille, wide stance and rugged looks, we think a black Terrain with abundant Denali chrome would be a great competitor to vehicles like the Lincoln MKX.