2015 GMC Acadia

GM Authority (opens in a new tab) says the first-generation Acadia was approaching the end of its lifecycle in 2015 and got a few small changes similar to the Traverse and Enclave: a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, three new exterior colors (Crimson Red Tintcoat, Dark Blue Metallic and Midnight Amethyst Metallic), a single exhaust in place of the dual downturned pipes on some trims and a redesigned set of 20-inch wheels. Carvana (opens in a new tab) adds that the heated steering wheel is newly standard on the SLT-2 and Denali while navigation changes from standard to optional on the SLT-1 and SLT-2.

The Acadia is the same three-row crossover platform as the Traverse, so EPA rates both at 19 mpg combined and $3,300 a year in fuel, and KBB lists 16/23 to 17/24 mpg city and highway.

NHTSA lists four recall campaigns for the 2015 Acadia. 15V044000 covers tires on some early-2015 builds that may experience tread cracking, with dealers replacing tires made in a specific date range. 21V246000 covers side curtain air bags that may not be properly attached, which dealers fix by inspecting and realigning or replacing the weld nuts. Two more, 22V246000 and 23V334000, each cover a driver's air-bag inflator that may explode during deployment because of a manufacturing defect, and dealers replace the air-bag module free of charge.

Owners have filed 261 complaints with NHTSA on this model year: air bags with 108, steering with 33, electrical system with 32, unknown or other with 24, power train with 23 and engine with 19. Consumer Reports (opens in a new tab) rates the 2015 Acadia less reliable than other cars from the same model year, and Autojunket (opens in a new tab) warns of the 6T75 transmission's high failure rate and of power-steering and air-conditioning problems, advising a thorough inspection before buying.

Kelley Blue Book (opens in a new tab) lists the cheapest 2015 Acadia, the SLE-2, at a Fair Purchase Price of $7,050, with trade-in values of about $2,100 to $4,900 and private-party values of about $6,200 to $9,275 depending on trim. The gap between private-party and trade-in values is large, so a private sale usually nets considerably more.

EPA rates the 2015 Acadia at 19 mpg combined and $3,300 a year in fuel, the same as the Chevrolet Traverse. The 2015 Ford Explorer rates 18 to 23 at $2,700 to $3,450, the Honda Pilot 20 at $3,100 and the Toyota Highlander 20 to 28 at $2,250 to $3,100, the top figure being its hybrid. On EPA figures the Acadia is slightly less efficient than the Pilot and Highlander, and the Highlander is the only one of the group offered as a hybrid.