GMC To Add Luxury-Spec Denali To Acadia Line

The confirmation of the upgraded Acadia comes by way of Twitter and Buick-GMC's communications manager Dayna Hart.

2010 GMC Acadia

2010 GMC Acadia

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Back in July, GMC announced the Yukon Hybrid would get the luxed-out Denali treatment, and now the professional grade Acadia is getting the executive treatment, too, with its own Denali variant.

The confirmation of the upgraded Acadia comes by way of Twitter and Buick-GMC's communications manager Dayna Hart. "Denali version of Acadia approved and coming soon," Hart said simply. Of course, that still leaves a lot up in the air.

Expect the Denali Acadia to get larger wheels, more leather inside, and a wide range of power accessories, including 12-way heated/cooled seats, a sunroof upgrade, DVD entertainment, and more. Creature comforts are the name of the game with the Denali package, after all.

Some might wonder what such accommodations are doing on a GMC - if you want a luxury GM SUV, there's always the Cadillac Escalade. But unlike the Escalade, GMC's Denali versions tend to look - more or less - like work-grade trucks from the outside. That's a feature that can appeal to executives, limo services, or people who like to move around without creating a wake.

The standard Acadia is powered by a 3.6-liter V-6 engine rated at 17 mpg in town and 24 mpg on the highway, and that's not likely to change with the Denali. The starting price of $31,740 is likely to rise, however, to right around the $40,000 mark, as most other Denali models carry a premium of about $8,000.

That will put the Denali into a comfortably position, about $10-15,000 below the new 2010 Cadillac SRX and its Turbo variant. Expect more details, including specifications and pricing, to emerge in the coming months, though beyond Hart's "soon," there's no solid date for the Acadia Denali's arrival.

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