Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!

OH

EMM

GEE

Ok, so you know, I’m trying to be a blogger chic (and not a mommy blogger because I am more than that lol) but yea, I am trying to do this thing and stop getting in my own way (another post). So, I am trying my best to do more outreaching on my behalf and get my name out there for things that I like, are important to me, or are just plain fun. Well, it looks like it pai off because I was given the keys to a 2012 GMC Acadia Denali for 8 days. To drive. To review. To floss. And boy did I ever!!!!!!

Ok, so here are the basics:

Here are some features that come STANDARD on this model:

StabiliTrak

CD/MP3 and navigation system

Rear-seat entertainment system

SiriusXM Satellite Radio

OnStar^®, 6 months of Directions & Connections^® plan 

Remote Keyless Entry 

Rear cargo area storage system 

Steering wheel, leather-wrapped 

Head-Up Display

Heated and cooled front seats 

Insulation, Acoustic Package,

Denali specific Floor mats, premium, carpeted front, second and third row,

Denali specific Dual SkyScape 2-panel power sunroof 

20″ chrome-clad aluminum wheels 

Daytime Running Lamps 

Roof-mounted luggage rack side rails 

High-Intensity Discharge headlamps 

Sill plate, illuminated, Denali specific

Whew!!! This girl right here was DOIN’ IT for 8 days in style. The Acadia Denali is an AMAZING SUV, but as a minivan mom (sigh), there were some things I was looking for and figured I should give you my list of pros and cons. Let’s start with the cons, so we can end this on a good note 🙂

Cons

• Gas Mileage – Now granted, I did a bit of extra driving while I had the truck, but not so much more than I normally would (except for the road trip to Macomb, IL (ugh, never again. EVER.)) Mileage was a little worse than my van for city driving. Granted it has a bigger engine and all, but good grief, if you are going to woo me into switching from a minivan, mileage is something I will be looking at.
• Space – Seriously, where is it? Now yes, I did seat 7 comfortably, but if I had gone grocery shopping (and I am a family of 5, so I do shop in bulk) I could not have taken Mr. Incredible, the Clones and Senior. Everything would not have fit. The ‘trunk’ space was very small, like a large pack of paper towels and toilet paper small. If I am carrying around 7 people, I will need room for all of their stuff. There is no way I could road trip in this as there wouldn’t be enough room for the luggage. o_O So not cool….

• Heat – Ok, I am sure this sounds silly, but I could not seem to get the thermostat right in the front.  While it was a definite PRO to be able to set the driver and passenger temps separately, it was a CON that we could not get the warm air to blow in the front. If I set the temps to 80 degrees, I obviously want to be hot and um yea, this didn’t happen. Not good in Chicago in the winter….IJS
• Rear DVD System – This one is a pro and a con. The con is that certain features cannot be used without the remote. Um, what? This has to be the silliest thing ever. I took Senior and a friend to visit Western Illinois and since its a 4 hour drive, the brought along the xBox 360. They could not use it because we didn’t have the remote to switch the screens. This was pure madness and I was FORCED to talk to them for a total of 8 hours. Aside from the sheer torture of having to talk to 2 teenage males, the fact that certain features in the DVD/Navigation System only being accessible viz remote seems a bit silly to me.

Pros

• Heated Seats – I have NEVER been a fan of leather seats. EVER. Too hot in the summer and the back of your legs fry like bacon. Too cold in the winter and your bones get frost bite. Well in this bad baby I had a hot ass. Literally. And it. Was. Awesome.

• DVD/Navigation System – This was actually pretty cool. I am not someone who needs navigation to tool around the city, but it definitely came in handy when we drove to the pot belly of Illinois for a college visit.  It was also nice when we did some long city driving with the Clones; they were able to watch The Backyardigans and I could talk to Mr. Incredible uninterrupted.

• HUD (Heads Up Display) – Man this was a real treat. Seeing my speed in the window was awesome, as it was a little tricky trying to see it on the panel. It even showed my the current song I was playing while listening to…..
• XM/Sirius Sattellite Radio – Now I agree that paying for radio is ridiculous, but man oh man was it nice to try out!  I loved having very few commercials and I also liked being able to listen to the ol’ skool rap and hip hop.

 

 

 

 

All in all, the GMC Acadia Denali is one helluva SUV. The ride was nice and comfy, and I would love to drive it again. For an everyday car, it was not for me :-(. I need my cargo space, especially with Senior leaving for college and the Clones getting involved in more activities.  If I had this SUV, I would still need a minivan, and I am pretty sure that defeats the purpose.

But I was very sad to have them come and take it away.  It was a great treat for my birthday and since its GMC’s birthday too, we definitely celebrated together in style!!!