Toyota Sienna vs GMC Acadia

Now in its fourth generation, the latest family hauler is offered only as a fuel-sipping hybrid model with three rows of seating and power sliding doors. Plus the Sienna comes standard with plenty of safety features and it’s comfy to boot. Why even both with an SUV?

Verdict: The 2024 Toyota Sienna delivers impressive fuel efficiency, thanks to its standard hybrid engine. Toyota also offers optional all-wheel drive, and many shoppers may appreciate the Sienna's dramatic exterior styling. Performance, while efficient, isn't thrilling, and the Sienna's tech is looking a bit outdated. Otherwise, this minivan delivers great value.

Long story short, as a friend of mine likes to say, GMC screwed up. This is just my opinion, of course, but when GMC redesigned the Acadia for the 2017 model year, the SUV shrank in size and switched to a softer look in order to plug a huge hole in the Buick-GMC SUV lineup.

Fast-forward to 2020, and GMC may have decided this move was a bad idea. As part of a refresh, the new Acadia adopts bolder styling and adds a new AT4 trim level with greater off-roading capability. Additional changes include the availability of a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a new nine-speed automatic transmission, and new and updated technology.

These revisions do help the Acadia to better stand out in what is now an ocean of midsize SUVs, from Hyundai to Kia and Honda to Toyota, and everything in between, but it’s up to GMC to make people aware of this fundamentally good, but oh-so-vanilla SUV. And the company must also address the Acadia’s questionable value.