GMC SUVs with Third-Row Seating

There are many advantages to owning an SUV, not only are they quite reliable and durable, they’re very family-friendly as well. One feature in particular that SUVs typically excel at is comfortably implementing third-row seating with the ability to seat up to seven or even nine passengers. One manufacturer that consistently pushes the bar with innovation while retaining a reputation spanning over a century is GMC. Through an extensive catalog of all types of vehicles they manufacture, each of them excellent, GMC has become a household name that’s synonymous with the automotive industry. If you’re in the market for a reliable vehicle with third-row seating, look no further than 2020 Acadia and Yukon, two GMC SUVs with a lot of promise.

These two SUVs highlight all of the best parts about SUVs and do so in a classy and exciting way that aspiring shoppers will surely notice. If you’re on a tighter budget, the GMC Acadia is a fantastic option with seven-passenger seating capacity and three performance engines amongst its five trims. The Yukon starts at more of a premium price, but this makes sense for such a premium vehicle, and it supports four trim levels and one powerful engine mutually shared amongst its trims. Impressively, the Yukon has the ability to seat up to nine passengers, meaning nobody in the family has to miss out on the ride. But let’s look a little further into what these two spacious SUVs have to offer.

2020 GMC Acadia

The Acadia is a popular choice amongst drivers as it packs a lot of performance and an impressive feature set. The base Acadia starts at an MSRP of $30,995, and the five trims you can select from are SL, SLE, SLT, AT4, and Denali. At a base level, the Acadia can seat seven passengers with second-row bench seats while higher-tier trims can opt for a six-passenger seating arrangement with foldable bucket seats.

All of the engines available for the Acadia are paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission allowing for smooth gear shifting. Three different engines can be found in the 2020 Acadia, starting with the standard 2.5L 4-cylinder engine found in the base model. This engine supports a variety of features that are becoming more standardized in today’s market, such as variable valve timing, spark ignition direct injection, and stop/start technology. This technology grants efficiency by allowing the engine to shut off when the vehicle has completely stopped, and the brake pedal remains engaged. It will dynamically restart itself when your foot is taken off the pedal. This 2.5L 4-cylinder engine produces 193 hp and 188 lb-ft of torque with a fuel economy rating of 21 MPG city, 27 MPG highway, and 23 MPG combined.

The second engine you can fit your 2020 GMC Acadia with and is found standard on the SLT trim in both front-wheel and all-wheel-drive is the 2.0L turbo 4-cylinder engine. This engine is also found on the AWD variant of the SLE but not for FWD. This engine achieves a respectable 230 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque while retaining the aforementioned features such as stop/start technology. Regarding fuel efficiency, this engine achieves 21 MPG city, 28 MPG highway, and 24 MPG combined when fit onto an Acadia with FWD and gets 21 MPG city, 25 MPG highway, and 21 MPG combined with AWD.

The most powerful engine available for the Acadia is the 3.6L V6 and is available on each trim except for the base SL and comes standard on the Denali trim. This engine can produce 310 hp and 271 lb-ft of torque with added features such as a variable displacement oil pump, which GMC claims can deliver performance without taking an extra hit to your gas mileage. Speaking of gas mileage, this V6 netted an EPA rating of 19 MPG city, 27 MPG highway, and 22 MPG combined with FWD and achieved a rating of 18 MPG city, 25 MPG highway, and 21 MPG combined with the AWD model.

The base SL trim comes standard with the Driver Alert Package 1. This package is a suite of safety features that will make your driving experience safer than it ever has with alert systems such as a lane change with side blind zone alert, which can be very useful when it comes to moments such as merging on the highway. A rear cross-traffic alert is present with this package and ultimately enhances your awareness when in use, for example, this alert system can notify you in the event an oncoming vehicle is passing by your path when backing out of a parking spot. With this package equipped on the SL, SLE, SLT and AT4 trims, you’ll receive a rear park assist, which utilizes an array of sensors implemented into the bumper. Rear park assist will notify you if any objects are obstructing your path when in reverse.

The 2020 GMC Acadia is full of features that the entire family is sure to enjoy, including a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot coming standard, even at the base level. With this hotspot, your passengers are able to connect their favorite wireless devices and enjoy a stable internet connection as they browse the web, download apps, or stream content. The base Acadia also includes an 8-inch infotainment system with amenities such as SiriusXM radio, Bluetooth compatibility, and seamless integration of both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

2020 GMC Yukon

The 2020 GMC Yukon is one you’ll surely not want to miss as it’s one of the very best SUVs in the market, especially with its nine-passenger seating capacity, as previously mentioned. There are four trims for Yukon, these being SLE, SLT Standard, SLT, and Denali, but the base trim starts at an MSRP of $51,895. There’s a lot to like about the GMC Yukon, namely its notable feature-set and its high-levels of upgradability.

When looking at the base trim, you’ll see a 5.3L EcoTec3 V8 come standard with the ability to produce 355 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque, which is certainly more than respectable for its standard status. This engine, in particular, is paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission and achieves an EPA-estimated rating of 15 MPG city, 22 MPG highway and 18 MPG combined when seen on the rear-wheel-drive models. When this V8 is equipped on the AWD variant of the Yukon, it achieves a slightly smaller estimate at 15 MPG city, 21 MPG highway and 17 MPG combined. It’s important to note that rear-wheel-drive comes standard on all Yukon trims, but you’ll have the option of upgrading to all-wheel-drive regardless of your selected trim.

The next and more powerful engine you can fit inside of your Yukon is the 6.2L EcoTec3 V8, and you’ll find this standard on Denali while being an available option for the SLT depending on your upgrades. This engine can produce an impressive 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque so you can be sure you’re getting the best performance out of your SUV. This engine is paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission with a few added bonuses, such as the tap-shift capability, which allows you to manually change your gears plus a tow/haul mode, perfect for getting even the most intensive tasks done. This 6.2L V8 achieves an EPA-rating estimate of 15 MPG city, 23 MPG highway and 17 MPG combined with a RWD configuration and a rating of 14 MPG city, 22 MPG highway, and 17 MPG combined when paired with AWD.

Each trim receives a rear-vision camera to give you easier visibility when in reverse. And StabiliTrak comes standard and significantly improves stability and traction control by using a variety of sensors that can detect hazardous conditions and from there will dynamically apply brakes and engine torque to ultimately help you stay in control. Rear park assist appears again, but this time you’ll also have a front park assist, which serves a similar purpose, albeit using sensors on the front bumper.

Rainsense automatic wipers are standard across all trims and are slightly different than your traditional wipers. These wipers use sensors to detect precipitation and will automatically turn your wipers on and off plus a dynamic speed adjustment as well. Even for the base trim, you’ll be treated to a Bose premium audio system that fits the interior of your Yukon with nine speakers, all of which have exceptional quality. The infotainment screen is 8-inches, much like Acadia’s, and also uses the same implementation of Android Auto and Apple Carplay.

Choosing Your SUV

Both Acadia and the Yukon are prime examples of what an SUV can adequately do in the year 2020 and are simply the best they’ve ever been. There are plenty of reasons to shop for an SUV, especially if you’re in the market for a vehicle with third-row seating. Each year, industry leaders find new and exciting ways to innovate on their already stellar formulas, and the result is an SUV that you can’t help but crave to drive.

If you’re interested in shopping for one of GMC’s fantastic SUVs, then look no further than your local GMC dealership to schedule a test drive and talk to a professional sales rep to see if vehicles such as the Acadia and Yukon are right for you. If you visit us at Hendrick Atlanta located at 3277 Satellite Boulevard NW in Duluth, GA, we can assist you in finding your dream SUV and help you achieve confidence in your decision.