What’s the Difference Between the SLE & SLT Acadia?

The GMC Acadia is a highly popular three-row SUV that’s as technologically advanced as it is comfortable and powerful. It’s a beloved vehicle option among families who need seating for up to seven passengers, some solid towing abilities, and an interior that will keep everyone happy on long car rides. Plus, its stylish exterior gives parents an attractive option that’s a nice departure from clunky minivans. Equal parts muscle and fun, the GMC Acadia is just as ready for days of running errands around town as it is for a weekend of camping. If you’re looking for a car that delivers value and reliability, you should start hunting for a GMC Acadia for sale.

Many drivers find themselves ultimately deciding between the base trim SLE and the next trim up in the lineup, the SLT. At first glance, their differences might appear subtle, leaving many wondering: what’s the difference between the Acadia SLE and the Acadia SLT? There’s a slight price disparity, so there must be discrepancies in features that justify it—and you’d be right to presume as much. The SLT Acadia has everything the SLE has, but with some attractive, luxurious, and convenient features on the interior and exterior that make it feel slightly more elevated than the SLE. We’ll dive into those differences below—but first…

What’s the Same?

Before we get into what makes the SLE and the SLT different, let’s touch briefly on what these two vehicles have in common…

Each of these trims will have the GMC Pro Safety Plus suite of driver assistance features. With that, you can expect everything in the GMC Pro Safety to be standard, including forward collision warning, a following distance indicator, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, pedestrian detection with emergency braking, and automatic high beams. The ‘Plus’ aspect adds rear cross-traffic alert, lane change alert, blind-spot warning, and rear parking assist.

Each trim will also have a standard 2.0L turbo engine paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission; they’ll both offer all-wheel or front-wheel drive options, as well. The SLE and SLT also share in that they are the only trims on which you can get the Elevation Edition; this stylish expansion adds a black grille insert, black mirror caps, gloss black roof rails, 20-inch aluminum painted gloss black wheels, and 20-inch all-season Blackwall tires. If you like the sound of this head-turning, ready-for-adventure edition, you can get it on the SLE or SLT.

And What’s Different?

Now that we’ve established what you’ll find similar across both trims, we can get into what gives the SLT the distinction of being slightly higher up than the SLE…

While the SLE has cloth seats, the SLT gives drivers an upgrade with perforated leather-appointed first and second-row seats for a more VIP look and feel. Plus, the SLT gets the option of available heated and ventilated front seats, which are not available on the SLE. A heated steering wheel also becomes available on the SLT. So, drivers who like the ultimate in climate control and comfort will probably want to opt for the SLT over the SLE.

On the outside, one of the biggest benefits of the SLT has to be the hands-free programmable power liftgate. This allows you to open the trunk with no more than a swipe of the foot beneath the trunk. You can program it to open to your desired height, too; this makes the SLT a favorite trim among busy parents whose hands are always full of kids, groceries, and backpacks and don’t have one to spare to manually open a trunk. This feature is standard on the SLT.

Also available on the SLT are heated, power-adjustable, power-folding outside mirrors with integrated LED turn signals. These are ideal for those who need to pack down the mirrors to get into tight parking spots, as well as anyone who lives in a particularly cold climate where ice interferes with visibility on the mirrors. The integrated turn signals are also very helpful as they make it extra clear to other drivers on the road when you’re going to make a turn or change lanes, reducing the chances of an accident.

As for technology, once you move up to the SLT, you get a standard 8.0-inch infotainment screen with navigation; if you often travel to new destinations and need help getting around, this is a major advantage the SLT has over the SLE. With the SLE, you can plug your smartphone in and use your preferred app for navigation. However, some drivers like a built-in navigation to make things easier and to keep the driver’s area tidier.

Additionally, the SLT gets an available 6.0-inch head-up display (HUD) which projects important information like vehicle speed, audio volume, navigation, safety alerts, and fuel alerts directly onto your windshield, just below your line of vision, so you don’t need to take your eyes off the road to gather your relevant data.

Audiophiles should take note that only the SLT gets the Bose premium eight-speaker sound system as a standard; it’s available on the SLE but will cost you extra. If you want the crispest, clearest, most sonorous listening experience for hours of streaming music, podcasts, and more on road trips, you’ll want that Bose sound system.

Drivers also get a power bump option in the SLT, with an available 3.6L V6 engine that brings the towing capacity from 3,500 lbs up to 4,000 lbs. If you know you’ll need to tow up to 4,000 lbs, you will need the SLT in order to opt for that larger engine.

Should you get that larger engine purely to take advantage of the higher towing abilities, you’ll probably appreciate the available high-definition surround vision camera system on the SLT, too. This helps you get a crisp and comprehensive vision of what’s happening around your vehicle to help reduce the chances of collisions.

The SLT Demonstrates More Attention to Detail

If we had to put simply how the SLT differs from the SLE, it’s attention to detail. The SLE will get you where you’re going and safely, thanks to that generous suite of driver assistance features in the GMC Safety Pro. Plus, it will keep everyone comfortable with its configurable seating for up to seven passengers and foldable rear seats, ready to make room for cargo when you need it. Its engine is peppy enough, too.

However, for drivers who crave that VIP experience—where it feels like problems have been solved for you before they even arise—you’ll probably be interested in the SLT. GMC took everything to the next level in this trim, as far as driver and passenger comfort and convenience go. Everywhere you turn, you find those intuitive details that make day-to-day life on the road a pleasure.

The leather seats let parents feel that they haven’t totally given their lives up to “kid stuff.” The high-end Bose sound system helps with that, too. Heated elements from the steering wheel to the exterior mirrors help take that edge off when driving on a chilly winter day. Advanced infotainment and tech, from built-in navigation to the HUD, streamline the process of getting where you’re going safely and satisfied. The SLT—to put it simply—is the sophisticated older sibling of the SLE.