What impressed us and our two device-addicted boys the most in the second row was the rare inclusion of a real, three-pronged 110-volt outlet, allowing even a laptop to be recharged for DVD viewing, game playing or even rest stop message checking while on the road. This will help potential owners avoid the cost of the useful but pricy $2,110 rear seat entertainment system, which comes with an integrated overhead screen and two wireless headphones.

The DVD system is a great convenience, and judging from how our kids used it even on shorter commuting trips, there’s no doubt that its screen provides a great way to keep the peace (and quiet, and sanity) with bickering siblings. But there are two USB connectors in the rear along with that 110-volt outlet that also help kids pass the time immersed in their own world/device, with no parental fiddling needed up front with discs and multi-mode sound systems.

One handy option that the Acadia unfortunately doesn’t offer is the ability to stream high-speed 4G WiFi into the car, a capability offered on much less expensive but more recently designed GM models. Sure, this recently introduced hotspot capability will cost an additional $10-$15 per month for Canadian customers, but there’s no necessity to pay that cost on a continuous basis. So if you’re taking a long road trip and want to avoid exorbitant data and roaming charges on your smartphone when you’re down in the U.S., this option seems tailor-made for a roomy and comfortable family cruiser like the Acadia.

Keep in mind, the iPad or iPhone hadn’t yet been introduced back in late 2006 when the Acadia first went into production. Though the Acadia has been refreshed and updated extensively, with the top-line Denali added as a luxury trim in 2010, its basic design and drivetrain haven’t drastically changed since that initial introduction.

This age is most apparent in its driving dynamics, which were class-leading when it was first introduced, but now lag behind its more recently designed competitors. Its tall stance and comfort-oriented suspension settings means there’s noticeable body lean in corners, made more noticeable by that aforementioned soft but slippery leather. Its Cadillac-sourced 3.6L engine offers a responsive yet refined 288 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque, which helps provide it with a class-leading V6 towing capacity of 2,930 kg, as well as a sprightly feel when called upon.

Granted, it’s not nearly the firebreather sport sedan feel offered by either of the Ford seven-seaters when equipped with the turbocharged 3.5L 365 hp EcoBoost V6, or the 5.7L V8 available in the Dodge Durango Citadel. But then again, it offers much better fuel economy than the Hemi-equipped Dodge, and (slightly) less fuel consumption than the boosted Fords, plus on regular fuel instead of the EcoBoost’s high-test premium. The standard engines in all of these Detroit-based rivals land right in the same 12.4 L/100 km overall average ballpark.

In my week of mixed but likely city-heavy driving, the all-wheel drive Acadia Denali averaged 13.4 L/100km overall, which is not bad for a full-size SUV, but far from miserly. The electronic all-wheel drive adds three-tenths to this average, according to Canadian government figures, going from 12.3 L/100km average for the front-drive model to 12.6 overall for the on-demand electronic system, a relatively light fuel consumption penalty for such a system.

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