The denali is really nice, I finally figured out until they fix it how to fill the thing up, so I finally verified the DIC is .5-1MPG low compared to actual. 35 highway, 30 mixed on a different highway with constant rolling hills, both at 55, and 20 in town, but that kind of mileage requires keeping the DOD in 4 cylinders as much as possible and safe. This is a very quiet and refined vehicle.

How in the world do you do that, and still depress the gas pedal? Do you have to make it a point to do 25 second 0-60 acceleration times? Also with the Denali how did you know what cylinder mode you were in so you could manage it? I was of the impression the only time it would go to 4 cylinders would be steady state highway driving, so color me surprised.

You must have the patience of a saint, because I can't imagine pulling around 4000+ lbs. of vehicle with a full-time NA 2.5L 4. My hat is off to you. ;D

 

It's like lean burn on old Hondas, you develop a feel for it, and can also watch the instantaneous MPG readout to help you figure it out (obviously you can't do this the whole time driving). It can involve some pretty slow accelerations, and isn't always practical or safe, but when you can pull it off, the mileage is amazing. It helps that we're rarely in a hurry, but we can't get away with going even 1MPH under the speed limit without the cops hassling us, so it's not like we're truly hypermiling.

 

I have a 2017 with the 6 cylinder and it often drops to 4 cylinders when I'm off nearly off the throttle. It does not appear to save much fuel, and you can feel a shutter / rumble when on 4 cylinders. There is a significant lag when switching back to 6 cylinders, and downshifting, when attempting to pull out and pass on the freeway.

My Sierra also has the AFM system which drops from 8 to 4 cylinders and I hate it. I have it turned off via a device that plugs into my ODBII port. I'm considering getting the same device for the Acadia.

I just did a trip from Toronto to Florida and put the vehicle into 2WD mode to test the fuel consumption. I averaged 27 mpg on the trip with an average speed of 67 mph.

The return trip from Florida to Toronto I left the vehicle in AWD mode and my fuel consumption was 26.9 mpg with an average speed of 66.8 mph.

Therefore I conclude that the actual fuel savings of 2WD vs AWD is so tiny, it isn't worth the hassle of switching it. When I had it in 2WD mode I was also too hard on the throttle leaving stops, and spun the tires way too much for dry weather roads... I'm so used to having the traction of four drive wheels that I was just too hard on a one wheel peel! If I only had 2WD I would need to adjust my quick starts.

 

It would be nice to have an inside source that could confirm some of the details between the trims, especially when it comes to noise control.

We know that noise is controlled in several ways on any car.

Insulation can be foam or felt, can be located under sheet metal, inside fenders, on the firewall, inside doors, between the headliner and the roof, under the carpet.

Thicker glass can be used to deaden wind noise.

Additional rubber seals can be added at sunroofs and doors (you often hear about "triple sealed doors").

Then there's active noise cancellation using a microphone and the audio system.

It would be very interesting to hear if any of these are different between trim levels, and specifically which level.

We could probably compare the glass by looking at part numbers, but actual sound insulation would be tough to compare.

You say the sound insulation is more Saturn than Cadillac, are you certain that the noise you heard is not the difference between the 4 cylinder and the 6? Rather than having anything to do with the insulation level.

 

The noise as well as rattle issues could be an individual issue as to what is normally carried in the car. I know some posters have posted about having rattles in the 2nd row seats, while others don't have any problems. We normally have my big wheeled in the back end and that in itself rattles so we don't notice anything other than that rattle even if we aren't carrying it.
Same with the noise issue one may think the car has irritating road noise while another doesn't hear anything out of the norm.

 

The noise as well as rattle issues could be an individual issue as to what is normally carried in the car. I know some posters have posted about having rattles in the 2nd row seats, while others don't have any problems. We normally have my big wheeled in the back end and that in itself rattles so we don't notice anything other than that rattle even if we aren't carrying it.
Same with the noise issue one may think the car has irritating road noise while another doesn't hear anything out of the norm.

My 2017 has a lot of rattles, same as all the previous Acadia models I've had. This one has a bad rattle from the sunroof shade (I really hate the new solid shade, wish I had the screen back again)

 

I just got a new '17 Limited and was poking around underneath looking for differences between this one and the '14 Denali, I noticed in a few "weep holes" underneath that there was the spray-in foam insulation that had oozed out of the holes, I guess they use it to fill in some of the crevices. Was happy to see that, this car is as quiet as the Denali was. I think it was referred to as "Acoustic Insulation"...

 

I've been very fortunate with my '14 Denali, and now the '17 Denali. I had the '14 for 40 months, and it never had anything that even remotely qualified a rattle or squeak. Even the suspension stayed the same as the day it was new. Of course, it wasn't trouble free as I had 7 different warranty repairs along the way, but no squeaks or rattles.

Fortunately, the '17 is just as quiet. Have a couple of things that may need repair when I go back for an oil change.

 

I've been very fortunate with my '14 Denali, and now the '17 Denali. I had the '14 for 40 months, and it never had anything that even remotely qualified a rattle or squeak. Even the suspension stayed the same as the day it was new. Of course, it wasn't trouble free as I had 7 different warranty repairs along the way, but no squeaks or rattles.

Fortunately, the '17 is just as quiet. Have a couple of things that may need repair when I go back for an oil change.

7 warranty repairs? Do you remember what for? My '14 never went back for anything but being the '17 is the same car maybe some things for me to watch for...

 

the 17 is a completely different car, none of the problems from the 14 should carry over. I had an sle, and the road and wind noise were clearly more. All 17 acadias are supposed to have active noise cancellation, idk if the denali has more authority/different tuning, but all are supposed to have it, but I noticed more sound insulation on the denali, even as far as to insulate the back end of the panel with denim insulation between it and the door, on top of the panel to panel seal. all acadias appear to have 3 levels of sealing on the doors at the top and front edge, at least sle up. on top of that, yes, the 4 cylinder is noisier, but we made note of as many distinguished differences as we could.

I guess I don't understand why people disable AFM. it's not hurting things, just like I don't understand leaving AWD connected all the time, and both are good ideas, both should save gas and selectable AWD saves wear. If you spin the tires, go easier on the throttle, I don't have this problem.

 

7 warranty repairs? Do you remember what for? My '14 never went back for anything but being the '17 is the same car maybe some things for me to watch for...

After some thought:

1. Replaced bad seat adjuster (driver's seat)
2. Plastic cowling between windshield base and engine bay warped badly & was replaced.
3. Pinhole in A/C evaporator line.
4. Rear taillight replaced (many stress cracks along top edge leading to bad internal condensation)
5. Rear tailgate went berserk.  Wiring issue under roof liner.
6. Bad sensor somewhere in emissions system (CEL on all the time)
7. Bad brake booster.  Seals around plunger into master cylinder leaking, which was sucking brake fluid back into the booster.

None of these were catastrophic, and I can generally put up with a lot as long as a vehicle never leaves me stranded.  It's always a pain dealing with stuff like this, but it never cost me a penny.  In fact, other than gas, the only thing that vehicle cost me in 40 months of ownership was a set of windshield wiper blades.  Never paid for any maintenance.  Two years maintenance came with the vehicle, but they didn't charge me for year 3 either.  Windshield wiper blades was my total outlay for 40 months after purchase.

the 17 is a completely different car, none of the problems from the 14 should carry over.

IUOE Rob has a '17 Limited.

 

sorry, I missed that

 

I guess I don't understand why people disable AFM. it's not hurting things, just like I don't understand leaving AWD connected all the time, and both are good ideas, both should save gas and selectable AWD saves wear. If you spin the tires, go easier on the throttle, I don't have this problem.

AFM is known for causing many issues with the older GM pickup trucks, and causes HIGHER fuel consumption. It appears with a very distinct lag when attempting to accelerate quickly.

On my 2017 Acadia, the AFM has the same lag, causes a rumble / vibration, and appears to save no significant amount of fuel.

Selectable AWD saves wear? On what planet.... AWD systems are noted to reduce wear on the drivetrain. Engine power is divided to more drive wheels and overall wear is reduced. I don't even like the AWD being in a state of 95% front under normal conditions. A proper AWD system should be between 40% and 50% front under non slip conditions with the remainder to the rear.

 

the 17 is a completely different car, none of the problems from the 14 should carry over. I had an sle, and the road and wind noise were clearly more. All 17 acadias are supposed to have active noise cancellation, idk if the denali has more authority/different tuning, but all are supposed to have it, but I noticed more sound insulation on the denali, even as far as to insulate the back end of the panel with denim insulation between it and the door, on top of the panel to panel seal. all acadias appear to have 3 levels of sealing on the doors at the top and front edge, at least sle up. on top of that, yes, the 4 cylinder is noisier, but we made note of as many distinguished differences as we could.

The person comparing the 14 Denali to the 17 Denali 'Limited' is comparing two nearly identical models. The Limited is the carry-over larger model that GM continued to produce for a while. The 2017 Acadia and the 2017 Acadia Limited are two totally different vehicles