Compare the2018 GMC AcadiaVS 2017 BMW X3

The Acadia Denali’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The X3 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the GMC Acadia’s middle seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The BMW X3 doesn’t offer height adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Acadia are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The X3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Acadia has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The X3 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

To help make backing safer, the Acadia (except SL)’s optional cross-path warning system uses wide-angle radar in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The X3 doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Acadia and the X3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, available all wheel drive, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Acadia the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 110 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X3 has not been fully tested, yet.

GMC’s powertrain warranty covers the Acadia 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X3. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the X3 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 5 times as many GMC dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Acadia’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2016 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC fifth in reliability, above the industry average. With 22 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 14th.

The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 10 more horsepower (310 vs. 300) than the X3 xDrive35i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6 cyl.

The Acadia FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the X3 (19.4 vs. 17.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 4 gallons more fuel capacity than the X3 (21.7 vs. 17.7 gallons).

The Acadia has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The X3 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Acadia stops much shorter than the X3:

The GMC Acadia’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The BMW X3 only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Acadia has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The X3 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Acadia’s wheelbase is 1.9 inches longer than on the X3 (112.5 inches vs. 110.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Acadia is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than on the X3.

The Acadia Denali AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the X3 xDrive28d xDrive pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The front grille of the Acadia FWD 4 cyl. uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The X3 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Acadia uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The X3 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Acadia Denali AWD is quieter than the X3 xDrive28d xDrive (41 vs. 44 dB).

The Acadia has standard seating for 7 passengers; the X3 can only carry 5.

The Acadia has 43.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the X3 (143.8 vs. 100.1).

The Acadia has 1.1 inches more front legroom, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 3.2 inches more rear legroom and 2.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the X3.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Acadia’s middle row seats recline. The X3’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Acadia’s cargo area provides more volume than the X3.

The Acadia’s cargo area is larger than the X3’s in almost every dimension:

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Acadia’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The X3 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Maximum trailer towing in the BMW X3 is limited to 3500 pounds. The Acadia offers up to a 4000 lbs. towing capacity.

The Acadia offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The X3 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Acadia (except SL/SLE)’s optional easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The X3 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Acadia has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the X3 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Acadia Denali keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The X3 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Acadia has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the X3.

The Acadia SLT/Denali has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The X3 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Acadia is less expensive to operate than the X3 because it costs $36 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Acadia than the X3, including $184 less for a water pump, $334 less for an alternator, $207 less for a starter, $58 less for a fuel pump and $401 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the GMC Acadia will be $2579 to $5965 less than for the BMW X3.

The GMC Acadia outsold the BMW X3 by 89% during the 2016 model year.