Compare the2022 GMC AcadiaVS 2021 Lexus GX460

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 GX460 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 GX460 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Acadia uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The GX460 uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Acadia and the GX460 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive 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 213 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GX460 has not been tested, yet.

There are almost 7 times as many GMC dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Acadia’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Acadia’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the GX460’s camshafts. If the GX460’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Acadia has a standard 220-amp alternator (155-amp - Acadia V6 and 170 V6). The GX460’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 12th.

The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 9 more horsepower (310 vs. 301) than the GX460’s 4.6 DOHC V8.

On the EPA test cycle the Acadia gets better mileage than the GX460:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Acadia’s fuel efficiency. The GX460 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Acadia 2.0 Turbo’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The GX460 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Acadia’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be disabled at the start of a trip. The GX460 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the GMC Acadia uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine for maximum performance). The GX460 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

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 GX460 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the GMC Acadia, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the GX460.

The Acadia stops much shorter than the GX460:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Acadia offers optional 20-inch wheels. The GX460’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

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 GX460 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For superior ride and handling, the GMC Acadia has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Lexus GX460 has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Acadia’s wheelbase is 2.7 inches longer than on the GX460 (112.5 inches vs. 109.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Acadia is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than on the GX460.

The Acadia Denali AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the GX460 pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Acadia SLT AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the GX460 (26.9 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Acadia’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the GX460’s (38.7 feet vs. 41.1 feet).

The GMC Acadia may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 950 pounds less than the Lexus GX460.

The Acadia is 7.1 inches shorter in height than the GX460, making the Acadia much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Acadia’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The GX460 uses body-on-frame design instead.

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 GX460 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 GX460 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Acadia has 14.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the GX460 (143.8 vs. 129.7).

The Acadia has 2 inches more front headroom, 4 inches more front shoulder room, 5.6 inches more rear legroom, 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room, 2 inches more third row headroom and .4 inches more third row legroom than the GX460.

The front step up height for the Acadia is 3.7 inches lower than the GX460 (18” vs. 21.7”). The Acadia’s rear step up height is 3 inches lower than the GX460’s (19” vs. 22”).

The Acadia’s cargo area provides more volume than the GX460.

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Acadia easier. The Acadia’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 32 inches, while the GX460’s liftover is 33.8 inches.

The Acadia’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The GX460’s swing out door blocks loading from the passenger’s side.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Acadia’s cargo door can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Acadia also offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button or just by kicking your foot under the back bumper. The GX460 doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening cargo door.

The Acadia (except SLE) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The GX460 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Acadia’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The GX460’s parking brake has to released manually.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Acadia’s available exterior PIN entry system. The GX460 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Acadia’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The GX460’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Acadia’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The GX460’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Acadia’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The GX460’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the GMC Acadia offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The GX460 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Acadia is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The GX460 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Acadia is less expensive to operate than the GX460 because typical repairs cost much less on the Acadia than the GX460, including $6 less for a water pump, $141 less for a muffler, $409 less for a starter, $125 less for fuel injection, $88 less for a fuel pump, $83 less for a timing belt/chain and $46 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the GMC Acadia will be $10703 to $16911 less than for the Lexus GX460.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the GMC Acadia and the Lexus GX460, based on reliability, safety and performance.