Compare the2024 Mazda CX-90VS 2023 GMC Acadia

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Mazda CX-90 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The GMC Acadia doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Mazda CX-90 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Acadia doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The CX-90 Premium has a standard Secondary Collision Reduction System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Acadia doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CX-90 Premium Plus/Turbo S Premium has standard Rear Smart City Brake Support that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Acadia doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the CX-90. But it costs extra on the Acadia.

Both the CX-90 and Acadia have Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but the CX-90 Premium Plus/Turbo S Premium has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Acadia’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

The CX-90’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Acadia doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CX-90 and the Acadia have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 and available around view monitors.

The Mazda CX-90 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Acadia is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

The CX-90’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Acadia’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, GMC is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda 17 places higher in reliability than GMC.

The CX-90 has more powerful engines than the Acadia:

On the EPA test cycle the CX-90 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Acadia:

The CX-90 PHEV can travel with zero emissions for 26 miles. The Acadia can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The CX-90 has a standard locking fuel door and a locking charge port which lock and unlock with the power locks. The Acadia doesn’t offer a locking fuel filler door. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank and a locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

For better stopping power the CX-90’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Acadia:

The CX-90 stops much shorter than the Acadia:

For better traction, the CX-90 has larger standard tires than the Acadia (265/55R19 vs. 235/65R18). The CX-90 Premium/Turbo S’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Acadia (275/45R21 vs. 255/65R17).

The CX-90’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Acadia SLE/SLT’s standard 65 series tires. The CX-90 Premium/Turbo S’ tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Acadia’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the CX-90 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Acadia AT4. The CX-90 Premium/Turbo S’ 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Acadia.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-90’s wheelbase is 10.3 inches longer than on the Acadia (122.8 inches vs. 112.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the CX-90 is 2.6 inches wider in the front and 2.7 inches wider in the rear than on the Acadia.

The CX-90’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51.7% to 48.3%) than the Acadia’s (56.5% to 43.5%). This gives the CX-90 more stable handling and braking.

For better maneuverability, the CX-90’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Acadia’s (38.1 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-90 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Acadia (8 vs. 7.2 inches), allowing the CX-90 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The CX-90 PHEV Premium/Turbo S’ minimum ground clearance is .9 inch higher than on the Acadia (8.1 vs. 7.2 inches).

The CX-90 offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Acadia can only carry up to 7.

The CX-90 has .7 inches more front legroom and .7 inches more third row legroom than the Acadia.

The CX-90’s cargo area provides more volume than the Acadia.

The CX-90’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Acadia’s (3500 vs. 1000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the GMC Acadia is only 4000 pounds. The CX-90 offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the CX-90 uses the Dynamic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Acadia doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The engine in the CX-90 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Acadia. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

The CX-90’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Acadia’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window closes automatically.

The CX-90’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Acadia’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The CX-90’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Acadia’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the CX-90 Turbo S has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Acadia doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The CX-90 Premium Plus has standard front air conditioned seats and the CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Acadia doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.