Compare the2023 GMC AcadiaVS 2023 Volvo XC90

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 XC90 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 XC90 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Acadia and the XC90 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.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the GMC Acadia is safer than the Volvo XC90:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the GMC Acadia is safer than the Volvo XC90:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

GMC’s powertrain warranty covers the Acadia 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volvo covers the XC90. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the XC90 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 6 times as many GMC dealers as there are Volvo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Acadia’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Acadia has a standard 220-amp alternator. The XC90’s 210-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Acadia’s reliability 16 points higher than the XC90.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Acadia third among upper midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The XC90 isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 94 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volvo is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Volvo With 64 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks GMC higher than Volvo.

On the EPA test cycle the Acadia gets better mileage than the XC90 running its gasoline engine:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Acadia’s fuel efficiency. The XC90 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Both the Acadia and the XC90 have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Acadia’s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The XC90 Recharge doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

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 XC90 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the XC90 (21.7 vs. 18.8 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the GMC Acadia higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Volvo XC90 (5 to 7). This means the Acadia produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the XC90 every 15,000 miles.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the GMC Acadia, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the XC90.

The Acadia stops much shorter than the XC90:

The GMC Acadia’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Volvo XC90 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 XC90 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The front and rear suspension of the Acadia uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the XC90, which uses transverse leafs springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

The Acadia Denali AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the XC90 B6 Core pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Acadia SLT AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the XC90 B6 Ultimate (26.9 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Acadia’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the XC90’s (38.7 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

The GMC Acadia may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 600 pounds less than the Volvo XC90.

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 XC90 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 XC90 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Acadia has 40 cubic feet more passenger volume than the XC90 (143.8 vs. 103.8).

The Acadia has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom, 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room, .9 inches more third row headroom and 7.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the XC90.

The Acadia’s cargo area provides more volume than the XC90.

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 XC90 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Volvo On Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Acadia has standard extendable sun visors. The XC90 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Acadia is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The XC90 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 XC90 because typical repairs cost much less on the Acadia than the XC90, including $523 less for a water pump, $251 less for a starter, $118 less for fuel injection, $204 less for a fuel pump and $146 less for front struts.

Consumer Reports® recommends the GMC Acadia, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Volvo XC90 isn't recommended.

The GMC Acadia outsold the Volvo XC90 by 55% during 2022.