Compare the2025 GMC AcadiaVS 2025 Ford Explorer

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 Explorer doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Acadia and the Explorer have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, available all wheel drive, front parking sensors and driver alert monitors.

The Acadia’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Explorer’s (6 vs. 5 years).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Ford With 33 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks GMC higher than Ford.

The Acadia’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 28 more horsepower (328 vs. 300) and 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (326 vs. 310) than the Explorer’s standard 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Acadia FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Explorer 3.0 turbo V6 RWD (20 city/27 hwy vs. 18 city/25 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the GMC Acadia uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Explorer requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Acadia FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Explorer 2.3-liter’s standard fuel tank (19.4 vs. 17.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Explorer V6 Turbo’s standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 20.2 gallons).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Acadia Denali offers optional 22-inch wheels. The Explorer’s largest wheels are only 21-inches.

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Acadia’s wheelbase is 1.8 inches longer than on the Explorer (120.9 inches vs. 119.1 inches).

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

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

The Acadia has 1.9 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.5 inches more rear legroom, .1 inches more rear shoulder room, 7.7 inches more third row hip room and 3.3 inches more third row shoulder room than the Explorer.

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

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

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Acadia’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Explorer doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Acadia uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Explorer uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Acadia offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, navigation instruction, infotainment and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Explorer doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

If the windows are left open on the Acadia the driver can close them all from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Explorer can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Acadia has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Explorer.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the GMC Acadia has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Explorer and isn’t available on the Explorer Active.

The Acadia’s optional Enhanced Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Explorer doesn’t offer an automated parking system.