2019 GMC Acadia vs 2019 Dodge Durango

• 2019 GMC Acadia

  

  Starting at

  $29,000

  2019 Dodge Durango

  

  Starting at

  $30,390

  21/26 MPG	Fuel Efficiency (city/highway)	19/26 MPG
  Yes	Available In-Car WiFi	No
  Bose	Available Sound System	Harman Kardon
  3,956 lbs	Curb Weight	4,680-5,510 lbs

  Choosing between two SUVs like the 2019 GMC Acadia vs 2019 Dodge Durango can be a challenge. You need to get a complete understanding of both vehicles before you can make an educated decision that you can feel confident about. On first glance, Both the 2019 GMC Acadia and the 2019 Dodge Durango appear to have some similar features, namely that they are both formidable SUVs. However, some important distinctions should be considered before a final decision is made.

  At Carl Black Roswell, we want you to have all the information. That’s why we’ve put together this comparison page so that you can compare the 2019 GMC Acadia vs the 2019 Dodge Durango. During our comparison of these two SUVs, we found that the GMC Acadia stayed ahead of the Dodge Durango on important features like Safety, Fuel Efficiency, and Seating Capacity.

• Safety

  

  Safety is one of the first things many people looking to buy a new SUV focus on. Often, they’re looking for a vehicle that can safely transport their family back and forth from work, school, extracurriculars and family road trips. The best performance capabilities and sleek design mean nothing if the SUV isn’t going to get its passengers to their end destination in one piece. If you’re debating between the 2019 GMC Acadia and the 2019 Dodge Durango, here is some information on both of these vehicles’ safety capabilities.

  The 2019 GMC Acadia

  If you’re looking for a vehicle with plenty of additional safety features and good overall ratings, the 2019 GMC Acadia delivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the All-Wheel-Drive version of the Acadia an overall crash test rating of 5-stars. The Front-Wheel-Driver version of the Acadia received a 4-star rating overall. Many folks not likely to be driving in icy or snowy conditions opt happily for the Front-Wheel-Drive version of this SUV with peace of mind.

  In terms of upgradable safety features, the GMC Acadia is certainly of the “go big or go home” mentality. Even on the standard base model, safety features like a rearview camera and rear-seat alert are automatic. For those of you unfamiliar with rear-seat alert, this is a feature designed to let you know if you’ve forgotten something in the back seat.

  Other active safety features include Front Pedestrian Braking, a Rear Cross Traffic Alert, a Safety Alert Driver’s Seat, Forward Collision Warning, Forward Automatic Braking, Front and Rear Parking Sensors, Side Blind Spot Monitoring with Lane Change Alert, Lane Keep Assist, and a Surround-View Camera. Depending on whether you have kids in the house, you may also want to opt for Teen Driver, a feature that lets parents set speed and audio limits and monitor their teen’s trip stats. This helps encourage good driving habits from a young age and can keep teens safer on the road.

  The 2019 Dodge Durango

  Currently, there are no crash test results from either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. For our comparison purposes, we’ll take a look at the safety scores of the 2018 model of the Dodge Durango. This similar model of SUV earned mixed results in terms of safety from reputable sources. While the IIHS gave the 2018 Dodge Durango a score of Good in four crash tests, it received the second lowest score of Marginal in the small overlap front test. The National Highways Traffic Safety Administration gave the Durango 4-stars overall.

  The only safety feature which comes standard with the 2019 Durango is a Rearview Camera. There are also Front and Rear Parking Sensors available. If you opt for one of the higher trim levels, you may be disappointed with the fact that none of them come with additional safety features. To get more active safety features, you’ll need to add on a supplemental package which includes Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Automatic High Beams, Adaptive Headlights, Forward Collision Warning, Automatic Emergency Braking, and Adaptive Cruise Control. Most of the Durango’s competitors in the SUV market outfit their higher trim levels with at least some of these features.

• Performance

  

  The overall performance of an SUV should be a combination of fuel efficiency, horsepower, and handling while on the road. Here’s a look at these stats for each of these two SUVs.

  The 2019 GMC Acadia

  Gas mileage can be something of a sticking point for people when they’re looking to buy a new SUV. Traditionally, SUV (which are built on the base of a truck) offer terrible gas mileage. If this is something you’re worried about, however, you’ll be overjoyed to learn that the 2019 GMC Acadia get some of the best fuel efficiency ratings out there for SUVs! Few of its competitors can match its 21 MPG city and 26 MPG highway with the base engine. With the more powerful V6 engine, fuel efficiency drops only slightly to 18 MPG city and 25 MPG highway, which is still high compared with the market. If you opt for the Acadia at the end of your SUV search, you’re likely to spend roughly the same on gas as you would have if you’d gotten a less powerful crossover vehicle like the Honda Pilot.

  As mentioned above, the 2019 Acadia comes in your choice of two powertrains. The base engine is the 193-horsepower four-cylinder engine, and the more powerful option is the 310-horsepower V6 engine. For most people, the base engine is perfectly serviceable, but the V6 engine will give noticeable strength to the ride. Since this is such a large vehicle, the Acadia maneuvers surprisingly well in confined areas. It’s also very comfortable even on rough roads.

  The 2019 Dodge Durango

  The Durango comes solidly in the middle of market averages for large SUVs. The base model and engine with Rear-Wheel-Drive gets an EPA-estimated 19 MPG city and 26 MPG highway. This is fairly typical, but not great. If you decide to upgrade to a more powerful engine, the fuel economy of the Durango drops off noticeably, getting only 13 MPG city and 19 MPG highway. The cost of fuel is definitely something to consider before committing to the Durango.

  There are three powertrain options for the 2019 Dodge Durango. They include the standard 3.6-liter V6 engine which makes 295 horsepower, the 5.7-liter V8 engine which makes 360 horsepower, and the 6.4-liter V8 that produces 475 horsepower. You can definitely get a lot of power out of the Durango, but you’ll be heavily sacrificing fuel efficiency. It’s a balance then between figuring out how much power you actually need and how much you like keeping your money in your wallet.

  The Durango draws mixed reviews in terms of handling. It’s a smooth ride even on rough roads, much like the GMC Acadia, but is reported to be difficult to maneuver around corners. You’ll be sure to remember that this is a big SUV when you’re driving.

• Interior

  

  You’re probably going to be spending a lot of time inside whatever new SUV you end up choosing, so making sure that it fits your needs and will keep you comfortable and entertained is highly important. Here’s a little about both the 2019 GMC Acadia and the 2019 Dodge Durango.

  The 2019 GMC Acadia

  The 2019 GMC Acadia comes standard with seating for up to 7 people in a 3-row configuration or up to 5 people in the 2-row configuration. This level of customization help families of all sizes find an Acadia that will fit their needs without going overboard. Once you’re inside, the Acadia feels upscale and sleek with its quiet interior and use of soft-touch materials. If you need to haul a lot of things, you won’t be disappointed with the Acadia’s 13 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third-row seats. The maximum amount of cargo space in a GMC Acadia is a whopping 79 cubic feet!

  In terms of entertainment and technology, the Acadia comes standard with the IntelliLink infotainment system, a 7-inch touchscreen, a six-speaker audio system, satellite radio, five USB ports, Bluetooth, a Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. That’s a lot of standard features!

  Available features include navigation, a sunroof, a rear-seat entertainment system, an 8-speaker Bose surround-sound system, and an upgraded IntelliLink system with 8-inch touchscreen. These additional features will be sure to keep you and your family happy even on the longest road trips!

  The 2019 Dodge Durango

  May report that the Durango’s lack of redesign in many years leaves it looking a bit aged. It has nice soft-touch materials but isn’t quite as nice as redesigned rival SUVs on the market which offer more upscale cabins. Perhaps the Durango sacrifices a little extra style for slightly more cargo space. Behind the third row of seats is 17.2 cubic feet of space. Folding the seats down, the Durango can get a maximum of 85.1 cubic feet of cargo space. I don’t know what you need to haul, but this amount will definitely do the trick.

  For entertainment and technology in the Durango, you can expect a rearview camera to come standard along with Dodge’s UConnect infotainment system, a 7-inch touchscreen, a six-speaker stereo, Bluetooth, two USB ports, voice controls, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. You’ll miss out on available Wi-Fi, unfortunately, but can upgrade to get satellite radio. You can also upgrade to get a larger 8.4-inch touch screen, navigation, a 9-speaker Alpine stereo, a 19-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system, and a rear-seat Blu-ray/DVD entertainment system (in case you still buy Blu-rays).

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