Subaru Forester vs Holden Acadia

What's the difference?

The Subaru Forester 2.5i-S continues to impress me. It’s a very practical family car with its features and use of space but I like the price, too. Some of the old-school design aspects won’t appeal to everyone, though. I also would prefer a more powerful engine but this easily gets an 8.0/10 from me.

My son liked his view this week and the big sunroof, he gives it a 7.0/10. 

The Holden Acadia is a proper seven-seater SUV in that it will fit adults in the third row without turning your friends into enemies. It’s also practical and well fitted out with storage places and utilities such as USB ports.

I was particularly impressed with the advanced safety equipment on-board even at this entry LT level. Yes, it’s a V6 petrol and it’s not the most fuel-efficient SUV, but our time with it showed that with cylinder deactivation and the stop-start system it might not be as thirsty as you’d think.

The 2023 model hasn’t seen a facelift and remains decidedly curvy with its chunky body panelling but the LED exterior lights add some sharpness to the overall look.

The interior carries the ‘muscular’ vibe with the thick cutaways and ledges on the dashboard and door panels. There’s a lot happening inside but it all somehow manages to not be overwhelming.

It’s a bit old-school inside, with the traditional gearshifter, CD player (yep, they still exist) and smaller 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system but I reckon it just makes this look more capable.

It’s certainly polished but it won’t appeal to drivers who are looking for sleek or futuristic styling. 

To fully understand the look of the Acadia, take a peek at the GMC website - but make sure you shield your eyes in the same way you would during a solar eclipse, or when welding, or in an atomic blast.

You’ll understand when you get there but suffice it to say contained within the site are some pretty confronting trucks and SUVs. Once you’ve recovered, you’ll realise the Acadia is the supermodel of the GMC family.

Yep, it has a big, blocky, truck-like look but it’s a refreshingly tough styling alternative to more elegant looking SUVs such as the Mazda CX-9.

The Acadia is also one of the smallest members of the GMC family, yet its dimensions position it as a large SUV in Australia. Even then it’s not huge compared to other large SUVs here, so you won’t have an issue piloting it in Aussie car parks or fitting into spaces.

The Acadia measures 4979mm end-to-end, 2139mm across (with the mirrors out) and 1762mm tall.

Along with the Mazda CX-9 the Acadia would also consider the Kia Sorento and Nissan Pathfinder to be among its rivals.

Inside, the Acadia is a modern and stylish looking place, although it’s a bit unrefined. Still, as one YouTube commenter reminded me parents will like the wipe clean surfaces.

Well her comment wasn’t written that politely but being a parent, I concur that the hard plastics have that advantage.

The interior is not all unrefined. The seats, even in the entry grade LT we tested, while cloth (and only available in Jet Black) are sculptured with bolsters and finished with a textured pattern that looks and feels great.

The interior is downright practical and boasts more space than this SUV class can usually claim. At 168cm (5'6") I have plenty of head and legroom in both rows, even with the electric sunroof! Tall passengers will feel comfortable, too.

Up front, the leather-accented seats are well-padded and both are electric with heating function but the passenger side misses out on additional lumbar support.

Individual storage options are quite good with a deep middle console and glove box, plus two cupholders and a drink bottle holder in each door.

The phone utility tray is a tad too small for my iPhone 8 Plus, which makes it awkward when you connect to the wired Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

The 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system is on the smaller side but the graphics are super clear. It’s not laggy either, which is always a bonus, and has built-in satellite navigation, too. 

There is an additional 4.2-inch screen on top of the dash plus the 6.3-inch digital instrument panel – both display safety and vehicle information but I found it confusing jumping between all three screens while on the go.

Incorporating the smaller screen’s info into a larger instrument panel would have been better.

Charging options are good throughout with each row getting two USB-A ports but the front also enjoys two 12-volt ports too.

The back seat is almost as comfortable as the front and individual storage is better than average with a map pocket and two device holders on the backs of both front seats. There are those drink bottle holders and two cupholders in the fold-down armrest.

The amenities are a bit bare but I do like that you have directional air-vents and those USB ports.

My six-year old and my parents found it super easy to get in and out of this car because of the 220mm ground clearance.

The doors were a little heavy for my son to operate smoothly but I love how they open to almost 90 degrees because it made it easy to fit my monster booster seat through the aperture.

On that note, there are ISOFIX child-seat mounts on the outboard seats and three top-tether anchor points and I reckon you might get lucky with three skinny seats.

There should be plenty of room for front passengers when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed, too.

I really like how wide and tall the aperture is for the boot but was surprised that it only has 498L of capacity because it looks a lot bigger.

It has a level loading space but because of the full-sized spare wheel, you can’t adjust the floor level. And as always, it’s great having a powered tailgate.

The Acadia’s practicality game is strong. It boasts seven seats with third row positions actually able to fit adults, five USB ports sprinkled through the cabin, and a cargo capacity of 1042 litres with the third-row seats folded flat and 292 litres with them in place. If you have three kids, even teenagers, the Acadia could be the perfect family personnel carrier for you.

All three rows are spacious and even at 191cm tall I had good shoulder and elbow room up front, and in the second and third rows I had enough legroom to sit in each seat behind my seating position without feeling cramped.

Feeling a bit down because you might not be able to stretch the budget to get the LTZ-V? Well, cheer up – the LT has more headroom and that’s because it doesn’t get the sunroof which eats into the ceiling height.

Cabin storage is excellent. There’s a wide and deep centre console bin, a hidey hole in front of the shifter, a tray for second row passengers, six cup holders (two in each row) and decent-sized door pockets.

Directional air vents for everybody on board, three-zone climate control, two 12-volt power outlets, privacy glass and proximity unlocking complete a great practicality package.

The front-wheel drive Acadia LT lists for $43,490, which is $4500 less than the all-wheel drive version.

The standard features list includes 18-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, LED running lights, three-zone climate control, proximity key, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth connectivity, six-speaker stereo, 8.0-inch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, noise cancellation, dual chrome exhaust tips, privacy glass and cloth seats.

The value is pretty darn good here and you’re not missing out on much by not stepping up to the $10K more LTZ grade, apart from wireless charging, and power and heated leather front seats.

The Acadia costs about the same as the Pathfinder ST but is better value; about $500 more than the entry grade Kia Sorento Si; but undercuts Mazda’s CX-9 Sport by about $3K.

Our Forester model has a 2.5-litre, horizontally-opposed four-cylinder 'boxer' petrol engine with a maximum power output of 136kW and 239Nm of torque.

It’s not the most powerful engine but I feel it had plenty of power for what I required of it this week. It can occasionally whine if you push it hard on a hill.

This is an all-wheel drive but has a continuously variable auto transmission, which can feel a bit clumsy at lower speeds.

All Acadias come with a 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine which makes big dollops of power and torque or 231kW (at 6600rpm) and 367Nm (at 5000rpm).

A nine-speed automatic swaps gears, and in the case of our two-wheel drive LT test car the drive went to the front wheels only.

The V6 gets the thumbs up for its stop-start fuel saving system and cylinder deactivation, plus good acceleration and the smooth power delivery you’d associate with a naturally aspirated engine, but a thumbs down for needing to rev hard to make that mumbo.

The official fuel figure for the combined cycle is 7.4L/100km and my real-world usage came to 6.9L. That’s great economy for this sized SUV but I did mostly open-road driving this week. Expect it to be higher in the city.

Based on the combined fuel figure and the 63L fuel tank, you should be able to get a driving range of around 850km, which is good for those families who like to do road trips.

We were surprised by the Acadia’s fuel efficiency. After filling up the tank I drove for 136.9km on a combination of hilly country roads and peak hour evening city traffic and then filled up again – only 13.98 litres were used. That’s a mileage of 10.2L/100km. The official combined consumption figure is 8.9L/100km.

So, while the engine is big and not particularly new (it’s an evolution of the V6 built by Holden in Australia for the Commodore) it does have fuel-saving tech like cylinder deactivation and a stop-start system – which you can’t switch off.

Still, not the most fuel-efficient seven-seater – those with turbos and smaller capacity engines such as Mazda CX-9 are truly amazing in the way they can deliver grunt without getting thirsty.

I’ve mostly enjoyed driving this around town but it delivers a steadier experience on the open road. That CVT auto just doesn’t do it any favours in stop/start traffic, I’m afraid!

I didn’t have to get too aggressive with the accelerator on hills, but the engine can whine if you push it too hard.

Overall, the steering is responsive enough to confidently take on a winding road but it’s on the looser side of firm. The ride comfort is superior and while the suspension feels super cushioned, it’s not floaty.

The cabin can get a bit loud at higher speeds and your senses might feel battered after a long trip but it is otherwise pleasant to be in.

I am particularly fond of the higher driving position and how the windows at the rear are so wide. It has great visibility, which is important in a SUV.

The exterior styling makes the Forester appear a lot larger than it is but the 10.8m turning circle reminds you how easy it is to manoeuvre! 

The reversing camera is clear and I love the additional side camera that shows the front left wheel. It makes it easy to line up the car with parking lines.  

I drove the Holden Acadia back-to-back with the Nissan Pathfinder – you can watch the model comparison in the video above, but the upshot of that experience was important.

See, while I wasn’t a major fan of the Acadia driving experience when I first met the SUV at its Australian launch in 2018, when I drove it straight after the Pathfinder the difference was like night and day.

The Acadia is comfortable, from the big seats to the smooth ride. If you’re covering a stack of territory the Acadia makes a great highways cruiser and will chomp up big distances  effortlessly.

That V6 does need to rev hard, but it’s powerful and acceleration is swift, while the nine-speed automatic shifts pretty seamlessly. Noise cancelling tech keeps the cabin fairly serene, too.

Look, it’s not the most dynamic of SUVs and there was a bit of tyre chirp in the corners when pushed, but this isn’t a performance car and nor is it trying to be.

Small windows mean a cooler, tough look, but the downside is a dark cabin and occasionally visibility is limited by the A-pillars or out the rear windows.

A 2000kg braked towing capacity will rule the Acadia out for many thinking of pulling a large caravan or big boat. The Pathfinder’s 2700kg braked towing capacity is a strength of that SUV.

Do you need all-wheel drive? Nope, but it’s handy for dirt and gravel roads. Still the 198mm ground clearance with only front-wheel drive should see you get down bumpy roads that regular sedans couldn’t handle.

The Acadia was given a maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2018 and even the entry-level LT we tested is equipped with an outstanding amount of advanced safety equipment.

Standard on the LT is AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keeping assistance with lane departure warning, lateral impact avoidance, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, rear seat passenger reminder and airbags which extend all the way to cover the third row.

Now, you should know the driver’s seat vibrates if your parking sensors detect you coming close to an object. Yup, it’s weird. If that’s not your thing you can go into the screen’s menu and change that to an audible ‘beep’. I’m more a ‘beep’ kind of driver.

A space-saver spare wheel is under the boot floor and I’d advise you to familiarise yourself with how to access it (it’s a bit tricky) in daylight before (or if ever) you’ll need to use it for real.

The on-going costs are quite reasonable on this with it coming with a five-year/unlimited km warranty. You can choose to pre-purchase a three- or five-year capped-priced servicing plan, which is cheaper than a pay-as-you-go option.

It’s $1387.25 for the three-year plan (averaging $463 per service). Expect to pay $2674.64 for the five-year plan (averaging $535 per service) but both plans are competitive for the class.

Servicing intervals are average at every 12 months or 12,500km, whichever occurs first.

The Acadia is covered by Holden’s five year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 12,000km. Expect to pay $259 for the first service, $299 for the second, $259 for the third, $359 for the fourth and $359 again for the fifth.