What Makes a Denali

The changes from a regular Acadia to a Denali are obvious from the outside, and they make the Acadia Denali look more put together, as if it were sculpted from one piece of metal rather than glued together from separate pieces of metal and plastic. The Denali gets a restyled front and rear end, body-colored lower cladding, unique body moldings with chrome accents, dual chrome exhausts tips and a restyled grille. It has just the right amount of chrome, and that's

a hard thing to get right given many automakers' tendency to add too much in all the wrong places.

Inside, there's a standard dual-pane sunroof for the first two rows of seats, wood trim, perforated leather seats, lighted doorsills and heated/ventilated seats, among other changes. (Compare the differences here.)

Inside the Acadia, it's more of a mixed bag. I don't like wood trim in general, and I'm not a fan of the Denali's. The rear floor, though meant to be covered by a rug, looks cheap when the rug shifts and the floor is exposed. Highlights were the sunroof and the look of the seats. The dual-pane sunroof really opens up the cabin, making it seem very light and airy, and the perforated leather is in line with what better luxury cars offer.

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