Have you ever been pranked? Show of hands? I can’t see you, but you know who you are. Whoopie-cushion, hand-taser, or perhaps your older brother or sister told you that you were adopted in a heated argument in your formative years – being pranked often means you are the butt-end of the joke. What kind of joke? Practical jokes. The word practical is not one-sided, and if you are thinking about the automotive industry – which at AutoInfluence, why wouldn’t you be – you may recognize the term practical as something that gets you where you need to go, no unnecessary costly thrills or nonsense, just pure practicality. This best describes the 2023 GMC Acadia, and after I walk you through some of the more practical features, you will find out it is anything but a joke. I am excited to walk you through what I have found, so let’s get a move on, capeesh?
Comfort is Not a Joke
I love jokes – some of my favorite comedians include George Carlin, Norm MacDonald, and Don Rickles, to name a few. However, I’m not a fan of the Impractical Jokers because I find them annoying – I’m sorry to you fans of Sal, Murr, Q, and Joe. Do you know what else I find annoying? Impractical features like those found in some modern-day automobiles. Impractical features can lead to trouble, whether those be uncomfortable seating conditions for what could sometimes be road trips hours long, or maybe your onboard navigation sends you on a wild goose chase to what you realize is a McDonald’s when you had Burger King on your brain.
Being comfortable in your vehicle is not a hard thing to ask for anymore – we do not sit on wooden benches, and we even have heated seats, unlike our ancestors who drove to work on cold seats with not much in the way of adjustability. So, in the modern day, what can you differentiate as comfort-focused features that can be considered practical and impractical?
What can be considered a practical feature, for the most part, has mostly stayed the same, but it is something that evolves. For example, some people may find manually adjustable chairs practical for a few reasons: fewer moving parts to break, simple, tried and true, etc. However, given the rest of what’s on offer in the automotive market, buying a vehicle with a power-adjustable driver’s chair may be the more practical choice. Having a power-adjustable driver’s chair might be ideal for those with longer commutes because it calls for more ways to recline, lean, etc. However, suppose you’re more interested in nothing but practicality. In that case, the manually adjustable chair is not as bad as you think because you rarely change it back once you find the proper seating position.
Take caution if you share your vehicle with someone because you both likely have different ideas of what you would call a comfortable seating position. So, if you have a power-adjustable seat, returning to your desired position is quicker and easier. How does the 2023 GMC Acadia fit into all of this? The 2023 GMC Acadia comes with a 4-way manually-adjustable seat on the lesser-priced trims, but this can be swapped for an 8-way power-adjustable seat, which comes standard on the other trims. Besides the base trim, the trims that come with the 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat can also have a matching front-row passenger chair.
Something else that is great to have and does not cost an exuberant amount of money is heated seats, which I consider one of the most controversial practical features because you do not need them, but you may as well if you live somewhere cold. Heated seats will likely benefit drivers more in more areas than ventilated seats. If you can spring for the ventilated seats, then go for it. But there is no denying that heated seats are the more practical of the two, especially from a financial perspective when buying your vehicle off the lot or custom ordering it.
Arguably Practically Practical Features
What can also be considered impractical for the average practical driver – especially the commuter who drives alone – is dual-zone climate control. What is useful is controlling the climate on the driver’s side because it is your car – but there is a catch. If you are the proprietor of a dedicated carpool, having a more climate-controlled center may be the more practical option for the betterment of everyone in your cabin. It is still not as helpful as power windows, but it is worth having if you have the cash to spring for it. Best of all, you do not need to worry about deciding between these because the 2023 GMC Acadia has a tri-zone automatic climate control system and dedicated rear-row climate controls. It does not get any better than this for the price. Whether you drive with co-workers, family members, or Lyft and Uber passengers, the GMC Acadia’s more exuberant features may be practical in these situations.
Another set of features that hold merit in the argument of what can be considered practical or impractical are infotainment centers. Infotainment centers are also a great example of something that was only sometimes practical, but as years have passed, having an infotainment center is becoming less of an oddity, and more of a guarantee. The 2023 GMC Acadia is no exception because you will get an infotainment center whether you like it or not. You may be thinking: it is more practical to have a radio, speakers, CD player, and maybe an Aux port if you are lucky. However, we are past the precipice of the digital age, and it is fully in swing, so it is time to get with the times.
Infotainment centers are the most noteworthy invention brought to us in the digital age of automobiles. Infotainment centers are media hubs and serve as your radio console – a familiar practical feature. If you are only interested in listening to music, you may be content with less than what you get. I believe it depends on the person, but features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can easily be considered practical in 2023 and beyond. Making your life even easier, every 2023 GMC Acadia comes with Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can keep your console wire-free around your 8-inch infotainment center, which is perfect if you are someone who prides yourself on an appreciation of simplicity.
Assessing Your Need For Practicality
The need for practical features is no joke – you know this. But, if you are in the market for a vehicle like the 2023 GMC Acadia, you will get a car that seamlessly blends the wants and needs of practical drivers but also includes enough top-end features to appeal to drivers looking for something more. The GMC Acadia is a fantastic vehicle to buy, regardless of who you are. However, if you feel there are too many features – many of which you won’t take part in – it is worth considering the possibilities. Even if you have never used an infotainment center or had a vehicle with tri-zone automatic climate control, for example, that does not mean you will not need one. If the car you buy has all the practical features you need and is a great price, like the 2023 GMC Acadia, then take the extra features you will get and learn how to incorporate them into your daily life. That is my advice. It is possible to turn an impractical feature into a practical one, and that is because of something I will reiterate: practical features evolve just as the drivers using them.
