2013 Acadia Comes Armed for an Army of Elbows

[ne_one]

2013 Acadia Comes Armed for an Army of Elbows
GM
November 12, 2012

The designers of the 2013 GMC Acadia crossover SUV had a lot of things to account for in developing a comfy interior – including as many as 16 pointy, sensitive elbow bones that would be part of a fully loaded eight-passenger vehicle.

General Motors global human factors engineer Joan Hertely and her team spent hundreds of hours creating resting places that considered angles, dimensions and the right materials to achieve maximum comfort.

“The process begins with benchmarking,” said Hertely, who has 12 years of armrest engineering experience. “We look at what works, what doesn’t, and start compiling criteria for width, length, angle, height, adjustment options, comfort, reach and overall design. And those factors consider door handles, cupholders and switch locations.”

Not all armrests can be treated equally, so a crossover that seats up to eight takes months of planning. The driver’s armrest needs to accommodate more controls. The front center armrest needs to both slide and open for storage, and must be level with armrests on the front doors. The four rear outboard armrests are designed with cupholders, which need to be positioned to avoid spills. Optional second-row captain’s chairs have armrests that move with the seatbacks and can be adjusted up and down, requiring additional design criteria.

“Once a layout is in place after having been evaluated and optimized over a hundred hours in a stationary buck, further testing continues out on the road,” said Hertely. “We took countless drives with Acadias, paying close attention to how each armrest feels on both elbows and forearms, because people rest their arms differently. And the cupholder integration was new, so we had to ensure a level of comfort with the holders in use.”

More new car shoppers are discovering Acadia’s purposeful engineering. October sales for Acadia were the best for that month since 2007, the model’s first year on the market. And through the first 10 months of 2012, Acadia is on track for its best sales year ever.

“I never thought I would drive anything but a BMW or a Mercedes-Benz,” said Illona Olayan, an Acadia owner from Jacksonville, Florida. “But I drove an Acadia and was amazed by the great quality and craftsmanship. I’d recommend one to any family. It’s fun, functional and good looking.”

According to auto shopping site Edmunds.com, Acadia “offers a winning combination of comfort, features, cargo space and performance in a utility-style package.” The 2012 Acadia won Edmunds’ “Best Retained Value” award for SUVs between $35,000 and $45,000, as well as a 2012 ALG Residual Value Award in the full-size utility segment.

[mchicha]

GM coolaid.
This is a Chevrolet Traverse.

[AMcA]

I've always wished someone would figure out that where I sometimes rest my knee on the driver's door needs to be a rounded surface. I've been in many cars where the surface my knee meets is a sharp enough angle that it's uncomfortable.

Glad someone's finally thinking about that. Took a while . . . .

[spd98]

"Armrest Engineering"? Really? Must be a slow news day for GM.

[richmond2000]

I've always wished someone would figure out that where I sometimes rest my knee on the driver's door needs to be a rounded surface. I've been in many cars where the surface my knee meets is a sharp enough angle that it's uncomfortable.

Glad someone's finally thinking about that. Took a while . . . .

or where your right foot goes during cruise control driving as many modern cars I have driven do not consider a place for your right foot if it is not on the accelerator

[FanOfDurant]

Blah... Where's the article touting this special expense for the Chevrolet?? As if the people who spend 30-40 grand on a Chevrolet Traverse don't want a comfortable place to rest their elbows as well? Ford would give it to them. GM-GMC- Holding back Chevrolet as always.

[RedSkyBlackDream]

Why am I not impressed? Sure attention to detail is important but seriously? Out of all of the things that could be improved upon from the front bumper to the back, so much research was needed for this?

Wow, GM. Just wow.

On a side note, why is there a door pull on the passenger side of the new (btw, yes thats Traverse) Traverse and not one on the drivers side?

[V8GMT360 Guy]

Slow news day?

[PositiveAboutGM]

Why am I not impressed? Sure attention to detail is important but seriously? Out of all of the things that could be improved upon from the front bumper to the back, so much research was needed for this?

On a side note, why is there a door pull on the passenger side of the new (btw, yes thats Traverse) Traverse and not one on the drivers side?

Many things must be considered in a products design.

However, your second point is one I have pondered MANY times since the Lambdas came out and something I notice everytime I get in one.

For example, they are similarly placed but symmetrical in my LT-trim Silverado.

[F14CRAZY]

I think it's more like Saturn came armed for an army of elbows

[spd98]

Blah... Where's the article touting this special expense for the Chevrolet?? As if the people who spend 30-40 grand on a Chevrolet Traverse don't want a comfortable place to rest their elbows as well? Ford would give it to them. GM-GMC- Holding back Chevrolet as always.

I'm pretty sure the interior is shaped the same. There is not a need for conspiracy in every GMC product.

[calgaryhhr]

"Armrest Engineering"? Really? Must be a slow news day for GM.

12 years of armrest engineering seems like a very boring job. Hopefully she worked on more than just armrests during that 12 years.

Additionally, I wish she had spent some more time on the armrests in the HHR. The center arm rests have an akward forward/downward slope and the door arm rests are almost entirely worthless.

[Bvonscott]

Blah... Where's the article touting this special expense for the Chevrolet?? As if the people who spend 30-40 grand on a Chevrolet Traverse don't want a comfortable place to rest their elbows as well? Ford would give it to them. GM-GMC- Holding back Chevrolet as always.

Lol. Omfg. You are being extra ignorant as usual. Other than the dash and upper parts of the door trim they are nearly identical inside. Like literally you could swap the seats and the center armrest area. Do you actually look at pictures of both? Man get a clue

[Envoy4Life]

[pont3]

Lol. Omfg. You are being extra ignorant as usual. Other than the dash and upper parts of the door trim they are nearly identical inside. Like literally you could swap the seats and the center armrest area. Do you actually look at pictures of both? Man get a clue

I agree, his posts have become more and more annoying and I'm pretty sure even the GM haters would concede. Why he doesn't just go away, buy his infallible Ford and be done with this board? Name ANY GM vehicle, and he'll find something negative to say about it, and praise Ford in the process. And no, Mr Fanofdurant, I don't believe you have any good intentions or hope for GM. And after over thirty years of GM vehicle ownership, not a single day has passed that at least one GM vehicle wasn't in my driveway. With all the your so-called GM shortcomings, I STILL prefer GM over Ford. And I'll be buried in either my '72 GTO, or my '06 GTO. I'll leave the '09 CTS to my son. And yes, I have owned several Ford vehicles.