Adding glitzy Denali details to the already fabulous 2011 GMC Acadia seems like a perfect marriage. And it was, with the exception of a few minor dislikes for this three-row crossover.

With a bold yet beautiful body, the Acadia Denali is certainly attractive. It has a signature honeycomb Denali grille, oversized alloy wheels and plenty of chrome to set it apart from the standard Acadia.

The Denali's V-6 engine offers speedy acceleration. The brakes are plenty powerful, which took the intimidation out of driving this larger crossover; the suspension is comfy without being too soft. During a family outing to the circus, we all noticed a significant amount of road noise in the cabin, especially on the highway. For a luxury vehicle, I expected more refinement here.

While I enjoyed the extra touches the Acadia Denali delivered, I kept asking myself if these touches justified the significant price difference between this loaded $49,525 beauty with all-wheel drive and the base Acadia SL model with front-wheel drive that starts at $32,000.

• EXTERIOR
• INTERIOR
• SAFETY