Holden never quite came up with an answer to the genius of Ford's Territory SUV.

The high-riding, Commodore-based Adventra, budget Captiva and bush-bashing Colorado 7 all brought positive attributes without managing to address the comprehensive appeal of Ford's all-Australian SUV.

Though it closed its factory doors in October 2016, Ford's contender somehow still manages an average of 8.5 sales per day in 2017 – a remarkable number of people foregoing more modern metal. The Territory outsold the Holden Trailblazer, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Fortuner and Mitsubishi Pajero in May this year, haunting contemporaries from the grave.

At long last, Holden will finally have a full-sized, road-biased family SUV on dealership forecourts in mid-2018 when the new Acadia arrives. Designed and built by GMC in North America, there's little doubt this is an SUV for the "soccer mom" set.

Holden engineers hosting a brief preview drive of the Acadia describe its cupholders as "bucket-sized" before pointing to the practicality of USB charging points for all three rows of their new seven-seater. USB points have joined cupholders on the list of must-haves for mobile families – so there are five them spread throughout the car, always within easy reach.

Air conditioning vents cover all three rows with triple-zone climate control, joining heated and sliding second-row seats with twin sunroofs to keep the family happy. Front seat occupants get heated and ventilated chairs as well as control of the car's touchscreen infotainment system, which features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity as well as a wireless phone charging pad.

Longer and taller than Toyota's rival Kluger, the Acadia offers ample space throughout the cabin and a usefully large boot.

Its tech picture is completed by a safety pack including autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, rear cross traffic alert and other systems designed to keep you safe, while a self-parking system and reversing camera should keep the bumpers in good nick.

But Holden isn't offering up much technical information so far ahead of its launch. But what we know from GMC is that the current Acadia runs either a 2.5-litre four-cylinder or 3.6-litre V6 pertol engine in the US. Both engines are paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and are offered with front- or all-wheel drive in their domestic markets.

However, this model went on sale in the US in early 2016, so by the time it reaches Australia it may have had a mid-life mechanical upgrade, so we'll just have to wait and see what Holden has in store for the Acadia in technical terms.

We had a brief drive of the Acadia at Holden's proving ground, starting with a run around its high-speed bowl. The machine feels planted at speed, maintaining its line at velocities that would not impress the constabulary, helped by a powerful (but no doubt thirsty) naturally-aspirated V6 petrol engine that drives all four wheels.

The Acadia offers excellent purchase in tricky conditions on a variety of steep hills used to test prototype machines, clawing along nicely on Continental rubber more suited to malls than mud.

Comfortable, effortless and relaxed , the Acadia arguably picks up where the Australian-built Commodore left off as the right car for contemporary Australian families – probably more so than its looming Opel Insignia-based replacement.

Australian spokesman Sean Poppitt says the Acadia will "add some real American swagger to the Holden showroom", hinting that it might be able to snatch sales from the likes of Jeep's Grand Cherokee.

It certainly does represent new territory for the brand.

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