The same might be true for the 2010 GMC Terrain.
Blunt chrome grille, squared off muscular fender flares and a truck-like stance all grace this compact front-wheel-drive crossover, a sure design compliment to the GM “Professional Grade” division best known for its pickups. But GMC now has a compact crossover based on the well-received Chevy Equinox, as well as a mid-size Acadia crossover, so where’s the truck? Only in the pugnacious looks, my friends. But that’s not bad at all … maybe the Terrain wants to gain some ground on its competition by looking a bit bad-***.
Let’s see if it acts that way.
*Terrain topography – If the Chevy Equinox is yet another solidly handsome GM product, the GMC Terrain isn’t far behind, even if it tries a bit too hard to look like a truck. The afore-mentioned boxy three-tiered black honeycomb grill is framed in chrome, as are the fog lights under the stacked square headlight arrays. There’s a hint of a smile in the lower air intake under the grill, and an air dam under the edgy face. The flat hood gets a bit of eye delight with an indented reverse power dome, while the boxy flares frame six-spoke alloy wheels wearing Michelin P235/55R18-inch rubber. Sharing only the windshield with the more streamlined Equinox, the Terrain’s lower door sill wears black plastic with some design spears, while chrome door handles add some jewelry to the Quicksilver Metallic paint job. In back, a wrap-around style to the side and rear windows thanks to glossy black D-pillars, while a chrome accent visually connects the wrap-around taillights over a step bumper. I don’t think it’s as clean as the Chevy version, but it has an athletic presence thanks to those squared-off edges, although I saw so many on our Southern roads that no one gave ours a second look. And I loved one detail – a tiny “GMC” detail in the taillight’s design band.
*Terrain tenancy – There’s a bit more of the Chevy Equinox design in here, mostly the V-shaped center stack, gauge design and even the center console. Again, that’s not bad at all, because it’s another one of the great layouts GM has put inside its more recent vehicles. The driver gets a tilt/telescope steering wheel with rubberized thumbwheels for cruise set and audio mode select/station select, plus voice command for the Bluetooth hands-free phone, on a leather-wrapped wheel with silver accents on the four spokes. Like the Cadillac CTS, there’s contrasting red stitching on the gauge package hood and black over gray door panels, with more on the black cloth seats with unique silver-patterned inserts that add some grip to the heated front buckets. Those seats, including the driver’s 8-way power bucket, offer good support and comfort as well. The gauges are white with red needles on the 140-mph speedometer and 8,000-rpm tach, split by a red-lit LCD trip computer with the turn-by-turn OnStar navigation system. Only nit-pick – glare off the steering column top onto the gauge faces at high noon, as well as a bright reflection off the chrome button on the center stack pop-up door, which hides a storage compartment. The whole center stack is framed in silver, with red accent lighting around it.
A big audio/climate control display sits atop a very nice Pioneer AM-FM-XM Satellite audio system with 36 preset stations, plus a 10-gig hard drive that let me download an entire CD in a few minutes while listening to it. The “chin” of the center stack is a powerful a/c system that worked just fine on the 97-degree days we drove through, the power door lock and (nice idea) rear child lock buttons buried in there, all of them illuminated in red at night. A big padded storage nook under that also holds the CD/DVD slot and a 12-volt power outlet. There’s a red LED in the dual cup holders in the center console, while the two-tone padded center armrest lights to reveal a huge, lap top computer-size storage area with a 12-volt power outlet and USB iPod plug. And there are other tech goodies on board, like a one-touch-down power windows, remote vehicle start of the key fob, and a rear-view video screen integrated into the rear-view mirror, that regains all its shiny side when it’s off.
Rear seat entry is easy through big doors, and once there, good head and leg room for two, with twin flip-up DVD screens with audio/video inputs so one child can watch a movie and the other can play a video game. The screens are bright and detailed, the audio superb, and parent-controllable from up front as well as by remote, with wireless headphones. The rear seats slide fore/aft almost eight inches to expand the rear cargo area, which has some rear wheel well intrusion. They recline a bit, or flip and fold 60/40 to expand to 31.6 cubic feet of storage, with another power outlets and tie-down hooks as well. The rear hatch opens high enough so no one hits a head while loading. The glove box is OK, with a plasticky door, and there is a mini-map pocket and a bigger one in the front doors. All power windows are one-touch down, and a power tailgate is available.
*Terrain in traffic – Like the Equinox, the base Terrain engine is a 2.4-liter Ecotec in-line four-cylinder engine with 182-hp, variable valve timing and direct injection. With 172 lb. ft. of torque at 4,900-rpm, our boxy 6,500-mile-old GMC took 9.8 seconds getting to 60-mph with a bit of livable engine “I’m working” noise. That’s OK, just fine for most duties, while passing power was decent for a four. But liberal use of the right pedal in my city’s busy traffic meant we averaged only about 24-mpg, while GMC says we could see a segment-best EPA-estimated highway fuel economy of 32 mpg. We did run most of our drive with the “eco” mode button tapped, which lowers the torque converter lockup speed of the six-speed automatic transmission to save fuel. You can manually shift via a shifter-mounted rocker switch. If you need a bit more oomph, a 3-liter, 264-hp V-6 is optional, E85 capable in the 2011 model. Active noise cancellation seems to soften the engine noise a bit.
There’s a long 112.5-inch wheelbase with independent front and rear suspension, leaving us with a comfortable, well-controlled ride with no rattles. Bumps were handled well, although I felt them in the back seat a bit more. Tossed into our skidpad, there’s a bit of body roll as StabiliTrak works at reining in understeer, but it’s done progressively. With stability and traction control, it handled turns well with some expected understeer and a bit of lean, agile enough –it’s got a comfortable handling limit, and it gets you there without drama. The electric power steering had decent feel, if not as sharp as a RAV4 or VW Tiguan. The disc brakes had great pedal feel, ABS kicking in gently as needed, with minimal fade after repeated use. For safety, dual front air bags; head curtain side air bags and pelvic/thorax seat-mounted side air bags.
*Terrain tithe – Our Terrain started at $25,950 with lots of standard content like keyless entry, rear-view camera and OnStar navigation for a year, then added heated front seats/remote start for $440; rear TV/remote control/wireless headsets for $$1,295; $785 moonroof; and 18-inch alloys for $250, for a combined $29,475. A new Suzuki Vitara Limited V-6 four-wheel-drive model we tested with some goodies was $27,653. A loaded all-wheel-drive Honda CR-V is about $29,000, a RAV4 about the same, a Ford Escape Hybrid $29,000-$33,000, and a VW Tiguan $23,000-$30,000. And yes, a Chevrolet Equinox comparatively equipped was about $29,000. The GMC comes with a five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and is made in Ingersoll, Ontario.
*Bottom line – the GMC Terrain’s shape, content and roominess grew on me, as did its comfort. It’s a capable, macho-looking family trucklet that has better road manners than some of its compact truck-based competition, but still drives like a capable car.
2011 GMC Terrain
Vehicle type - 5-passenger mid-size SUV
Base price - $25,950 ($29,475 as tested)
Engine type – cast aluminum DOHC, 16-valve in-line four
Displacement – 2.4-liter
Horsepower (net) – 182 @ 6,700 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) – 172 @ 4,900 rpm
Transmission – 6-speed automatic
Wheelbase – 112.5 inches
Overall length – 185.3 inches
Overall width – 72.8 inches
Height – 66.3 inches
Front headroom – 40.9 inches
Front legroom – 41.2 inches
Rear headroom – 39.2 inches
Rear legroom – 39.9 inches
Cargo capacity – 31.6 cu.ft./63.9 w/2nd row folded
Curb weight – 3,798 lbs.
Towing capacity – up to 1,500 lbs.
Fuel capacity 23 gallons
Mileage rating – 22-mpg city/32-mpg highway
Last word – Bruiser décor, crossover manners and all-round nice
By Dan Scanlan - MyCarData
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