The GMC Terrain is a mid-size crossover vehicle that seats up to five people. Its spacious and really wide cabin offers enough legroom in the rear and interior volume for comfort on long journeys. The Terrain uses front-wheel drive and a car-like one-piece design. and shares its fundamental design with the Chevrolet Equinox.
Released as a 2010 model, the 2011 GMC Terrain remains unchanged and comes with the latest edition of the enhanced OnStar 9. 0, which provides advanced speech recognition. The Terrain was designed to compete with compact hatchbacks like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 and midsize SUVs like the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano.
We found the standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine delivers good performance and fuel economy, earning an EPA-estimated 22/32 mpg City/Highway with front-wheel drive and 6-speed automatic. This engine is rated at 182 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque.
A 3. 0-liter V6 is optional, making 264 hp and 222 lb-ft of torque and 17/24 mpg with front-wheel drive and a 6-speed automatic transmission. The V6 is rated to tow up to 3500 pounds, which is enough for a light watercraft or a couple of jet skis or snowmobiles.
Must have all-wheel drive for all-weather capabilities. All models are supplied with a 6-speed automatic transmission.
We found the interior of the GMC Terrain comfortable and quiet, well isolated from the noise and chop of the roadway. Interior design and workmanship is quite good.
The Terrain SLT’s trim levels offer the widest diversity of premium features, but even those who opt for the four-cylinder engine can still equip a Terrain with features like navigation systems and rear-seat DVDs. All protective features, with the exception of all-wheel drive, are popular across the Terrain range.
The GMC Terrain comes with a 2. 4-liter four-cylinder engine; A 3. 0-liter V6 ($1,500) is optional.
Terrain SLE ($24,250) comes with cloth upholstery, manual climate control, two-way adjustable driver’s seat with forced height adjustment and forced lumbar support, 60/40 split-folding rear seats, AM/FM/Audio Formula CD/MP3 with six speakers, OnStar Safe
Terrain SLT upgrades ($27,850) with leather upholstery, automatic climate control, heated seats, 8-way adjustable driver’s seat, Pioneer audio formula with 8 speakers, amplifier and subwoofer, Bluetooth, remote start, 18-inch machined aluminum wheels with P235/60R18 all-season tires, color-matched roof racks. The Terrain SLT AWD ($29,600) comes with all-wheel drive.
Optional AM/FM with Navigation ($2,145) adds DVD navigation with seven-inch touch-screen display, voice recognition, hard drive, and eight-speaker Pioneer audio. Rear-seat Entertainment ($1,295) includes dual displays, two wireless headsets, remote control, auxiliary jack, USB port, AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA, DVD playback, Pioneer eight-speaker audio. Other options include a programmable liftgate ($495); sunroof ($795); and a cargo management package ($245) with rear cargo cover, cargo net, luggage crossbars.
The GMC Terrain is designed to appeal to a different buyer than the Chevy Equinox, which is made in the same plant and based on a shared platform. GMC is strictly a truck company, so the Terrain has bolder styling with a larger, more distinctive grille.
The frame of the GMC uses wide, blank surfaces with oblong shapes on the wheel arches. The side surfaces are uncluttered, with chrome accents on the door handles and windows. On the back of the external panels is a layer of anti-chip textured paint, which conveys the message that the Terrain can be functional in harsher environments, whether urban or rural. A sleek roof rack provides increased shipping capacity.
Especially when viewed from the front, the Terrain’s wide stance and upper beltline give a really sprawling, well-established impression. Although technically compact, the Terrain feels much larger.
Three wheel sizes and styles are available: 17-inch and 18-inch aluminum wheels and 19-inch chrome wheels.
GMC Terrain seats five, and it is not available with a third-row seat. The larger GMC Acadia is better for families who might need to seat seven or eight.
The interior design of the GMC Terrain features curved lines and well-fitting panels with superbly grainy textures. The environment of the Grounds is open and relaxed. The seats are decorated with a contrasting secondary insert with precise red stitching.
The GMC Terrain offers a superior seating position, giving the driver the same kind of vision and the road as classic body-on-frame SUVs. However, the access height is relatively low, making it difficult to get in, get out, and load. the rear seats are a little less difficult than in pickup truck-based SUVs.
The seats turned out to be comfortable and adjustable enough to keep us from squirming as the hours went by. For our mid-size frame, there’s more than enough legroom and it’s simple to comfortably position the seat in relation to the idler. We were told that the in-house team worked extensively to optimise the adjustment position of the accelerator pedal, so that the riding position can be almost ideal for a wider diversity of frame types. Particular attention has been paid to the reception of short drivers.
The controls and dashboard are low and away from the front occupants, an effect that creates a sense of generously open space. The tool panel and controls are illuminated in orange, with bright white tool numbers. The interior lighting formula is extensively developed, creating a well-lit, but not too bright, atmosphere in the middle of the night.
A floating center console, located in a way that most of the controls used can be easily accessed, houses a center garage compartment large enough for a laptop. The navigation screen measures seven inches and has a touchscreen. A 10GB hard drive can store a lot of music. records.
The rear seat is designed with an emphasis on curved operation. It tilts and slides forward 8 inches to prioritize shipping or passenger set depending on the situation. The optional rear-seat entertainment formula includes two independently controlled screens, capable of delivering separate entertainment to the two. rear seat occupants.
A rearview camera is popular on all models, an excellent protective feature as it can help the driver detect a child in the vehicle when reversing. However, without the navigation formula, the symbol is displayed in the rearview mirror and is small. The navigation formula makes it easier to use the rearview camera. Either way, this symbol can help the driver spot a small child when reversing.
OnStar and XM are prepaid for one year. There are 4 power outlets for phone chargers, laptops, and other portable devices.
Bluetooth allows the driver to use their mobile phone hands-free, the Terrain’s speakers, a hidden handset and the navigation screen.
The tailgate can be programmed to open partially, in the case of garages with low clearance.
On the road, the GMC Terrain is remarkably quiet. GMC engineers used acoustic blankets between the engine and dashboard to dampen engine noise, as well as acoustic laminated glass to deflect wind noise. The doors have triple sealing for quieter and more effective climate control.
The GMC Terrain feels really spacious in the city, but quite nimble, with slow cornering and minimal chassis roll at general speeds. The chassis is obviously set up to offer a smooth, isolated ride, as we’ve discovered on some straights. Fast, bumpy roads in the Midwest. Relatively little vibration seeps into the flywheel or other contact points. The suspension is fairly supple, but handling in the city and on rougher roads is rarely greatly affected by braking or diving. Hydraulic bushings were used to adjust the chassis. The corners are quite predictable and safe, reinforced by a relatively wide stance. All things considered, we think the Terrain offers a comfortable dynamic balance, suitable for a flexible SUV. It’s not going to win an autocross, but the soil is still solidly planted and well-balanced.
The 3. 0-liter V6 is a complex direct injection engine that accelerates smoothly and smoothly. The same engine is used in the Buick LaCrosse, but it’s a higher-performance edition with a more competitive intake and exhaust. The 3. 0-liter V6 produces 264 horsepower and 222 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy is EPA-estimated at 17/25 mpg with front-wheel drive, 16/22 mpg with all-wheel drive. The Terrain V6 is designed to tow up to 3,500 pounds.
For an engine that delivers maximum torque in the rev range, the V6 pulls smoothly and well at low revs, propelling the nearly 4,000-pound Terrain well into town in a satisfying, effortless manner. It’s the 6-speed transmission that makes the engine ideal, with a gear for every scenario and clever programming that can tell the difference between sophisticated diversifications in throttle actuation. Sixth gear is a very high overdrive, so the Terrain rolls smoothly and quietly at top speeds, loitering at 1,500. rpm at 60 mph and 1,800 at 75 mph. Still, the transmission and V6 allow the Terrain to deliver on the required force on ramps and overtaking on highways. Ask him to go ahead and he’ll go down twice in a row, but with very little change impacts. and the rev counter reads 4,500 rpm in the direction of a 6,950 rpm redline. Accelerating at full throttle, there’s a boost in strength available, but there’s no excessive noise.
The Terrain with a 2. 4-liter four-cylinder engine delivers intelligent performance. In fact, we didn’t notice a huge difference in acceleration performance. Towing capacity drops to 1,500 pounds, but overall handling is comparable. With its own quick-shift 6 with a 6-speed transmission, the 182-horsepower four-cylinder was able to smoothly propel the Terrain into town and, with just a little more effort, provide confident ramp acceleration and overtaking force without downshifting on the highway. The Hydra-matic behind the 2. 4-liter engine has a slightly lower gear, but shifts just as smoothly and follows the throttle just as well. Especially for those who think fuel prices will become significant in the next five years, the four-cylinder powertrain is worth considering. The 2. 4-liter engine gets an EPA-rated fuel economy of 22/32 mpg city/highway, 20/29 mpg with all-wheel drive. The 2. 4-liter engine produces 182 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque.
The GMC Terrain is a generously sized compact crossover SUV (or small midsize SUV) that’s ideal for young families. It is well designed and executed, with propulsion systems, features, and protection systems.
John Stewart filed this report in NewCarTestDrive. com after driving the Terrain in southeast Michigan.
GMC Terrain SLE ($24,250), AWD ($26,000); SLT ($27,850), AWD ($29,600).
Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada.
3. 0L SIDI V6 engine with dual exhaust ($1,500); AM/FM with Navigation ($2,145) includes an eight-speaker Pioneer premium audio system, a touchscreen DVD navigation system, voice recognition, a drive and a USB port; Cargo Management Package ($245).