This Just In: 2010 GMC Terrain FWD SLE-2

[Drew Dowdell]

Interactive Review:

2010 GMC Terrain FWD SLE-2

Stock photo used

I just received a GMC Terrain I4 FWD SLE-2 to evaluate. We're going to do something a little different this time. I'm still going to write the standard review, but I will post it during the evaluation period. This will give you guys the chance to ask questions and ask for photographs of specific areas of the vehicle. So fire away so I can take notes on any questions you have about the vehicle. You have till Monday, December 28th to get your questions in before I turn in the vehicle.

[deftonesfan867]

Looking forward to this one.

I've seen almost as many Terrain's around here as I've seen Equinox's.

[PONTIAC06]

I would really like to see some night time interior shots as others have said. Also, this is kind of weird but if you could get a video of the turn-signal operation/brakes or the exterior light clusters in general I would really appreciate it. Can't wait to see what you think of the I-4 especially the fuel mileage since I keep hearing the Equinox's fuel mileage isn't anywhere near the EPA's claim...

[Drew Dowdell]

Well, in the 20 miles I've been lead footing it around town in 50/50 ECO Mode/Not Eco-Mode, I'm getting 22 city.

Also, I don't think anyone will have to be worried about the I4 in the Buick Lacrosse. It's no speed demon, but it's got spunk.

[Robert Hall]

Other than likely acceleration differences between the V6 and 4, does it drive sufficiently differently from the Equinox that was recently tested?

[Justin Bimmer]

Since the belt line is so high is the visibility any worse than the Equinox?

[Drew Dowdell]

Other than likely acceleration differences between the V6 and 4, does it drive sufficiently differently from the Equinox that was recently tested?

Steering is noticeably different particularly at low speeds. Much lighter steering in parking maneuvers, at city speeds and above steering feels slightly sportier, faster to respond.

[Drew Dowdell]

Since the belt line is so high is the visibility any worse than the Equinox?

I don't know that the belt line is any different than the Equinox. Once you're inside, visibility seems the same.

[ZL-1]

Also, I don't think anyone will have to be worried about the I4 in the Buick Lacrosse. It's no speed demon, but it's got spunk.

Out of curiosity (and laziness, LOL) How do vehicle weights compare between the Terrain and the LaCrosse?

[Drew Dowdell]

Terrain I4 FWD 3867

Equinox V6 FWD 3928

LaCrosse V6 FWD 3929

So again, no the I4 Lacrosse isn't going to be a speed demon, but it'll still feel decent around town.

[Robert Hall]

Pretty light for their size, even compared to other unibody CUVs.

[Camino LS6]

Any product mix info?

V6 vs. I4

FWD vs. AWD

[regfootball]

Well, in the 20 miles I've been lead footing it around town in 50/50 ECO Mode/Not Eco-Mode, I'm getting 22 city.

Also, I don't think anyone will have to be worried about the I4 in the Buick Lacrosse. It's no speed demon, but it's got spunk.

I'd be curious to know the engine rpm at 70 mph in 6th

[rkmdogs]

Can you take & post some pics with the 2nd row seats folded? Like to see if they fold flat.

[Drew Dowdell]

Can you take & post some pics with the 2nd row seats folded? Like to see if they fold flat.

They are identical to the Chevrolet Equinox. They do not fold completely level, but they are flat.

These are from the Equinox LTZ

[Drew Dowdell]

Any product mix info?

V6 vs. I4

FWD vs. AWD

I can ask this of my contact at GM.

Just want Terrain or 'Nox too?

[SAmadei]

My only suggestion would be some good driveline pictures, so we can see how hard to showhorn a ls3 will be. Normal car rags barely take a photo of the top of the engine with the cover on.

[Squashtowner]

How are the headlights for night driving? They look like they'd be awesome, but I've been fooled before.

[Drew Dowdell]

My only suggestion would be some good driveline pictures, so we can see how hard to showhorn a ls3 will be. Normal car rags barely take a photo of the top of the engine with the cover on.

The 3.6 fit in the Vue... so the 5.3 should fit.

[Drew Dowdell]

How are the headlights for night driving? They look like they'd be awesome, but I've been fooled before.

They seem great. Leagues better than my CR-V daily driver. The fogs seem especially bright.

[Squashtowner]

They seem great. Leagues better than my CR-V daily driver. The fogs seem especially bright.

That's awesome -- I love having lots of light in front of a vehicle.

[Drew Dowdell]

That's awesome -- I love having lots of light in front of a vehicle.

I'll see if I can to a headlight comparison shot with the 2004 CR-V

[Drew Dowdell]

I got the window sticker up

[Drew Dowdell]

I would really like to see some night time interior shots as others have said. Also, this is kind of weird but if you could get a video of the turn-signal operation/brakes or the exterior light clusters in general I would really appreciate it. Can't wait to see what you think of the I-4 especially the fuel mileage since I keep hearing the Equinox's fuel mileage isn't anywhere near the EPA's claim...

Aren't Interactive Reviews great?!

This what you were looking for?

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="

name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="

type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[RaviN]

How is the response time on the I4, acceleration, breaking, and steering? Also how is the pioneer audio and reverse camera?

[loki]

i like this idea Olds. nice.

[Drew Dowdell]

How is the response time on the I4, acceleration, breaking, and steering? Also how is the pioneer audio and reverse camera?

The I4 will break the front tires loose from a dead stop. Throttle tip in is great. It feels rather spunky around town. If AWD wasn't an absolute requirement for me, I could be perfectly happy with the I4 model. The sound is very sedate under normal conditions, but put your foot in it and you'll get an almost V6 like growl. The steering is very light at parking speeds and much tighter above that. I want to go further with the evaluation before I comment more on that. Braking is very firm.

The reverse camera is great. The picture shows up on the left side of the center rear view mirror allowing you to look at either the screen or the mirror with just a very minor shift of your gaze.

Pioneer audio...I'll get back to you on.

[ZL-1]

Terrain I4 FWD 3867

Equinox V6 FWD 3928

LaCrosse V6 FWD 3929

So again, no the I4 Lacrosse isn't going to be a speed demon, but it'll still feel decent around town.

That's good to read.

Gearing is very important too, and if GM has struck a good balance between economy and performance then great!

[Squashtowner]

Aren't Interactive Reviews great?!

This what you were looking for?

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="

name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="

type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Excellent! Any night shots of the gauge cluster/HVAC controls?

[Squashtowner]

I got the window sticker up

Can't view the sticker for some odd reason, I get

"An Error Occurred

Sorry, an error occurred. If you are unsure on how to use a feature, or don't know why you got this error message, try looking through the help files for more information.

[#10745] Sorry, but you do not have permission to use this feature. If you are not logged in, you may do so using the form below if available"

[Drew Dowdell]

Can't view the sticker for some odd reason, I get

"An Error Occurred

Sorry, an error occurred. If you are unsure on how to use a feature, or don't know why you got this error message, try looking through the help files for more information.

[#10745] Sorry, but you do not have permission to use this feature. If you are not logged in, you may do so using the form below if available"

Woops, sorry I hadn't made the album public.

[Squashtowner]

Silly question: What size are the tires? Do you know if you can downsize the rims to put winter steelies on it? (Is there clearance between the alloys and the calipers?)

[pow]

How are the controls - steering, brakes, and throttle?

What sbout the transmission?

[Justin Bimmer]

The window sticker says the transmission is make in Korea.

[Drew Dowdell]

I'd be curious to know the engine rpm at 70 mph in 6th

2050rpm in Eco mode. I didn't get long enough to try it not in eco mode to see if there was any difference, though I doubt there would be.

[Camino LS6]

I can ask this of my contact at GM.

Just want Terrain or 'Nox too?

Both would be good, I think. A more complete picture of things.

[A Horse With No Name]

I would like to know how much of a difference "loading it down for a trip" makes on fuel economy and driveability. Esp. through someplace like hilly PA...as in off of the turnpike.

Also, would like to know if there are any smoothness issues with cold weather start up.

Chris

[turbo200]

what is its purpose marketing wise [in your opinion]? does it do enough to differentiate from equinox? will it draw different buyers? is it handsome? could it have been better conceptualized to offer something more tangible over equinox? is it worth the effort?

is their significant attention to detail to truly capitalize on its greater size and go after true midsize utes? is it worth 39k on the high end considering the engineering and details that are present in your model? who's it going to appeal to?

all the questions the product imagers behind the product should have answers for, but don't have enough of the right answers. i like terrain, but not enough to give it the full recommendation as a supplementary product to equinox. GM needed to go more upscale over equinox. no issue with powertrain, but inner and exterior detailing should have been a step up from the perfectly-excellent-for-mainstream equinox. i also like the terrain's more hummer-like man-appeal, but think it could have gone in a few better directions in a couple of areas, which is exactly how i feel about equinox. i think both are class leading, and both are breakthrough product, and both are the best GM has released for a long time, but there are one or two areas [design issues] on each where it stops just short of earth-shattering, given how great they are in most areas.

[Drew Dowdell]

I would like to know how much of a difference "loading it down for a trip" makes on fuel economy and driveability. Esp. through someplace like hilly PA...as in off of the turnpike.

Also, would like to know if there are any smoothness issues with cold weather start up.

Chris

Unfortunately, I don't have any long trips planned this time around. I can tell you that I had 4 bundles of wood and 6 12"x12"x3" paving stones in the back and there was no difference.

we've been in the high 20s / low 30s since I've had it. Not really cold enough to have any issues. Idle is one of the few places you can feel that it is a 4 cylinder just from the little bit of vibration through the steering wheel...but it's nothing compared to the CR-V.

I'm going to do a more detailed writeup of the Eco-Mode, but one of the things Eco-Mode does is drop the idle by 100rpm.

[Drew Dowdell]

what is its purpose marketing wise [in your opinion]? does it do enough to differentiate from equinox? will it draw different buyers? is it handsome? could it have been better conceptualized to offer something more tangible over equinox? is it worth the effort?

The Equinox is clearly aimed at the CR-V and RAV-4. It's a bit too large to be directly compared with the Escape. The Terrain is the same exact size as the 'Nox but aimed at people who consider the CR-V looks to be too wussy. From the outside, the Terrain looks bigger but isn't. The Terrain is for the guy who really wanted an H3 but couldn't convince his wife to go for it. It does look more upscale than the Equinox even though the SLE-2 I'm driving is $5k less than the LTZ I had. It's worth it to have both because the designs seem to be so polarizing.

is their significant attention to detail to truly capitalize on its greater size and go after true midsize utes? is it worth 39k on the high end considering the engineering and details that are present in your model? who's it going to appeal to?

all the questions the product imagers behind the product should have answers for, but don't have enough of the right answers. i like terrain, but not enough to give it the full recommendation as a supplementary product to equinox. GM needed to go more upscale over equinox. no issue with powertrain, but inner and exterior detailing should have been a step up from the perfectly-excellent-for-mainstream equinox. i also like the terrain's more hummer-like man-appeal, but think it could have gone in a few better directions in a couple of areas, which is exactly how i feel about equinox. i think both are class leading, and both are breakthrough product, and both are the best GM has released for a long time, but there are one or two areas [design issues] on each where it stops just short of earth-shattering, given how great they are in most areas.

Well on the Build-Your-Own site I could only get it to up to $38,180 including destination charge. Not having a loaded model, I can't say for certain that I think it's worth that much. However, I will say that the $31k Equinox I just had felt every bit worth the money and it wasn't even AWD, nor did it have a full NAV or infotainment system or the big wheels. It's just that solid of a vehicle with an interior to match. The interior of the Terrain is slightly more upscale in that it has faux leather stitched dash and more chrome. The cloth seats (I haven't inspected cloth seats in an Equinox) are unlike anything I've seen before in a vehicle.

[A Horse With No Name]

Unfortunately, I don't have any long trips planned this time around. I can tell you that I had 4 bundles of wood and 6 12"x12"x3" paving stones in the back and there was no difference.

we've been in the high 20s / low 30s since I've had it. Not really cold enough to have any issues. Idle is one of the few places you can feel that it is a 4 cylinder just from the little bit of vibration through the steering wheel...but it's nothing compared to the CR-V.

I'm going to do a more detailed writeup of the Eco-Mode, but one of the things Eco-Mode does is drop the idle by 100rpm.

Good enough to answer my question...thanks!

Chris

[turbo200]

thanks for the answers. i wasn't trying to be overly complicated with you; i like that terrain exists, and I think it does draw in different people. I just hope in the future GM understands how to properly market their vehicles as different product....through the use of quality differentiation.

[RaviN]

The I4 will break the front tires loose from a dead stop. Throttle tip in is great. It feels rather spunky around town. If AWD wasn't an absolute requirement for me, I could be perfectly happy with the I4 model. The sound is very sedate under normal conditions, but put your foot in it and you'll get an almost V6 like growl. The steering is very light at parking speeds and much tighter above that. I want to go further with the evaluation before I comment more on that. Braking is very firm.

The reverse camera is great. The picture shows up on the left side of the center rear view mirror allowing you to look at either the screen or the mirror with just a very minor shift of your gaze.

Pioneer audio...I'll get back to you on.

Awesome, thanks!

[Brougham-Holiday]

Olds,

Having driven both the Terrain and Equinox, is there any reason to buy one over the other? Does one have a better dash layout, fit and finish, seem quieter, handle better, etc? Are they badge engineered or are they actually distinctive enough to require two separate brands?

[Drew Dowdell]

Olds,

Having driven both the Terrain and Equinox, is there any reason to buy one over the other? Does one have a better dash layout, fit and finish, seem quieter, handle better, etc? Are they badge engineered or are they actually distinctive enough to require two separate brands?

More standard features, but higher base price, on the Terrain. Interior wise, you get a faux leather stitched dash not available on the Equinox. Other than that, if your eyes prefer blue interior ambient lighting, get the 'Nox. If you prefer red, get the Terrain. Quality wise, they are equals. Most of the difference is in the look of the exterior and really just which of the two you prefer.

[turbo200]

Quality wise, they are equals. Most of the difference is in the look of the exterior and really just which of the two you prefer.

now that you express this sentiment, i detect a tone of disappointment. do you now understand more behind what i was saying earlier? it really is a waste to develop two essentially identical product, put one slightly more attractive wrapper on one [up to you to decide which one] and then voila we have two competitors, except they're in the very same segment.

Edited December 26, 2009 by turbo200

[CapitalTruck]

Thanks for this opportunity. Are you able to identify/notice any of the "active noise cancellation" that is apparently present on these vehicles (Terrain/Equinox). Over on gm-trucks.com they had some of the Terrain officials on earlier in the year for a q and a session. They mentioned that there should be active noise cancelling, which if I recall is a tone or white noise that is put off by the audio system to counterbalance some other offending sound. Any sign of this at all? If so, how does it seem to be working? Thanks again.

[Drew Dowdell]

now that you express this sentiment, i detect a tone of disappointment. do you now understand more behind what i was saying earlier? it really is a waste to develop two essentially identical product, put one slightly more attractive wrapper on one [up to you to decide which one] and then voila we have two competitors, except they're in the very same segment.

No disappointment. Simply stating a fact, though I may have caused some confusion as I was only referring to build quality.

The GMC does feel more upmarket because the most visible materials inside are more upmarket, if only in look.

[Drew Dowdell]

Thanks for this opportunity. Are you able to identify/notice any of the "active noise cancellation" that is apparently present on these vehicles (Terrain/Equinox). Over on gm-trucks.com they had some of the Terrain officials on earlier in the year for a q and a session. They mentioned that there should be active noise cancelling, which if I recall is a tone or white noise that is put off by the audio system to counterbalance some other offending sound. Any sign of this at all? If so, how does it seem to be working? Thanks again.

You know, I didn't even know about this till I was reading the vehicle summary provided by GMC the other evening. To be honest, I haven't noticed this system in action at all other than the vehicle is unusually silent for a 4-cylinder vehicle. You can feel some 4-cylinder shudder in the wheel at certain speeds especially when in ECO-mode, but it's certainly not offensive and still less noticeable than the CR-V that is my daily driver.

ECO-Mode does the following things:

Lowers idle RPM by 100rpm.

Transmission upshifts sooner.

Transmission downshifts later.

Gas pedal sensitivity is reduced (though this is dynamic, if you floor it, you get full power)

Torque converter locks up at lower speed.

In everyday driving, you mostly don't notice a difference. The only time I really have noticed the ECO system in operation is when I'm climbing a hill around 40mph. The torque converter is locked up at this speed and you can feel the computer purposely lugging the engine a bit. It's so subtle that the non-carbuff would never even notice it.

[loki]

In everyday driving, you mostly don't notice a difference. The only time I really have noticed the ECO system in operation is when I'm climbing a hill around 40mph. The torque converter is locked up at this speed and you can feel the computer purposely lugging the engine a bit. It's so subtle that the non-carbuff would never even notice it.

that sounds like what my monte does in 4th... locks up @40 but will hold it down to ~33mph, turning just over 1Krpm, if you're not in a hurry and give it more like 1/2 throttle.