Drew Dowdell

Valentines day....

Found a minor gripe fairly quickly. There is no interior trunk release? Is this becoming common on new cars?

I forgot my . I know what NHV is.... I was joking that since this was a Buick, it naturally wouldn't have any.

This is a Buick. What is NHV?

Cheers and Gears Drives: 2010 GMC Terrain SLE-2 FWD I4 By: Drew Dowdell Photography by: Drew Dowdell and Joe Joyner Following our review of the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox LTZ, we decided to try something different for this GMC Terrain cousin. This time, I wanted to know what you wanted to know while I was evaluating the vehicle. This gave birth to a unique new concept called the Interactive Review. Well, today I gave the GMC Terrain back to General Motors and picked up a 2010 Buick LaCrosse. The Interactive Review of Buick Lacrosse is underway here. The GMC Terrain is GM's most recent entry into the compact crossover segment using the same Theta platform as the Chevrolet Equinox, Saturn Vue, and Opel Antara. GMC is marketing the Terrain to people who want a little something more from their cute-ute.... namely.. looks that are more on the masculine side of the scale. That's not to say that the handsome Chevrolet Equinox looks feminine, the Terrain just looks more brash. The GMC looks like a downsized version of the big daddy GMC Yukon. My partner, who is not at all into cars, preferred the more upscale look of the GMC, likening it to a Cadillac, in spite of a $4,000 lower sticker price for the non-loaded GMC. Without a measuring tape in hand, the Terrain looks bigger than it's corporate cousin, however that doesn't play out when you look at the numbers. Dimensionally, they are the same vehicle. Most of the questions I got about the Terrain were in regards to the 4-cylinder power plant. I can safely say that if AWD is not a concern (I haven't tested an AWD version of these vehicles), the direct injected 182 horsepower I4 in this Terrain will satisfy all but the most power hungry. The Terrain will break the front tires loose if you put your foot in it and it feels very peppy around town. The 6-speed automatic it's attached to makes shifting quick and smooth. The only time I had a hunger for more power was the occasional passing maneuver on the highway. Here in the C&G hometown of Pittsburgh, we don't have many flat and level highways, so passing uphill sometimes required some planning. The automatic, however, was plenty willing to downshift twice if need be, and once it did, you were off to the races. Unusual for a 4-cylinder is the Terrain's ability to hold 70mph at just 2050 rpm. This helps, along with some high tech active sound cancellation in the Pioneer audio unit, to give you a fairly quiet highway ride. There was slightly more wind noise noticeable in the Terrain compared to the Equinox, but it was mostly noticeable because everything else was so quiet. When driven conservatively, the Terrain's engine is barely audible. Put your foot firmly on the right pedal and you'll awake a V6 like growl. My one week stay with the Terrain was 95% city driving... during the final shopping days of Christmas and a couple of good snowstorms... as such I only got 22.1 mpg. One thing I should mention here is the Eco-Mode option available on just the 4-cylinder versions of these vehicles. According to GM, Eco-Mode improves engine efficiency by lowering the idle RPM, upshifting the transmission sooner, downshifting it later, reducing throttle sensitivity, and locking up the torque converter at a much lower rpm. When in Eco-Mode, driving refinement suffers slightly, but not so much as to be noticeable. You can feel the difference, but only if you're looking for it. Even in Eco-mode, the Terrain is more refined than my 2004 Honda CR-V. My suggestion is to try both and then leave it in Eco-Mode for the gas savings. Most of the driving dynamics carry over from the Chevrolet Equinox we tested last month, however there is a noticeable difference between the 4 and 6 cylinder models. In the V6, the weight is more noticeable... not cumbersome, but you can feel it's there. The 4-cylinder, though only about 100lbs lighter, actually feels lighter. I'm not sure if this is due to the actual weight of the vehicle or the tuning of the electric assist steering (standard hydraulic power assist comes on the V6). The electric assist feels just slightly overboosted at parking lot speeds but firms up nicely at anything over 25mph. Pretty on the inside Instead of the dual cowl Chevrolet dash, a large trapezoid overlays the instrument pod and center stack. The interior of the Terrain gets a slightly more upscale treatment than it's Chevy cousin with extra chrome and faux leather padding with contrast stitching on the instrument pod. Instead of blue ambient lighting, the GMC gets red. If the ambient interior lighting of the Equinox made you feel like you were piloting a starship, the red in the Terrain feels like you're at the helm of a nuclear attack sub. My minor complaint about the green indicators in the speedometer are obviously still there. Some things I failed to mention on the Equinox review were the great cruise control, were you set the speed through a digital readout on the dash and, important for parents, a rear door child power lockout control on the center stack. This button allows you to be a parent during the day, preventing your kids from opening doors without you, and in the evening take your friends out on the town without having to open the door for them or fumbling for a small switch in the door. I had my partner's nieces with me on my final night with the Terrain and with the touch of a button, I was able to prevent them from opening the rear door even if it was unlocked. I was disappoint to find a couple of fit issues in the seams of the dash panels where it meets the center stack. Tellingly, it was only in places where the part was a different shape than that on the Equinox. The seats...well, I simply cannot do them justice in this text. The outer border of the seat is in a robust, but pleasant to the touch solid color fabric. The inlay is a type of sports mesh that is at once very comfortable while providing great lateral support...and in the SLE-2 package, they are heated. Even if you aren't in the market for a compact crossover but find yourself at a Chevrolet or GMC dealer, do yourself a favor and sample the seats available in these two vehicles. Overall, both the GMC Terrain and Chevrolet Equinox are setting new standards for comfort and convenience in the compact CUV segment. My personal inclination is to go with the slightly more upscale Terrain but either way you choose, you'll get yourself a winning vehicle. Cheers Peppy I4 around town 32 EPA highway mpg Great front bucket seats Jeers same flimsy fuel door as the Equinox off color and too bright indicators in the dash some minor interior panel alignment issues Test Vehicle info 2010 GMC Terrain SLE-2 FWD I4 6-speed automatic EPA Fuel Economy 22/32 city/highway Horsepower: 182 @ 6700 rpm Lbs. - Ft. Torque: 172 @ 4900 rpm As Tested MSRP: $27,285 2010 GMC Terrain photo gallery

It's only 1mpg highway less than the Camry/Avalon while being a more powerful engine. It's on par with the Lexus ES350. The city suffers because of the 400lbs. -500lbs. weight gain over the Toyota models.

This Just In: 2010 Buick Lacrosse CXS 3.6 SIDI V6 Stock image shown This just in! A 2010 Buick Lacrosse CXS 3.6 SIDI. The interactive review on the GMC Terrain SLE-2 went so well I think this will become our standard review format. My initial impressions are quite favorable. In a quick spin around the highway, I can safely say that the 3.6 has a lot of kick. The car looks stunning in person. So while I'm finishing up writing the GMC Terrain review, gear up your questions for me on this 2010 Buick Lacrosse CXS. Interactive Review: 2010 Buick Lacrosse CXS 3.6 SIDI

Interactive Review: 2010 Buick Lacrosse CXS Stock Image This just in! A 2010 Buick Lacrosse CXS 3.6 SIDI. The interactive review on the GMC Terrain SLE-2 went so well I think this will become our standard review format. My initial impressions are quite favorable. In a quick spin around the highway, I can safely say that the 3.6 has a lot of kick. The car looks stunning in person. So while I'm finishing up writing the GMC Terrain review, gear up your questions for me on this 2010 Buick Lacrosse CXS. Photo Gallery: 2010 Buick Lacrosse CXS

great friend!

Time to bring back the Omega.

Is it really that bad in a Jeep?

A mechanical fan. The LT-1 has a camshaft driven water pump. The non-HD models have just electric fans. To add the mechanical fan, GM made a bracket that fits over the water pump and holds the fan and pulley. The primary belt runs through the bracket in such a way that the only way to change the belt is to remove the bracket.

LT-1s with the heavy duty towing package you have to remove 3 water pump bolts to change the main belt.

The government does require longer warranties on emissions equipment about that's about it. I think the real reason is that it adds value without adding much cost and that it improves customer goodwill

A warranty adds value without adding much cost when averaged over the entire line. Also, it gives the incentive to the manufacturer to make reliable vehicles.

It's called the used market. If you're price conscious enough to forgo a warranty, you're price conscious enough to not get a new car.

never been much of a betting man....

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.

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.

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.

I've always operated under the assumption that you were certifiable.

What do you mean "maybe"?