GMC Terrain – Step Up To The Road

A Chevy inside minus a Chevy outside!  Here’s introducing you to the Monsieur GMC Terrain. A glance and you would never know that under this brute steel, there is a Chevy Equinox lurking. Architecture, suspension setup and even the power-trains are typically Chevrolet. The old good bad days had companies merely swapping badges and grills but Ola, welcome to the 21st century. This is a different beast in many ways.

Looking for a CUV which is a Family Mover and a looker? Prod no further, 2010 GMC Terrain it is.

Damage to the pocket

2 Terrains, couple of weeks and the world as its playground, we got ample opportunities to put the top of the line 4 cylinder Terrain SLT -2 with a base MSRP of 31,300 greens and a V6 avatar of the same to its paces. The 4 pot also included a rear entertainment system ($1,295), an optional stereo with navigation ($2,145) and other knick knacks to sum it up at $35,780. The V6 had conservative option list as compared to its smaller brother. A bigger engine for $1500; trailing equipment for $350; and a cargo management system for $245 get it to touch $ 33,840.

A base version Terrain SLE – 1 with front drive begins at $24,250; which isn’t an expensive proposition unless you send the option list on overdrive.

Judging the cover

Moving on, unlike the monsters of the past which were truck based and lacked an independent rear suspension, the Terrain begs to differ. The world of fully independent suspension gives it a more car like handling and ride. Optional 19 inch rims ($ 900 and only available on the V6 ) mated to the heavy bass from the 8 inch Pioneer subwoofers points more in the direction of a more on-road use rather than all night, country side escapade.

With its independent suspension you are blessed with a car like comfort and confidence-inspiring cornering abilities. It’s no EVO 10; but is a respectable handler, which will meet or overpower your expectations if you are look at it from a runabout on road vehicle

Flared bulging fender lines; let me rephrase – SWOLLEN SIDES sounds more like it.  They work as attention grabbers towards the highly noticeable gap between the 18 inch wheels and the top arch. GMC maybe wanted to imply on the suspension travel associated with a CUV but what’s the draft when this is just a king of the road and not the prince of mud! Anyway, let the flared arches not scare you into turning away. The Big, Square headlight casings more than make up for it giving the Terrain a mighty look. Most people enthusiastically nodded at the Terrain’s appearance; maybe we are on about intricate styling details that a prospective Terrain buyer gives two hoots about.

What’s happening on the inside?

Stepping inside, Chevy Equinox genes are brotherly visible. Different yes; extensively different – NO.

Good plastics, USB and Auxiliary are available for the portable friendly. The supplementary audio system tabs on the dash look all the same and need some getting used to. The climate control placed right below the radio is user friendly. The center storage bin is deep and roomy enough for storage use.

If you are happy with an over the top $2,495 expenditure for an audio system with navigation, 40 GB hard drive; you get showered with a seven- inch touch screen and an even more set of buttons for a radio interface. A space station type console is the end result.

The screen also shows the backup cam which is activated by shoving the gear into reverse mode. The backup is standard equipment on all Terrains and is displayed in the rear view mirror in models minus the Nav. A portable GPS can be picked up for the market at a cost way lesser than what GMC has to offer. So think smart, get one from outside and save some greenies.

If you regularly ferry children, you might want to look at an integrated two screen backseat entertainment system for $1,295. Not exactly a bargain but at least you don’t have to buy a Nav-Stereo to get this.

No more cramped legs

Enough time was spent sitting in City Traffic to be floored by its overall comfort level. Nicely supportive seats in the front, the back bench having 200 millimeters of travel of travel which translates to tall people having enough leg room to not want to get out of your car even in the most extreme ‘I’ll push my seat back’ situations.

Viewing factors

Visibility from behind the wheel is good but like many other automobiles the Terrain suffers from a muscular-pillar syndrome which can sometimes hide a biker or a small hatch from your view in turns.

Similarly, the back-view is hampered by a full size headrests and an upright beltline which is a trend in SUV’s and crossovers these days. Saving grace comes in the form of a reverse camera which saves the day.

At the Mall or a Tesco, the Terrain is as good as everyone in its class gets. There is plenty of room for all the run around fills. Behind the rear seat, you’ll find 31.4 cubic feet of cargo space. Turn the 60/40 bench down and space increases to a whopping 63.7 cubic feet. This puts the Terrain a bit behind Ford Escape with its (31.4/67.2), Honda CR-V with its (35.7/72.9) and Toyota RAV4 with its (36.4/ 73.0) figures.

I’ve got the power

The 2.4 liter inline 4 potter is a standard engine. It’s directly injected, churning out 182 horses and 172 pound feet of torque. A 6 speed automatic is standard and you change gears manually with a rocker switch on the gear shifter. Despite the V 6 being 82 ponies more on power, the 4 potter is a better vehicle to drive. 4 cylinder Terrains have shorter gearing than the 6 cylinder ones and the 2.4 with all-wheel-drive has the shortest final drive at 3.53:1.

With this gearing advantage the Base version Terrain, with its 2.4 motor, feels surprisingly spirited in everyday missions. The V6 gets a hydraulic assisted steering as compared to the electric one on the 2.4 liter ones. An average car driver would not bother or care about such technicalities. The 2.4 returned a mileage between 20 to 21 mgp overall. The AWD sapped quite a lot ‘MGP’s as we found out as the front wheel drive versions returned 32 mpg’s on an average which is brilliant considering its’ size.

That extra $1500 will get you the 3.0 liter V6 rated at 264 horsepower and 222 pound feet of torque mated to a 6 speeder auto. The V6 although smoother than the 4 cylindered one and with a towing capacity of 3500 pounds as compared to the 1500 pounds of the 4 potter shows no apparent need in forking out extra greens for the 6 cylindered version.

FINAL VERDICT

If you are looking at the Terrain, get your hands on it for a test drive and observe the difference. 2 extra cylinders does not mean necessarily ‘better’. A bit smoother – YES, but ‘better’ is a subjective term depending on individual needs.

To sum it up, it is a very good effort by GMC that holds its’ ground against competition; even if it’s not an all out offroader which GMC usually boasts of.

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