Road Test: 2010 GMC Terrain SLT1 FWD

September 25, 5:00 PMAuto Review ExaminerJohn Matras

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"To boldly go where no man has gone before" is the challenge placed before the USS Enterprise in Star Trek, but it applies as well to the 2010 GMC Terrain. The 2010 Terrain, based on the same platform as the Chevrolet Equinox, enters territory never before trekked by GMC. The new GMC Terrain is a crossover SUV--a front-drive automotive chassis with optional all-wheel drive --with strong sport utility styling.

That styling, with a large red GMC logo centered on a massive grille ringed by chrome set into craggy bodywork with squared off fenders and wheel arches, is intended to appeal to GMC intenders who are looking for better mileage in a GMC-branded sport-utility vehicle. Indeed, though a V-6 engine is optional, GMC has been touting the EPA estimate of 32 mpg on the highway for the base 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine.

It was a four-cylinder the GMC provided for testing, though in next to range topping SLT1 trim. Top trim is SLT2 and base is SLE1, and both I-4 and V-6 are available in either trim level as well as anything in between, and with all with all-wheel drive or front drive. The latter, according to GMC and Buick chief Susan Docherty, important to Southern and West Coast customers who have little need for all-wheel drive.

That's an important consideration because it indicates that GMC doesn't expect--nor should it--GMC Terrain owners to do anything more than soft roading with the Terrain. Instead, GMC chief engineer Tim Herrick plugs the ability of the four-cylinder to tow up to 1,500 pounds, which he notes is enough for a pair of personal watercraft or a small boat.

Inside, the 2010 GMC Terrain is equipped for transport as well. There are bins everywhere, including the dash-top compartment pioneered by Subaru and finally discovered by others, and the cavern under the center armrest that starts up here and goes down to there, big enough to hold a laptop or even the archetypical woman's purse. (Don't blame us. That's an example provided by GMC engineer Whitney Krause).

GM has had a well-deserved reputation for chintzy-feeling products. That's no longer deserved, at least not from our GMC Terrain's interior. Surfaces were soft touch where they should be and the stitching even and real. One quibble: the stitching in the door panels and seats of our test Terrain was in a contrasting red, but that on the leather-covered steering wheel was black. It's a missed opportunity for coolness, but one probably justified by manufacturing expenses.

The interior design overall, however, was stylish and chic, if that term can be applied to a GMC model without ruining its reputation, in the two-tone treatment of the seats and dash. The center stack is particularly slick, not only from an ergonomic and ease-of-use standpoint but also appearance of quality. A classy touch is the ambient lighting that surrounds the edges of the control panel on the stack, a soft ring of red that complements GMC's red color theme.

The feel of the small controls is there, too, particularly in the push buttons, which have a solid and consistent push and detent. We'd like for the knobs to be stiffer, with less wobble, but perhaps that's a tester's pickiness, and the dash top bin cover could be stouter as well. The stalk controls, once the new GM system is figured out, is easy to use and the stalks themselves feel durable. All good stuff.
We like (well, some didn't) the rear view camera incorporated into the rearview mirror. It doesn't substitute for looking around but it does give a wider--and lower--view than the mirror does. But it is standard equipment, which considering that SUVs are rear visibility challenged, is a good idea.

Scroll down for picture gallery of the 2010 GMC Terrain SLT1 FWD.

The front seats of the GMC Terrain were firm and comfortable over our longer rides of an hour plus, and the back seats, though mostly flat, had slight bum pockets, enough so that the middle seat wouldn't be appreciated by adults. Rear legroom was generous with the sliding rear seat moved fully rearward. All the way forward the seat eliminates almost all legroom, but it moves tots in the back who don't use the legroom anyway closer to grownups in the front seat.

Typical of SUVs, the rear seatback folds forward, but with no tricks, such as the rear seat bottom tipping forward, the load floor of the cargo area isn't flat, which will make loading large, heavy boxes more difficult.

The GMC Terrain handles well for the tall vehicle that it is, but to repeat a familiar refrain, it's not a sports car--or anything close to one. The Terrain provides a lot of signals, however, that there are limits out there long before they are reached, but worse come to worst, stability control is standard.

The Terrain's ride is smooth, the suspension absorbing even the lumps of a bumpy road we regularly travel. Nothing inside--seats, panels or whatever--rattled over the rough stuff. Road noise was medium--voices had to be raised somewhat to speak between front and rear seats but not exceedingly so--but gap sealing, better glass and other noise suppression techniques kept wind and engine noise at bay.

The four-cylinder engine won't require astronaut training, at least in terms of acceleration. It helps that the transmission is a six-speed automatic, and that allows the Terrain to get as much as possible from the engine's `182 horsepower and 172 lb-ft of torque. But to get anything more than casual acceleration or to climb the steep hills in our test area means a downshift or two and roar from the engine.

Contrary to the EPA estimates of 22 city and 32 highway, combined 26 mpg, our experience was 20.1 mpg. We've seen this kind of discrepancy before in larger vehicles with smaller engines and also with hybrids. It's likely that any advantage gained on the level or perhaps in climbing isn't paid back in full on the downhill where the kinetic energy so expensively acquired is squandered in downhill runs that require braking, turning that energy into heat and not forward travel. Larger engines which can use torque in lower rev ranges haven't shown as much difference in our experience.

Although the GMC Terrain is a very closely a twin of Chevrolet Equinox mechanically, the two do not share any body parts except the windshield and the roof. Differences also include the C-pillar, which is more vertical that the Chevy's.

The base price for the 2010 GMC Terrain SLT1 FWD is $24,995 (including a $745 destination charge), the top of the line Terrain SLT2 lists for $29,995 quite well equipped--though all-wheel drive adds $1,005. Our test GMC Terrain was an SLT1 with front-wheel drive. It had a base price of $27,450 but was optioned up to $29,925. Oddly enough, the options added to our SLT1 raised the total to 29,925, and the options added equaled the features added between the SLT1 and SLT2, except the SLT2 includes the sunroof and rear park assist. Because GMC will allow features to be added individually, such as adding the navigation system to the base SLE1 model, shoppers should carefully study the GMC website and play "build your own" to see what's the best deal.

Ordering individual options is the way it used to be, but that's been so long ago in a galaxy far, far away it's still feels like a brave new world. We don't doubt, however, that the 2010 GMC Terrain will be successful, not only from the attention our test vehicle received while parked but also from initial orders which are reportedly running strong. Our bet: The 2010 GMC Terrain will live long and prosper. The force is strong with this one. Resistance is futile. The truth is out there. We are not alone.

Illustrations: 2010 GMC Terrain SLT1 FWD. Photos by John Matras.

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