The new 2010 Terrain brings a much-needed compact SUV to the GMC stable while delivering a product that can duke it out with the likes of the popular Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson and Honda CR-V.
Battles on the compact SUV front are fought with fuel efficiency and exterior looks. The new Terrain showcases a brash exterior style unlike anything in the segment. GMC really went for the jugular with a segment-leading 32 miles per gallon on the highway. The CR-V offers a 27 mpg highway rating and the Escape has a slightly better 28 mpg rating.
High fuel efficiency will win you a lot of customers in a market where $4 gallon gas is a reality once again. Even the Ford Escape Hybrid, which promises 31 mpg on the highway, is not safe in the sights of a 32 mpg GMC Terrain.
The front-wheel-drive, 2.4-liter I-4 Terrain is the version touting the giant fuel economy numbers; there is also a 3.0-liter V-6 version with all-wheel drive. The 2010 Terrain is offered in SLE and SLT trims with a starting price of $24,995. Having driven both the four-cylinder and six-cylinder versions, I can say each offers distinctive differences and benefits.
Make no mistake that fuel prices are going to make up a lot of minds for potential Terrain owners and the fuel-sipping I-4 model will sell the most for GMC.
While it is based on the Chevy Equinox, on the outside Terrain exhibits a wildly different angular design treatment with bulging fender flares that chisel attitude out of the side panels. My SLT-2 trim offered big 18-inch machined aluminum wheels, an exterior chrome package with chrome door handles, outside mirrors, roof rack, front grille and rear skid plate as well as cool tinted windows to give Terrain a powerful mystique.
Inside the Terrain, my tester was comfortable and impressive. Roomy in front for driver and passenger, there was slightly less room to roam in the back; three adults will fit, albeit snugly. The rear seat is a 60/40 split with a multiflex sliding feature to open up utility space on demand.
Standard on the Terrain is a rearview camera system. This is one of those features I have come to rely on more and more with any size crossover or SUV. The fact GMC makes it standard just speaks volumes about where the equipment levels are on the Terrain.
A leather-appointed interior and soothing, soft-touch surfaces make the cabin a comfortable place to be. I enjoyed the eight-speaker Pioneer audio system with XM satellite radio. The power, programmable lift gate is another extra touch that pushed Terrain to the forefront.
On the mechanical side, there is still the matter of that fuel economy. In order to optimize fuel economy, there is an "eco" setting that must be engaged by pressing a console-mounted button. According to GMC, the eco mode program instructs the Terrain's torque converter clutch to operate at lower engine speed to optimize fuel economy.
The eco setting is a great idea, especially for marketing a vehicle in a segment where mileage is measured in increments of 10s.
Of course with every great idea there is likely some down side and the eco setting, for all its perceived "greenness," creates a Terrain that is seemingly a bit at rest. But with fuel prices getting ready to spike for the summer months, you may find yourself getting used to living with the slightly sluggish I-4 performance.
Without the eco setting engaged, the V-6 is predictably more spirited with its 264 horsepower. The I-4's fun factor without the eco setting was surprisingly agile. The 2.4-liter (182 horsepower) compact SUV employs General Motors' new direct injection engine fuel management technology, which is the main reason for the big mileage ratings from the Environmental Protection Agency. Mated to a smooth six-speed automatic transmission, the engine's direct injection system delivers the gas straight into combustion rather than first mixing the fuel with air in the intake manifold, as in the case of sequential or multiport fuel injection systems.
The V-6 Terrain can tow 3,500 pounds while the front-wheel drive I-4 manages half that: 1,500 pounds. My SLT-2 trimmed Terrain landed at $29,250, a bit high for a compact, two-row, five-passenger SUV, but if you can live in eco mode, there is great fuel economy that may take a bite out of the final price of $30,240 (with destination charges).
2010 GMC TERRAIN SLT-2ENGINE: 182-horsepower 2.4-liter I-4
TRANSMISSION: six-speed automatic
DRIVETRAIN: front-wheel drive
FUEL ECONOMY: 22 city/32 highway
BASE PRICE: $24,995
AS TESTED: $30,240
www.GMC.com