I’ll admit, I had low expectations before driving the GMC Terrain. Most vehicles in this class are boring to drive, and most GM vehicles that I’ve driven have somewhat of an anemic feel to them. I was expecting the GMC Terrain to drive just like an Equinox with swapped out badges, but I found myself pleasantly surprised as soon as I got behind the wheel. After driving the Terrain, I was able to confirm that it definitely feels more premium and expensive than the rebadged Equinox that I originally imagined it as, and it is one of the best GM vehicles that I’ve driven. Unlike the previous generation, this new Terrain can actually compete with the heavy hitters from Honda, Toyota, Mazda, and Subaru.
The Terrain’s interior feels very nice to spend time in, and the fit and finish feels spectacular. The infotainment system is also jam packed with features, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The push button gear selectors are a little odd and unusual, especially during three point turns, however the buttons feel nice and solid. It was also refreshing being able to just click the vehicle in drive without having to fool around with a gear lever.
For the compact class, the Terrain feels pretty luxurious and high quality. In terms of visibility, the front hood is large and bulbous, which can hamper visibility a little in tight parking situations. The Terrain also feels a little larger in its dimensions compared to other vehicles in the class, but for the most part it’s a very easy car to drive and see out of. Your side mirrors are large, and while the rear window is on the small side, I didn’t find rearward visibility to be limiting or obstructive.
In terms of driving, the Terrain is a little bit slow to roll from a dead stop. It doesn’t really move very fast when you let off the brake pedal, and the accelerator is a little vague and mushy right at the beginning of the pedal travel. The 1.5T engine also has some off-the-line turbo lag, so in low speed situations this car can feel a little bit sluggish and unwilling. However, once you get moving, the Terrain starts to come alive with its intuitive 9-speed automatic, responsive steering, taught chassis, and its competitive 203 lb. ft. torque figure.
As I mentioned, the engine in this car is a 1.5 liter turbocharged 4 cylinder making 170 horsepower and 203 lb. ft. of torque. Despite some initial turbo lag and the slightly lackluster horsepower figure, the engine actually moves the Terrain pretty well. I was able to whip out into traffic and get up to speed quickly with no problems whatsoever. Once you hit the meat of the torque curve, you’re greeted with very smooth, linear power. The engine note isn’t my favorite, but you can barely hear it even when you’re pushing the engine.
That said, the real star of the Terrain’s powertrain is the 9-speed automatic. It’s one of the best automatics in a modern car that I’ve driven. It thinks very quickly and it bangs out all the right gears to keep you in the heart of the engine’s power band. The shifts are silky smooth, and the downshifts are crisp and immediate. Even under normal acceleration, the transmission gives you this constant, uninterrupted wave of torque from the engine. If you’re going uphill, the transmission will give you the exact gear you need to keep you moving with barely any accelerator input, and it rides out those lower passing gears for exactly as long as you need them. The automatic transmissions in modern GM vehicles have always seemed a little stubborn and slow to shift, but this new 9-speed changes all of that. It never seems to get confused by anything, and it helps that tiny 1.5 liter engine feel way more powerful than it looks on paper. It’s especially evident when you’re rolling at lower speeds and hit the gas. At that point, the transmission snaps into action and gets you up to speed effortlessly. It feels like the type of transmission that you would get in a more expensive vehicle. It has that “read your mind” type of feel that I really look for, and overall the transmission performance was probably my favorite aspect of driving the Terrain. The shifts are also decently quick and snappy as well.
The handling is also class competitive. There were times where I was actually going much faster than I thought I was, which indicates a vehicle with very assured handling. The Terrain does feel somewhat heavy, and you do feel the weight shift around corners, as well as some slight wheel hop. However, the chassis remains remarkably flat for a mainstream crossover. The Terrain doesn’t protest being driven at higher speeds and rushed around through winding backroads. It won’t feel like a sports car, but for an SUV, the chassis feels very composed and linear in the corners. I was actually impressed by the amount of control the Terrain gives you. The handling is definitely better than the Equinox, and it almost felt like a modern Cadillac SUV at times. The Terrain doesn’t break a sweat around a tight corner, and I personally appreciate that in an SUV. The Mazda CX-5 will feel lighter and more composed around turns, but in terms of handling specifications, both the GMC Terrain and Mazda CX-5 feel about the same.
The steering in this car is a little vague and mushy on center, but it still feels well matched to the front tires. You can always tell where the front tires are pointing, and the steering has a nice smooth, linear progression to it. The Terrain points straight as an arrow when the steering is on center, and the response is precise and accurate while carving out corners. The steering weight is decently hefty as well. It is very numb and doesn’t have any road feel, but the steering does a good job at blending both comfort and precision. The leather is also very smooth and nice to the touch, and the wheel has chunky bolsters to give you that additional sense of control. The steering overall feels nicely slotted between a Cadillac and a Chevrolet product.
Ride quality is very plush and smooth. The Terrain glides over bumps and road imperfections really well, and when you’re just cruising down the open road, everything feels solid and refined. It’s very easy to keep a constant speed in this car, and the Terrain makes for a really good road trip vehicle. Road and wind noise are also well muted, you can tell they put in some extra sound deadening compared to the Chevy model.
The actual feel and response of this vehicle is decent, but it could be better in some areas. As I mentioned, the accelerator is a little mushy and has a dead zone right at the beginning of the pedal. I found myself having to put some extra leg work into the accelerator to get moving from a dead stop. Once I got used to it, the Terrain felt very smooth and peppy. It’s just during the initial learning phase where the vehicle can feel a little slow to respond.
The brakes are another resounding trait of this vehicle. They have a good, stiff bite to them. The stopping power feels very smooth and robust, and the brakes have just the right amount of response. They don’t feel touchy and overly responsive, but they don’t feel vague and mushy either. When you’re slowing down to a dead stop, do feel some slight jerkiness in the drivetrain around when you hit 5 mph. Other than that, the brakes feel very smooth and easy to modulate.
And that about covers it. The Terrain drives very well for a mainstream crossover. You get some good incentives to choose the Terrain over the cheaper Equinox, with the smoother and more intuitive 9-speed automatic, hushed road noise, smooth ride quality, and the flat, car-like handling that this vehicle gives you. Longevity has always been a concern for GM vehicles, but in terms of a daily driver, I would highly recommend the Terrain. It feels and drives like the more premium crossover that its marketed as. Other than the slightly heavy feeling curb weight, the larger dimensions, and the lackluster throttle response, the Terrain didn’t really bore me while driving it like I had expected it to. It felt very capable, and that is more than I can say about many of the other crossover SUVs that I’ve driven.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0kXTzg7_N8