drzoidberg

Picked one up with just 834 miles on it, however, after driving it, I am not impressed. There are several serious, and major issues. It was a mid-level package, SLE-2 with AWD; with Pioneer Speakers, power driver seats, Bluetooth, XM Radio, leather wrapped steering wheel, and rear view backup camera (very handy). All in all, better equipped than I expected.

That's not to say it's a bad vehicle- it's generations better than the old GMC Envoy/Equinox; hopefully these are just teething problems that will be fixed in the next batch of cars.

Overall impression was not too good, unfortunately, because I'm a huge fan of domestics. The new Equinox/Terrain had received good reviews, and I was hoping to try one out. I drove a 2010 Ford Edge recently, and the Edge was much better.

PROS:
- Just the right size for a mid-size SUV
- aggressive exterior stance with flared fenders and fog lights
- interior controls are ergonomically laid out
- high quality interior materials and fit
- 2.4L 4-cylinder is much better sounding than previous generation 4-cylinder engines
- rear backup camera display is small, but the placement is excellent!
- aggressive noise dampening
- Pioneer sound system is excellent; great bass response. Line in/USB connections are immediately detected without issue.
- cavernous armrest compartment
- handling too light is helpful for parking.
- Driver's instrumentation panel has excellent clarity and legibility; helpful information menu as well.


CONS:
- 2.4L 4-cyl much too weak for a vehicle of this size (which also has AWD)
- rear lights are ugly as sin, reminds me of a minivan
- HUGE rear blind spot due to small windows, pillars
- handling too light, little to no feedback.
- brakes need to be depressed too far in order to get a strong response
- worst of all, I get this intermittent shaking at red lights when I'm stationary with the foot on the brake. The whole car shakes violently from front to back,
not sure if it's a transmission issue or brakes, or what, but quite discomforting.
- sideview mirrors too small

drzoidberg

Driver's position; yes, the steering wheel telescopes.



Infotainment system; USB/Line In are in the arm-rest.



Rearview backup camera; you might think the position is a little odd, but it actually works well. The display size is just right.




The cloth seats are made of this strange webbing material.




It's as if they ran out of design ideas when making the rear of the vehicle.




But the 3/4 view is pretty nice, and distinguishable from the Equinox.

Tuneman1984

I see what you mean about the tailights...they look just like the Sienna's.

drzoidberg

Funny you should say that; saw a Sienna at the Aisle today, looked alike!

drzoidberg

I forgot to add, had quite an exciting day with the 2010 GMC Terrain.

The vehicle shuddering continued the next day, and while at an intersection, the engine completely shut off, brakes didn't work; was able to shift to neutral and coast to a stop with emergency blinkers on.

Called National roadside assistance, and they brought a tow truck to bring me a replacement vehicle (2010 Chrysler 300 with 5 miles on odometer) and tow the Terrain back for repair.

DataPlumber

I had the car this week ex-ATL. Upon start up it had 530 miles on it. My first gripe was XM was not turned on. So much hearing O&A on the virus.

I am a big import fan and have, in fact, never owned a domestic brand. I second your observations on it being very anemic in the acceleration department. I thought the handing was exaggerated especially at highway speeds, small inputs on the wheel and the thing would jump around. The brakeing was either heavy or not, and light inputs to the pedal had no effect. Given my other recent impressive experiences with Ford Flexes (ugly as sin) and 500s, this car gets a resounding... meh.

3Cforme

A question for drzoidberg and DataPlumber: If National acquired these Terrains with a V-6, would the vehicle be better or worse than the (now discontinued) Trailblazer/Envoy that used to populate the fleet?

drzoidberg

They're definitely much better than the old TrailBlazer/Envoys; a V6 equipped one would certainly improve things in the acceleration department. However, some glaring problems would still remain, e.g. poor braking response, and blind spots.

I think the interior is very good, and the rear view camera placement is pretty brilliant. The Terrains comes equipped standard with the rear view camera, while it's an option on the twin Equinox.

DataPlumber

It is definately would be an improvement over the TB/Envoy. The Terrain is smaller overall than those but the ride is better, even in light of its deficiences.

N533NK

I have to disagree and say that the Envoy is LIGHTYEARS ahead of the Terrain. As a Envoy Denali and former BMW 5 series owner, the Envoy is a one of the best handling cars, and even trumps the BMW. Acceleration is smooth and robust, and the ride is like riding on air. That's MHO.

drzoidberg

I should add that all GMC Terrains come with the rearview backup camera as a standard feature; only certain up-optioned Equinoxes may come with the camera.

Therefore, when choosing between a Terrain and Equinox (w/o having to climb into the driver's seat and put the car in reverse), and you need a backup camera (highly suggested due to the large blind spot), then take the Terrain!

john walker

hey, u have good collection of pros and cons...

drzoidberg

Thanks john walker; I just noticed this review had 2600 views, I'm flattered.

ryerflyer

Agree. The last Envoy I drove was a rattle-trap truck and a gas-hog-not to mention UGLY. Feels like it is from the 90's - which is when it was originally designed (it's just a gussied-up Chevy Blazer after all). The Terrain is far nimbler, better handling, technologically superior to the Envoy - and far more effecient.

openflync

Just picked up a Terraine from SFO. So far response seems to be pretty good on freeway driving. Not sure if mine is a 4 or a 6. I will check later. It's a 4

But my initial impressions are it gives you the height of an SVU but the interion of a sports car.

Did not experience the engine/brake issues mentioned by OP, hopefully I wont.

Interesting enough my choices were between the Terrain and a Cherokee on ES and a Hyundai and Kia SUV on the EA side. Fortunately I chose the Terrain as I was thinking of trying out the Kia/Hyundai offerings for the first time.