Cars.com Reviews the 2010 GMC Terrain

The GMC Terrain shares its DNA with the Chevy Equinox, a vehicle our reviewers truly enjoyed. Can the Terrain improve on that formula? Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays compares the Terrain to its twin and explains how the Terrain might help GM make up some ground in the increasingly important crossover market. Also, if you’re in the market for a Terrain, you'll want to hear what Mays has to say about the four-cylinder engine versus the V-6.

2010 GMC Terrain Review

2010|GMC|Terrain

2010 GMC Terrain Video

A lot of readers wonder if the GMC Terrain is any different than its corporate cousin, the Chevy Equinox. Cars.com’s Kelsey Mays tells it like it is — the GMC is different. Can’t you tell by its looks? Find out if their differences are more than skin deep in this video.

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2010 GMC Terrain Pricing

Yesterday, we brought you the first drive of GMC’s new two-row crossover, the Terrain. It’s similar to the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, but the Terrain’s pricing is slightly higher and it comes better equipped than its Chevy counterpart.

The base Terrain SLE1 model — starting at $24,250 — comes with a rearview camera, which is an option on most Equinox trim levels. The Terrain SLE1 model also comes with red ambient lighting, 17-inch aluminum wheels, fog lamps and a USB input.

The Terrain lineup’s pricing, equipment and options are listed below.

2010 GMC Terrain: First Drive

Yesterday, we took our first spin in a few versions of the 2010 GMC Terrain five-seat crossover, which goes on sale this week. The Terrain is GMC's version of the Chevrolet Equinox. General Motors gets a little twitchy if you point out that one model is a version of another. No one wants to pay a premium for a model "based on" one from a more modest brand, right? It's a reasonable argument, but the economic reality of auto manufacturing in 2009 requires all companies to do more platform- and parts-sharing than ever, and when it's done properly, there's really nothing wrong with it.

Two things should make GM and potential buyers more comfortable about the fact that this GMC is related to a Chevy: First, its sibling is the Equinox, which in its 2010 redesigned form is a strong contender in the world of compact SUVs. Second, there's a lot to distinguish the Terrain from its sibling where it counts most: on the outside, where only the windshield and the roof are shared.

2010 Chevy Equinox, Cadillac SRX, GMC Terrain Named Top Safety Picks

The redesigned 2010 Chevy Equinox is off to a fast start, selling more than 13,000 units last month. Good news for those new owners, the crossover earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award. To receive the nod, a vehicle must earn a top score of Good in front, side and rear crash tests; it also must be equipped with stability control.

The 2010 Cadillac SRX and the new 2010 GMC Terrain crossovers also earned Top Safety Pick status.

In November, the IIHS will start including roof strength tests into their award program, which will make it much harder for vehicles to get a Top Safety Pick designation.

Pricing Announced for 2010 GMC Terrain

The 2010 GMC Terrain will start at $24,250, while the all-wheel-drive version will begin at $26,000. These prices do not include a destination charge of $745.

Not bad for an SUV that gets an EPA rating of 32 mpg on the highway. If you want to go for the top-of-line trim, you can get an SLT2 with leather seating, a Pioneer sound system, a sunroof and other amenities for $29,250.

How does this compare with certain competitors? The slightly pricier 2009 Ford Edge starts at $26,635, while the 2009 Dodge Journey undercuts both with a beginning MSRP of $20,925. It should be noted that neither the Edge nor the Journey is rated higher than 25 mpg on the highway.

2010 GMC Terrain Video

While the 2010 GMC Terrain may be a rebadged Chevy Equinox, Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays notes that may not be such a bad thing. After all, he likes the Equinox. The question then becomes, is there anything else about the Terrain worth looking at? Follow Mays on his tour of the Terrain at the 2009 New York auto show.

GM and Chrysler SUVs: More of the Same?

With all eyes on ailing GM and Chrysler, their main debuts at the New York International Auto Show may have offered some hints about their futures. Chrysler president Jim Press spoke in New York of “the new Chrysler,” but amid the politicized tangle of shotgun mergers and bankruptcy speculation, both Chrysler and GM chose to unveil more SUVs. Both companies have long been criticized for their truck-heavy lineups, something that left them in the bottom tier of major automakers in Cars.com’s True Mileage Index. Are models like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and GMC Terrain  going to help either company get moving in the right direction?

2010 GMC Terrain: Up Close

Tastes vary, but in the past few years I think GMC has been getting the better of Chevrolet in terms of exterior styling. That's a little perverse, because GMC is a parasite that feeds off Chevy, offering typically better-equipped and better-appointed versions of their vehicles at a higher price. (I say parasite in the most clinical sense, not really as an insult. If there were no Chevy, there would be no GMC — and some say there doesn't need to be.) The GMC Envoy, Canyon and Sierra have been better-looking than the Chevy TrailBlazer, Colorado and Silverado, respectively. Not this time.

2010 GMC Terrain at 2009 New York Auto Show

• Competes with: Ford Edge, Dodge Journey, Chevy Equinox
• Looks like: GMC’s smallest SUV has truck envy
• Drivetrain: 182-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder or 264-hp, 3.0-liter V-6 both with six-speed automatic; front or all-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Late summer 2009

For years car fans have lamented a practice called “rebadging.” A large automaker like GM would take a car from one brand, change a few minor details and sell it with a different name under another brand. Thus, replacing the badge or emblem.

GM has sworn to stop rebadging, yet here is the Terrain, GMC’s version of the recently announced 2010 Chevy Equinox SUV. We wouldn’t call this just a rebadging; it seems GM has changed every piece of sheet metal on the Terrain to make it stand out. And stand out it does.

Most noticeably, the boxy fender flares announce to the world that this is a truck-buyer’s SUV, with 30 mpg on the highway. In case you didn’t notice, it also has a manly grille with lots of chrome.

While we admire the company for changing so much, we’d actually have preferred an identical SUV to the Equinox with a “GMC” logo instead of the Chevy Bowtie.
Both carry the same engine choices, a base four-cylinder and a more powerful V-6.

However, the Terrain does increase cargo volume by 0.2 cubic feet and passenger volume by 0.1 cubic feet. Standard on the Terrain is a rearview camera, 17-inch wheels and an eco-driving mode for the four-cylinder engine to return better mileage.

We’ll find out more about the Terrain and get an up close look at the New York auto show later this week. For now, check out a few more pictures below.