2010 GMC Terrain Bottom Line

By  Colin Mathews, AuthorColin Mathews

TheCarConnection.com reports on the upcoming 2010 GMC Terrain in this advance Bottom Line assessment. TheCarConnection.com will provide more information on the Terrain as soon as we drive it, along with a Full Review that brings you highlights from other respected review sources.

Using a platform shared with the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, the GMC Terrain is set to slot into GMC’s lineup as a little brother to the successful Acadia full-size crossover. That means a tidy exterior package with good room inside, and thoughtful features that maximize either cargo or passenger capacity. Front-wheel drive will be standard, four-wheel drive an option.

The Terrain is clearly cut from the same cloth as the Acadia, with "bold, muscular fender flares” in the manner of GMC’s design aesthetic.” GM calls it “angular yet refined.”

Perhaps the biggest news here, apart from a brand new platform that thankfully does away with the coarse old Chevrolet Equinox/Pontiac Torrent twins, is the arrival of a pair of clean-sheet, new-think powertrains. No pushrods or four-speed autos here; both Terrain engines feature gasoline direct-injection with variable-valve timing, and both are mated to six-speed automatics. An “ECO” button on the dash in the four-cylinder model lowers the torque converter lockup speed to 1,125 rpm for enhanced efficiency.

The base 2.4-liter four-cylinder is the first four for a GMC crossover or SUV since the 1980s, and it makes an estimated 182 hp. GM predicts best-in-segment EPA fuel economy ratings of 21 mpg city, 30 highway. The available 3.0-liter V-6 is a downsized version of the Lambda crossover’s 3.6-liter; it’s estimated at 264 hp and 18/25.

Another surprising technical note is GM’s first application of ANC, or Active Noise Cancellation techniques, which are already used on some Honda models and other luxury-brand vehicles. It’s employed on 2.4-liter four-cylinder models and uses soundwaves emitted through the vehicle’s stereo system to quell a four’s inherent boom.

All Terrains will come with a programmable power rear liftgate, a rear vision/backup camera, an oversized glove box, a covered storage binnacle above the center stack, a laptop-sized center armrest storage bin, and two-tier storage within the doors. The standard MultiFlex sliding rear seat can be moved up or back nearly eight inches, and the rear cargo area behind it offers up 31.6 cubic feet of storage (presumably with the seat fully forward).

Other standard and optional feature highlights include remote vehicle start, USB audio connectivity, a seven-inch touch-screen nav system with a 40-gigabyte hard drive, two-screen DVD entertainment system for the rear, OnStar, and XM Satellite Radio.

GMC expects top safety ratings once crash-testing is performed. Six airbags, stability and traction control, and OnStar with one-year Safe and Sound service are standard.