Yahoo Autos 2018 GMC Terrain: Compact (and Premium) at Last
If rarity could be said to imply premiumness, then count GMC’s Terrain crossover as upscale compared with its close sibling, the Chevrolet Equinox. Since the Terrain nameplate was introduced in 2010, GMC has sold 700,000 of its compact SUV, while Chevrolet has sold more than 2 million Equinoxes since 2005—as long as you don’t count a five-year head start as cheating.
But now comes time for a proper head-to-head comparison, as both models are getting redesigned for 2018, with GMC saying its Terrain truly is more premium than before. We’ll need to drive and experience the Terrain in the real world to see if that claim bears out, but on paper, the GMC seems to pack the right mix of equipment and aesthetics to qualify as a step above the 2018 Equinox.
A Shared Diet
As with the larger GMC Acadia three-row and the new Equinox, the Terrain sheds a colossal amount of weight relative to its predecessor. Using GMC’s specifications—as opposed to our scales, since we haven’t yet weighed the new model—the lightest version of this 2018 model is 465 pounds lighter than the lightest version of the outgoing model. In addition to the removal of physical heft, the new Terrain’s smoother styling and “floating” roof imbue it with more visual lightness and grace than its chunky predecessor, which looked every bit as heavy as it actually was.
The GMC’s sleeker look as well as the weight reduction can be partly credited to its smaller footprint. It is 3.2 inches shorter in length, 0.4 inch narrower, and 0.9 inch lower than the Terrain it replaces. GMC also pulled 5.2 inches out of the wheelbase, yet, through improved interior packaging, it managed to add 0.2 inch of rear legroom and 0.3 inch of front-seat legroom. Although cargo space is down slightly behind the second-row seats and with the rear bench folded flat, it’s not enough to feel like much of a sacrifice. (The front passenger seatback also folds flat to help with hauling longer objects.) The reduced size of the Terrain now puts this vehicle—previously too large for a compact and too small for a mid-size SUV—squarely into the same size range as other compact crossovers such as the Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-5.
All Turbo All the Time
With a smaller body and less weight to haul around, the 2018 Terrain drops the previous-generation model’s naturally aspirated four-cylinder and V-6 engines for a trio of turbocharged four-cylinder options. The base Terrain will come standard with a turbocharged 1.5-liter four making 170 horsepower and 203 lb-ft of torque. While this engine is shared with the Equinox, in the GMC it is bolted to an all-new nine-speed automatic transmission instead of an older six-cog unit. Feeling the premium vibes yet?
A turbocharged 2.0-liter four is the step-up engine, although its 252 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque fall short of the 301 horsepower and 272 lb-ft of torque produced by the outgoing V-6. The 2.0-liter also mates to a nine-speed automatic, albeit one with a slightly higher torque rating. Perhaps sensing an opening with Volkswagen’s abandonment of diesel engines in the United States, the Terrain now offers just such an option. The 1.6-liter four-cylinder diesel is rated for just 137 horsepower but produces a stout 240 lb-ft of torque; it’s paired with a six-speed automatic. Interestingly, GMC lists the Terrain’s maximum towing capacity of 3500 pounds as requiring the 2.0-liter engine; we’d have figured the torque-rich diesel might have at least matched the stronger of the two available gasoline engines in this regard.
No fuel-economy estimates are yet available for the new Terrain, but there is little doubt that the 1.5-liter gas engine and the diesel will be the most efficient. Front-wheel drive is standard, and there’s a new, optional all-wheel-drive system that allows the driver to select a fuel-saving front-drive setting, which disconnects the rear driveshaft to reduce drag losses on the driveline. Curiously, the front-drive Terrain boasts a smaller fuel-tank capacity than the all-wheel-drive model, despite carrying less hardware underneath. Perhaps GMC was aiming to provide similar driving ranges per tank for both iterations, or maybe it hoped to save a little weight with the front-drive models to boost their forthcoming EPA fuel-economy numbers.
As before, the Terrain will be sold in SL, SLE, SLT, and range-topping Denali trims. Every variant will wear LED daytime running lamps on its face and LED taillights on its rear, and even the non-Denali trims will come with HID headlights and niceties such as active interior noise cancellation, aluminum cabin pieces, and soft-touch materials on the dashboard and door panels. The Denali sprinkles some extra jewelry into the mix with chrome accents, a satin-chrome grille, 19-inch aluminum wheels, LED headlights, piping on the front seats, a heated steering wheel, navigation, a power liftgate, and a Bose audio system.
GMC’s new compact crossover also will come standard with an onboard AT&T 4G LTE data connection and Wi-Fi hotspot that can support up to seven devices at a time. After an introductory period, owners can add their Terrain’s data services to an existing AT&T plan or subscribe via GM’s OnStar system. A 7.0-inch IntelliLink touchscreen is fitted as standard, but an 8.0-inch unit is available; both include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.
Other available tech includes the latest active safety features such as a 360-degree parking camera, forward-collision warning, low-speed automated emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. General Motors’ ubiquitous vibrating Safety Alert Seat also is available; the seat vibrates in concert with visual warnings related to the parking sensors and the collision-warning systems.
The Terrain is discernibly nicer than the Chevrolet with which it shares DNA, but the crossover’s bigger accomplishment is its alignment with the rest of the compact-crossover class. With turbocharged engines, a right-size footprint, and a subtly upscale design, the GMC is ungainly no longer. Its evolution comes at the perfect time, as the segment grows ever more competitive and compact crossovers continue to print money for their makers.
