The 2nd generation GMC terrain is all refreshed in 2019 and the humongous 3.6L V6 is now gone.
You could also call it the GMC Equinox or Chevy Terrain, and it wouldn’t even matter.
GMC Terrain shares its underpinnings with the Chevrolet Equinox, mainly in the chassis and engine department.
Driving and Performance
2019 GMC Terrain now comes with 3 engine options with 2 gearboxes. A turbocharged 1.5L 4-cyl. Engine, a turbocharged 4-cyl. 1.6L diesel engine & a 2.0L 4-cyl. Turbocharged. Front wheel drive is standard and an AWD is optional. All are lethargic engines when used on highways but the plenty of torque on the lower band helps this crossover dominate the slow moving city traffic.
Chevrolet Equinox, a sibling having same 1.5L turbo engine & six-speed auto took 8.9 secs to reach 60mph mark which is an “ok” performance. We are expecting a little extra performance from GMC as the equivalent engine is paired with a nine-speed auto-box in Terrain. The diesel is a 4-cyl. 137-hp engine paired to six-speed automatic and it’s even slower & loud.
The most exciting engine of the Terrain is the 2.0L 252-hp turbocharged 4-cyl. engine, which is optional but standardized affair on its performance version, Terrain Denali which punched a 6.8sec time to 60 mph.
The ride is comfortable & cozy due to the softly sprung suspension, a boon on long trips but the comfort-oriented setup keeps the car short of driver engagement once the tarmac gets twisty. The steering is pretty light which provides effortless turn-in at low speeds but proves pretty vague on high speeds.
Exterior
A sleeker shape and a floating roofline take the design to a whole new level. Gone is the butch look & 2019 version looks more like Equinox. The Terrain derives its angular tail from the Acadia and excellently calibrates down the look.
The Terrain’s front fascia now comprises a C-Shaped headlight which encloses the DRL’s as well. At the rear, to match the front, there are C-Shaped taillamps as well. One of the exciting features in this car is the programmable tailgate. If you are living in a place with have low height clearance, you could actually program it to open till a height. The Terrain Denali gets more heaps of chrome, 19-inch wheels, and body-colored bumpers.
Interiors
The center console contains buttons instead of a rotary dial or a gear shifting lever, which looks like more of the power window buttons, will take a while getting used to. While reversing or making a quick three-point turn, they may be cumbersome to use. But they have managed to clear the space for a deep center console that could place larger items.
The Terrain uses active noise cancellation technology to keep its NVH level at the lowest which Equinox skips and have some of the soft-touch plastics at some places. But still, it uses the hard plastics on the doors taken from less expensive Equinox. They might not be as spacious as Honda CR-V or a Kia Sportage, but you won’t find anything to complain about.
Lower trims, SL & SLE comes with a 7.0-inch screen & higher trims are fitted with an 8.0-inch touchscreen. Both of them are crisp & precise, have logical menus and connectivity options like apple car play & android auto but navigation is available only on top Denali variants (SLE and SLT).
Safety
Both the crash testing agency, NHTSA & IIHS, has scored the Terrain very well. The Terrain is rated at 5-star overall but a 4-star in rollover safety by NHTSA. Every Terrain comes with Bluetooth connectivity, a rear camera and a teen-driving limiter which let parents limit the speed for their children. Most of the safety features like parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, forward-collision warnings, and upgraded headlights are being charged additionally which should not be the case.
Final Verdict
2019 GMC Terrain price starts at $25,000, regardless of trim, the 2018 GMC Terrain nullifies the saying that bigger is better. Much versatile & enjoyable to drive, the new Terrain is a quick and generally competent crossover mainly diminished only by the high price of the Denali variant.
