Swapped haciendas this weekend, and though we enslaved a U-haul truck for the heavy stuff, our long-term 2010 GMC Terrain ably served light-duty shuttle. Though plenty spacious on the inside, the daylight openings on mid-size SUVs such as the Terrain are often the limiters for cargo. This is not a bad thing, as the chassis is not designed for heavy-duty hauling, though you could easily outstrip the GVWR rating by hand-loading your gold bullion collection (holler if you need help relocating that). The rear hatch snubbed us on a love-seat run, but the smooth ride kept even the most fragile possessions intact.
The split-folding rear seats proved a boon for local runs, letting us quickly adapt the interior to handle seat-belt worthy perches (computer monitors, etc.), along with longer items such as lamps. Sliding the rear seat all the way up and the front seats all the way back created a great snug zone for fragile stuff, while also making max room in the cargo hold. The livable tradeoff for the flexibility is a tilted load floor from the non-flat-folding seats.
I still enjoy tooling around in the Terrain, even if the four-cylinder (and I can't believe I'm suggesting this) could use a more aggressive map for throttle tip-in. I'm sure it helps the EPA mpg figures, but these D.I. engines already feel soft down low, and it could use a bit more snap away from lights. This is also the first GM tranny (and we've seen similar behavior in the Equinox) that seems a miss from the General's generally excellent slushboxes. When driven even slightly aggressively, the Terrain's automatic seems easily confused, hangs on to gears when you think it should shift, can be slow to downshift, and then seems to grab too many gears once prodded to downshift. Thankfully, manual mode is an option.
Another tranny quirk was the delay in engaging reverse, which can make for some anxious moments when backing up on tilted surfaces. Each time you'd double check to see if you hadn't accidentally selected neutral, and a fair amount of throttle was required before motion began. GM's automatics have long been the class of the industry, so maybe it's a cost-cutting move. The other odd remark includes a hazard lights button that you have to push and hold to engage, not your first instinct during a quick reach to warn oncoming traffic.
Paul Seredynski, Executive Editor @ 9,987 miles
drhorrible says:
05:17 AM, 07/ 7/10
The Terrain doesn't look so bad from this angle and in this lighting.
vvk says:
06:11 AM, 07/ 7/10
It would be interesting to compare this to GTi or even the old Prius.
ed124c says:
10:28 AM, 07/ 7/10
I had flirted with the idea of a nice Summer car, FWD, automatic, sunroof, room for lots of luggage, etc. and had thought the Equinox and Terrain might be the right size at the right price. But this post by Paul has made me realize that there are only a few automatics out there that one can use without inconvenience.
I will stick with a stick.
foxtrot685 says:
10:34 AM, 07/ 7/10
this CUV looks like crap. it has wide appeal to the retirees on military installations though... i see tons of them at EVERY BX ive been to since its release with various veteran stickers on the back windows.
i understand that they tried to give it a macho look but it fails with the rather low profile tires with big wheels, way too much chrome, and low ride height. raise the ride height, throw on some knobby-er tires on smaller diameter wheels, and ditch the chrome and it would be a pretty convincing macho look! it damn sure works on the acadia :)
1487 says:
11:04 AM, 07/ 7/10
cars.com says they are only sitting on lots for 13-14 days. Someone wants them. I'm pretty sure that figure plus no incentives means its finding customers pretty easily.
Making a FWD crossover look like an off roader while offering no off road capability would be ridiculous.
wrinklebump says:
12:07 PM, 07/ 7/10
I like the styling on this thing more every time I see it. I like the Equinox too. They're just well-done cars.
kevm14 says:
12:36 PM, 07/ 7/10
The 4 cylinder Thetas use the 6T45 which is another clutch-to-clutch transmission. The V6 Thetas and all Lambdas use the 6T70/75 trans which was a Ford-GM joint venture.
I don't know if the 6T70/75s are clutch-to-clutch but I know that the new longitudinal transmissions are clutch-to-clutch, like the 6L80/90. The Allison 1000 that debuted in the 2001 Duramax trucks is also clutch-to-clutch and it imparts a certain feel to shifts. I believe it is also capable of fully skipping gears, which may cause downshifts to feel odd. I think generally this design is considered superior these days, partly due to efficiency. They use a conventional torque converter, of course...
thehankhill says:
02:09 PM, 07/ 7/10
^^^Yup, that's what I was thinking... ; )
tmathes says:
02:50 PM, 07/ 7/10
"Another tranny quirk was the delay in engaging reverse, which can make for some anxious moments when backing up on tilted surfaces. Each time you'd double check to see if you hadn't accidentally selected neutral, and a fair amount of throttle was required before motion began."
If you look in the manual, you'll find that is a feature and NOT a transmission flaw. It's a Hill Start Assist, which I personally love in our Equinox. From the Equinox owner's manual, pg. 8-41 (I'm pretty sure the Terrain has the same thing):
Hill Start Assist (HSA)
This vehicle has a Hill Start Assist (HSA) feature, which may be useful when the vehicle is stopped on a grade. This feature is designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling, either forward or rearward, during vehicle drive off. After driver completely stops and holds the vehicle in a complete standstill on a grade, HSA will be automatically activated. During the transition period between when the driver releases the brake pedal and starts to accelerate to drive off on a grade, HSA holds the braking pressure to ensure that there is no rolling back. The brakes will automatically release when the accelerator pedal is applied within the two second window. It will not activate if the vehicle is in a drive gear and facing downhill or if the vehicle is facing uphill and in R (Reverse).
I'd only seen these HSAs in manual transmission cars (like Subarus). I've never seen it in any car with an automatic, but I like it on steep hills to keep the car from rolling back.
Nothing's wrong with the transmission nor the vehicle. I notice man of these "diagnoses" from Edumnd's reviewers are plain wrong and can be proven as such (like here). Please, RTFM before making such pronouncements.
tmathes says:
02:55 PM, 07/ 7/10
And I haven't experienced any peculiarities of the transmission you mention. It seems to shift just when it needs to. I can be a bit slow to downshift, but I've never ever seen it get confused. The shifts are completely imperceptible, no jerkiness and silky smooth like any GM transmission.
I have to wonder about what and how car reviewers get these cars to act up in ways us mere owners never experience. Like the lousy gas mileage you've logged in the Terrain; our Equinox has been getting 22-23mpg in the city with the AC on all the time,and gets 30mpg freeway with AC on, 31-32mpg without it. It gets what GM promised if not slightly better.
About the delayed flasher button: yes, it takes getting used to at first. But I've not accidentally activated it like I have in my Mazda while reaching for something. I think the design makes sense.
rod_stewart says:
03:39 PM, 07/ 7/10
"we enslaved a U-haul truck"
LOL wut
1487 says:
05:43 AM, 07/ 8/10
i drove an Equinox I4 recently and the tranny seemed pretty smooth. Better shift quality than my car. I didnt have a chance to really floor it but in casual driving it was fine.
cr_driver says:
09:44 AM, 07/ 8/10
And your car is?
1487 says:
12:02 PM, 07/ 8/10
ask bobyblue. He'll be happy to tell you over and over.