2010 GMC Terrain: Busting 20,000 Miles

8k tachometer with no red line?

Looks like there is a slight color difference starting at 6500 going to 8000 rpm but that might be glare.

There has been one problem: the recurring reset of the clock/radio (that IL continues to defer having the dealer repair).

There was also the power liftgate strut failure when the car was pretty new in the fleet.

@Stress83:

There's a TSB addressing what looks like the problem IL has with the audio system. It's a software update, no hardware nor other repairs necessary.

And Bimmerjay's right, the power liftgate failed not long after purchase; that and the radio goofiness so far have been the only glitches.

To everyone: there is no redline on the tach. The 'Nox and Terrain share the same IP cluster and my wife's Nox has no redline marking on the tach.

For a completely new car in its first year of production, the relliability has been pretty good. Seems like the Terrain is a better deal than the Mitsubishi.

But, it is too slow, and the bogus EPA numbers don't help either.

You can get a Traverse for under 30K, so I think that is a better deal. Pay more, get more.

Of course, if you want to stay in the Terrain's size, there are lots better cars, in my opinion, than the Terrain.

I hasten to append: None of those "better" cars are made by the US big 3.

"Looks like there is a slight color difference starting at 6500 going to 8000 rpm but that might be glare."

It is not like a tach is useful in this or any new car with auto tranny.

I think it's sad for the state of the auto industry in general that a new car would go 5000 mile without a problem and people would think it was noteworthy.

"Seems like the Terrain is a better deal than the Mitsubishi."

Well it's more reliable but I would still take the Mitsubishi. From the posts the Outlanders is enough superior as a drivers car to outweigh a few hiccups.

Just because ONE car has been reliable or another ONE has not been reliable doesnt mean too much at the end.
Its an example only.
If you see Motor Trends Outlander and GTR, they have had zero problems, in fact the GTR had over 30k miles, and no problems. Now its gone.
So if we go by one blog, the car is reliable, if we go by another blog, the car is not. So then what?

"I think it's sad for the state of the auto industry in general that a new car would go 5000 mile without a problem and people would think it was noteworthy"

I think so too.

Firstwagon, I think it is more a commentary of the Curse of the Edmunds LT Fleet than the auto industry in general.

sigh.... no thanks to ohio winter im now in the market for a new SUV.... actually its the cities fault as they decided to plow the 480 and deposit the snow onto and in the middle of the off ramp... so in the middle of a snow storm when i couldn't see anything i slammed into it... mind u i was only doing 25 - 30 but it was hard enouph to drop the engine and set of my air bags... needless to say i was irrate... then the police showed up and informed me i was going to be getting a ticket for driving recklessly ... i started yelling at the cop... there was a wall of snow in the middle of the off ramp that u cant see and im getting a ticket for it... ... anyways moving on I'm now going to go to court to not only fight the ticket but to make the city pay for my new car as im rather lucky i didn't get seriously hurt.... this same thing happend last year to a woman and her 2 kids in her mini van all 3 ended up in the hospital.... and it was in the same spot... now i just have to decide GMC Arcadia, Traverse, Audi Q7, or Mercedes M class .... lol granted GMC and Chevy dont compare imo but thanks to family business i get amazing deals on them... it'll just have to come down to how good a deal we can work....

Speaking from personal experience here.

When floored, the tach on the 2.4L Terrain goes to about 6,500 RPM. 6,501+ is just to keep things looking clean, I'm guessing, since there's no real use for that area.

Almost 8k miles and one oil change later, our Terrain continues to give us no problems. It really has been a perfect little SUV. Minus the useless tach.

"Of course, if you want to stay in the Terrain's size, there are lots better cars, in my opinion, than the Terrain."

Of cours you do. What else would you be expected to say? Too slow? Its not slower than the competition from Honda, Ford and Hyundai so its ridiculous to say its "too slow". Its too slow for a sports car, not too slow for a FWD crossover with less than 200hp. Its actually faster than a few key competitors. As for the Traverse- sure you can get one under $30k but it will have cloth seats, no sunroof, no nav, wheelcovers, base stereo, etc. If you really need the space and can only spend $30k you can get a stripped down lambda but anyone who prefers a loaded vehicle will not be looking at the Traverse with a $30k budget.

I dont think the power liftgate failed- I think it was leaking fluid and they got the leak repaired.

"Well it's more reliable but I would still take the Mitsubishi. From the posts the Outlanders is enough superior as a drivers car to outweigh a few hiccups."

Few looking for this kind of vehicle care about them being "fun to drive"- that's not their purpose. I'm sure a review of Outlander sales would reflect that. The CX-7 and RDX are also supposedly "fun to drive" and both have been flops. CR-V is dull and always has been and it sells like hotcakes. Same for Escape.

http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2010/02/2010-gmc-terrain-yeah--about-that-power-hatch-thingy.html#more

It didn't fail, just sprung a leak in the strut. So the vehicle has had a repair, but nothing has ever actually stopped working thus far as far as I can tell.

Good grief, you two are the Hannity & Colmes of the automotive world. Get over your egos.

"Few looking for this kind of vehicle care about them being "fun to drive"- that's not their purpose"

Few people who buy sedans care about fun to drive either. That's why Camrys and Accords are up the list and Mazda6s and Altimas are not.

Same could be said about muscle cars are V6 Camaros and Mustangs have always outsold their V8 counterparts.

You could even say the same about sport sedans like the 3 series and the A4. Great cars with manual transmissions but few are sold that way anymore. If you're not into driving then why bother?

Reality is boring people who don't care about driving out number those who do.

Therefore I could care less if the majority don't care if it's fun to drive because I do... and anyone who really likes driving will look for fun to drive in any type of car or truck they choose.

... and since the Outlander is more fun to then the Terrain it wins. (Don't feel too bad, the Camaro is fun to drive then the Ecilpse so it wins there).