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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Tuesday, December 22, 2009 · 10 Macho-looking GMC Terrain stands out from the crowd By Lorne Drury Metroland Newspapers Carguide Magazine Built in Ingersoll, Ont. at the CAMI assembly plant alongside the popular Chevrolet Equinox, the 2010 GMC Terrain is also making quite an impression on North American consumers. A five-passenger compact crossover SUV, the Terrain replaces the Envoy, which was also built in Ingersoll. The Terrain joins the Yukon and Acadia to complete the CUV/SUV lineup for GMC in 2010. The Terrain comes in SLE and SLT trim and with either front- or all-wheel drive. Two engines are offered-- an Ecotec 2.4litre 182 hp DOHC inline direct injection four-cylinder and a 3.0-litre 264 hp direct injection V6. Both engines are mated to sixspeed automatic transmissions. My tester was the Terrain SLT FWD, the same vehicle that was recently entered in the Best New CUV/SUV $35,000 to $60,000 category at the Automobile Journalists GMC TERRAIN SLT 2010 AT A GLANCE BODY STYLE: four-door compact crossover SUV. DRIVE METHOD: front engine, frontor all-wheel drive. ENGINE: 2.4-litre DOHC inline fourcylinder engine (182 hp, 172 lb/ft); 3.0-litre DOHC V6 (264 hp, 222 lb/ft) with six-speed automatic transmission. FUEL ECONOMY: 2.4L: 9.2L/100 km (31 mpg) city, 6.1L/100 km (46 mpg) highway. PRICE: $27,465 to $35,755. As tested $38,090 plus freight and PDI of $1,350. The 2010 GMC Terrain is a new compact SUV, built on the same platform as the Chevrolet Equinox at the Ingersoll, Ont. CAMI plant. Association of Canada TestFest to determine Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Terrain finished fifth out of seven vehicles in an extremely close category, won by the Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel. Second was the Audi Q5 followed by the Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 4Matic. The Lexus RX 350 was fourth with the Volvo XC60 and Acura ZDX trailing behind the Terrain. At $38,190 the Terrain was far and away the least expensive vehicle in its class. The first-place Touareg had a sticker price of $56,950, while the Audi and Mercedes models were also priced north of $45K. Considering the price differential, the Terrain fared extremely well in overall voting as it did on my scorecard. This is a vehicle with nice fit and finish that offers excellent passenger and cargo room, while at the same time delivering fuel economy at the top of its class. While the Terrain and Equinox are very similar and share many of the same components, the Terrain has a much more `macho' look to it, with a squared off front end, flat grille with chrome header bar and bulging fenders, a look that is not unlike the Jeep line these days. The Terrain is a bit more upscale than the Equinox, starting at $27,465 for the SLE-1 FWD, compared with $25,900 for the Equinox. All-wheel drive versions start at $29,075. Inside, the Terrain is attractive with a well thought out dash layout. While not in luxury territory, the interior is nicely done with contrasting stitching that adds to the attractiveness. The centre stack is impressive with all buttons and switches easy to use. The seats are comfortable with an eight-way power driver's seat with power lumbar settings and a two-way manual front passenger's seat. With the onset of cold winter air, it was nice to have heated seats up front. In the rear, the 60/40 split folding seats have a three position recline and also slide 20 cm fore and aft to increase cargo or leg room. My tester had leather seats, but I personally would opt for the fabric. Continued on page 12 BUY LOCALLY SERVICE LOCALLY SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY Phone: (905) 825-8088 www.volvoofoakville.com SERVICE DEPARTMENT OPEN SATURDAYS