TERRAIN’S a compact SUV with many surprises
It’s not often an SUV impresses when you put your foot on the gas. They are usually slow to get off the line and take a while to get up to speed. But there are always exceptions in life and this exception belongs to the GMC 2020 Terrain Denali AWD ($46,178) I had the chance to drive for a week. I didn’t know much about Terrains but GM has been doing a good job of reinventing itself and making solid vehicles so I was keeping an open mind as I looked for the gear shifter to put it in drive. This was my first surprise - no gear shifter. Instead, the Terrain has five buttons within easy arm’s reach to get this small compact SUV moving. Park is the biggest and easiest button to hit. To put the SUV in reverse or drive, you pull back on the button. Neutral is a smaller button in the middle of the console and there is an L button for choosing gears yourself which is just a waste of space and effort. I can’t see anyone using that feature. As soon as I pushed down on the accelerator as I left the parking lot at GM’s office in Oshawa, I knew this engine was something special. My second surprise. The Terrain Denali edition, my tester for the week, features a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine matched to a nine-speed automatic transmission. It produces 252 hp with 260 lb/ft of torque. That combination gets the Terrain Denali moving fast and keeps it nice and solid on the ground as it picks up speed. The Terrain comes in three trims. The lowest price SLE features a 1.5-litre Turbo four-cylinder engine which gets 170 hp and 203 lb/ft of torque. The SLT and Denali trims get the 2.0L turbo. My next surprise with the Terrain was the fact GMC calls this a compact SUV. There is nothing but space and storage in this vehicle. The back seat has more than enough room for three adults. It is one of the most spacious I have ever sat in, which makes it perfect for longer drives for families which include older kids. There won’t be any fighting over legroom or asking the front passengers to move their seats up so the second-row passenger can stretch their legs. The front room cabin is also very spacious. While I did miss the gear shifter, my hand just automatically ends up resting on it, it does allow for more space and a more open feel in the front. Removing that selector allows GMC to place extra-large cupholders in that area as well as the AWD gear selector. You can leave the vehicle in AWD but if you are trying to save some fuel, a quick turn moves the vehicle into two-wheel drive. There is also an option for off-road driving and trailering. The eight-inch touchscreen is a breeze to use and features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Syncing my phone was easy. The camera features still amaze me. As you scroll to the camera on the touchscreen you can choose numerous angles including a birds-eye view from behind the vehicle which makes it look like a drone is always following you to provide that picture. Other controls near the all-wheel drive selector allow you to heat or cool the front seats, a park assist and a lane departure warning. I’ve noted before that I turn that off when I can as it can be very sensitive. One feature you can’t turn off is the auto-stop which shuts the engine down when you come to a complete stop. I’m not a fan of this feature as I have driven some vehicles which take longer than I like to turn back on and allow the driver to get moving. Hopefully GM will consider that option in the next version of the Terrain. The heat, air conditioning and ventilation controls are handled with nice large knobs that are very easy to reach and won’t require you to take your eyes of the road. Since my Denali tester is the top of the line model it featured a long list of standard features and some options. Standard features include: remote vehicle start; a rear seat reminder; wireless phone charging; hands free power lift gate; active noise cancellation and WiFi hotspot. Standard safety features include: front and rear park assist; front pedestrian braking; automatic front headlights; forward collision alert and lane change alert. My tester featured a $1,995 preferred equipment group option that included a power sunroof, adaptive cruise control and other features. As large and compact SUVs become even more popular with families the drive is becoming smoother with a quiet ride that would equal most luxury cars. GMC’s compact Terrain falls into that category. It handled great on the road and while it can carry five easily, has lots of room for cargo and is very spacious. I never felt like I was driving a large truck.