Anybody own a GMC Terrain?

[absintheisfun]

I'm looking to get a new daily, and I want/need a small SUV that is NOT a soccer mom's car. I have owned several Blazers, so I am comfortable in the size of smaller SUV's. I am really liking the GMC Terrain, but there are a couple of other contenders as well. I would like to hear from the folks I trust on their thoughts of owning one for a while.

The contenders (in order) and their flaws:
1. GMC Terrain - don't know of any....????
2. Toyota FJ Cruiser - have a Toyota now, and not happy with the Company lately, bad visibility
3. Jeep Liberty/Dodge Nitro - kinda tired of the styling, and low reliability

I plan on owning this for a long fairly long time and while the GMC Terrain is a bit more $$, it has incredible mileage for a SUV. So I'm thinking that over the life of ownership it will be cheaper.
I don't plan on using the truck to tow a vehicle, but it would be nice to be able to hook up a small trailer to haul parts/scrap so a little bit of tow rating is needed.





Thanks!

[Tony_SS]

Consider an HHR SS if you want a compact SUV.

Depending on MPG, I would consider the Toyota FJ too. They look like a fun truck to own.. 4WD is nice too, around here anyway.

[absintheisfun]

Consider an HHR SS if you want a compact SUV.

Depending on MPG, I would consider the Toyota FJ too. They look like a fun truck to own.. 4WD is nice too, around here anyway.

I looked at the HHR SS, but it was ruled out because of a lack of 4wd, and "grocery getter" feel. The Terrain has an AWD model.

Should have mentioned that AWD/4WD is a requirement-sorry

[79PonchoUK]

Has to be the GMC. It's going to be the best built, and if the engine is the one I'm thinking of then i doubt it will give any trouble.

[Chevrolaine]

Looking at the Terrain also and the only one that gets decent mileage is the FWD/4 cylinder model.
The AWD will probably be no better than the Blazers you've had.

Haven't sat in one, but I've heard the FJ's have a horrible blind spot out the front with the huge A Pillars but in pics they look no worse than the others??

I currently have a Liberty and really can't complain about anything other than the mileage. Been a good vehicle.

[absintheisfun]

Haven't sat in one, but I've heard the FJ's have a horrible blind spot out the front with the huge A Pillars but in pics they look no worse than the others??

I have heard the same about the visibility as well

whats the warranty on the other two? gm is 5yr/100,000 powertrain. thats a good warranty too, it even covers hubs on non drive wheels.

I believe it is 5/60,000 for both others. I am going to be doing some test driving on them this week. I look at styling first (If I'm going to be driving it, I want to enjoy the aesthetics)

[Tony_SS]

They are claiming 17/24.. so real world mpg is 15 city for the AWD Terrain. That sucks IMO. I guess I'm spoiled with an actual 27/33mpg HHR.

Also, why is an AWD needed in Texas?

[CamaroAJ]

whats the warranty on the other two? gm is 5yr/100,000 powertrain. thats a good warranty too, it even covers hubs on non drive wheels.

[Nomad_K]

I was looking at all three of these as well.

FJ - built on a truck chassis so it can actually go off-road, great aftermarket, good towing capacity, economy isn't brilliant but you can get 20+ on the highway without too much fuss. I just drove one this past weekend, and while I heard about the visibility, I didn't have any issues, perhaps because I spent a little extra time looking around, who knows. The FJ is rated to tow 5000 lbs, and having a little experience with that engine in a Toyota Hilux (not a ****ing Tacoma - rant for another time about Toyota's US division), I like that engine better than the one in the Liberty. That said...

The Jeep Liberty is also a proper off-road vehicle that you can daily drive. While the Liberty is not built on a 'truck' chassis, it is not a car-based platform either, just a unibody designed to go off-road. Towing capacity of up to 5000 lbs but the engine (imho after a drive) is not up to 5000 lbs unless you are doing a nice flat run. For a trailer here and there though, I would have no issues with the Liberty, and I am considering one of these as well.

GMC Terrain - I looked at these, and at first glance on paper, this looked like the best option! But you only get the high mileage with a front wheel drive 4-cylinder which has little towing capacity (1500 lbs). If you add in the 4wd and the 6-cylinder, you can tow up to 3500 lbs (less than the Liberty or the FJ), but you don't have much/any off-road capability, and you loose the mileage you were after (V6 AWD 17/24 mpg). If you want to avoid the soccer-mom look, the Terrain will work for appearances I guess, but when it comes to what lurks under the hood and body...

[absintheisfun]

Good points Nomad...very good.

The AWD/4WD isn't so much for offroading, just nice to have a vehicle that has the ability when it is needed...in Dallas, it will be used maybe twice a decade, but there are many trips to Colorado to think of. AWD/4WD is just nice to have for peace of mind!

I'm looking at the V6 AWD Terrain, so I know I'll get a large loss on the MPG. I'll test drive both the 4 and 6 to see if there is a worthy enough difference to justify the price diff/loss of mpg.

Another factor that adds to the GMC is that I'm excited to be excited about GM products again. But...it is manufactured in Canada, whereas the Jeep is made in Ohio, but Jeep is now owned by Fiat. The Toyota is made in Japan.

Soooo, I could give my money to an American company paying Canadian wages, or an Italian Company paying American wages or a Japanese company paying Japanese wages.

[Nomad_K]

Good points Nomad...very good.

The AWD/4WD isn't so much for offroading, just nice to have a vehicle that has the ability when it is needed...in Dallas, it will be used maybe twice a decade, but there are many trips to Colorado to think of. AWD/4WD is just nice to have for peace of mind!

I'm looking at the V6 AWD Terrain, so I know I'll get a large loss on the MPG. I'll test drive both the 4 and 6 to see if there is a worthy enough difference to justify the price diff/loss of mpg.

Another factor that adds to the GMC is that I'm excited to be excited about GM products again. But...it is manufactured in Canada, whereas the Jeep is made in Ohio, but Jeep is now owned by Fiat. The Toyota is made in Japan.

Soooo, I could give my money to an American company paying Canadian wages, or an Italian Company paying American wages or a Japanese company paying Japanese wages.

As for where to send your money, it is a tough choice, I know!

As for the thoughts, man, I've wasted too much time looking, so if I can help anyone save some time, that's great! Just to make things a little easier, if you really want an AWD/4WD option, moderate towing, and don't need to go on more than a dirt path, the V6 RAV4 with a tow package will pull 3500 lbs, get 19 in the city, and 26 mpg on the highway. Those figures are better than many AWD cars unless you look at non-turbo four cylinder Subarus, and I don't find those to be much fun going up a mountain. For the price, economy and moderate but acceptable pulling power, the RAV4 makes a lot of sense if you are staying on the pavement.

[Kenova]

Another factor that adds to the GMC is that I'm excited to be excited about GM products again. But...it is manufactured in Canada, whereas the Jeep is made in Ohio, but Jeep is now owned by Fiat. The Toyota is made in Japan.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm a GM of Canada retiree and I bought my wife a Liberty as a daily driver. Now that I think of it, my 2004 Silverado was built in the US.

This is the way the North American market works. I work(ed) for GM of Canada building vehicles for the USA, but the vast majority of GM vehicles purchased by my co-workers and I are US built.

It works the same way across manufacturers. My neighbor was apologetic for buying a Ford. I simply pointed out to him that by buying the Ford he was providing employment to someone who bought one of the very trucks that I helped build.

I don't even want to think about the origins of all the components that go into a car or truck. Mexico comes to mind, a lot.

Ken

[absintheisfun]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm a GM of Canada retiree and I bought my wife a Liberty as a daily driver. Now that I think of it, my 2004 Silverado was built in the US.

This is the way the North American market works. I work(ed) for GM of Canada building vehicles for the USA, but the vast majority of GM vehicles purchased by my co-workers and I are US built.

It works the same way across manufacturers. My neighbor was apologetic for buying a Ford. I simply pointed out to him that by buying the Ford he was providing employment to someone who bought one of the very trucks that I helped build.

I don't even want to think about the origins of all the components that go into a car or truck. Mexico comes to mind, a lot.

Ken

true...

[gtoroadracer]

I have a GMC Terrain, it is actually my wife's car. What a great vehicle!! I own a 2002 GMC 3500 and she has the 2010 GMC terrain so I guess you can say we are a gmc family. It has the 4 cyl ECO tec and it goes pretty good, if you want it to really go get the v-6 we drove that one first and it did go very well, but since it was going to be mainly her car she did not need the v-6. We got the SLE-2 package and it has everything we needed, great riding car and it handles very well. good luck

[Nomad_K]

I have a GMC Terrain, it is actually my wife's car. What a great vehicle!! I own a 2002 GMC 3500 and she has the 2010 GMC terrain so I guess you can say we are a gmc family. It has the 4 cyl ECO tec and it goes pretty good, if you want it to really go get the v-6 we drove that one first and it did go very well, but since it was going to be mainly her car she did not need the v-6. We got the SLE-2 package and it has everything we needed, great riding car and it handles very well. good luck

Then the Terrain would be the perfect daily driver if you needed some extra room!

Back on topic, does the 4 cylinder actually pull 30+ on the highway?

[Tony_SS]

Then the Terrain would be the perfect daily driver if you needed some extra room!

Back on topic, does the 4 cylinder actually pull 30+ on the highway?

We have an HHR with a 4cyl ECOtec and get about 32 on the hwy. We also have the 48,xxx miles on the original tires. Thats the other drawback with an AWD, it'll eat up the tires.

It's a challenge to get one car to do everything.. but I get its cheaper than having 2!

[ArtosDracon]

Have you looked at the ford flex AWD, they're butter to drive and the interior is very nice.

I happen to really like the look of the terrain too though.

[MonzaRacer]

OK first of all, dont go into debt on a daily driver. Find a decent car/truck to rack up miles on, pay cash, keep it in the 1 to 1.5 year of car payments range in value as it wont be getting more valuable. think of putting it in shop, new brakes if it hasnt had them, new good tires, major tuneup, service the fluids etc.
3 to 5 yr old low mileage vehicle would be better for mileage accumulation.
Save for a new car to have for good, put car payments in bank till you get $15k to $30k saved, then go find a newer vehicle and pay cash.
Just remember debt it dumb cash is king.
Get this a local Ford dealer sold a Roush Blackjack for $25k cash to move it! Kid worked 3 yrs this way and has a hot car for nothing a month except full coverage insurance.
And he has a daily beater that works, has all essentials working.
I have a car that was given to me when I was down, needs some small things but it gets me there, its cheap and gets good mileage. its a 91 Cavalier and gets 85miles a day put on it.
Oh and has cold AC!
Trust me a daily that costs money isnt valuable, get a beater for that and save for good weekender/project.
JUst a thought from a guy who used to think paying for a car to drive daily was cool.

[FULMNTE]

When my wife needed a new small SUV earlier this year, here is what we tested:

Hyundai Santa Fe - build in USA
Kia Sorrento - build in USA
Honda CR-V - build in USA
Chevy Equinox/GMC Terrain - NOT build in USA (Canada)

We got the Honda CR-V (proudly made in Ohio) for $400 below invoice, the Chevy/GMC was too new and the dealers did not want to go much below MSRP.

Wife is very happy with the CR-V, by the way...

[nullshine]

Hyundai Santa Fe - build in USA
Kia Sorrento - build in USA
Honda CR-V - build in USA
Chevy Equinox/GMC Terrain - NOT build in USA (Canada)

Whoa whoa whoa... are you trying to tell me that Canada ISN'T part of the USA? When did that happen?