INTRODUCTION

The 2021 GMC Terrain comes to you this year with luxury and sophistication. A spacious interior features high quality material and plenty of room throughout the cabin for all passengers and their gear. With a choice of four trim levels and two powertrain options, this well-equipped compact SUV is a refined ride at an affordable price tag.

TRIMS AND PRICING

The Terrain gives you the choice of four trim levels, adding more features to each trim.

• SL, $25,000 – equipped with an array of technology and safety features including the Pro Safety package.
• SLE, $28,400 – Pro Safety Plus package available, remote start is an option for an added $295 and a rear-seat entertainment system with DVD player is available for $1,995
• SLT, $31,200 – available larger alloy wheels, added sunroof for an additional $1,495
• Denali, $38,300 – Adds Pro Safety Plus suite of driver aids and a larger engine.

POWERTRAINS AND FUEL

There are two turbocharged four-cylinder engines in the Terrain. The standard engine that comes in most trims performs well in city driving, but struggles at higher speeds and accelerating. The other engine option is strong enough for most driving, but you must buy the Denali trim to get it.

• 1.5-liter inline-four, 170-horsepower
• 2.0-liter turbo-four that puts out 252-horsepower (Denali trim)

Both engines are paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission and handle smoothly over rough payment, around corners, and through city streets. More power is added to the Denali trim, with the 2.0-liter turbo-four.

SL trim features front-wheel drive and SLE trims and above offer all-wheel drive as an available option.

Towing capabilities reach 3,500 pounds when properly equipped with the 2.0-liter turbo-four engine, delivering 252 hp and 260 pounds of torque.

Estimated gas mileage for the base engine front-wheel drive is 25/30 mpg in the city/highway. The larger engine is estimated at 22/28 mpg city/highway with FWD and 21/26 mpg with AWD.

EXTERIOR

All GMC Terrains make an impression with its bold grille and signature C-shape design headlamps. Engineered to stand out, the standard LED headlamps help cut through the darkness and the halogen fog lamps help illuminate the road in foggy conditions. This same lighting design in the front flows to the back in its tail lamps. The Denali trim elevates the Terrain’s style with its proprietary accents and features.

Body Style: Sport Utility built on a unibody platform.

Exterior Colors:

A hands-free programmable power liftgate can be activated by simply kicking your foot underneath the left-hand side of the rear bumper - standard on SLT and Denali.

INTERIOR

The GMC Terrain has plenty of space throughout its cabin with comfortable seating and quality materials, but the buyer will need to jump up to the SLT or Denali trim for some added luxuries and conveniences.

The Terrain seats up to five people on standard cloth upholstery, with leather upholstery on the SLT and Denali trims Heated front seats, an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, a six-way power-adjustable passenger seat, and a heated steering wheel are available options on the SLT and Denali trims. And heated rear outboard seats and ventilated front seats are available options on the Denali trim.

Cargo

The Terrain features 29.6 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat and 63.3 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down using its 60/40 split folding seats. The front passenger seat can be folded down to transport long items.

SLE, SLT, Denali packages and features:

The SLT adds an 8-inch touchscreen, driver-seat memory settings, power-adjustable front passenger seat, and a heated steering wheel.

The Denali features all of the above features plus a seven-speaker Bose stereo, wireless device charging, front parking sensors, an upgraded premium suspension, standard 19’ ultra-bright machined aluminum wheels and premium gray painted accents.

All trims come with automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, and lane keeping assist.

WARRANTY

Limited warranty covers 3 years or 36,000 miles

Powertrain warranty covers 5 years or 60,000 miles

CONCLUSION

The 2021 GMC Terrain is a solid SUV, but there are some things to consider. It offers plenty of space throughout its cabin and a long list of features with a smooth ride. It falls short in cargo capacity and acceleration with its standard engine, and so if you want the extra power you’ll have to move up to pricey Denali to get it.