2010 GMC Terrain: Up Close
Tastes vary, but in the past few years I think GMC has been getting the better of Chevrolet in terms of exterior styling. That’s a little perverse, because GMC is a parasite that feeds off Chevy, offering typically better-equipped and better-appointed versions of their vehicles at a higher price. (I say parasite in the most clinical sense, not really as an insult. If there were no Chevy, there would be no GMC — and some say there doesn’t need to be.) The GMC Envoy, Canyon and Sierra have been better-looking than the Chevy TrailBlazer, Colorado and Silverado, respectively. Not this time.
The Terrain, based on the newly redesigned Chevy Equinox, looks better in person than it does in photos, but it’s an odd bird nonetheless. The enormous nose is overdone, and the rectangular fender flares look like they’re borrowed from the Hummer H3. Overall, I have to say I’m impressed that two car-based sister vehicles can look this different.
As for the interior, the color pallet is new but not substantially different from the 2010 Equinox. Though GM has proved recently that it can make a really nice interior, I’m concerned about the faux-aluminum trim in both of these. It’s always possible that the auto-show lights make it look worse than it would in daylight, but it doesn’t seem to come close to the best Saturn has done in the Vue.
