Mother Proof's view

I’ll admit it; I was scratching my head the first time I saw the 2010 GMC Terrain at last year’s New York auto show. I couldn’t believe that GMC was throwing another SUV at consumers. Since then, I’ve actually driven the midsize crossover, and I must admit that I was wrong about the Terrain.

The Terrain, which is the sibling of the Chevrolet Equinox, is the epitome of good drive feel. The seat positioning, visibility and height of the Terrain were perfect fits for me, everything just felt right without hours of adjustments and tweaking. When equipped with a four-cylinder engine, the Terrain’s gas mileage of 22/32 mpg city/highway is an improvement on SUVs of old. If you’re looking for more power under the hood, the Terrain is also available with a V-6 engine and its corresponding 17/25 mpg with front-wheel drive. My test car had a four-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive.

The Terrain’s performance surprised me; it picked up speed quickly yet quietly, which caused me to constantly watch the speedometer on side streets. With such speedy pick-up, solid braking would have provided a well-rounded performance. However, the Terrain’s braking did not match its acceleration. I didn’t like the brake feel at all. I don’t care if I’m slamming on those brakes or just lightly tapping them, I want a quick, solid response from any car I drive. In the Terrain, I had to press the brake pedal to the floor before I could feel the brakes engaging. I’ve noticed a similar brake feel in other GM vehicles, and it’s become a pet peeve of mine.

If GMC would improve this, the Terrain would become one of my favorite family haulers.

Exterior

The Terrain’s looks took some getting used to. I’m a fan of the heavy-duty front end with the hefty grille, which shows off the Terrain’s GMC DNA. I actually had someone ask if I was going to knock down some walls with it. While there wasn’t any demolition on my schedule, the hefty look appealed to my take-on-the-world side.

The profile looks more menacing with the squared-off wheel wells. They’re definitely not my favorite – other MotherProofers boldly call them butt-ugly – but they do help differentiate the Terrain from other crossovers and SUVs on the road.

The windows in Terrain are tall and wide, which made it easy for me to see the road. I could actually look back and check my blind spots in this car. The rear view was fairly open, despite some interference from the second-row head restraints.

It was easy for me to get in and out of the Terrain because the seat height was right below my hip level. My rambunctious boys easily tackled this rugged Terrain (I couldn’t help that one!), and my older son could open his door on his own.

However, GMC could stand to do some work on the look of the rear. It looks too much like a minivan to me and doesn’t live up to the whole “different” theme the rest of this crossover promotes.

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Excellent

Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Good Times

Interior

The Terrain’s interior didn’t thrill me as much as the exterior did. I’ve grown tired of dark, super-masculine interiors. The Terrain comes in Jet Black or Light Titanium, which is closer to a medium gray. Dark interiors are sportier, but they show scuff marks and crumbs. I guess it’s just not my thing. I also found the Terrain’s bright orange ambient lighting to be more alarming than calming. I’d rather have ice blues and cobalts, please.

The seats have a webbed texture to the upholstery; I couldn’t help but wonder if the material would catch and collect crumbs, and if I’d be able to get ’em out. However, I liked the heated seats and how fast the car warmed up. Winter has definitely arrived in Michigan.

The center stack is well organized and easy to use; it’s even sleek looking. Even though my settings mostly stayed the same, the controls are so well laid out that it’s easy to make quick changes. A sizable cubby sits under the center stack, behind the gearshifter, and a smaller cubby sits on top of the dash, in place of a navigation system.

Because my test car didn’t have a navigation system, which is available for $2,145, I used OnStar’s Turn-by-Turn Navigation for the first time. I was a little nervous about trusting my travels to this technology, but it worked surprisingly well. Knowing that I could speak with a real person if I needed to made me feel more secure about the system. The Terrain comes with a free one-year subscription to OnStar.

The only thing that threw me in the Terrain was the door-lock button. It’s in the center stack instead of on the front doors, and I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it. Thankfully my husband patiently – and repeatedly – reminded me where it was whenever I tried to get out of the car.

The cargo space has tons of room. I only wish my test car had a power liftgate with an auto-close button, which is available for $495. Without that feature, I was constantly brushing up against a salt-covered rear door.

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

Safety

Because of the sliding second row, there’s plenty of flexibility for installing a rear-facing child-safety seat, and the Latch connectors are out in the open. However, things got tight when we had to put a third child in the second row. A third booster seat wouldn’t fit in that middle seat between my sons’ two booster seats. Then the buckling process got difficult as the kids argued about who had to move their butt out of the way first so someone could buckle up. I just minded my business up front and let them work it out.

Since Michigan is a winter wonderland, I’d have chosen an all-wheel-drive model and winter tires if I were buying a Terrain for myself. When I tested the Terrain, which had front-wheel drive and all-terrain tires, we had maybe an inch of compacted snow on the roads, and my antilock brakes frequently kicked on as I approached stop signs.

Besides antilock brakes, the Terrain has standard traction control, stability control and a backup camera. It also has standard front- and side-impact airbags for the front row and side curtain airbags for both rows.

While the Terrain received the highest score of Good in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety frontal-offset, side-impact and rear crash tests, it hasn’t been tested in its newest roof-strength crash test, which simulates a rollover.

FAMILY LIFESTAGE

In Diapers: Sliding second row makes it easy to install a child-safety seat.

In School: The kids could easily climb in and buckle up on their own.

Teens: This is one tough-looking crossover, which is something any teen driver will appreciate.