Topic: 2010 GMC Terrain SLT; Day 1

[airbalancer]

This might be a big improvement over past (torrent) models but it's still not a leader (especially when you factor in price).  If you want a good 4 cylinder compact SUV then I'd suggest trying the new Hyundai Tucson, if you want a V6 then I'd say try the Kia Sorento.  That being said there are a lot of SUV's to choose from and everyone of them have their strong points and weak points.

Centre console to large my leg touches so that would rule out the Tuscson
The best car out there is the one you are most comfortable in

[carcrazy]

This might be a big improvement over past (torrent) models but it's still not a leader (especially when you factor in price).  If you want a good 4 cylinder compact SUV then I'd suggest trying the new Hyundai Tucson, if you want a V6 then I'd say try the Kia Sorento.  That being said there are a lot of SUV's to choose from and everyone of them have their strong points and weak points.

Really, there is no such thing as a "leader" (or should I say absolute leader?). You have to always qualify the particular criteria you are comparing against.
Tucson or Sorento are not absolute "leaders" either.

[John MacDonald]

This might be a big improvement over past (torrent) models but it's still not a leader (especially when you factor in price).  If you want a good 4 cylinder compact SUV then I'd suggest trying the new Hyundai Tucson, if you want a V6 then I'd say try the Kia Sorento.  That being said there are a lot of SUV's to choose from and everyone of them have their strong points and weak points.

Centre console to large my leg touches so that would rule out the Tuscson
The best car out there is the one you are most comfortable in

I'm 6"2 210 fit male and my leg does not touch the centre console.  You must be one of 3 things, bow legged, a heavier set person, or taller, otherwise I have no idea how that can be true (I guess you could have had the seat too far ahead).  If it was my money I would spend a bit more and get the Santa Fe, oh wait that's what I am buying on friday, LOL.  Sorry guys but I've test drove a lot of SUV's and in my books the Santa Fe offers the best mix of V6 Power, fuel efficiency, interior styling/quietness, fit and finish, space, reliability, price, warranty, and interest rate.  There are others that were faster feeling (Rav4 V6), one that was quieter (Venza), better handling (VW Tiguan), better looking interior (RDX), reliable (CRV), but none of them have a better mix with price/interest rate than the Santa Fe, not even the new Kia Sorento (which I will say is a bit better vehicle) which is not as good of a deal (sticker price and interest rates) for basically the same vehicle.

[John MacDonald]

This might be a big improvement over past (torrent) models but it's still not a leader (especially when you factor in price).  If you want a good 4 cylinder compact SUV then I'd suggest trying the new Hyundai Tucson, if you want a V6 then I'd say try the Kia Sorento.  That being said there are a lot of SUV's to choose from and everyone of them have their strong points and weak points.

Really, there is no such thing as a "leader" (or should I say absolute leader?). You have to always qualify the particular criteria you are comparing against.
Tucson or Sorento are not absolute "leaders" either.

So true.  There is no perfect vehicle (well not for under $40,000 at least, LOL), so no vehicle can be the leader in every category.  That's why when I go test driving I have a scoring scheme that gives me the best overall picture, I weight different strengths higher than others (power vs fuel efficiency).  But from my experience the Hyundai Santa Fe/new Kia Sorento is the best mid/compact CUV on the market.

[Jaeger]

I don't pretend to have any great experience with vehicles in this class [other than a very satisfactory week-long rental of a Rav 4], so someone break it down for me - the reasons I buy this thing versus its competitors are.. what??

This review certainly isn't a ringing endorsement.

Jaeger

[carcrazy]

I don't pretend to have any great experience with vehicles in this class [other than a very satisfactory week-long rental of a Rav 4], so someone break it down for me - the reasons I buy this thing versus its competitors are.. what??

This review certainly isn't a ringing endorsement.

Jaeger

You like this vehicle more than any other competitor and it does everything you would like it to do good enough, although it is not the best at anything.

[carcrazy]

This might be a big improvement over past (torrent) models but it's still not a leader (especially when you factor in price).  If you want a good 4 cylinder compact SUV then I'd suggest trying the new Hyundai Tucson, if you want a V6 then I'd say try the Kia Sorento.  That being said there are a lot of SUV's to choose from and everyone of them have their strong points and weak points.

Really, there is no such thing as a "leader" (or should I say absolute leader?). You have to always qualify the particular criteria you are comparing against.
Tucson or Sorento are not absolute "leaders" either.

So true.  There is no perfect vehicle (well not for under $40,000 at least, LOL), so no vehicle can be the leader in every category.  That's why when I go test driving I have a scoring scheme that gives me the best overall picture, I weight different strengths higher than others (power vs fuel efficiency).  But from my experience the Hyundai Santa Fe/new Kia Sorento is the best mid/compact CUV on the market.

I can't argue that those are the best CUVs for you. However, your scoring scheme may be different from mine (and perhaps it is) rendering different results.

Objectively speaking, if this can be accomplished when talking about cars, those are good vehicles by any means.

[Jaeger]

I don't pretend to have any great experience with vehicles in this class [other than a very satisfactory week-long rental of a Rav 4], so someone break it down for me - the reasons I buy this thing versus its competitors are.. what??

This review certainly isn't a ringing endorsement.

Jaeger

You like this vehicle more than any other competitor and it does everything you would like it to do good enough, although it is not the best at anything.

Okay, what do you LIKE about this vehicle more than its competitors that would lead you to buy it??

Jaeger

[Mitlov]

I don't pretend to have any great experience with vehicles in this class [other than a very satisfactory week-long rental of a Rav 4], so someone break it down for me - the reasons I buy this thing versus its competitors are.. what??

This review certainly isn't a ringing endorsement.

Jaeger

I don't know, while not the perfect vehicle for everyone who is in the market, the review made it sound like a good option for many crossover drivers.  Not all drivers should choose this, of course.  But I didn't see anything in the article that made it sound like a second-tier car or uncompetitive-in-the-segment, or anything like that.

PROS:

*  Great fuel economy (significantly better "as-tested" fuel economy than the CR-V, and excellent ratings too...my Element is 19 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, whereas the Terrain AWD is 20 mpg city, 29 mpg highway (US EPA ratings)).

*  Good interior quality and comfortable seating.

*  Good ride quality.

*  Standard rearview camera (a real asset for preschool parking lots).

*  Lots of interior storage.

*  Good sound system.

CONS:

*  Sluggish acceleration.

*  Coarse-sounding engine.

*  Unimpressive braking performance.

*  Small buttons on the center console.

*  Poor visibility when not using the rearview camera.

[carcrazy]

I don't pretend to have any great experience with vehicles in this class [other than a very satisfactory week-long rental of a Rav 4], so someone break it down for me - the reasons I buy this thing versus its competitors are.. what??

This review certainly isn't a ringing endorsement.

Jaeger

You like this vehicle more than any other competitor and it does everything you would like it to do good enough, although it is not the best at anything.

Okay, what do you LIKE about this vehicle more than its competitors that would lead you to buy it??

Jaeger

I don't like this vehicle, but I'm sure some do.

[John MacDonald]

I don't pretend to have any great experience with vehicles in this class [other than a very satisfactory week-long rental of a Rav 4], so someone break it down for me - the reasons I buy this thing versus its competitors are.. what??

This review certainly isn't a ringing endorsement.

Jaeger

I think probably the only reason someone would buy this vehicle over others in it's segment are because they didn't test drive the Outlander, New Tucson, Santa Fe, Sorento, CRV, Rav4, Edge, Tiguan, Venza, Forester, Outback, or Morano.  When I see someone driving one of these I think the person only shops at the North American car companies so against Fords (excluding the Edge), other GMs, and Chryslers then yes it's probably the best of the bunch.  I feel bad for people who don't take the time to test drive all competition to find the best vehicle regardless of the brand.

[inco]

Some people don't have a reason to try other brands. Sure we will, but some folks have had one brand and had good luck and don't see a reason to change. We know of people here who are very focused on their favorites and defend them accordingly. And we know people who used to be here and had very strong opinions.

[drederick]

What a PIG this thing is one gas - real world fuel economy of this test:

Over the week, I averaged 9.8L/100km, which is not too shabby for a vehicle of this size. Looking back in my records, here is what I achieved in other “compact SUVs.” Jeep Compass: 12.5L/100km; Suzuki Grand Vitara: 13.5L/100km; Dodge Journey: 9.9L/100km; Saturn Vue Hybrid: 9.7L/100km; Honda CR-V 11L/100km.

OHHHH Wait - that is damn good and doesn't that sort of make other vehicles (CRV!) look like they are the ones with FE issues in the real world?

No one asks people to load up their vehicles to ungodly prices - you can get one of these or an Equinox with pretty much enything you'd need in a vehicle for under 30 which is darn competetive.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

I don't pretend to have any great experience with vehicles in this class [other than a very satisfactory week-long rental of a Rav 4], so someone break it down for me - the reasons I buy this thing versus its competitors are.. what??

This review certainly isn't a ringing endorsement.

Jaeger

I don't know, while not the perfect vehicle for everyone who is in the market, the review made it sound like a good option for many crossover drivers.  Not all drivers should choose this, of course.  But I didn't see anything in the article that made it sound like a second-tier car or uncompetitive-in-the-segment, or anything like that.

PROS:

*  Great fuel economy (significantly better "as-tested" fuel economy than the CR-V, and excellent ratings too...my Element is 19 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, whereas the Terrain AWD is 20 mpg city, 29 mpg highway (US EPA ratings)).

*  Good interior quality and comfortable seating.

*  Good ride quality.

*  Standard rearview camera (a real asset for preschool parking lots).

*  Lots of interior storage.

*  Good sound system.

CONS:

*  Sluggish acceleration.

*  Coarse-sounding engine.

*  Unimpressive braking performance.

*  Small buttons on the center console.

*  Poor visibility when not using the rearview camera.

That list pretty much covers it.

[KDB]

Are you guys nuts? GM is selling these and the Equinox as fast as they can make them.

I guess there is a sucker born every minute in NA.

Day 3 should really sum it up and draw the line - no need for day 4.

Horrible visibility, weak engine, terrible brakes, premium price - you gotta be NUTS to spend your own hard earned money on this. How much longer will GM last playing the "buy American" card before the loyal citizens finally get fed up?

You guys are all on Crack.....

I took the base model out yesterday, and was quite impressed. It had now problem accelerating and keeping up with traffic, and the braking was just fine...blind spots ... yes it will take getting used to but its just a comfort factor...base model goes for 30gs comes pretty much loaded as well not a bad deal....