2025 GMC Terrain: Not reaching new heights

2025 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid vs. 2025 GMC Terrain Elevation AWD: The “cure for insomnia” competition?

This week: GMC Terrain

Price: $41,060 as tested. Elevation Premium Package added seating, HVAC, and other upgrades for $2,100; panoramic sunroof added $1,495; Technology Package, $1,085; Convenience Package, $950; black edition, $895; and more.

Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver likes the “well-equipped base model, agreeable ride, spacious interior,” but not the “slothful acceleration, forgettable handling, middling fuel-economy ratings.”

Marketer’s pitch: “Introducing the next generation 2025 GMC Terrain Elevation.”

Reality: When you’ve been holding out for just the right model to replace the Chevrolet Caprice or Buick Century.

What’s new: As soon as I sat down for a week in the Terrain, I already start to missed the last vehicle I’d just traded in.

That’s not uncommon, what with Lexuses and BMWs coming to me regularly. But the vehicle I gave up for the Terrain was a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, a minivan. That’s saying something.

The interior transmitted a strong sense of “This is not going to be a fun week,” and little did I know how right it would be.

Competition: In addition to the RAV4, there are the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5 and CX-50, and Subaru Forester.

Up to speed: The Terrain gets its motivation from a 175-horsepower 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, and it’s actually not a terrible power plant, even on hilly highways.

Car and Driver hit 60 mph in about 8.6 seconds.

The Terrain held its own with traffic on trips to King of Prussia and State College. I even was pulled over for some enthusiastic driving near riverfront Duncannon, Perry County, on a trip back from State College.

On the road: I’ve had some super fun vehicles for trips to see Sturgis Kid 4.0 during his Penn State years; the Mazda CX-50 and the Volkswagen GTI made the most of the winding 322 through Juniata and Mifflin Counties.

The Terrain rode on the opposite end of the spectrum, requiring significant braking on all those S-curves. I haven’t had this little fun on these roads since I was in college driving my 1982 Plymouth Horizon.

There’s no Sport mode in the Terrain; I guess truth-in-advertising laws prevented GMC from adding it.

Wet weather: We spent so much time going through rainy weather and construction zones that I was forced to find the light controls; there they weren’t, not to the left of the steering wheel.

I finally looked to the touchscreen, and there they were, on an easily accessible button.

Seems like a not-bad idea, until I turned the vehicle off and forgot to switch off the lights. So I had to switch it back on to make sure I turned the lights off. (I hope Toyota is still making vehicles with lights that shut off on a timer in any setting; that’s a great idea.)

Wet weather also seemed like a good time to switch into off-road mode; use the button to the left of the steering wheel and the display appears on the touchscreen. But the display shows you all three modes in a list, and the one you’ve chosen is highlighted by becoming ever-so-slightly larger than the others.

So I continue staring at the screen, with my left hand on the toggle and my eyes on the screen, neither one on the wheel or the road, as I keep scrolling through modes to check where I’m at. It’s like trying to find a lost cursor on your computer screen, which is OK in your office, but not so much zooming down the highway.

Shifty: General Motors is taking a page from Mercedes now, with the shift control that’s like a wiper stalk. Makes for a roomier console. But in a fit of asininity, GM put Low gear into a button on the steering wheel. Why not toggle between Drive and Low on the stalk?

Shiftability would help the 8-speed transmission work better still, but you’re outta luck there.

Driver’s Seat: The seats are not bad, covered in fancy leather. They’re a little cushy and still keep you in place and supported.

The gauges feature a tachometer looping around the digital speedometer. The tach can be hard to read but you have little control over the engine speed, so whatever.

Friends and stuff: The rear seats are roomy and comfortable, with plenty of room for legs and feet and head. The center seat sits up a bit, so it’s not perfect, although there’s no floor hump, so that helps.

Cargo space is 29.8 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 63.5 cubic feet when it’s folded, so the RAV4’s the winner here.

In and out: It’s just a bit of a hop up into the seats, not bad.

Play some tunes: The stereo started out sounding like a complete disaster; every song sounded tinny and pathetic, and I thought it was headed for the lowest rating I’d ever given.

Strangely, though, adjusting the equalizer opposite what I usually do made for very clear sound, about a B+. (For some reason, I usually get better result with a high midrange, and lower treble, but this vehicle called for more normal settings, with a low midrange.)

The 15-inch touchscreen is enormous and easy to get around.

Keeping warm and cool: Toggles along the bottom of the touchscreen control most of the functions, and they’re a breeze.

Fuel economy: The large touchscreen can also keep a very clear running display of trip information and fuel economy, a bonus. The vehicle averaged 24 mpg in 800 miles, above half of those mine.

Where it’s built: San Luis Potosi, Mexico. 49% of parts come from our southern neighbor, and 15% from the U.S. and Canada.

How it’s built: The 2024 Terrain received a 4 out of 5 for reliability from Consumer Reports. No rating is given for 2025.

In the end: The Terrain is lethargic, it’s hard to handle, it’s weird to shift, and it’s no bargain. I’d stick with the RAV4 Hybrid for better performance, fuel economy, and price.