4.7 out of 5
4.5 out of 5
28 city, 39 highway, 32 combined
(no current inventory)
The 2018 GMC Terrain is the first year for a complete redesign of this compact SUV. The sleek new styling reflects GMC’s ruggedly handsome design themes, and the interior features upscale touches like a stitched dash and modern and easy-to-use technology.
The Terrain’s three available powertrains include a torquey diesel, great for those who seek more power pulling away from stoplights or passing on the highway. The diesel also has the best fuel economy of the Terrain’s engine trio, which also includes a standard lackluster 1.5-liter four-cylinder and more sporting 2.0-liter four-cylinder.
Seemingly aimed at road trippers, the Terrain’s firm and supportive front seats and overall quiet interior make it a good choice for long hauls. Cargo space can be expanded for long items with a fold-flat front passenger seat for long items. We like the touchscreen interface, and the standard Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ smartphone integration, but unfortunately some interior controls are frustrating to use, particularly the gear-selector buttons that are oddly placed low on the dash.
Drive type | 2WD |
Engine size | 1.5L |
Horsepower | 170 |
Torque (ft-lbs) | 203 |
Engine type | Turbo Gas |
Fuel capacity | 14.9 |
Wheelbase | 107.3" |
Overall length | 182.3" |
Width | 72.4" |
Height | 65.4" |
Leg room | F 40.9"/R 39.7" |
Head room | F 40"/R 38.5" |
Front tires | P225/60R18 |
Rear tires | P225/60R18 |
Seating capacity | 5 |
Max towing capacity | 150/1500 lbs. |
Transmission | Automatic |
Technology: With big colorful icons, the Terrain’s standard touchscreen is easy to use, and the standard Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ smartphone integration fit perfectly with the high-tech feel. Every GMC Terrain comes standard with four USB ports, with higher trim levels adding two more. The Terrain also comes standard with automatic emergency braking and forward-collision alert, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist, and even automatic high beams. However, we suggest looking for models with the optional Driver Alert Package II (SLT and up), which adds adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.
Interior Comfort: Road trippers will like the Terrain’s interior comfort. The firm and supportive front seats are great for long drives, and the side cushions manage to hold you in place without intruding when getting in and out of the vehicle. Topping it off are low overall noise levels.
Cargo Flexibility: We admit it’d be nice if the cargo area was bigger, but the Terrain makes up for it with excellent flexibility. The available hands-free power tailgate (SLT and up) is activated by sweeping a foot under the rear bumper for easy access. Like its competitors the rear seatbacks fold flat, but the front passenger seat also folds flat, making it easy to accommodate extra-long items like a kayak. It even has a hard plastic back to avoid damaging the upholstery.
Interior Controls: As comfortable as the interior is, GMC’s placement of some controls has us scratching our heads. Chief among these are the buttons for the transmission gear selector. They’re located low on the dash, and while you could argue long-term owners will get used to the placement, we’d prefer something closer to the driver and more intuitive to use.
RepairPal gave the GMC Terrain an overall reliability rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, which RepairPal describes as Excellent. This rating ranks GMC Terrain 9th out of 27 among Compact SUVs.
View RepairPal's full rating of the GMC Terrain