Bold Styling Bring New Fans to the 2011 GMC Terrain

The 2011 GMC Terrain FWD SLT-2 is poised to attract even more new customers into General Motors vehicles in 2011. An impressive number of new-to-GM drivers were swayed by the 2010 Terrain’s fuel efficiency and sporty styling to purchase one of the segment-leading SUVs, and this year the Terrain is on track to be even better.

I recently drove an Olympic White front-wheel-drive 2011 Terrain SLT-2, which is the top-of-the-line trim model, and found it to be, if not love at first sight, definitely a strong attraction.

With its boldly unique grille and strong stance, 19-inch chrome-clad wheels, fog lamps, deep tinted glass, and an exterior chrome package that included touches of chrome on door handles and outside mirrors, plus heated roof rack side rails with chrome inserts, grille accents, and rear skid plates, the Terrain was quite appealing.

The interior featured Light Titanium perforated leather-appointed seats, a sunroof, tilt and sliding (and heated) front bucket seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, a driver’s seat with memory and 8-way power, and multi-flex sliding rear seats offering 60/40 split seatback and 3-position reclines.

Tilt and telescoping steering, cruise control, a rear-view camera system, power windows, and an extremely quiet cabin all add up to a driver enjoying a great sense of control for a secure “Captain of the Ship” feeling.

Other enjoyable features included one of my favorite tools for loading and unloading an automobile: the automatic, programmable lift-gate. The Terrain also had lots of storage room for a five-seat SUV.

My Terrain came with a 3.0-liter V6 engine that used flexible or E-85 gas, but was also available in a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder DOHC 6-speed automatic that uses regular gas. I averaged 17 mpg in town or 24 on the highway, but I understand the 4-cylinder engine Terrain can get up to 32 mpg on the road.

Safety features included an antilock brake system, 4-wheel disc, Stabilitrak-Stability control system, airbags aplenty (dual frontal, side impact, driver and front passenger, head curtain side airbags with rollover protection, all rows), a child safety latch system, remote keyless entry and remote start, and GM’s unparalleled OnStar system with automatic crash response and turn-by-turn navigation plus ultrasonic rear-parking assist.

The Terrain had a suggested MSRP of $29,900, but all the options added up quickly.

There was a Cargo Management package (rear cargo security cover, convenience net and roof rack crossbars) at $245. An audio system with AM/FM stereo and CD player, radio data system, 7-inch touch screen, and other features valued at $2,145. A rear entertainment system valued at $1,295. There were also those eye-catching 19-inch wheels (while 18-inch aluminum wheels are standard on the Terrain), the 3.0-liter V6 engine, trailer equipment, and destination charges. The total price of the test model was $37,145.

Jo Ann Holt is a car columnist and journalist based in Dallas, Texas, and a member of Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA).