The GMC Terrain is the least expensive SUV from the brand that only does trucks and SUVs. Updated for 2022, it gets more tech and the inclusion of a new outdoorsy AT4 trim. Should you buy a Terrain AT4 over something like a Kia Sorento X-Pro, or a Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road? At nearly $40,000, it’s also getting dangerously close to other vehicles like the Subaru Outback Wilderness and the Honda Passport Trailsport. Let’s see how the GMC Terrain AT4 works off-road and on the road.
The point of entry is an interesting concept in the automotive landscape take for example this updated 2022 gmc terrain this is the least expensive suv you can get from the brand that only makes trucks and suvs so this should be for a lot of buyers the point of entry to the gmc experience this should be the vehicle that attracts younger buyers into the ford and
Theoretically convinces them to stick with the gmc brand going forward but can the terrain do that especially as the mid-size crossover and smaller sv segment really heats up in terms of the competition i think we should hit the road and find out foreign to capture first-time buyers that in the 2022 update the terrain received one of the biggest updates
On paper is the inclusion of this new at4 trim now on existing gmc models the at4s are sort of the more adventurous and outdoorsy of the bunch often with things like chunkier tires and lifted up suspensions and updated interiors things like that these are vehicles that would seemingly feel equally at home on a trail or trailhead just as they would driving around
Town so what exactly is the terrain working with as far as hardware is concerned well there’s just one powertrain combination you can really do it’s a one and a half liter turbo four-cylinder that’s good for 170 horse and 203 pound-feet of torque which is paired between nine speed automatic transmission front-wheel drive is standard on the terrain though all-wheel
Drives available for an extra 1600 bucks or in the case this at4 trim standard equipment i’m a bit less than impressed with this setup to be frank with you the engine seems smooth enough the real hang up does seem to be the combination of the accelerator pedal mapping and this automatic transmission which just seems very lazy in recalcitrant around town you might
Not notice it quite as much but on the interstate doing higher speed passing for example even when you mash the gas the transmission really takes a second to think to itself hmm what should i do here before dropping four or five years and giving you what power the engine does in fact have i’m also a bit less than impressed by the fuel efficiency because with epa
Ratings of 25 mpg city 28 mpg in the freeway and 26 mpg combined things sound decent at first glance in the real world after a week of driving i’ve averaged just 21 miles to the gallon which is quite a ways off the mark there and that seems a bit disappointing for how meager this engine really is i mean just 170 horsepower in a vehicle this size well i mean you
Think you’d at least get better fuel efficiency than that and it’s worth noting that up until 2020 gmc offered the terrain with the optional upgrade of a 2-liter turbo engine that had 252 horsepower and by all accounts was a much nicer engine though apparently gmc got rid of that option to streamline production costs and because the low consumer take rate from
There the at4 kind of picks up on things and tries to make this thing feel a bit more adventurous with the inclusion of a front skid plate and slightly chunkier tires which should certainly help when the going gets dusty i was able to put the at4 to a bit of a test on one of my favorite off-roading trails outside of los angeles here and it seemed to do the job well
Enough in a similar vein to vehicles like say the honda passport trail sport because gmc has not made these huge sweeping changes to the drains personality with the inclusion of this at4 trim it really is equally comfortable on the road as is clambering up a dusty old trail it may not have a locking rear differential like a contemporary jeep cherokee trailhawk
Or the big meaty tires you can get on say like a ford bronco sport or whatever but of course this is a gmc gmc is more of a luxury oriented brand so it has enough capability to satisfy most people who buy this thing and do ever take it off-road if they ever take it off-road but it’s really on the road that it needs to work better oh hi there it’s your boy just
Checking in are you enjoying the video so far well of course you are that’s because this is some grade a primo content we’re talking about so go ahead and show your support by hitting the like and subscribe buttons it’s free and help the channel alright back to the video and initially at least things look pretty positive the terrain is definitely geared towards
Comfort this is a very soft and comfortable suspension and a decently isolated cabin in terms of road and wind noise at least at higher speeds also at six foot one i fit very comfortably in both the front and the back of the terrain and with 30 cubic feet of storage the trunk is pretty capacious as well and that’s really the sort of thing that buyers seem to be
Looking for when they switch from sedans to something like a midsize crossover or a smaller suv like this all in a package is not overly large or difficult to park around town and type parking spaces one thing worth pointing out from the interior is the fact that there is a pretty notable over-the-shoulder blind spot in this thing for some reason gmc’s designers
Kind of kinked up the quarter panel resulting in a really small rear glass in this thing with the sort of mission statement out of the way i want to come back to this interior for a second now our tester costs almost forty thousand dollars as it sits which is definitely a lot of money though as you might expect it’s pretty nicely equipped overall we have a leather
Interior here with heated and powered seats we have a leather wrapped heated steering wheel a large panoramic sunroof we have an eight inch infotainment display that has a seven speaker bose audio system and what’s cool is that even on a base model zero option terrain this thing has a wireless apple carplay and a wireless android auto connectivity which is just
Neat to have gmc is the more luxury oriented brand in the general motors lineup it kind of goes chevrolet gmc cadillac kind of that’s the sort of hierarchy there but this experience doesn’t feel any better than a contemporary chevrolet equinox which shares the same basic bones as this vehicle and that seems to be a common problem with other gmc vehicles as well
They don’t feel delineated enough from their chevrolet counterparts and i bring that up because a contemporary equinox can be equipped about as nicely as this for about four grand less this price is generally in line with the sort of lightly off-road inspired models you can get in this segment vehicles like the toyota rav4 trd off-road and kind of stretching it
Here these subaru outback wilderness so in my opinion that’s a much more successful blend of on and off-road utility though it’s worth mentioning if you drop 39 grand into that rav4 or even something like a kia sportage x pro you are going to get more equipment for the same cash and kind of a nicer experience overall in my opinion ultimately i suppose it boils
Down to what kind of personality do you want from your vehicle because for similar money you could have a more sporty and athletic ride like the mazda cx-50 with this rugged good looks and punchy two and a half liter turbo engine and on the flip side there are ultra efficient alternatives like the hyundai tucson plug-in hybrid if you want to satisfy your green
Side gmc is supposed to represent being rugged and luxurious but i think the terrain kind of misses the marks on both counts there unfortunately especially compared to again some of the fantastic alternatives available in the market there’s nothing explicitly wrong with this experience there are just better values elsewhere in my opinion though of course that’s
Just the opinion of one so i think that’s where i’ll leave it for now guys in any case my name is jake you’ve been watching drive break fix repeat and i’ll see you guys next time or go to more fun things with cars bye
Transcribed from video
2022 GMC Terrain AT4 Review : A Luxury SUV with Off-road Capability? By Drive Break Fix Repeat
