General Motors added the Terrain crossover utility vehicle to its GMC brand’s lineup for the 2010 model year onward. Positioned below the full-size Acadia, the Terrain shares its Theta architecture with the new Chevrolet Equinox. The model replaced the Pontiac Torrent and GMC Envoy.

Two engines are available for customers to consider. A new, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with direct injection delivers highway fuel economy of 30 mpg. Peak fuel economy is achieved in part with an “ECO” mode that is activated via a console-mounted button. When engaged, it lowers the torque converter lockup speed to 1,125 rpm to help save fuel on models equipped with the motor.

gmc-terrain-2010

Also available is a 3.0-liter DOHC direct injected V-6 engine delivering an estimated 264 horsepower. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Terrain’s rack-mounted electric power steering system provides greater fuel efficiency on four-cylinder-equipped models, saving nearly 11 miles per tank of gas.

“The new Terrain brings GMC’s history of innovation and engineering excellence into a smaller, fuel-efficient package for today’s buyer,” said Susan Docherty, Buick-Pontiac-GMC vice president. “The capability attributes that make a vehicle a GMC are ingrained in Terrain, making it an appealing choice for existing traditional SUV customers who are looking for distinctive styling and increased efficiency.”

“GMC is a strong, core brand for GM and the Terrain crossover SUV is the latest example of how we’re adapting to changing market conditions,” said Docherty. “As we first demonstrated with the Acadia crossover, GMC is committed to offering the capable vehicles customers seek, with the personal technologies they expect.”

The Terrain is offered with front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive in SLE and SLT trim levels. A list of standard and available features includes: standard rear vision camera, programmable power rear liftgate, Bluetooth hands-free phone capability, MultiFlex sliding rear seat, remote vehicle start, USB audio connectivity, MP3 playback, a seven-inch touch-screen navigation system, a 40GB hard drive, a DVD-based rear-seat entertainment system with two independent screens, and standard OnStar and XM Satellite Radio.

The Terrain rides on a 112.5-inch (2,857 mm) wheelbase and features a four-wheel independent suspension system, with wide front and rear tracks that promise to offer comfort and solid handling. A family of 17-inch, 18-inch aluminum and 19-inch chrome-clad wheels is available.

GMC Terrain is produced at the CAMI assembly facility in Ingersoll, Ontario with pricing starting in the low $20,000 range.

From Car and Driver:

We will admit to a fair amount of skepticism concerning the necessity of the GMC Terrain seen here. One frequently cited culprit of GM’s past quality-control problems is badge engineering, or the practice of building different versions of the same vehicle for multiple brands. The premier example is the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and its multitude of badge-engineered clones, which even the internet does not afford us the space to list.

The practice seems to be slowly sneaking back into vogue. The full-size Chevrolet Traverse is the fourth vehicle to be built on the General’s excellent Lambda platform. Likewise, the GMC Terrain will be the fourth vehicle to be built on the TE small-SUV architecture or a derivative, following the Saturn Vue, Chevrolet Equinox, and Cadillac SRX.

GM today is less blatant about its badge engineering, with differences in appearance extending beyond just grilles and headlamps to the point that each vehicle wears wholly unique sheetmetal over similar underpinnings. Still, four derivatives is a quantity we feel surpasses the threshold of discretion for badge engineering, and the Saab 9-4X—a vehicle whose future is uncertain at best—would bring the TE total to five, although the Caddy and Saab will be built on a heavily revised version of the platform.

While the Terrain’s mechanicals will be pilfered from GM’s other trucklets, from what is visible beneath the minimal camouflage in our spy shots, it appears that the styling is cribbed both from its Lambda big brother, the Acadia, and the Sierra pickup. The Sierra lends its large-mouth grille and squared-off headlights to the Terrain, while the Acadia donates its high roofline, reverse-canted C-pillar, and the slope of its backlight. Together, those elements should make the Terrain instantly recognizable as a GMC, which is more than can be said of the TrailBlazer family’s grille and badge differentiations.

Like its siblings, the Terrain will likely offer a selection of four- and six-cylinder powerplants, with the most likely choices coming from the Equinox: a direct-injected (DI) 2.4-liter four-cylinder good for 182 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque, and a DI 3.0-liter V-6 rated at 255 hp and 214 lb-ft. Power will travel through a six-speed automatic transmission to either the front or all four wheels.

If the handsome and cohesive design is any indicator, this could be GMC’s best small SUV ever. As buyers continue to migrate from full-size, body-on-frame barges into smaller vehicles offering the same sightlines and sense of security, well-executed compact SUVs will be a potentially huge profit center. And, with the future of Saturn, and therefore the Vue, in doubt, perhaps four TE-based SUVs isn’t too many after all.

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