Riding the Gravy Terrain

 

When I found out that the good people at General Motors were lending me a GMC vehicle for a week, I had a fantasy of becoming a trucker and traveling southern California in my rig. I’d stay in touch with my family on my CB radio and pull into lonely Mojave truckstops whenever I felt a hankerin’ for a plate of flapjacks.  Then I realized 30 years have passed since Lee Majors drove his big ol’ GMC pick-up on “The Fall Guy” and that the company has come a long way since then. The onyx GMC Terrain that I received was as fun and durable as Majors’ two-tone 4x4, but my 2010 crossover SUV was as cushy and smooth as James Bond’s most luxurious set of wheels.

I wasn’t completely crazy in my fantasy—GMC was certainly known for its trucks and commercial vehicles for most of its long history. The company was founded in 1901 by Max Grabowsky and it developed some of the earliest commercial trucks ever made. Grabowsky was Jewish, his parents had emigrated from Germany at the beginning of the Civil War. I wonder what Max's virulently anti-Semitic contemporary, Henry Ford, thought of him and his success. In 1909, Grabowsky sold his company to General Motors. By 1922, GMC was producing 22,000 trucks a year. During World War II, the company manufactured 600,000 trucks for the U.S. military. GMC vehicles were used in countless movies and TV shows, from "The Grapes of Wrath" with Henry Fonda to the streets of Mayberry in "The Andy Griffith Show." 

 

GMC’s entry into the SUV market is fairly recent, starting with the Acadia and continuing with the supremely comfortable Terrain. The starting MSRP for the 2010 Terrain is $24,995 and it has the best fuel economy of all of GMC’s models (22 city/32 highway). The car passed the Charlie test with flying colors, he loved the Terrain and once again enjoyed being liberated from his car seat when we were parked and crawling all over the vehicle. 

Perks were a-plenty, from a great GPS system and screen (that prevented me from missing a fancy wedding in Montecito when I got confused on the unmarked mountain roads), fancy sunroof, ultrasonic rear parking assist, USB port for iPod, Bluetooth for my cell phone, great Pioneer 8-speaker audio system to go along with the XM satellite radio (we are all mourning the loss of “On Broadway,” the all-showtunes station we listened to most of the time, along with classic radio broadcasts and even several French stations). There were so many airbags I was tempted to ram the car into a wall just to see them in action (but I didn’t!). The 18-inch tires were so huge I felt very macho hoisting myself into the vehicle (as opposed to my low-slung car that makes me feel like Fred Flintstone using my own feet to get the car moving).

Like all of the GM cars I’ve driven, this car had OnStar but I’ve yet to use it properly. I’m thrilled that it’s there in case of emergency, but I was told the OnStar operators could answer all sorts of questions. I tried it once looking for a movie that my daughter wanted to see and they said they didn’t have that kind of information. I fear I acted a little like the following OnStar customer:

The Terrain was gorgeous to look at, inside and out. Kendall was particularly impressed by the two-tone leather seats with fancy stitching. She said it reminded her of a 1920s gentleman’s spats. Her one complaint, sitting in the back with Charlie, was that there were no separate air conditioning vents for the back seat and that it took a while for her to be sufficiently cooled. (We’re all singing a different tune now that we’re back in my Honda with no air conditioning at all!) 

I would urge anyone looking for an economical and comfy crossover SUV to consider the GMC Terrain. We managed to get a lot of use out of the car, I put 700 miles onto the Terrain during our brief but fulfilling relationship. My daughter Leah got her driver's permit while we had the Terrain but wasn't allowed to drive it. Still, she was very inspired by the smooth ride and the classy features of this car. When she gets her license in December, we will definitely be saying sayonara to our Japanese friends and looking towards Detroit.  

Comments

[Julie R.]

Charlie makes any car look good!

[suzanne]

I can't believe how much I've been thinking about a Buick since your series of articles and now this? How will I ever decide? Well, my VW GTI will have to keep going until you test drive a lot more cars.

[Jeff]

Another car? I wonder how long its going to be before you have a fleet at your disposal. "Good morning Mr. Miller. Would you like to drive the Lacrosse today or maybe the Terrain. The Enclave is getting waxed at the moment but it should be ready shortly if you wanted to wait." :)

[Gordon]

Dear Danny,

Yes, for heavens sake, treat yourself to a new car.
HOW do you survive living in L.A. without air conditioning ?

Congratulations to Leah on getting your driving permit. Freedom !

Charlie = cuter every day

Thanks,
Gordon

[nlpnt]

The thing I noticed about the Terrain just by seeing them around is that it's quite distictly different from the Chevy Equinox, to the point that I wonder if it was designed to be a Hummer and shifted to GMC when the Hummer division was slated to be sold off or shut down. Back when my dad owned a GMC pickup, literally the only difference between it and a Chevrolet was the badging. Good for GM!

On another note, they really should've let you let Leah drive it, considering that when that car goes on sale and the customers see "program car" on it, the first thing they'll assume is that it was used for Driver's Ed. And the salesman'll let them, since press cars get beaten on even harder!

[hp]

Go Detroit !!!!!

[OldOldLady Of The Hills]

I've been driving since I am 16 and had my first car--A Chevy (GM) at 18. I've owned two Chevy Convertible's Then I switched to a Comet...(Finances, you know) And then a Licoln Continental which I had f or twenty years...! I swithed back to GM....and am still driving GM Cars....my last two were Buicks and I love my car now. It is 21 years old and drives like a dream--Is comfortable, beyond words--So, I'm sold.

As to that "program" Danny....I'm not holding my breath. (lol). But seriously--just put it in an envelope and drop it in the mail....!

[Connie Burke]

Dear Fred Flintstone,

I always learn something about the history of my company, thanks to your thorough research! Thanks for such an entertaining review, as only you can do.
I am always so glad to hear it passed the Charlie test, and I love seeing pix of both your kids with the Terrain! Thanks, too, for whetting Leah's appetite properly :-)

Cheers!

[Kevyn Hagemann]

Do you still have that car? Although I'm not really a big fan of GMC, I must say that Terraine's a great choice. When I asked my wife what she wants for a new car, she said she wants a truck or a Jeep. I'm gonna look for both in the best dealerships around Edmonton. For me, I think the Jeep Compass is the most appropriate for a woman. I don't know about you, but I think it has a softer exteriors than the other models.

[Leisa Dreps]

I'm looking forward to buy a Jeep or a Terraine too! After I finish college, maybe I can buy any of those cars. I'm currently using a used Hyundai Genesis car whenever I go to school. I saw this model in one of the dealers of Indianapolis. I got it at an affordable price.