Motor Gnomes

My last post was about the Trailblazer leaving the family.  The Trailblazer had almost been in our family for ten years.

We both come from GM Families.  My wife’s family is a Buick Family, and mine is a Chevrolet Family.  It was natural to look for a GM product that fit our family needs.   We have a seven year old daughter, and plan on not having any more kids.  The Trailblazer was my wife’s nice daily driver and vacation vehicle.   We both work in health care, and live in the country.  A 4wd SUV fit into our life nicely.

We knew we were going to replace the Trailblazer soon, and my wife has been looking at cars, crossovers, and SUVs for about a year.  We first started out looking  at cars.  She had missed driving the Gran Prix that we had before the Trailblazer.  When we started getting really serious, she when back towards a SUV/Crossover.

We narrow the search to the GMC Acadia, or a Chevy Traverse.  The Acadia is far better looking than the Traverse.  Both of them were in our price range as a Front Wheel Drive.  We looked at a few, and priced a few.  We started looking at used ones to see if we could get a AWD in our price range.  That is when we stumbled on to a used GMC Terrain, and took it for a test drive.

We had looked at the Equinox and Terrains but only in passing.  We like the ideal of having the third row of the Acadia, but we took the Terrain for test drive.  The used Terrain drove nice, and had more room than we expected.  We did some research and found we could get a new AWD Terrain with a Sun Roof, Heated Seats, and nicely appointed for the cost of  FWD Acadia.

GM decided to top off my points on the GM Card, so a new Terrain was in our future.  We went to Auffenberg GMC in Carbondale, and they were able to find us a Terrain that was option like we were looking for.   We bought a Black 2012 SLE-2 Terrain.  Auffenberg was easy to deal with, and I was highly satisfied.

A new chrome grill is in the future of the Terrain.

We bought the AWD model with 2.4L I-4 VVT.  I test drove both the V6 and the four.  I didn’t see a reason to move to the V6.  We are not towing with the Terrain, and we both like the ideal of  20/29 MPG of the four.  We are currently getting 25 MPG with our driving styles.  The old Trailblazer would get 18 MPG, so this is big setup up for us.  We were in the Smokie mountains, and I was surprised how well travel up and down the steep side roads.   I wouldn’t shy anybody from buying theh 2.4L I-4 unless you are wanting to tow.  I was on the fence, but I am a believer in the VVT. My only wish for the AWD system is a switch to  turn the system on manually.  We haven’t had a snow yet to test the Terrain out.  When we do I will do an update.

I like the touch screen in the dash, but my wife doesn’t.  She is worried about what it will look like in ten years.  Everything is laid out nicely, but there are a few misses.

Why would you not have the cruise control set button on the turn signal shaft?  It has been there since the 80s.  I know it is on the steering wheel, but it going to be a hard habit to break.

The center stack  is a bit to far forward for me.  I find myself having to lean forward to make changes to the radio.  I do like the layout and looks for the stack.  The usb connection and the power plugs are in great places.

You must like the color red.  Everything glows red at night.  It makes me feel the Terrain was going to be Pontiac until they closed.  I like the red, but it may be over the top for some people.

The back seat has much more room than our Trailblazer did.  The doors are wider and easier to get in and out of.  The seat will travel foward, but I don’ t see us ever moving the seat.

I would rather have the seat fold flat instead of moving back and forth.  The angle isn’t bad, but it could be flat.

We lost a bit of room in the back cargo area compared to the Trailblazer. We didn’t have a problem packing for a mini vacation, and had plenty of room for everything.

Overall, the Terrain is fitting our needs nicely.  The Terrain rides great, and is easy on the back on long trips.  We love the extra gas mileage.  This will be a long term relationship, and so far so good.