2021 GMC Terrain Review

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The GMC Terrain has a comfortable interior and easy-to-use technology features. But a weak base engine, unresponsive transmission and bouncy ride, along with a high price, hinder the Terrain from standing out in the small SUV class.

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2021 GMC Terrain Review

byReese Counts^{Vehicle Test Editor
Reese Counts has worked in the automotive industry since he started as an intern at Edmunds in 2015. He has written or edited thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Reese is a vehicle test editor at Edmunds and has also contributed to Autoblog. Reese has also been featured on Yahoo! Finance, Engadget and AOL reviewing cars and covering automotive technology, auto shows and more. Reese learned to drive in his father's C4 Chevrolet Corvette and now owns his grandfather's 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG. A love for cars runs deep in his family.}

Pros

Comfortable and upscale interior
Touchscreen interfaces are intuitive and easy to use

Cons

Price with options runs higher than average for the class
1.5-liter turbocharged engine is disappointing
Less cargo space behind the back seat than in most competitors

What's new

Optional turbocharged 2.0-liter engine is no longer offered
Minor changes to standard and optional feature availability
Part of the second Terrain generation introduced for 2018

Overview

For 2021, the GMC Terrain carries over with a single but notable change: Its optional 252-horsepower turbocharged engine has been discontinued. That means the Terrain has just one engine option for 2021: an underwhelming 170-horsepower base four-cylinder. Otherwise, the Terrain carries on much as it has since this latest generation debuted a few years ago. This is GMC's small SUV that's mechanically related to the Chevrolet Equinox. Besides its styling and slightly more upscale interior, the Terrain is pretty similar to its less expensive corporate sibling.

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 GMC Terrain SL 4dr SUV (1.5L 4cyl Turbo 9A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.50 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio

$157/mo

$201/mo

Avg. Midsize SUV

Calculate my fuel costs

We like the Terrain's comfortable front seats, but almost every mainstream automaker offers a small SUV, and many of them are more compelling than the Terrain. During your shopping search we also recommend checking out the Honda CR-V (Edmunds' top-rated small SUV), the sporty Mazda CX-5 and the upscale new Nissan Rogue. Read our Expert Rating to get our in-depth take on what the Terrain has to offer.

Edmunds Expert Rating

Our Verdict^{The Edmunds Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.}

Below Average

6.5

out of 10

edmunds TESTED

Rated for you by America's best test team.

Performance

6.0/10

How does the Terrain drive? Unfortunately, the Terrain's base engine lacks power, the transmission is slow-witted, and the powertrain's focus on fuel economy eliminates snappy acceleration. In Edmunds testing it took 9.3 seconds to reach 60 mph, which is very slow.

Elsewhere, this SUV performs better. The brakes bite smoothly and evenly, with a good relationship between pedal pressure and actual stopping power. The steering is slow and a bit mushy, but steering effort weights up nicely at highway speeds, imparting more confidence and a sense of stability. Capable and balanced on twisty roads, the Terrain keeps body roll in check. It's not sporty, but the Terrain remains stable and composed through turns at reasonably high speeds.

Comfort

6.5/10

How comfortable is the Terrain? On the road, the Terrain is prone to regular low-impact shock, vibration and jostling on even moderately rough surfaces like bumpy streets. Road and tire noise is limited to a muted, dull hum on most road surfaces. The front seats are firm but comfortable and they hold up well over long road trips; the rear seats are relatively firm and flat.

There's a simple control layout other than the four buttons for vent mode, which is excessive, and the central vertical vents distribute air poorly. The seats offer cushion-only or cushion-and-seatback heating, which is a nice feature.

Interior

6.0/10

How’s the interior? The Terrain's interior is attractive and well configured, but some controls are awkwardly placed and impossible to avoid. Least impressive is the Terrain's unnecessarily clumsy transmission interface.

The low seat bolsters and wide-opening doors should make getting in and out easy for most drivers and passengers. There's also plenty of seat adjustment up front, although taller drivers might wish for more steering wheel extension. Visibility is below average thanks to a deep, angled dash that makes it hard to know where the front really is. The front side windows provide a good view out; less so the rear side windows.

Technology

7.5/10

How’s the tech? The Terrain's optional Bose sound system offers surprising power and clarity, and the optional navigation system is easy to use. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard and beat GMC's native software for ease of use, but the standard system works fine for those outside the Apple/Android ecosystem. Our test Terrain has six USB ports, including one USB-C.

The Terrain offers a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot standard. Setup is easy, but coverage isn't much better than with a typical mobile phone. Operation of the safety systems, such as forward collision warning and lane keeping assist, is still a bit intrusive, but not overbearing.

Storage

7.0/10

How’s the storage? With the rear seats folded, the Terrain's 63 cubic feet of cargo space lags behind class benchmarks (Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4). But a fold-flat front passenger seat is a nice touch that allows you to haul longer items (surfers and campers, rejoice). A power liftgate and low liftover height make cargo loading easy, too. There are plenty of bins, trays and pockets available to hold personal items.

For child safety seats, the car seat anchors are easy to find and connect to, and there's plenty of space for forward-facing seats. Rear-facing seats fit well as long as drivers and passengers can keep their seats reasonably forward. The Terrain doesn't provide a top tether for a middle seat, but there is one in the rear seatback.

Fuel Economy

7.0/10

How’s the fuel economy? The Terrain with the 1.5-liter engine and front-wheel drive gets an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in combined city/highway driving. That's a bit below what other top small SUVs get. We got 28.4 mpg on our mixed-driving test route, but just 22.4 mpg in 600 miles of combined driving. These results suggest that a light touch is needed to achieve the EPA's numbers.

Value

7.0/10

Is the Terrain a good value? We're not convinced the Terrain offers enough value to justify its price. It feels solid and it's not outrageously expensive, but lower-priced competitors such as the CR-V offer similar or better features and versatility, plus better ride quality and comfort.

The Terrain has three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper coverage and five-year/60,000-mile powertrain coverage, which is typical for this class. However, its first two scheduled maintenance visits are free, and roadside assistance and loaner cars are included for five years or 60,000 miles. Those are more generous terms than the competition offers.

Wildcard

5.5/10

The Terrain is a mixed bag. It's handsome at a glance, and the sleek style, sharp (and quiet) interior and modern tech make it desirable. But it rides and drives worse than a car in this class should, especially at this price. It's not oozing with personality, nor is it particularly fun to drive, so the Terrain remains a midpack choice.

Which Terrain does Edmunds recommend?

The base SL trim comes with a decent amount of equipment, but we suggest stepping up to the midlevel SLT trim. It comes with more standard features and opens up the options list. Specifically, we recommend getting the SLT's optional turbocharged 2.0-liter engine for its extra power.

2021 GMC Terrain models

The 2021 GMC Terrain is a small SUV available in four trim levels: SL, SLE, SLT and Denali (late availability). Feature highlights for these trims include:

SL
The base-level SL comes standard with:

170-hp turbocharged engine
Nine-speed automatic transmission
A 7-inch touchscreen infotainment display
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration
A six-speaker audio system
Keyless entry and push-button start

All Terrains also come with:

Automatic emergency braking (warns if a front impact is imminent and applies the brakes if you don't respond in time)
Forward collision alert (alerts you of a possible collision with the car in front)
Lane keeping assist (steers the Terrain back into its lane if it begins to drift over the lane marker)

SLE
This trim is similar to the SL, but it unlocks these packages:

Driver Convenience package

Dual-zone automatic climate control
Remote start
A power-adjustable driver's seat
Heated front seats
Roof rails

Infotainment Package I

Additional USB ports
Household-style power outlet on the center console
HD rearview camera

GMC Pro Safety Plus

Blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while reversing)
Rear parking sensors
Adaptive cruise control (adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance between the vehicle and the car in front)

SLT
The SLT trim adds even more features, including:

All Infotainment Package I features
All Driver Convenience Package features
Hands-free liftgate
An 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display
Leather upholstery
Driver's seat memory settings
Power-adjustable front passenger seat
Heated steering wheel

Denali
The range-topping Denali trim adds a good amount of luxury and technology to the mix with:

Integrated navigation system
Bose premium audio
Wireless charging pad
Features from the GMC Pro Safety Plus package (adaptive cruise control)
Front parking sensors

An optional Denali Premium package adds:

Adaptive cruise control
Surround-view camera system
Automated parking assist system
Ventilated front seats
Heated rear seats

Also Consider

Build Your 2024 Terrain SLE

At a Glance:

6 Colors
4 Trims
6 Packages
$29,900starting MSRP

Build & PriceGMC.com

*The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price excludes destination freight charge, tax, title, license, dealer fees, and optional equipment. Dealer sets final price. Click here to see all GMC vehicles’ destination freight charges.

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

4/5Above Average

#11 out of 29 among Compact SUVs

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the GMC Terrain from 2008-2022.}

$502/yr

vs. $465/yr
for Average Compact SUV

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

0.74x/yr

vs. 1x/yr
for Average Compact SUV

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

12.8%

vs. 11.5%
for Average Compact SUV

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2021 GMC Terrain.

5 (56%)

4 (19%)

3 (7%)

2 (9%)

1 (9%)

4.1

52 reviews

Write a vehicle review See all 52 reviews

Most helpful consumer reviews

2021 GMV Terrain SLT

Stgcret, 04/19/2021

2021 GMC Terrain SLT 4dr SUV (1.5L 4cyl Turbo 9A)

As of today, April 19/2023 I still own my Terrain purchased in November 2020. It has, so far, not given me a minute's issue. The 1.5L Turbo is "okay" but the 2.0L Turbo is so much better. The Terrain is a very well thought out vehicle. Back seat flip flat at the push of a button and easily clicks back in to place. Seats are at hip height, which at 71, makes them very easy to slide … in and out. The front bucket seats are fairly comfortable with many power adjustments. The front seats could use another 1/2" to 1" of width. I would buy this beauty again. UPDATE: I purchase my 2021 GMC Terrain brand new in November 2020 before the chip shortage, that isn't an issue with the 2021 at all. I just hit 20,000 miles a couple of weeks ago and all-in-all has been a pleasure to drive. I'm a big guy of 6' 2" and 285 and I easily slide in and out of my Terrain. Quiet ride and efficient and peppy 1.5L Turbo motor, although I would have preferred the 2.0L Turbo like I had in my 2018 Terrain, but the 2020 was the last year for the 2.0L On the SLT, that I have, are many positions to adjust the front seat and I do prefer the leather over cloth seats. For a 2-row seat SUV, there is plenty of room and the seats fold down at the touch of button or pull that works with the effort of one finger. I really like the info system and Sirius Radio. I have not used the Navigation or phone interface because I just don't need to. One oddball fact I discovered though is that when you want to take out the Cabin Filter, you have to use a 5.5 mm socket and that size is difficult to find. They need to go to a more conventional size like a 6 mm or 1/4 inch. UPDATE: I drove my 2021 Terrain SLT Elevation Edition out of the dealer showroom on 11/27/2020. I am 6' 2" and 72 yrs old. I specifically like the way I can slide in and easily slide out of the Terrain. I also find the front seat very comfortable and easy to adjust and has a nice lumbar support. I don't find the road noise so bad, but maybe that is because I have Talk Radio on all the time. I do agree that a 2.0 Turbo would be a better engine option. I owned a 2018 Terrain Denali with the 2.0L and I thought I was in a rocket when I stepped on the gas. I have owned my 2021 for 31 months now and have put 21,530 miles on the ol' girl and have not had a single issue, but there was one "what were they thinking moment" the screw for the driving compartment air filter is a 5.5 mm! I did change that filter at 18,000 miles although the manual called for 30,000 miles. Such an odd and hard to find size. I have changed the oil and filter every 5,000 miles and rotated the tires. I would like to see the same vehicle but 10" to 12" longer and maybe 4" to 6" wider to fit just a bit more beefy seat like the Tahoe has. Other than that I will most likely buy another Terrain and for sure if they reinstate the 2.0L Turbo.

Compared to the CRV...

K squared, 03/24/2020

2020 GMC Terrain SLT 4dr SUV (1.5L 4cyl Turbo 9A)

I drive a CRV at work all day in all kinds of Phoenix metro traffic. It is OK but my 2020 Terrain has it beat overall in my opinion. The 2.0 turbo is zippy, and quiet. I drove a 2020 1.5L turbo up to Flagstaff and I would recommend the bigger engine, glad I bought it. The CRV and its CVT transmission is loud and annoying on the freeway. Hard to keep a consistent speed on the freeway …

2021 GMC Terrain

S.M., 06/11/2021

2021 GMC Terrain SLT 4dr SUV (1.5L 4cyl Turbo 9A)

It’s been a about a month with my 2021 GMC Terrain and I absolutely love it. It’s not the fastest car in the world but it’s 4 Cylinder engine can actually run hard and smooth at the same time. As far as the milage it runs on gas, I honestly can’t complain. it’s the perfect size efficient vehicle anyone can ask for.

Wha.... what?

DomDriver, 10/09/2020

2020 GMC Terrain SLT 4dr SUV AWD (1.5L 4cyl Turbo 9A)

As a current Terrain owner (AWD SLT 2.0), I am perplexed as to what vehicle Edmunds actually drove? My Terrain is a perfect balance of sport and luxury along with making terrific gas mileage as a daily driver. I guess the 1.5 turned them off to the point that they lowered all of the other categories to reduce the score. Seems ridiculous to get bent out of shape over an engine designed …

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2021 GMC Terrain, so we've included reviews for other years of the Terrain since its last redesign.

See all 52 reviews of the GMC Terrain

Write a vehicle review

2021 Terrain Highlights

Trim:

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$25,000
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	27 MPG
Cost to Drive	$157/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	29.6 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

See all features & specs

Safety

Our experts like the Terrain models:

Rear Cross-Traffic Alert: Alerts the driver to perpendicular oncoming traffic when reversing out of a driveway or parking space.
Side Blind Zone Alert: Monitors blind spots for traffic, warning the driver when an obstacle is present.
Safety Alert Seat: Vibrates the driver's seat cushion to provide physical alerts from safety systems.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover4 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover18.5%

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Good
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Good
Side Impact Test – Updated
Marginal
Roof Strength Test
Good
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Good

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2021 GMC Terrain Review

2021 GMC Terrain Review

Pros

Cons

What's new

Overview

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2021 GMC Terrain SL 4dr SUV (1.5L 4cyl Turbo 9A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.50 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.

Edmunds Expert Rating

Performance

Comfort

Interior

Technology

Storage

Fuel Economy

Value

Wildcard

Which Terrain does Edmunds recommend?

2021 GMC Terrain models

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Most helpful consumer reviews

2021 GMV Terrain SLT

Compared to the CRV...

2021 GMC Terrain

Wha.... what?

2021 Terrain Highlights

Safety

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Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 GMC Terrain SL 4dr SUV (1.5L 4cyl Turbo 9A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.50 per gallon for regular unleaded in Ohio.}