2025 GMC Terrain

When you're entering battle with the intention of winning, you need to bring your A-game. And on the surface, the redesigned 2025 GMC Terrain looks like it has the goods to be one of the top picks in the segment. It looks terrific, offers plenty of passenger room, and has a long list of standard advanced safety features. And its slick portrait-oriented touchscreen gives the interior of the Terrain a design that's distinct from its corporate cousin, the Chevy Equinox. But in other respects, many of its rivals offer more, often for less.

The turbocharged four-cylinder engine carries over from the previous model, but standard front-wheel-drive models now use a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). As a result, it supplies less torque than before, though you can rectify that situation by choosing the all-wheel-drive system, which has a conventional eight-speed auto. On our drive of a Chevy Equinox (the Terrain's mechanical twin), we found the CVT automatic unimpressive, while the uprated AWD version offered tepid acceleration. So neither powertrain is worth writing home about. GMC doesn't offer a hybrid version of the Terrain either. So the best you can hope for is 27 mpg in combined driving (25 mpg combined with all-wheel drive).

Top-ranked compact SUVs include the Mazda CX-50 and Honda CR-V. Each is available with more power and offers an available hybrid drivetrain for improved fuel economy. Two other rivals in the segment, the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, provide significant value, segment-leading technology, and hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain options.