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GMC Terrain News & Reviews

   2011 GMC Terrain Road Test Review

To say that GM has started making good cars since restructuring isn't entirely true. The truth is that the Detroit-based automaker

The Terrain gives GMC a bold new face. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

is now making great cars, and what's more it was making great cars before it went into receivership. Over the last half decade, at least, the General has not only been putting out quality products, for the most part, but more often than not their cars, trucks, SUVS and crossovers have been emotive designs that weren't just being sold on price. The GMC Terrain is a prime example.

New last year, the Terrain wears the bold new face of GM's truck division proudly, and by its unique identity helps to silence critics who didn't understand why Pontiac should be dropped and GMC should be allowed to live. The critics weren't all wrong. In previous years GMC hardly even tried to disguise the fact that its lineup merely consisted of Chevrolet models with modified frontal styling. I was one of those critics dubbing it a redundant brand, which while true in that its existence appeared to be more about giving Buick/Pontiac dealers trucks of their own to sell than anything more <Read More>

   2010 GMC Terrain SLT AWD Road Test Review

The all-new 2010 GM Terrain has hit the streets.  The latest from the American auto manufacturer comes in the compact crossover

A radical new look from GMC visually separates the Terrain from its Chevrolet Equinox counterpart. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

SUV form and is making its presence felt on the road. 
 
From the outside, the Terrain is very distinct in its styling. It's bold-looking and has a nice balance of squared off edges and angular lines.  Its athletic fender flares add character and its P235/55R18 all-season tires with 18" aluminum wheels give it a "bling" factor.  While I'm undecided on whether I'm a fan of its styling, it seemed to catch on very well with the public since I caught people staring at it almost everywhere I went. 
 
I am, however, a fan of what's under the hood.  Like the Chevy Equinox that shares architectures, the Terrain can be outfitted with two different engines starting with an all-new 2.4L 4-cylinder, which actually has the best in-segment fuel economy <Read More>

Dodge invented the purposely-built off-the-rack off-roader with its original Power Wagon, followed

What do you think? If GMC builds it, will you come? (Photo: GMC)

up more recently by the heavy-duty Ram Power Wagon that even features an electronically disengaging front stabilizer bar. More recently still, Chrysler's truck brand showed the Ram Runner racing truck replica put together with off-the-shelf Mopar parts, likely inspired by Ford's popular F-150 SVT Raptor, and now the General looks ready to launch into the OEM custom off-road arena with a new concept dubbed GMC Sierra All Terrain HD.

The new heavy-duty pickup, making its live entrance on the GM stage in Detroit this week, teases 4x4 fans with much more ground clearance than the regular Sierra off-roader thanks to an upgraded suspension, larger wheels and tires and other backcountry gear.

Like the SVT Raptor, <Read More>

   2011 GMC Sierra 3500 4WD SLT Crew Cab DRW Road Test Review

If the old adage "bigger is better" holds true, then GMC's latest

Big is an understatement... The 2011 GMC Sierra 3500 HD Crew Cab 4x4 DRW is humongous!! (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

2011 Sierra 3500 HD Crew Cab must be among the best, since it's humongous. If your need is to haul a heavy load, rip out a large tree stump by its roots, or simply to have top bragging rights, then this could very well be your ride of choice. This heavy duty hauler isn't just "bigger than a breadbox," it's bigger than the whole darned bakery. The "Dually" version is the biggest in GMC's HD lineup, and my test rig happened to be the Dual Rear Wheel (DRW) model. It, of course, has two rear wheels and tires on each side. For the record, Chevrolet offers a similar model under the Silverado name.

The 3500 models are one-ton trucks, with the 2500 series rated as three quarter-ton vehicles. Both stables of heavy duty trucks are all-new, featuring different grille and hood designs, unique interior themes, and class-leading power and efficiency. <Read More>

   2010 GMC Yukon Hybrid Denali Road Test Review

SUVs are bad for the environment, right? They symbolize gluttony, rampant consumerism and North American excess. They're

The Yukon is still king amongst full-size SUVs, and combining both Hybrid and Denali upgrades makes it a segment slayer. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

automotive adultery to the green faithful, individually responsible for wreaking havoc on rainforests while changing the world's weather patterns, certainly resulting in the global water table rising, swamping half of Florida and simultaneously making polar bears homeless.

Bizarre as it may seem, some people actually believe much of the unsubstantiated hype around Al Gore's ridiculously overstated An Inconvenient Truth… (sea levels rising 20 feet… c'mon Al, common logic and science shut that "theory" down). Don't get me wrong. Some of his arguments are reasonable, but others appear more like political propaganda than intelligent minds trying to solve what could become a global catastrophe, and unfortunately, stating gratuitous claims as fact will cause some people to question the entire environmental movement as a sham, which is a crying shame. If you think I'm overstating it, even Sterling Burnett, senior fellow at the [US] <Read More>

   2010 GMC Sierra 1500 Hybrid Road Test Review

GM makes the smoothest riding trucks on the market, period. That's just the way it is. I'm not saying a GMC Sierra, or a Chevy Silverado

A great looking truck, and treads so lightly on the environment! (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

for that matter, is the best truck on the market for towing or hauling payloads or even features and interior refinement, I'm just saying that they ride well. They handle corners well enough too, and in my experience can manage a load without concern, plus, to me at least they look extremely good, especially the Sierra.

As it turns out, the Sierra 1500 Hybrid I recently drove has a lot of power too. You might think it's odd that GM used one of its largest V8s, measuring in at 6.0 litres and this displacement now only available in the Hybrid, as the internal combustion component of its gasoline-electric drive system, instead of its 4.8- or 5.3-litre V8 engines, but it has its reasons. As far as E85 flex-fuel capability, they all have it for 2010, although you'll be hard pressed to find a single <Read More>

   GMC Adds More Models to the 2011 Sierra Denali Lineup

   General Motors Shows New Eco Direction for Small Car and Truck

General Motors created quite a stir with yesterday's media blitz, starting with the announcement that its upcoming 2011 Volt

A great looking truck, GM's new Bare Essentials pickup could be exactly what its compact truck offering needs. (Photo: GM)

would be capable of 230mpg (yep, that's 1.0L/100km), followed up by stating that Buick would be expanding its lineup to six models within the next two years, and, even more interesting that Cadillac's rumoured 3-Series competitor would be rear- and all-wheel drive and that a full-size flagship would pull design cues from the much loved Sixteen concept. But equally compelling were a couple of concept renderings that point the Detroit automaker into a new direction, or maybe more so an old direction that goes back to the basics.

While GM is getting a lot of miles out of its Volt, literally and figuratively, its price tag won't allow all buyers to take advantage. What the General needs, and apparently fully understands, are less expensive, green-oriented entry-level models <Read More>

   2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid Road Test Review

So, this thing is supposed to be good for the environment? How can a vehicle with a 6.0L

Great truck... and about as fuel-friendly as full-size pickups get. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

V8 possibly be good for the environment?

If you need a vehicle to carry big loads or tow big trailers, you don't have much choice but to buy a full-size pickup. A good chunk of the house, workplace, or whatever building you find yourself in, was built with materials and equipment transported in full-size pickups. So if there is a less (focus on the word "less") environmentally corrosive alternative to your typical full-size pickup, this GMC Sierra Hybrid is a good first step.

The Sierra's 2-mode hybrid system basically adds some brains to the brawn of the 6.0L V8. The name 2-mode means the Sierra can run on electricity alone (up to 48 km/h), gasoline alone or use both at once. <Read More>

   Strong Camaro Sales Cause Oshawa Plant to Open Saturdays