Terrain Denali puts luxury in the driver’s seat

Utility is the driver in the compact crossover segment, which is dominated by Honda’s less-is-more CR-V. As General Motors’ upscale truck brand, GMC doesn’t do less. So it takes the high road with its first small crossover; in 2010, the inaugural Terrain brought near-luxury levels of design, appointments and comfort to the segment. This year, the Terrain turns up the heat with a new top-line Denali trim. The Denali gift-wraps the Terrain’s virtues in a glittery package of features, style-and-amenities upgrades and seat-of-the-pants comfort. It rings in at $35,350, a bump of $2,245 over the SLT-2, the former top dog. The Denali offers access to a unique set of options. If you must have the rear cross-traffic and blind-spot warning systems, or the eight-way power passenger seat, then you must have the Denali. Denali is also the only Terrain equipped with front dual-flow suspension dampers. Designed to reduce unwanted body motions without compromising ride quality, they succeed best at the latter. Steering effort is ultra-light and feel is vague-to-non-existent. Seems fair; Denali buyers come to the table expecting comfort, not the ultimate handling package. As with all Terrains, the Denali is available with either a 182-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine or a new, 3.6-liter V-6 that makes 301-hp. Both are mated to six-speed automatic transmissions. The new six is 40 hp stronger than last year’s V-6, but equally efficient; front-drive models are rated at 17/24 and all-wheel drive stands at 16/23. Front-drive, four-cylinder Terrains are rated at 22/32. Adding AWD drops those numbers to 20/29. Both engines are tow-rated at 3500 pounds, and the standard Stabilitrak includes trailer sway control. Dimensionally, the Terrain lands midway between the compact and midsize classes and its 3800-pound curb weight is 400 to 500 pounds higher than the class average. This bulk hinders performance and economy but pays off in a quiet cabin and a settled, big-car feel. Interior layout is a Terrain strong point. The attractive instrument control panel includes a neatly arranged array of buttons and knobs. GM’s Intellilink smartphone-based touch-screen infotainment system is logically ordered, but can be slow to respond and often requires multiple touches for simple operations. Smoked-mahogany and contrasting dashboard stitching dress up the Denali, but an abundance of unconvincing “satin-finish” trim undermines the effect and the stitchery wanders erratically. The front seats are comfortable and the rear seating area is generously sized. Rear seats slide fore and aft for maximum flexibility but, despite its oversized dimensions, the Terrain offers less interior space than the CR-V. Outside, the Denali gets a unique body-color front fascia and rear bumper; chromed-mesh grille; unique head- and tail-lamps; satin chrome exterior trim; and rectangular exhaust outlets. A decade ago, the prospects for a near-luxury compact crossover would have seemed dim. The Denali proves that even small packages can play the opulence card. Don Adair is a Spokane-based freelance writer. He can be reached at don@dadair.com. 2013 GMC Terrain Denali AWD Vehicle base price: $25,835 Trim level base price: $36,275 As tested: $40,425 Optional equipment: 3.6L V-6 engine; Color Touch Navigation with Intellilink; trailering package; 19-inch satin chrome-clad wheels; cargo cover; cargo convenience net; luggage rack center rails. EPA rating: 16 city/23 highway Regular unleaded fuel specified