GMC Terrain builds on Equinox's success

You can choose your job, you can choose your name, but you can't choose your siblings.

Laurie, Mark and Lisa -- the other members of Burgess Generation 5.0 -- remind me of this often. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

General Motors Co., however, has had problems with family relationships in the past.

Some of its cars and trucks shared a little too much in common, as if the gene pool was a half dozen chromosomes short of a double helix. Some called it cloning. Carmakers called it rebadging, and everyone else called it lazy, cheap design work. Changing out the grille and tail lamps does not make an extraordinary vehicle.

But in recent years, GM has righted the USS Rebadge, so much so that the grievance should be stripped from the list of "Complaints about GM" carried in congressmen's wallets. The deft design and skill used to create completely different vehicles among the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave and Chevrolet Traverse show how the same platform can yield such different personalities.

Now, GMC has introduced the 2010 Terrain, the proud sibling of the stellar 2010 Chevy Equinox. It's a relationship consumers will love because these little SUVs offer high mileage, lots of space and excellent performance.

But are they different? Abso-trucking-lutely.

True, they share many things: The sliding second row that allows for 39.9 inches of legroom; the 32-miles-per-gallon highway number from the direct injection 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine; and the programmable liftgate that allows the owner to set the height of the gate to make it reachable for shorter people or avoid smacking into the garage door.

And why not carry over those features from one brand to another? No matter which nameplate people are driving, they want a back-up camera, remote start, Bluetooth connectivity for their cell phone and a USB port for their iPod. The Terrain offers more than most.

But the Terrain offers a distinctive bulldog look the Chevy lacks. It's the broad-shouldered brother to the Equinox. No one is kicking sand in its flat silver face. It's much truckier as well, creating a closer resemblance to the GMC Acadia than the Equinox. The big wheels and squared-off bulging fenders make it look more rugged.

Integrating the rocker (that bar below the door) into the actual door panel gives the appearance that it's ready for the trail -- but in this case, there's a bit of a bluff involved. This is purely a road course compact SUV -- most off-road SUVs never spend any serious time blazing new trails on the way to pick up the forgotten gallon of milk.

Additionally, integrating the rocker into the door makes ingress and egress very easy because you don't have to step over it; you just step into the vehicle.

A pleasure to drive

While the Terrain may lack the off-road abilities of its Yukon and Sierra cousins, it has asphalt licked. It's a pleasure to drive. Sharing the same suspension as the Equinox, you'd expect a similar ride, but the Terrain seemed a little firmer. Perhaps it was my own professional grade moment, but the 112.5-inch wheelbase smoothes out the ride and helps create a spacious cabin.

The 264-horsepower V-6 model provides plenty of power for the open road and its compact size makes it much easier to maneuver through today's concrete jungle of parking lots and winding city streets.

On the highway, the Terrain felt very comfortable on a long haul. Bladders will bust before the Terrain hits empty. The all-wheel drive, four-cylinder model hits 29 mpg on the highway -- which is not the highest-mileage model -- and could go from Detroit to Nashville and still have a little fuel in the tank. The two-wheel drive model will let you fill up in Detroit on coney dogs and then drive to Montreal for poutinewithout ever stopping for fuel. Gas, however, will certainly remain with you the entire trip.

Comfort all around

It doesn't matter where you drive in the Terrain. The cabin is comfortable whether commuting or vacationing. The lines are simple and clean along the dash with a cockpit design that surrounds the front passengers. There are nice storage spots and even four power outlets to keep everything fully charged without rotating devices through a single power source.

Overall, the Terrain is composed of high quality materials throughout the cabin, helping the driver and passengers feel comfortable and relaxed. The silver trim, while nice, was one of the only distractions to an otherwise excellent package.

GMC added soft red interior lighting that becomes the inside nighttime chrome, putting the Terrain ahead of its competitors. For anyone test-driving small SUVs, I'd recommend a trip at night. Drive the competition at night and then the Terrain and see if you don't agree.

For those in the second row who prefer to warm themselves by the soft glow of a video screen, the Terrain offers two screens for siblings with different tastes. One can play a DVD, while the other can connect to a video game. During the rare time backseat siblings erupt in commotion, the controls and screens can be overridden by someone in the front. It's the technological equivalent of "Don't make me pull this Terrain over."

Additionally, GMC makes a point that none of the safety equipment is optional -- and it's a trend lots of carmakers are following. People shouldn't have to pay extra for more safety features. The Terrain comes with six air bags, including front- and side-curtain air bags for both rows. Additionally, there is electronic stability control and traction control to prevent an accident from ever happening.

Much like the Equinox, there's very little to find wrong with the Terrain. Both are excellent compact SUVs with plenty of features and strong performance.

Success often breeds success, something that's becoming more common among GM brands. Those are family ties worth celebrating. After all, oil is thicker than water.

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