Preview: 2025 GMC Terrain Debuts With an Impressive Suite of Standard Safety Systems
GMC gets rid of the push-button gear selector and adds more convenience and entertainment features
GMC redesigned its Terrain compact SUV for 2025, following the redesigned Chevrolet Equinox. The 2025 GMC Terrain gets new styling that brings it more in line with the trucklike looks of the full-sized Yukon and midsized Acadia SUVs.
The powertrain and overall dimensions remain the same with the redesigned Terrain. But there’s one major change we can already applaud.
While GMC didn’t make a big deal of it in the Terrain’s press release, photos show that the automaker has gotten rid of the ill-conceived, dash-mounted push-button gear selector in favor of a conventional one mounted on the steering column.
CR's Take
Like its Equinox cousin, the 2025 Terrain was a long-overdue update that’s more of an evolutionary redesign than a revolutionary one. Despite changes to the exterior and interior styling and the addition of new standard and optional equipment, it has similar dimensions and specifications as the outgoing model, and it launches with the same powertrain.
The current generation has a stiff ride, leisurely acceleration, mediocre fuel economy, and compromised outward visibility. While the exterior styling changes make it appear as if the Terrain has a bigger third window to help with the view out the back,.
Now on sale, the Terrain features new entertainment and safety technology, including a large, vertically positioned infotainment screen in the center of the dash, along with an all-new display for the driver.
In addition, the 2025 GMC Terrain has a robust suite of active safety and driver assistance features. The interior looks much more attractive, with design changes that make the dash appear wider and less cluttered.
Overall, the Terrain promises a few welcomed improvements. Reliability has been about average for the outgoing generation. But owner satisfaction has been below average for years, reinforcing how it was losing ground to its newer, better-equipped competitors. Since we first published our Preview, we bought a Terrain for testing to take measure of the changes.
Outside
The 2025 Terrain will be sized similarly to the outgoing model, just like the Equinox is. But unlike its Chevy sibling, the Terrain’s styling is far less radical. It has blocky styling, looking more like a traditional SUV. A large grill and headlights dominate the front, with the Elevation, AT4, and Denali each having unique front-end styling.
The Terrain will get a two-tone roof option in black or gray. This is the first time the model will be available with that popular look.
In profile, the Terrain flaunts body fender bulges with semi-rounded wheel arches. The bodywork pinches toward the bottom of the doors in “Coke bottle” styling, with the Denali trim having chrome brightwork along the outer doorsill.
In our tests, we found the outgoing Terrain had severely hampered visibility, especially to the rear and rear three-quarters, some of which could be attributed to the rising side bodywork and the rear roof’s downward slope. The 2025 Terrain looks to have a larger third window at the back end, along with a flatter, less-sloping roofline. Still, the rear window appears to be wide but not very high, as evidenced by the inclusion of a very small rear wiper, a feature common on GM SUVs.
Photo: GMC Photo: GMC
Inside
Looking beyond the move away from the convoluted push-button gear selector, the Terrain’s interior is dominated by a vertically oriented 15-inch infotainment screen. Like the Equinox, the system has built-in Google services such as maps and assistants. There’s no word on whether the Terrain’s system will include Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The new Equinox gets those apps, but GM’s electric vehicles don’t.
Photo: GMC Photo: GMC
The gear selector is mounted on a stalk behind the steering wheel. The center console features two large cup holders, a phone charging pad in front of the center armrest, and a big storage box with USB ports under the infotainment screen.
Photo: GMC Photo: GMC
Once situated behind the wheel, the driver gets their own screen: an 11-inch driver information center that houses the digital gauges and other drive-specific information.
All versions of the Terrain come standard with heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. Options include a rear camera mirror, a panoramic roof, a surround-view camera system, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a heating element where the wipers sit when parked to prevent ice buildup, and a power tailgate that opens when the key fob is present. There’s no need to make a kicking motion to open the tailgate hands-free.
Photo: GMC Photo: GMC
What Drives It
The new Terrain’s drivetrain is nearly unchanged from the outgoing model. At launch, it will be equipped with the same engine as the current model, a 175-horsepower, 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. But it will come with an 8-speed automatic transmission instead of the current model’s 9-speed automatic. All-wheel drive is standard across the line.
The previous Chevrolet Equinox we tested, which was equipped with this engine and a six-speed automatic, returned 25 mpg overall. In comparison, the rating from the Environmental Protection Agency for the 2024 Terrain, with its 9-speed automatic, was 26 mpg combined.
The AT4 and Denali trims come with driver-selectable modes and hill descent control, with the addition of a Terrain Mode on the AT4.
The AWD Terrain has a maximum tow capacity of 1,500 pounds. It’s assumed that a front-wheel-drive version of the Terrain will arrive for the 2026 model year, as the Equinox will be available with FWD.
Photo: GMC Photo: GMC
Active Safety and Driver Assistance
The 2025 GMC Terrain will feature a bundle of standard active safety and driver assistance features, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, reverse automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assistance, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, and a rear seat reminder.
