2025 GMC Terrain Review: Elevation Sets A Standard Denali May Struggle To Beat

The new car market's tilt toward SUVs would seem to benefit GMC which, aside from the occasional re-badged Chevrolet El Camino, has never sold anything resembling a sedan or hatchback. But having the right type of product isn't enough.

The redesigned 2025 GMC Terrain stays on-trend with styling that's more truck like than ever and a tech upgrade, all packaged in the same compact crossover SUV form factor that's become the default for most Americans who aren't buying pickup trucks. The problem is that GMC is far from the only brand thinking along these lines.

The Terrain's platform-mate, the Chevrolet Equinox, is also redesigned for 2025 with the same rugged intent. And, while GMC sits above Chevy in the General Motors hierarchy, the Buick Envision also scratches that premium itch. So in addition to the numerous other small crossovers on the market, GMC has to deal with sibling rivalry.

In its press materials, GMC calls the 2025 Terrain's styling "truck inspired." It's much better resolved than the design of the previous-generation Terrain, but also follows the same path Chevy's design team took with the 2025 Equinox.

Up front, a big rectangular grille is meant to evoke GMC's pickup trucks, with trim pieces that leak out into the corners of the front fascia, while the outgoing model's odd single-quotation headlights have been replaced with more conventional looking ones. Boxy wheel arches and wing-like taillights emphasize the Terrain's width while minimizing curves. These elements work well together, keeping to the truck-like theme without descending into caricature.

However, much the same can be said about the Chevy Equinox. In profile view, the two crossovers look nearly identical, even sharing an unusual C-pillar design that looks like a C-clamp. The GMC is a bit cleaner looking, though, as it avoids the Chevy's busier split headlights and drooping taillights.

Styling changes don't equate to dramatic dimensional changes, but the differences are favorable. The new Terrain is about an inch shorter than its predecessor and 2.1 inches wider, giving it a tidier appearance, while a 0.7-inch increase in height contributes to the truck-like look GMC's designers were going for.

It's also good to see automotive bloat getting reined in. The Terrain is still nearly identical in size to rivals like the Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, and Toyota RAV4, and all of these vehicles are only "compact" in relation to the bigger vehicles in their respective automakers' lineups.

The base Terrain Elevation—the only trim level available at launch for 2025—also justifies its name with 8.1 inches of ground clearance that gives drivers a nice perch over the pavement. But those looking to venture off pavement would be better served by a Forester, with 8.7 inches of ground clearance that keeps its mechanical bits that much further away from potential damage.

Like the exterior, the five-seat Terrain's interior is similar to rival crossovers. First-row headroom matches the Forester and CR-V, and is a few inches more generous than the RAV4, although it didn't feel that spacious from behind the wheel. Perhaps that's because we had to crank up the seat to properly see over the tall, long hood.

Rear-seat headroom is comparable to rivals as well, as is legroom in that row, although we were expecting more given the Terrain's relatively long 107.5-inch wheelbase. That doesn't benefit front-seat legroom, either, as the GMC has less than the CR-V, Forester, or RAV4.

Cargo space—29.8 cubic feet behind the second row and 63.5 cubic feet with the back seats folded—isn't particularly remarkable by the standards of the segment, but still ample. And a low lift-over height and short rear overhang made loading and unloading cargo easy. End tables, a small bookcase, and a cat tree were all hefted into the Terrain without a problem.

While the Terrain is functionality the same as mainstream compact crossovers, the GMC brand is positioned as a step up. That brand name is doing some heavy lifting here.

In base Elevation trim, the interior was a pleasing array of interlocked angled shapes, and while the monotone color scheme wasn't very exciting, it seemed appropriate given the serious-looking exterior. Build quality appeared good as well, but materials were still mostly plastic and, on this base model, features like dual-zone automatic climate control, a panoramic sunroof, digital rearview mirror, and 360-degree camera system are optional extras. Not exactly premium.

The Terrain does at least come standard with an 11-inch digital instrument cluster and 15-inch portrait-oriented touchscreen that reclines against the dashboard. The latter is bigger than the screen you get in a Chevy Equinox, but both crossovers have the same infotainment system featuring Google Built-in apps, but retaining wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto—something GM decided not to do with its latest EVs.

The touchscreen presented no issues, and thanks to the Google integration there's no reason for Android users to take their phones out of the well-placed angled wireless charging tray. GMC also provides a large volume knob and piano-key switches for the climate control, but the headlights can only be controlled by tapping a tiny icon at the lower left corner of the touchscreen.

The Terrain offers truck-like looks and utility with the engine of an economy car. For 2025, it's still only available with a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-four, which makes the same 175 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque as it did in the 2024 Terrain. Interestingly, though, GMC switched from a nine-speed automatic transmission to an eight-speed automatic.

It's a surprisingly effective combination. The turbo-four never felt strained, including with four passengers onboard, and the transmission delivered quick shifts to keep it in its powerband. Whether it was standing starts or overtaking maneuvers, the Terrain stayed composed. And with an indicated 24.6 mpg average, we even came close to its 25 mpg EPA combined rating despite less-than-economical driving. That being said, such a low rating also demonstrates the need for a hybrid powertrain option.

GMC launched the Terrain with the eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, but it's now adding a front-wheel drive option with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and a bit less torque (184 lb-ft). Our test drive was limited to an all-wheel drive model, but this seems like a bit of a downgrade, if for no other reason than that customers will miss out on the geared transmission's crispness.

In addition to the base Elevation grade, GMC plans to add glitzier Terrain Denali and more rugged Terrain AT4 trims for the 2026 model year, creating a three-tiered lineup similar to most of the brand's other models.

The AT4 model aims for some degree of off-road capability with lifted suspension, all-terrain tires, skid plates, hill descent control, and an off-road drive mode. But it's hard to say if it will stand out from the numerous other lite off roaders already on the market, a list that includes the Chevy Equinox Activ, Hyundai Tucson XRT, Kia Sportage X Pro, Subaru Forester Wilderness, and Toyota RAV4 TRD Off-Road.

Denali models feature comfort-focused dampers that will have to work against standard 19-inch wheels (20-inch wheels will be optional). Expect some extra shiny trim on the outside and a few cabin upgrades inside as well, although GMC is keeping specifics until closer to this models' launch.

It might not be worth waiting for the AT4 or Denali, though, because the base Terrain Elevation is so good to drive. Even equipped with 19-inch wheels that are part of the optional Black Edition package (17-inch wheels are standard), the Terrain was remarkably comfortable. And despite a mechanical package shared with a humble Chevy, the interior was as quiet as those of pedigreed luxury crossovers.

The GMC also exhibited impressive body control in corners; despite its truck-ish styling it handles like a true crossover. And while the Terrain wasn't exactly nimble, its steering was precise and responsive enough. This makes for a crossover that's engaging and well mannered, albeit not sporty. The better choice for that would be the Mazda CX-50, another small crossover that combines ruggedness with premium aspirations.

The driving experience is the one area where the Terrain Elevation really lives up to its own premium billing, and it thus sets a high bar for the upcoming Denali model. It's also unclear if the AT4 model's dirt-road prowess will be worth the tradeoff in ride quality that will likely come with its all-terrain tires.

GMC doesn't care about having the lowest price in a given market segment. The 2025 Terrain Elevation starts at $32,790 with front-wheel drive: $1,295 more than a base Honda CR-V, for example, and $2,795 more than the mechanically similar Chevy Equinox.

All-wheel drive is another $2,000, and our test car also had multiple options packages adding convenience features like dual-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, a power liftgate, and various cameras. It also had the Black Edition exterior trim package and Volcanic Red Tintcoat paint, all of which brought the as-tested price to $41,060.

At that price, the Terrain is a fairly complete small crossover. It's got all of the convenience features one would conceivably use in the real world (even if they require checking option boxes), a vivid paint color that complements the handsome styling, and big-screen infotainment—and still for less than the average transaction price of a new car. That's not bad, considering that the GMC brand isn't really known for value pricing.

Combined with the Terrain's competitive interior space and above-average driving experience, and a well-optioned Elevation model like our test car should meet the needs of most new-car buyers. The GMC Terrain name isn't the first that comes to mind in the crowded compact-crossover market, but with this redesign, it deserves more attention.