2019 GMC Terrain

The 2019 Terrain looks and feels upscale. Soft-touch materials cover most of the cabin, though there are a few complaints of some low-rent materials in the top Denali trim. Both rows of seats are spacious and comfortable, and the technology is easy to use. While the Terrain doesn’t offer as much cargo space as some rivals, its fold-flat passenger seat gives you the room to haul large items. From the driver’s seat, rearward visibility is blocked by large roof pillars.

• There are hard plastics in the lower areas of the dashboard and doors, even in the supposedly upscale Denali model. The embroidered headrests and stitched dashboard covering in that trim level are nice, however. The interior design seems arguably haphazard overall, but there's no disputing the excellent sound insulation." -- Kelley Blue Book
• "The five-passenger interior of the Terrain has been upgraded and enhanced with more premium materials and its overall appearance is much more cohesive – everything is logically place and the layout is generally very good." -- Forbes (2018)
• "Inside, GMC paid extra attention to what the driver touches and interacts with. Occupants are treated to soft hewn leather, supremely cushiony seats, the newest version of GM's infotainment system … and interior space for days." -- Automobile Magazine (2018)

Seating

The Terrain seats up to five occupants on standard premium cloth upholstery. Leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, heated and ventilated front seats, and a heated steering wheel are available. You can also opt for heated rear seats, which is a rare offering in the class

Both the front and back rows of seats have enough space to seat most adults comfortably, which isn’t always the case with compact SUVs. However, the driver’s rearward visibility is limited. The Terrain features two full sets of LATCH connectors for installing child car seats, and there are no major issues with using them.

• Like most of the competition, the 2019 Terrain's cabin is perfectly functional and comfortable without necessarily being that luxurious." -- Kelley Blue Book
• "There is plenty of room for passengers in both rows. The front seats are comfortable, and I spent more than an hour in the second row – my six-foot two-inch frame found those accommodations equally as pleasing with a plenty of headroom and a fair amount of room for my legs. No complaints." -- Forbes (2018)
• "Even with all that space for stuff, there's still ample space for humans. There's legroom for days in the back, even for a 6-foot-tall writer behind another 6-footer. Headroom is ample, but shoulders will get tight with three abreast." -- CNET (2018)

Interior Features

The Terrain features a decent helping of standard tech features, including a rearview camera, Bluetooth, four USB ports, voice recognition controls, a six-speaker stereo, a Wi-Fi hot spot, and the IntelliLink infotainment system with a 7-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Another standard feature is Teen Driver, which lets you set speed and audio limits for secondary drivers.

Available features include dual-zone automatic climate control, additional USB ports, a 110-volt power outlet, satellite radio, HD radio, a Bose premium audio system, wireless device charging, and an upgraded infotainment system featuring a larger 8-inch touch screen and navigation.

Numerous active safety technologies are also offered. These include a safety alert seat, automatic park assist, rear parking sensors, a surround-view parking camera, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, lane change alert, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, forward collision warning, low-speed forward automatic braking, and adaptive cruise control.

While features such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are becoming increasingly common, it’s still nice to see them as standard features. The Terrain goes even further by including available wireless device charging, which is rare in the class. The IntelliLink infotainment system is easy-to-use. Its menu layout is user-friendly, and it responds quickly to inputs.

See 2019 GMC Terrain specs and trims »

• "Above the shift buttons sits a new infotainment system that acts a lot like a smartphone, with scrolling capability and pinch-and-zoom maps. By rearranging the main map screen, GMC made it easier to access important functions such as the option to cancel the current route or change the volume of the voice turn-by-turn directions." -- Motor Trend (2018)
• "Having sampled infotainment systems across various manufacturers, the GMC units are by far the quickest to boot and the simplest to navigate and use. We plugged in an Android phone, answered a few prompts, and voila, it was connected almost instantly. We won't go into detail about all the benefits of offering this feature, but let's just say being able to run Google maps on the large LCD display is a great perk, one that costs nothing extra and is constantly updated for free." -- Left Lane News (2018)
• "I like the Intellilink infotainment system (7-inch screen), which is fast and intuitive, and all of the instrumentation is comprehensive and easy to read (and use). There is plenty of power for connected devices (both USB and 12-volt)." -- Forbes (2018)

Cargo

The Terrain has 29.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 63.3 cubic feet with them folded. While those ratings are below average for the class, the Terrain stands out for its folding front passenger seat. That raises the total cargo capacity to 81 cubic feet and makes it easier to load longer items. In addition, there’s a good amount of small-item storage throughout the cabin. A power liftgate and a hands-free power liftgate are available.

• "We mentioned earlier about the 2019 Terrain's smaller cargo area compared with its predecessor. But it is a smart space, especially with that fold-flat front-passenger seat offering extra versatility for carrying longer objects, plus a useful amount of under-floor stowage as well." -- Kelley Blue Book
• "Where the Terrain truly shines, though, is storage space. With the rear seats up, there's 29.6 cubic feet of space, or about the same as Mazda's CX-5. Seats down, the Terrain offers 63.3 cubic feet – nearly four more cubic feet of space than the Mazda. And unlike the CX-5, the Terrain's front passenger seat can be folded completely flat, increasing that space to over 81.0 cubic feet – 22 cubic feet more than its Japanese crossover competitor." -- Automobile Magazine (2018)
• "The cargo space is also generous, and the Terrain has a trick feature – fold forward the front passenger seat for extra-long loads (the back of the seat has hard plastic to ensure that it doesn't get damaged, which is thoughtful)." -- Forbes (2018)