SLT-1 All-Wheel Drive Sport Utility
2013 GMC Terrain

An Engine Upgrade Is Our Sort Of Bling Admittedly, when GMC invited us to drive the new 2013 Terrain Denali, the summons did not incite argument over which one of us wanted to attend as much as trigger flashbacks to Envoy Denali and Diamond Edition Jimmy models. It's not that we are averse to the "Professional Grade" version of the Chevrolet Equinox. In fact, we like this second generation of the Theta-platform crossovers just fine. It's just that, collectively, midsize crossovers are about as exciting as watching sun tea brew. And this wasn't even a new vehicle, just a familiar trim package being pushed further on down the product line. The Denali badge has become something of a right of passage for GMC vehicles approaching that awkward, no-longer-new phase of their lifecycle. Special grille and extra chrome trim? For sure. Upgraded interior? Check. A new powertrain? Now they had our attention. So we hopped into our long-term Mini Countryman and headed north. Pulling into our hotel in Traverse City, Michigan, we were presented with our test vehicle. A loaded, all-wheel-drive model with a V6, the 2013 Terrain Denali we drove retails for $41,720, including delivery. That's over $15,000 more than the list price for the cheapest 2012 Terrain, representing a 58-percent upsell. Of course, you don't have to drop forty large for a Terrain Denali – base MSRP is $35,350 for the four-cylinder, front-wheel drive model. If you're curious how the Denali badge can be applied to such a grocery getter, consider the following: Over a quarter of all GMC vehicles sold are Denalis. For the seven-seat Acadia, the most recent model to get the Mount McKinley treatment, that ratio is more like one in three. (Acadia Denali doesn't even get any hardware upgrades, by the way.) Further, we were told GMC is currently selling some 70 percent of Terrains with four-cylinder engines. So it only makes sense that GMC would sever the conventional relationship between top-level trim and top-of-the-line powertrain. The good news is that sword cuts both ways, as the new 3.6-liter direct-injected V6 we found under the hood of our Denali will be available in other Terrain trim levels as well. In the Denali, it's a $1,750 option that comes bundled with 19-inch chrome wheels. We can say definitively that this version of the General Motors corporate engine is a major upgrade for the 2013 Terrain. With 301 horsepower and 272 lb-ft of torque, the new V6 boasts 14 percent more horsepower and 23 percent more torque than the old 3.0-liter V6. While the old model would do 0-60 miles per hour in just over eight seconds, the upgraded V6 with all-wheel-drive should enable the 2013 Terrain to hit 6.7 seconds, according to GM. But it's not just a numbers game, as the new V6 feels and sounds powerful, with a refined roar under acceleration. Yes, GM has finally equipped the Terrain with the torque necessary to motivate its roughly two-ton curb weight with authority. While the …
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