Terrain wows with looks

"It's a small world after all" is the musical refrain from one of Disney's better-known theme-park tunes. It could also be the ideal tag line for the 2010 GMC Terrain that's slated to launch later this summer.

It's a certainty that no other vehicle built to the Terrain's compact dimensions has brandished the GMC label before now. And General Motors' truck division has never competed in the compact ute class alongside such notable entries as the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV-4.

There's a first time for everything and since traditional big-and-bad sport utility vehicles are languishing on the lots these days, the Terrain would seem to make perfect sense in a new-reality sort of way.

The five-passenger Terrain shares its platform and powertrains with the second-generation Chevrolet Equinox that also arrives this summer, though you'd never guess these two are in any way related. While the sheetmetal on the Equinox is soft and muted, the brash design of the GMC comes almost as a shock.

The bold chrome grille dominates the front end along with the integrated spoiler and a set of dominating headlights. From the side, both front and rear fenders bulge out in the extreme, while the wrap-around-look rear glass and chrome trim add a considerable degree of elegance.

GM has put much effort into crafting exceptional dashboards of late (check out the Chevrolet Malibu, for example) and the control panel for the Terrain would seem right at home in one of the company's premium-priced models. There are bucket seats up front and the split-folding rear bench has eight inches of sliding fore-and-aft travel for optimum passenger or cargo room, depending on your needs. Additional containment spots include an oversized glove box with separate instrument panel storage, a built-in center-console bin suitable for concealing your laptop, plus two-tier storage areas built into the door panels.

A 182-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is standard, while a 264-horsepower 3.0-liter V-6 is optional. Both operate with six-speed automatic transmissions and both can be had with front- or optional all-wheel-drive. Towing capacity for the four-cylinder is 1,500 pounds, while the V-6 is rated for 3,500 pounds.

Four-cylinder Terrains will reportedly achieve a 30-mpg highway-fuel-economy rating with assistance from a transmission torque converter that, at the push of a console-mounted "Eco" button, locks up at a low 1,125 rotations per minute. This eliminates efficiency-robbing torque converter slip.

Base SLE models are loaded up with the usual air/tilt/power accessories along with a few unusual standard features such as a rear-vision camera and 12 months of OnStar, GM's remote help and concierge service.

All four-cylinders come with Active Noise Cancellation that uses microphones to detect noise. The system responds by emitting counteracting and continuous sound waves through the audio system.

As of this writing, GM is keeping mum as to the SLT's exact content, but you can likely expect a leather interior upgrade, power liftgate and a premium audio package with satellite radio and Bluetooth hands-free communication.

The options assortment includes a power sunroof, touch-screen navigation system and a twin-screen rear-seat entertainment system.

For buyers looking to ease into the entry-utility bracket or for those wanting to downscale from their previous full-size perches, the feature-laden Terrain is worth a look. In fact it's quite likely that GMC will have a big hit with its new small-world wonder.