2023 GMC Terrain

For 2023 the Terrain carries a single engine — the GM 1.5L LYX turbo I4 — rated at 170 hp @ 5,600 rpm across every trim. Well below segment norms; mainstream rivals like RAV4 (203 hp), CR-V (190 hp) and Tucson (187 hp) all out-punch it, and no hybrid/higher-output option is offered.

Peak torque of 203 lb-ft @ 2,000–4,000 rpm is identical across every 2023 Terrain trim. Modest for the SUV segment but a strong point relative to the small displacement — the flat torque plateau helps drivability from a stop even if outright thrust is limited.

Instrumented tests of the 1.5T + 9-speed Terrain place 0–60 mph in the 9.0–9.5 s range for 2023, with AWD near 9.3 s. Among the slowest volume compact SUVs on the market and unchanged from the 2022 nine-speed introduction.

The 1.5L LYX turbo is competent around town thanks to its low-rpm torque, but 2023 reviewers consistently note turbo lag off idle and a coarse, thrashy character when asked to accelerate hard on highway merges or grades. Below-average refinement for the segment as rivals (CR-V hybrid, RAV4, Tucson) run smoother, more responsive powertrains.

GM's Hydra-Matic 9T50 9-speed automatic (introduced for 2022, carried into 2023) generally shifts smoothly in cruise, but reviewers cite occasional hesitation and gear-hunting when calling for kickdown passing power — a symptom of pairing so many ratios with a modest 170 hp engine. Middle of the pack.

The 2023 Terrain carries a modest 1,500 lb max tow rating, adequate for a small utility trailer or personal watercraft but well below more capable compact SUVs like the Escape 2.0T (3,500 lbs) or Bronco Sport (2,200 lbs). GMC does not market the Terrain as a tow vehicle.

For 2023, AWD is optional on SLE and SLT and standard on both AT4 and Denali, so it's widely available across the range. System is a conventional driver-selectable single-speed AWD (must be manually engaged) with no low range and no torque vectoring — hardware sophistication trails class leaders.

The AT4 trim gives the 2023 Terrain a mild off-road personality with standard AWD, all-terrain tires, hill descent control, red recovery hooks, and skid plate styling, but ground clearance remains a modest ~7.9 in and there are no lockers, no low range, and only 170 hp on tap. Pavement-oriented crossover with a light-duty gravel/snow trim — a step above a base Escape/CR-V, well short of Bronco Sport Badlands or a Wrangler-class hardware set.

The 2023 Terrain is offered with a single 1.5L turbo I4 — no larger gas option, no hybrid, no PHEV and no EV variant. Take-it-or-leave-it lineup near the bottom of the compact SUV segment as electrified rivals (RAV4 Hybrid/Prime, CR-V Hybrid, Sportage Hybrid/PHEV, Tucson Hybrid/PHEV, Escape Hybrid/PHEV) proliferate.

2023 is the sixth year of the second-generation Terrain (2018-2024) and carries the post-2022-refresh powertrain: the 1.5L turbo I4 (LYX, 175 hp / 203 lb-ft) paired with the 9-speed automatic that replaced the earlier 6-speed. The 2.0T and 1.6L diesel had been dropped years earlier and no hybrid was ever offered. EPA rates 27 MPG combined for FWD (25/30/27 city/hwy/combined) and 26 MPG AWD — mid-pack for the compact-SUV band and well behind hybrid-standard rivals (RAV4 Hybrid ~40, CR-V Hybrid ~37).

25 MPG city (FWD) with the 1.5T and 9-speed automatic is unremarkable for the segment — the small turbo has stop-start but no hybrid assist, so stop-and-go traffic drags the average down materially compared to hybrid rivals. AWD gives up another 1 MPG in the city cycle.

30 MPG highway (FWD) with the 1.5T is roughly segment-average for a non-hybrid compact SUV — the small-displacement turbo cruises efficiently at part throttle, but the Terrain's tall boxy body and modest aerodynamics prevent a class-leading number. AWD trims lose 2 MPG on the highway cycle.

A 14.9-gallon fuel tank combined with 27 MPG combined (FWD) yields ~402 miles of theoretical range — mid-pack for the SUV band and one of the Terrain's more competitive efficiency attributes. AWD drops range to ~387 mi.

At 27 MPG combined on regular unleaded and the EPA's standard 15k-mi/yr / 55-city split, annual fuel cost is roughly $2,100 for the FWD volume trim at 2023 gas-price assumptions — reasonable for a non-hybrid compact SUV but notably higher than hybrid-standard alternatives (~$1,400/yr for RAV4 Hybrid). AWD trims add ~$100/yr.

The 1.5L turbo LYX is engineered for regular 87-octane unleaded across all 2023 trims — no premium requirement, no diesel option remains, no charging infrastructure needed. Straightforward gas-station fuel keeps operating friction low, placing this at the top end of the 80-100 band.

The second-generation Terrain (2018-2024) earned a 4-star overall NHTSA rating, with 4-star frontal crash and 5-star side crash results, carried forward for the 2023 model year without retest.

The 2023 Terrain earns Good in the legacy IIHS moderate overlap front, small overlap driver and passenger, roof strength and head restraint tests, but was not retested under the stricter updated side-crash protocol and holds no Top Safety Pick or TSP+ designation for 2023. Headlight limitations and the absence of an updated side rating keep it out of award territory.

GMC Pro Safety Plus is standard across every 2023 Terrain trim (SLE, SLT, AT4, Denali) after the 2022 refresh made it fleet-standard: automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian braking, forward collision alert, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, following distance indicator and IntelliBeam auto high beams. Adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert remain trim/package-gated rather than standard, trailing Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 and Honda Sensing which include ACC and BSM more broadly.

GM's second-generation AEB with front pedestrian braking is standard on the 2023 Terrain and posts Superior daytime vehicle-to-vehicle results, but pedestrian and nighttime performance under updated IIHS protocols has been the weak link versus Toyota, Honda, and Subaru systems on the same testing round. Hardware is a single forward camera without the second-gen radar seen on newer platforms.

Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are alert-only and are optional or trim-gated on the 2023 Terrain — not standard on the volume SLE trim. Coverage is adequate once equipped, but the base-trim omission is behind rivals like the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage that make BSM standard.

Lane keep assist with lane departure warning is standard across all 2023 Terrain trims and functions competently, but the second-gen Terrain does not offer a true hands-on lane-centering mode — the LKA is reactive, nudging at the line rather than actively centering. That lands well behind Honda Sensing centering, Toyota Lane Trace Assist, or Hyundai Lane Following Assist.

Full-speed-range adaptive cruise control is optional only on AT4 and Denali via the Driver Convenience II package on the 2023 Terrain; SLE and SLT buyers get only standard cruise control. There is no dedicated highway-assist mode on the second-generation platform, and ACC availability trails the segment where TSS 3.0 and Honda Sensing include it standard.

Super Cruise is not offered on the second-generation 2023 Terrain — GM's hands-free system did not expand into the compact-SUV segment until the redesigned 2025 model. No hands-free driving option exists on any 2023 Terrain trim.

The 2023 Terrain uses LED reflector headlights (refreshed for 2022) with standard IntelliBeam auto high beams; IIHS ratings for the second-generation Terrain headlights have ranged from Marginal on lower trims to Acceptable on Denali projector lighting, and are a chronic weak point that has helped keep the Terrain out of TSP contention. Better than a Poor rating but well behind Good-across-the-range rivals like the Subaru Forester and Mazda CX-5.

The upright second-generation Terrain has fairly generous glass and a tall driving position with a standard HD rear-view camera and an available HD Surround Vision 360-degree camera on Denali to compensate for the thicker C-pillar. Forward and side sightlines are competitive; rear three-quarter view is average and the surround camera is trim-gated.

The 2023 Terrain has two outboard LATCH lower-anchor positions and three top tethers — standard for the compact-SUV class. Rear door aperture and rear-seat foot space are adequate for rear-facing seats, but IIHS previously rated the second-gen Terrain's LATCH ease of use as Marginal-to-Acceptable due to deeply set lower anchors, and three-across installations are tight in the segment footprint.

The 2023 Terrain is a two-row compact SUV with seating for five across every trim (SLE, SLT, AT4, Denali) — no third row is offered. Three-row shoppers in the GMC family step up to the Acadia.

The second-generation Terrain (2018-2024) carries 40.0 in of front headroom without a sunroof, dropping to 39.7 in with the available panoramic sunroof (standard on Denali). Mid-pack for the compact SUV band.

Front legroom of 40.9 in is unchanged from the 2018 launch of the second-generation platform and sits near the bottom of the compact SUV band — CR-V (41.3 in), RAV4 (41.0 in) and Tucson (41.4 in) all offer more.

Second-row headroom of 38.5 in on the Gen 2 Terrain is competitive for the compact SUV segment — adult heads clear comfortably thanks to the upright roofline, with only a modest sunroof penalty.

Second-row legroom of 39.7 in is a real strength: fits two adults behind two adults and lands near the top of the compact SUV normalization band on the 107.3-in wheelbase.

The 2023 Terrain is a two-row compact SUV with no third row offered on any trim — a straightforward near-zero-usability outcome. Three-row shoppers move to the GMC Acadia.

Cargo volume behind the second row sits near the lower end of the compact SUV normalization band — CR-V (~39 cu ft), RAV4 (~37 cu ft), and Tucson (~38 cu ft) all offer meaningfully more. One of the Terrain's weakest interior metrics and unchanged over the second-generation run.

Maximum cargo volume with the second-row seat folded is modest for the segment — the load floor is essentially flat with the sliding-and-folding rear seat (a Gen 2 Terrain hallmark) but total volume trails CR-V (~76 cu ft) and RAV4 (~69 cu ft) noticeably.

The Gen 2 Terrain's push-button-shifter dash design frees up center-console real estate for a large open storage tray with USB ports, and the fold-flat front passenger seat (SLT and up) doubles as an extended load surface for long items. Door bins and glove box are average, and there is no wireless charging on lower trims; nothing genuinely innovative but the flat-floor console idea is a small distinguishing touch.

SLT and above get an 8-way power driver seat with lumbar; Denali adds heated/ventilated perforated leather fronts that reviewers describe as comfortable for daily commutes but a touch flat on long hauls. Second-row bench is upright and reasonably padded but the sliding-and-folding mechanism gives it a firm feel — adults are fine for short trips, less so cross-country. Middle of the pack for the compact SUV segment.

The 2023 Terrain rides on a single passive suspension tune across all trims — no adaptive dampers on any configuration. Reviewers describe the ride as compliant enough on smooth pavement but noticeably busy over broken surfaces, particularly on Denali's 19-inch wheels; the AT4's 17-inch all-terrain tires actually soften the ride the most. Body control is adequate but the platform trails newer compact SUV rivals.

The Gen 2 Terrain's cabin is quiet enough around town but road and wind noise become intrusive at highway speed, and the standard 1.5L turbo I4 (the sole engine after the 2022 refresh) turns coarse and audible under hard acceleration. Active noise cancellation and acoustic glass are not part of the outgoing generation's spec. Below-average for the segment.

Heated front seats and heated steering wheel are standard on SLT and up; dual-zone automatic climate is standard from SLT; ventilated fronts and heated second-row outboard seats are Denali-only. Remote start with cabin pre-conditioning is standard across the range. Rear vents are present but there is no separate rear climate zone. Competitive equipment for a mainstream compact SUV, though nothing standout.

For 2023, GMC dropped the SL trim mid-year and SLE FWD became the practical entry point at $28,800 MSRP + $1,395 destination = $30,195. Sits well below the compact-SUV band midpoint and ~$200 under the following 2024 SLE FWD.

SLT AWD is the highest-volume 2023 Terrain configuration; a typically-equipped example lands in the mid-$35k range. Roughly $200 below the 2024 SLT AWD at equivalent spec and materially below the compact-SUV volume-trim band midpoint.

Edmunds/CarEdge class data for GM 1.5T-class compact SUVs. The 1.5L LYX turbo I4 has documented long-term concerns (timing chain, thermostat, PCV) that push maintenance above naturally-aspirated Japanese rivals, though 2023 is a mid-cycle year with the platform's bugs well-shaken-out.

KBB/ALG residual projections put GM compact SUVs at ~45-50% of MSRP after 5 years. 2023 sits mid-cycle in the 2018-2024 generation — avoids the final-year discount the 2024 takes but still trails Toyota RAV4 / Honda CR-V (56-60%) by 10+ points, reflecting the aging platform's soft used-market demand.

GM's standard bumper-to-bumper coverage is 3 years / 36,000 miles — the industry floor. Substantially behind Hyundai/Kia/Genesis (5/60k) and the 5-year Mitsubishi/VinFast programs.

GM's standard powertrain coverage is 5 years / 60,000 miles — bottom of the industry alongside Ford, dwarfed by Hyundai/Kia (10/100k) and Mitsubishi (10/100k).

2023 was the last MY that included GMC's 1-visit complimentary maintenance (oil change / tire rotation / inspection) before the program was eliminated for MY2024. Also includes 5-yr/60k roadside assistance, 5-yr OnStar Guardian Safety Suite, and 3-mo OnStar Premium & Connected Services trials. Thin vs Toyota (2yr/25k ToyotaCare) and Hyundai/Kia (3yr/36k) but above brands offering nothing.

$35,795 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (46% retained, or about $16,466) leaves about $19,329 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,800 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $25,129 in total.

The 2023 Terrain is the sixth year of the 2nd generation, so owner-survey data is mature rather than speculative — and it points below average. RepairPal rates the Terrain 3.5/5 and ranks it 22nd of 26 compact SUVs, with a 17% chance a repair is severe versus an 11% segment average; Consumer Reports has held the 2nd-gen Terrain at roughly 2-3 out of 5 predicted reliability. Owner complaints cluster on infotainment, driver-assist electronics and transmission shift quality rather than catastrophic failures.

GMC's dependability standing is mixed and trending down, and the most year-relevant datapoint is unfavourable: the J.D. Power 2026 VDS surveys three-year-old 2023 model-year vehicles specifically, and GMC posted 228 PP100 for 24th place against a 204 PP100 industry average — a sharp fall from 7th the prior study. Consumer Reports likewise places GMC 24th of 30 brands. J.D. Power's 2023 VDS (covering 2020 cars) had GMC 14th, so the brand is not bottom-tier historically, but the cohort this vehicle belongs to graded poorly.

The 2023 model year carries only two NHTSA campaigns, both restraint-related and both simple dealer remedies: 22V929 (Occupant Classification System may fail to disable the front passenger airbag for a child in a ventilated seat) and 23V339 (excessive powder coating on rear LATCH anchor bars, an FMVSS 225 non-compliance shared with the 2020-2023 Equinox). Neither is a powertrain, fire or structural defect, and the count is light for a GM product. Offsetting that, the generation carries a running TSB pattern around 1.5T oil consumption/PCV and 9-speed shift quality, plus a filed NHTSA powertrain complaint of the transmission slipping and jerking out of gear.

2023 is a change year for the engine: per Wikipedia the Terrain adopted the updated LSD version of the 1.5L turbo four with a higher-pressure fuel system and a bump to 175 hp (from 170), alongside a new electro-hydraulic braking system. That revision plausibly addresses fuel-system complaints, but it is a fresh variant of a family with a documented history — turbocharger failures and cracked pistons concentrated in 2018-2021 Equinox/Terrain builds, plus PCV-related oil consumption and timing-chain wear on neglected maintenance. The paired Hydra-Matic 9T50 nine-speed is broadly deployed across GM transverse applications but draws consistent complaints of rough or delayed low-speed and cold shifts.

Reviewers of the 2023 Terrain are notably harsher on materials than the cabin's packaging deserves: the interior is called roomy and sensibly configured but finished in substandard plastics on the volume SLE/SLT trims, with genuine improvement only on Denali where the leather is good and the surrounding surfaces still read rental-grade. That is below the compact-SUV norm rather than merely plain, and it lands the volume trim under mid-pack for the class.

Initial assembly quality for this cohort was a strength — GMC placed 6th of 33 brands at 167 PP100 in the J.D. Power 2023 Initial Quality Study, which measures 90-day problems on 2023 model-year vehicles, and a sixth-year San Luis Potosí build has no launch effects to absorb. Owner reports temper it: KBB 2023 respondents cite loose panels and assembly defects, and the same cohort's three-year VDS result points to fit-and-finish and powertrain-refinement complaints emerging with age.

GMC is sold and serviced through the combined Buick-GMC channel of roughly 1,900 US dealer points, giving dense coverage in rural and urban markets alike — a structural advantage over import-brand rivals in much of the country. Service satisfaction is competent rather than exceptional: J.D. Power's 2023 CSI put GMC at 843 in the truck segment, third in that group but a shade under the 846 industry average.

Running costs are ordinary and parts are everywhere: the 1.5T and 9T50 nine-speed are shared across the Chevrolet Equinox and Malibu and the Buick Envision, so components are high-volume and independent shops know the platform. RepairPal puts average annual repair and maintenance at $558 against a $521 compact-SUV average, with unscheduled shop visits at the segment-typical 0.3 per year — the caveat being that when a repair does come due it is more likely to be a major one (17% vs 11%).

The 2023 Terrain (second generation, post-2022 refresh) uses a 7-inch color touchscreen on the base SLE and an 8-inch unit standard on SLT, AT4 and Denali; the volume SLT AWD configuration therefore carries 8 inches, and no larger screen is offered on any trim.

GM Infotainment 3 on the 8-inch screen is genuinely simple to operate — logical menus plus retained physical volume/tune knobs and climate controls — and Edmunds and Consumer Reports both single out ease of use, but the graphics, resolution and processor date to the 2018 platform and reviewers report wireless phone projection that is slow to connect and prone to dropping audio.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto are standard on every 2023 Terrain trim including the base SLE — a real advantage over 2023 rivals like the CR-V and RAV4, which restrict wireless projection to upper trims. Held below the top band by documented connection reliability complaints.

Embedded navigation is available on SLE, SLT and AT4 and standard on Denali, and 2023 adds available Amazon Alexa Built-In for natural-language requests — but Alexa and connected navigation both require an active service plan, GM's own voice recognition remains a command-based legacy system, and most owners default to CarPlay/Android Auto for both voice and maps.

A six-speaker system is standard on SLE, SLT and AT4 and is unremarkable; the step up is a Bose Premium seven-speaker system, optional on SLT and AT4 (Infotainment Package II) and standard on Denali, which is respectable but a modest premium tier by segment standards.

The volume SLT (and SLE/AT4) keeps analog gauges around a small 4.2-inch color Driver Information Center; only Denali gets an 8-inch DIC, and even that sits within an analog gauge surround rather than being a true full-digital reconfigurable cluster.

The second-generation Terrain runs GM's older Global A electrical architecture, not the Global B / Vehicle Intelligence Platform that enables whole-vehicle over-the-air updates. Updates reaching a 2023 Terrain are limited to OnStar/telematics and infotainment-module software — no feature-adding vehicle-wide OTA.

The myGMC app covers the core set — remote start, lock/unlock, vehicle locate, diagnostics — but remote commands require an active OnStar Remote Access plan (about $15/month) once the trial lapses, and no phone-as-key/digital key is offered on the 2023 Terrain.

Port count is generous for the class — a USB-A/USB-C mix front and rear plus extra center-console USB ports, an SD card reader and a 110-volt household outlet (standard on SLT and above, part of Infotainment Package I on SLE). The drag is wireless phone charging, which the 2023 lineup restricts to Denali alone.

Keyless Open and Start with passive entry on all doors is standard lineup-wide and remote start is standard from SLT up (SLE gets it in the Driver Convenience Package); a hands-free programmable power liftgate with logo projection is standard on SLT, AT4 and Denali. No phone-as-key option.

An HD rear vision camera is standard and rear park assist is widely available (standard within GMC Pro Safety Plus on Denali); HD Surround Vision with front park assist reaches the volume SLT and AT4 through the Tech Package rather than being top-trim-only, and Automatic Parking Assist exists but is confined to the Denali Premium Package.

The 2023 Terrain does offer a head-up display — standard on Denali and available on the volume SLT and on AT4 via the Tech Package — which is unusual for a mainstream compact SUV. It falls short of the top band because it is unavailable on SLE and only reaches SLT buyers through an option package.

Rear-seat space is the 2023 Terrain's family strength — 39.7 in of second-row legroom is near the top of the compact-SUV class, the rear bench reclines manually, and the tall, square door openings make a rear-facing seat easy to load. It is held back by cargo volume: 29.6 cu ft behind the second row is roughly 8-10 cu ft short of a CR-V or RAV4, so a full-size stroller plus a week's kid gear fills it, and LATCH anchors are set in the seat bight rather than exposed on brackets.

The standard-on-every-trim GMC Pro Safety content (automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, lane keep assist with departure warning, following-distance indicator, IntelliBeam auto high beams, rear seat reminder) is a genuinely strong baseline for the price. But the two features families notice most — blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and adaptive cruise control — are extra-cost on SLE, SLT and AT4 and standard only on Denali, and the crash record is mixed: IIHS rates the side (updated) test Marginal with inadequate head protection, headlights Poor, and NHTSA gives 4 stars overall rather than 5.

Second-row occupants get standard rear HVAC vents, USB charging (including a Type-C port), a reclining bench, generous legroom and available heated outboard seats — a decent rather than thin amenity set. The compromise is luggage: with the family aboard there is only 29.6 cu ft behind them, there is no rear entertainment provision, and Edmunds notes the suspension is 'prone to regular low-impact shocks, vibration and jostling' on imperfect pavement, which wears on a multi-hour trip.

Around town the Terrain is easy to live with — light steering, a compact footprint, good outward visibility, and the 2022 refresh added an engine stop/start disable switch that removes the class's most common daily irritant. What costs it points is the 1.5L turbo: 170 hp and a 9.3-second 0-60 mph run mean merging and freeway passing require planning, and the nine-speed hunts under light throttle.

27 MPG combined FWD (26 AWD) on regular unleaded works out to roughly $2,100/yr at EPA's 15,000-mile assumption — squarely average for a gas compact SUV, with cheap, widely stocked GM consumables and the broadest dealer network in the segment behind it. It falls well short of the hybrid rivals that now define this use case: a RAV4 Hybrid or CR-V Hybrid returns roughly 38-40 MPG combined, cutting the fuel line by about a third.

A 182.3-inch length, a 37.4-foot turning circle on FWD trims and an upright greenhouse with slim pillars make the Terrain genuinely easy to place in a city garage — better than most rivals that have grown a size class. A rear camera is standard; the HD surround-view camera and front park assist are options concentrated on Denali, so the volume SLT relies on rear sensors and mirrors.

The Terrain is not meaningfully a work vehicle. Maximum towing is 1,500 lbs with the dealer-installed hitch package — the floor of the compact-SUV class and half what a RAV4 or CX-50 will pull — and 63.3 cu ft of maximum cargo is well short of class benchmarks. The 170-hp 1.5T is already working hard unloaded, so it labours with a trailer or a full load. The one real work asset is the class-exclusive fold-flat front passenger seat, which lets 8-foot lumber or pipe ride entirely inside.

The D2XX platform and nine-speed automatic are high-volume, well-understood GM hardware with excellent parts availability, and AT4 buyers get all-weather floor liners. But the 1.5L turbo four has no fleet or hard-duty reputation to lean on — the earlier LYX version drew oil-consumption and carbon complaints, and 2023's revised LSD is too new to have a durability record — and the Terrain has never been sold as a commercial-fleet unit the way its Chevrolet twin occasionally is.

Provisions are basic but present: an available 120V/150W household outlet at the rear of the centre console, cargo-area tie-down loops, an accessory cargo management system, roof rails on SLT and above (available on AT4) that accept GM crossbars and bike/kayak carriers, and the dealer hitch package. There is no washable cargo floor, no onboard air, no meaningful commercial upfit ecosystem — the accessory catalogue is lifestyle-oriented rather than trade-oriented.

About 400 miles between fills from the 14.9-gallon tank, firm front seats that owners report holding up over 10-hour stints, and road noise that reviewers describe as a muted hum make the Terrain a reasonable tourer. It stops short of good: adaptive cruise is an extra-cost option below Denali (no lane centering, no hands-free), the fidgety ride never fully settles on coarse interstate concrete, and the 170-hp four runs out of breath on long grades and at altitude.

The AT4 trim gives the Terrain a credible light-duty outdoor spec — standard AWD with a driver-selectable disconnecting rear axle, a steel underbody skid plate, hill descent control, all-terrain-oriented tyres on 17-inch black wheels and 7.9 in of ground clearance — enough for forest roads and trailheads. The volume FWD/AWD SLE and SLT trims sit at 6.9 in with no skid plate, and across the range a 1,500-lb tow rating rules out anything beyond a small utility trailer or a pair of jet skis' worth of ambition. No low range, no locking differential.

The fold-flat front passenger seat is a real differentiator — combined with the 60/40 folding rear bench it swallows 8-foot items no rival in the class will take inside — and roof rails, underfloor cargo storage and an available hitch cover the usual gear duties. The ceiling is the raw number: 63.3 cu ft with the rear seats down trails the CR-V and RAV4 by 6-13 cu ft, so bulky loads run out of volume before they run out of clever folding.

The 2023 Terrain is a second-generation (2018–2024) D2XX crossover carrying the 2022 refresh unchanged in chassis terms — MacPherson-strut front, four-link independent rear, tuned for isolation rather than agility. Reviewers find it stable and balanced with body roll kept in check, but the soft springing and early understeer put it mid-pack: comparable to the mechanically identical Chevrolet Equinox and well behind driver-focused compact SUVs like the Mazda CX-5 or VW Tiguan.

Electric power-assisted rack-and-pinion that is light and easy in parking lots and does firm up usefully at highway speed, but reviewers describe it as slow, mushy and disconnected, with noticeable slack on center and essentially no road feedback. Accurate enough to place the car; uncommunicative by any enthusiast measure.

2023 is a change year for the brakes: GM fitted the Terrain an electro-hydraulic (e-Boost) brake system in place of the conventional vacuum booster, on top of the existing four-wheel discs with low-drag calipers and Duralife rotors (11.8 in front / 11.3 in rear). Despite brake-by-wire's usual pedal-feel risk, reviewers report clean modulation and no fade complaints on a light ~3,419 lb crossover — solidly average-to-good for the segment, with no regenerative blending to complicate things on this gas-only powertrain.

2023 swaps in the updated 1.5L LSD turbo (175 hp @ 5,800 / 203 lb-ft, up 5 hp on the outgoing LYX) with a higher-pressure fuel system, but the character is unchanged: lag off idle, then a 9T45 nine-speed that is slow to answer a kickdown request, producing an Edmunds-measured 9.3 s to 60 mph. GM has since issued a preliminary-information bulletin covering 2023–2026 Terrains for chuggle, surge and hesitation on acceleration traced to a skewed oxygen sensor, so the year's driveability complaints are documented rather than anecdotal. Below-average calibration for the class.

Unobtrusive at light throttle and steady cruise, but the small-displacement turbo has to work hard to move a 3,419 lb crossover and turns strained and audible on merges and grades, with Consumer Reports rating the 2023 Terrain outright loud. Denali adds active noise cancellation and extra acoustic glass; the mainstream SLE/SLT trims most buyers take do not get that help, and reviewers also flag road and tire noise reaching the cabin.

GM's own specification sheet lists a 37.4 ft curb-to-curb turning circle on the 17-inch wheels fitted to the volume SLE, rising to 38.4 ft on the 18-inch SLT and 41.6 ft on the 19-inch option. On the 107.3-in wheelbase that is comfortably better than average for a compact SUV and makes the Terrain easy to place in parking structures.

Tall, upright seating with 40.0 in of front headroom and 40.9 in of legroom, a commanding forward sightline over the squared hood, retained physical climate controls and 8-way power driver seat from SLT up. Two real demerits keep it near the middle: the dash-mounted pushbutton PRNDL that Edmunds calls an "unnecessarily clumsy transmission interface," and thick rear pillars that Consumer Reports rates as severely hampering visibility — only partly offset by the standard rear camera and available Surround Vision.

175 hp, 9.3 seconds to 60, numb steering and a comfort-tuned chassis add up to competent transportation with no reward for driving it hard. The AT4 adds all-terrain tires and rugged styling but no dynamic hardware, and 2023 offers no performance trim, no larger engine and no electrified variant — the 2.0T that once gave this generation some punch was dropped after 2020. Appliance-like by design.

The 2023 SLE carries the post-2022-refresh baseline: 7-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (wireless is standard, which several rivals still charged for in 2023), LED headlamps, keyless open/start on all doors, second-row HVAC, and the full standard safety bundle (AEB, Forward Collision Alert, Front Pedestrian Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Following Distance Indicator, IntelliBeam). That safety baseline is genuinely above the 2023 segment norm, but blind-spot and rear cross-traffic alert sit in the Driver Convenience II package on SLE/SLT rather than standard, and the 7-inch screen (8-inch on SLT and up) was already small against Tucson/Sportage/CR-V.

Terrain asked roughly $2,200 more than a comparably placed Chevrolet Equinox LT for the same 1.5L turbo four and 9-speed automatic, and the money bought trim and badge rather than capability — there is no hybrid, no higher-output engine, and 1,500 lbs of towing. At $30k–$39k the 2023 Terrain was shopped directly against RAV4 Hybrid, CR-V Hybrid, Tucson Hybrid and Sportage Hybrid, all of which delivered materially more powertrain and fuel economy for similar money. The Denali cabin and the well-equipped safety baseline keep this out of the poor-value band, but nothing here is a bargain.

Four well-spaced trims — SLE, SLT, AT4, Denali — with FWD or AWD on SLE/SLT and AWD standard on AT4 and Denali, spanning roughly $30k to $39k, and the AT4 adds real hardware (steel skid plate, off-road tires, hill descent, Traction Select off-road mode) rather than an appearance package. The hard limit is powertrain: one 1.5L turbo four with the 9-speed across the entire range, the 2.0T having been dropped after 2020 and the diesel after 2019. Rivals in 2023 offered gas plus hybrid and in several cases PHEV.

Terrain moved 71,856 US units in calendar 2023, keeping it GMC's second-best-selling nameplate behind the Sierra 1500 and comfortably ahead of Tiguan and Cherokee, but that is lower-mid-pack in a compact-SUV field where RAV4 and CR-V clear 350K–430K and platform-mate Equinox posted roughly 212K. The trajectory was flat-to-slightly-down through 2023 on a generation entering its sixth model year — steady demand, not momentum.

GMC's 'Professional Grade' positioning and the Denali sub-brand sit a real step above mainstream rivals and reliably support higher transaction prices than the parallel Chevrolet trims. That halo is strongest in trucks and full-size SUVs and thinnest in the compact-crossover class, where cross-shoppers openly read the Terrain as a re-trimmed Equinox — and the Terrain's own resale works against the image, depreciating about 45% over five years versus roughly 40% for the compact-SUV category.

2023 was a thin year for Terrain deals — factory support ran to roughly $500 cash allowance, $750 Buick GMC loyalty cash for existing owners financing through GM Financial, and a $1,000 Costco member incentive, plus subvented 60-month financing. That is occasional and modest rather than the several-thousand-dollar clearance money the same vehicle attracted in its 2024 run-out year, because inventory was still recovering and the segment was not yet discounting hard. Buyers had some room, but not much.

MY2023 is the sixth model year of the second generation launched for 2018, one year past the 2022 mid-cycle refresh (new fascias, revised interior, AT4 trim, wireless phone projection). 2023 itself brought only the updated LSD 1.5-liter and an electro-hydraulic brake system — component-level changes, not a reset. The platform, interior architecture and infotainment were visibly a generation behind newly redesigned rivals such as the 2023 CR-V and Tucson, and the all-new third generation was two model years out, so a 2023 buyer was stepping into a late-cycle car.

The professional consensus put the 2023 Terrain in the lower half of the class: Edmunds credited the comfortable interior and easy-to-use tech but flagged a weak base engine, unresponsive transmission, bouncy ride and high price; Consumer Reports called it a decent offering whose competition is significantly better; KBB ranked it ninth among 2023 compact SUVs. It won no comparison tests and took no NACTOY, 10Best or MotorTrend honors, and it is not an IIHS Top Safety Pick — the 2023 car rates Marginal in the updated side test. J.D. Power's owner-satisfaction score of 85/100 (a #2 finish on its 2023 Compact SUV consumer list) is the one genuinely positive data point and is what keeps this out of the bottom band.