Long(-ish) Term Review - 2016 GMC Terrain SLT V6

Here's a head-scratcher for you.

What does it mean when a vehicle strikes you as merely subpar? All flash and little substance? To be honest, I struggled to write this post on the 2016 GMC Terrain SLT V6 I'd been piloting for just over a week. Compared to most other crossovers I've been either driving or riding in, this one is an odd thing. Being on the market for six years with nothing but an exterior nip-and-tuck to keep fresh really doesn't do anything for its appeal. After the first few days, I wanted to like it. But as time passed, the more I thought I might find something that impressed, the more I found the negatives overshadowing what little positives there were. Let's take a look see.

As before, the the Terrain was introduced in 2009 as GMC's entry point into it's all truck/SUV lineup which previously, only consisted of the Sierra pickup and it's SUV Yukon brother. The full sized, three-row Acadia was launched in 2008 followed by it's midsized, brother Terrain. Bear in mind, all of GMC's products started life as a Chevy product at some point. Back in General Motor's bad ol' days, it was nothing to take a Chevy Silverado, replace the bow-tie badges with GMC logos, sprinkle some chrome on the exterior and interior and call it a new new product. Nowaday's GM has learned it ain't foolin' anybody and today's customers who buy GMC products want to make sure their extra cash gets them a product that, while it may have common platforms, looks nothing like the Chevy that's across the street. The same can be said of the Terrain. However, GMC might have gone a bit too far in my eyes to differentiate this small crossover from its Equinox brother. Where the Equinox has smooth curves and corners, the Terrain is blocky and straight-edged. In profile from the sides, its borderline handsome and I'll admit, the black paint does wonders to accent the acres of chrome slathered on the exterior (and this isn't even the top, chrome-out dog Denali trim!). But, looking head on, the styling can come off as a bit polarizing, especially from the front and rear where the chrome surrounding the lower fascia is akin to applying glitter lipstick to a pug. No one is going to call the Terrain pretty, overwrought maybe, but a beautiful thing this ain't.

Inside, my eyes were assaulted even more by the bright, shiny stuff dashed around the cabin. The front seats felt comfortable and easily provided support the long commutes I'm currently doing for work. But comfort couldn't make up for the amount of chrome that attacked my eyes during the bright Florida afternoons. Chrome surrounds the gearshift lever, the cup holders, even the top of the transmission had a thick bar of the bright stuff surrounding the edge. While striking at first, getting past the chrome trim reveals low quality material on the dash and area below the instrument panel. Even though the interior feel is a let down on quality, it is still very spacious. Loading up for a DJ gig, all my gear fit in the cargo area and the rear seats folded down to accommodate even more gear. The infotainment system's placement is angled such that in direct sunlight, you can look at it, but good luck making out the buttons for the climate control. The instrument panel was nicely done, simple to read but a bit odd in that to manipulate the trip information display between the main gauges (which looks like an 80s display next to the larger touchscreen), the controls are on the central stack rather than on, say, the steering wheel. Perhaps the most frustrating part of the interior was the 6-7 inch infotainment display. While bright and legible and using every available inch of real estate, the touchscreen's placement is deeply inset under an "eyebrow" and makes for difficult use. For example, supposing you want to get to the previous menu. On the screen, the back button is in the top left corner and, while in motion, takes too much aiming and concentration to place your finger accurately. Yes, there are some redundant controls on the steering wheel and just below the screen but, if you're going to give customers the option of using the screen, at least make it user friendly (see Chrysler's very intuitive UConnect system).

On the road, the Terrain is anything but dynamic. The steering is heavy and lifeless with no communication to the driver as to what the front wheels are doing. The six speed automatic is dimwitted, never confident about its gearing and always taking a few seconds to make up its mind as to whether my foot stomp on the go pedal really meant full throttle or half throttle. At least the 3.6L V6 makes the Terrain feel somewhat alive. Sending 301 hp and 272 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels, from a dead stop, the Terrain responds admirably. Until that is, its asked to pass slower traffic once underway. The transmission hesitates for a few seconds as if conducting a committee to analyze the placement of your foot on the throttle. Then once it confirms you really want full power and starts to feed it in, you've already let off the gas in dismay that the hole in traffic you were aiming for is now gone. While making good power, (way more than the gutless 3.0L it replaces), the 3.6L is quite thirsty: I averaged 18 mpg with most of my drives being on the highway. And lest you think this is the same sonorous sounding 3.6L Chevy drops in the Camaro, well, it ain't, sounding grainy and coarse past 4000 rpm. Once settled in cruise, the V6 quiets down and the transmission, eager to get to top gear, lopes the engine along at about 1500rpm at 70mph. In this state, the Terrain is a pretty good highway cruiser. Once off the highway however and the roads turn twisty, it's easy to make the front tires howl in understeering protest. Plus, at over 4100 lbs, it doesn't like being thrown around anyway and will remind you of that with its aggressive traction and stability control system in a "what's your rush?" sort of way.

Despite being GMC's second best selling model after the Sierra pickup, the Terrain is in need of a major redesign. Being on the market since 2009 only adds to how aged the design is, especially with every automaker now dipping their toes in the red hot crossover market these days. With newer crossovers coming to market from seemingly every corner, each more advanced in some way than the other, the little GMC is slowly being displaced as an also-ran. Nothing less than a complete overhaul of the Terrain's interior, dynamics and styling will do to ensure it stays relevant without the need for massive incentives to woo buyers into GMC's showroom. If you're looking for a roomy crossover with good power and loads of cash on the hood, GMC's entry crossover might be worth a look. But being far from the top of class (read mediocre) makes spending an as-tested $33,245.00 on a Terrain without eyeballing the competition seem like a sour deal. GMC likes to tout its products as being "Professional Grade", but in this class, GMC needs to literally apply some professional grade TLC to the Terrain.

Short Take - 2012 Cadillac CTS

2012 Cadillac CTS sedan

Cadillac has been on a roll lately. Chances are if you asked your grandfather what a Cadillac means to him, he would describe something along the lines of pink colors and huge fins (and a plush ride to boot). Show him a picture of the car above telling him that THIS is a Cadillac and he'd likely yell sacrilege.

Indeed folks, the first generation CTS was the car (with some help from its bling bling truck brother, the Escalade)that brought about Cadillac's success within the last decade. When the 2003 CTS burst on the scene, it signified a change in General Motors' direction for the luxury brand. No longer content to build cars for the Palm Beach retirement community, the powers that be decreed that Cadillac would now be a performance oriented luxury brand, one that would be the equal of the German bluebloods. Going so far as to tout the CTS' European-tuned suspension (developed almost exclusively on Germany's fame Nurburgring race track), the CTS was such a RWD shock to the segment (the first Cadillac in decades equipped with a MANUAL transmission) that it proved widely successful. It debuted not only Cadillac's new performance mission but the styling theme dubbed 'Art & Science', and edgy direction composed of sharp angles and creases, not unlike the U.S. Air Force F-117 Stealth Fighter.

So successful was the CTS that Cadillac endeavored to polish the rough edges and continue the performance mission and the second generation debuted to much fanfare. Pitted as a BMW 3 Series 'fighter', the CTS dwarfs the smaller German in size if not in price, and seems more of a 5 Series competitor. In order to more effectively battle the European set on even terms (and to extend the CTS's profit margins) Cadillac now offers 2 other body styles apart from the sedan: a positively stunning 2 door coupe and (surprise) a 5 door station wagon. To this blogger's eye, the sedan as sharp as it is, looks quite pedestrian next to its coupe and 5 door brothers. The sport factor is also enhanced by the addition of the V Series (think BMW M or Mercedes AMG) which substitutes the regular 318hp, 3.6 V6 for the supercharged 6.2 V8 from the Corvette ZR1. Slightly tamed in CTS-V form, (due to the loss of an intercooler and dry sump oil system) this monster of a powerplant churns out 556hp and 550 lb-ft of torque, enough to see off both the BMW M3's paltry 414hp V8 AND the BMW M5's 507hp V10 (the new M5 counters with a 560hp twin turbo V8).

2012 Cadillac CTS Sportwagon

2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe

I recently had the chance to take a short drive in all iterations of the CTS (except the V Series, bummer) during a public demonstration on the beautiful streets of Fort Lauderdale.

Approaching the CTS, I got the feeling that Cadillac spared no expense in the exterior design. It's next to impossible to confuse this for anything other than a Cadillac (your grandfather might think differently), the CTS sits purposeful with a wide stance and a form that hints at solidity and stability. Getting inside, I was met by high quality materials and a dash design that complimented the exterior. The center stack had a lovely V shaped design that encompasses the climate controls and buttons for the Bose 5.1 sound system in a logical fashion. Dials were ringed in real chrome and the entire console was flanked by vertical air vents on each side. An analog clock sits squarely in the middle with the navigation screen rising from the top of the center console. When stowed, the visible top quarter of the screen functions as an information center.

2012 CTS-V Interior

The front seats were plush and offered good support, plus heated and cooled functions for both driver and front passenger. Cadillac obviously neutered the bean counters when opting for high quality. The rear area offers good legroom and general space for passengers. The coupe, with its style-over-functions, is less accommodating but if you're buying a 2 door you already know this. The 5 door wagon however offers similar rear passenger accommodations as the sedan but also comes with vastly more cargo room thanks to the artfully styled rear end. Cadillac's styling theme lends itself rather nicely to the wagon's handsome, long and lean appearance. The coupe however is the hands-down looker of the trio.

2012 CTS Coupe rear

3.6 V6, 318hp, 274lb-ft of torque

All CTS models (except the V cars) are powered by General Motors' 'high feature' 3.6 V6, equipped with direct fuel injection, continuously variable valve timing and all-aluminum construction. This powerplant kicks out 318hp and 274lb-ft of torque and can be equipped with either a 6 speed manual as standard equipment or an optional 6 speed automatic (the only transmission on the regular wagon).

Pulling out of the parking lot, the 3.6 provides ample thrust for strong acceleration helped by the automatic transmission doling out torque in equal amounts. Due to the urban nature of the test area, I wasn't able to fulling exploit the handling limits of the CTS, but in some instances, long sweeping corners exposed the stability offered by the car's suspension and resistance to body roll. The steering was quick, offered the right amount of assist and communicates what the front wheels are doing to the driver. The CTS strikes a great ride/handling balance: sporty and firm, but not excessive as to register rough roads to passengers. The suspension is damped enough to acknowledge bumps as distant 'thuds' without upsetting the ride's balance. One strike noticed however was the V6's graininess at high RPM during one full throttle run using the auto transmission's manual function. Above 5000 rpm, the 3.6 sounds unrefined, quite unlike the silky growl of BMW's straight sixes.

Overall, the 2012 CTS is yet another shot across the bow of the European luxury marques. Equipped with a design that is unabashedly American and a platform that equals the ride/balance of its competitors, the CTS is yet another home run for Cadillac, now available in 3 sizes for every taste and with 2 powerplants for every level of leadfoot.