2020 GMC TERRAIN DENALI FEATURES
The most noteworthy trait about the Terrain Denali is how it goes about its business with a quiet, assured manner, without fuss or drama. Much of its confident demeanour comes from its powertrain, a properly powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. Unlike the base Terrain, which comes standard with a 1.5L turbo four putting out an adequate 170 horsepower the 1.6L turbodiesel has been dropped for 2020 the Denali’s 2.0L turbo-four (also standard on the Terrain SLT) pumps out a far more usable 252 horsepower on premium fuel.
Said powertrain doesn’t transform the Terrain Denali into the sports car of compact crossovers, but it does give the 1,724-kilogram rig some appreciated urge when merging onto a highway or moving through traffic. Punch the gas pedal and the Denali takes about seven seconds to hit 100 km/h, half a second or so slower than the turbocharged CX-5 a more sporting vehicle all around and with significantly more torque but it’s still plenty acceptable. The Denali’s nine-speed automatic is an inspired pairing, making good use of the engine’s power and smoothly moving up and down through the gears.
However, this brings up one controversial point: GMC fitted this generation of Terrain with a row of buttons low on the centre stack, rather than a conventional shift lever. On the plus side, this frees up space in the centre console for cup holders and storage areas. On the negative side is the lack of continuity — Neutral, Park and Low (which drops two gears) are push-buttons, while Drive and Reverse are toggles you pull. There is no Sport mode, but you can manually shift up or down by reaching over and using plus and minus buttons above and below the Low button.
The Terrain’s all-wheel-drive system is front-biased and includes two- and four-wheel-drive modes, activated via a rotary dial. On dry roads, leaving it in 2WD helps in the fuel economy department, yet four-wheel drive is a more prudent choice when the pavement is wet and slippery. While not overly forthcoming with specifics, GMC says the Denali has unique suspension tuning up front, with urethane spring isolators at both ends. This means the ride is moderately firm, with only a hint of harshness over the sharpest bumps, potholes, and the like.
A high point for the Denali is its feature-filled cabin, logically laid out with the exception of the aforementioned shift buttons and, pleasantly surprising considering its compact classification, with a surfeit of rear-seat legroom and knee room for taller passengers. With winter fast approaching, the heated (and ventilated) front seats, heated steering wheel and heated outboard rear seats are always appreciated. And since we’re on the subject of seats, the front passenger seat folds flat along with flat-folding rear seats, the Terrain is quite versatile for stowing longer items and loading cargo.
The tester came with the standard jet black interior. Lacking any shiny bling in the way of trim the aluminium bits had a satin finish to them or other visual drama, it tends to be somewhat muted in comparison with some of the competition’s higher-end trims. GMC does offer a two-tone platinum/taupe leather combination, which I’d recommend to perk things up. That said, there are soft-touch materials on the instrument panel and doors, along with some nice contrast stitching.
Included among the usual features are an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a 4.2-inch display in the instrument cluster for the driver, a 110-volt power outlet, four data/charging (one USB-C) and two charge-only USB ports, and 4G LTE Wi-Fi on board.
The 2020 Terrain Denali also comes with GMC’s Pro Safety package, which includes safety features such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, lane-keep assist and lane-departure warning, a following distance indicator, and front pedestrian braking.
The compact crossover segment is crowded, varied, and hugely competitive, with the Asian manufacturers leading the charge. GM is in the thick of it other than pickup trucks, the Equinox and Terrain are the company’s best-selling products. Speaking for the latter in its Denali trim, there’s little about the Terrain that plays second-fiddle to its rivals it’s priced well and highly proficient as suburban transportation, especially for a more mature market that appreciates all the bells and whistles in a smaller package. It just lacks a concerted marketing push to boost its visibility.
