The GMC Terrain Denali 2014 is one of those rare SUVs that combine good all wheel capability with enough comfort to make a family happy. It does have kinks in it's armor and there are areas where some significant improvements could be made. Yet, for the most part, we had a good time driving this 5 seater, not just on highways but also small dunes and mountain regions.

Style

I love the GMC Terrain styling. Yes I can see the lack of curves, the lack of character side lines, the boxy lines around the wheel, but this is a really good looking SUV. The front grille looks quite imposing and the overall appearance is butch. At the same time it gives off an 'elegant' vibe, especially in black. The chrome clad 19 inch Denali wheels look fantastic, though Ford Edge has 22 inch wheels in top trim which also look smashing. On an imposing Denali, the 19 inch wheels look a tad small. I recommend having bigger wheels for the next upgrade. The roof rail, dual exhaust tips and the rear spoiler combine for a dominating look.

Interior Material and Finishing

Well, I expected a bit more, maybe because it's a Denali. The seats look and feel great with sporty stitch leather and the Denali name badge. There is some soft touch padding too but in some areas, such as doors and upper dash area, you do feel hard plastic, similar to hard plastic found in rival Ford Edge, reviewed last year. The steering has a little patch of wood trim and overall the interior experience is actually quite comfortable. I think the seats are definitely much better looking than Ford Edge.

Interior Space and Visibility

Not only is the Denali comfortably spacious for five passengers, it is also structured to offer great visibility all round. There is ample front room in front, definitely more knee room than the Ford Edge and adequate rear leg room. The boot space at 895 liters is almost identical to Ford Edge. The Dodge Durango 3.6, being a 7 seater has half the space with all seats up (see comparison of three models).

Interior Features and Technology

Quite good. I found the interior features to be quite intuitive, particularly the infotainment system. There are several comfort features that are not found in many SUVs. For example, automatic child lock button on the center console is very helpful since there is no need to manually set child locks for all doors. In addition, the boot opening controls are very intuitive, with options to partially or fully open the boot. The only gripe I have is the loud A/C noise. The noise is so loud I had to turn up the audio volume a few notches higher to drown it out. However I must say the A/C is quite effective in the afternoon heat of Dubai. Rear A/C vents are missing, a must have feature for spacious SUVs! Seat heating is included but there is no seat cooling, so I recommend seat heating be replaced by seat cooling as a more relevant feature.

Safety Features

The GMC Terrain Denali is one of the more safer SUVs in it's segment. It has lane change warnings, rear camera and collission alert (forward and back), safety features that set the Terrain apart from it's peers. Parking sensors, antilock brakes, LATCH child seat anchors and airbag systems form a good family friendly system. Surprisingly, adaptive cruise control is missing. I would want to include adaptive cruise control in the safety feature set as well, a feature that we missed while driving on highways. Dodge Durango 3.6 has a few additional safety features but the Terrain is not too far behind.

Power and Acceleration

Acceleration from 0-100 km was over 9 seconds in our test period, however for an SUV it feels well powered on highways. The 3.6 liter engine does not feel to be struggling on acceleration and at 369 Nm torque offers decent throttle with direct fuel injection technology. During quick overtakes we felt lesser than usual body roll so overall I was quite pleased with the drive.

Off-Road Capabilities

We took the Terrain on small dunes and rocky areas as shown above. This is not a hard core off-roader, it does not have a separate gear transfer case. However it's All Wheel Drive 6 speed transmission system works very well and we found small dunes and rocky areas to be quite easily negotiable by the GMC Terrain. Take it to rocky wadis of Hatta and have lots of family fun on gravel driving. Suspension is sufficiently comfortable for off-road driving as well as highways.

Verdict

Priced at 146,000 AED (approximately $39,800 USD) the GMC Terrain Denali combines family friendly comfort with quite decent driving experiences. Competitively priced with Ford Edge, it also faces competition from Dodge Durango 3.6 Express which, at a slightly higher price tag offers a 7 seater with best in segment safety features too.