2011 GMC Terrain Review

The 2011 GMC Terrain.

As easy as it is to take potshots at badge engineering (taking one vehicle, putting a different grille, taillights and nameplate on it and calling it something else), think about what it must be like to be a corporate cousin of a big volume brand like Chevrolet. You need product or your brand won't survive, and the fact, even prior to the great recession and Carpocalypse, is that the bucks aren't there to build unique vehicles for each brand. Platform sharing...and the more blatant badge engineering...are the only way to go.



That's GMC's lot in life and has been for decades. They finesse it by positioning themselves as more upscale...a good play for Acadia, Yukon and Yukon XL..a mixed bag when it comes to Sierra pickups, and for the Terrain? Well, it's gotta be a tough sell.  Or so you'd think. The Terrain actually sells mid-pack among 12 compact crossovers (the other 11 being the Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, Jeep Patriot, Jeep Compass, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-7).

The 2011 GMC Terrain rear view.

Not that there's anything wrong with the Terrain. It's just that in the small crossover segment, there's only so much you can do to differentiate it from its sister under the skin, the Chevrolet Equinox.

GMC sent us a loaded Terrain SLT-2 AWD (all wheel drive). $31,650 base price, and after $6,435 worth of cargo management packages, navigation, audio system upgrades, swapping the 2.4 liter 4-cylinder for the 3.0 liter V6, the rear seat entertainment system, 19-inch wheels and trailering equipment, the bottom line (with $810 destination charge) was $38,895.

That's $2,010 more than the similarly equipped 2010 model we tested last year, and also a couple grand less than loading up a 2011 Equinox in similar fashion would cost you.

The 2011 GMC Terrain interior.

And there's the trouble. It really is an Equinox. Is the GMC nameplate or the blockier, arguably more masculine stying of the Terrain worth $2,000?  For a few thousand people a month, the answer is yes.


2011 GMC Terrain AWD SLT-2

Base price: $31,650.

As tested:   $38,895.

Likes: Room, comfort.

Dislikes: High price as tested, low-ish gas mileage.

EPA estimates: 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway.

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2011 Nissan Armada Review

The 2011 Nissan Armada.  A huge SUV in a changing automotive world.

It's always good to remember when reading (or writing) an auto review that of all the resources manufacturers have at their disposal, a crystal ball is not one of them. Work begins on the next generation of vehicles sometimes before the first hits the showroom floor, and designs and dimensions get locked in early. When the game changes, often the player has to remain the same.

That's pretty much the story of the Nissan Armada. It was designed when full-size SUVs like the Chevy Tahoe, Ford Expedition, Toyota Sequoia and GMC Yukon could do no wrong in the marketplace.

And then everything changed.

As a result, the Nissan Armada feels a bit like a time machine, something of a different age (though its competitors listed above are in exactly the same boat).

The 2011 Nissan Armada. Room for 8 people and 28 gallons of gas.

Speaking of boats, my dad would have called something this big a "boat". But Nissan named this the Armada, which means "whole fleet of boats". It's really not significantly larger than any full-size SUV we've reviewed, but the packaging makes it feel like it is. It's long, wide and tall, seats 8, weighs 5,346 pounds (without the 8 people) and has a 317-horsepower 5.6 liter V8 to move all that.

All things considered, the engine does a good job moving the weight at a reasonable pace and the handling isn't bad, either. Not sporting, but not bad. That's most likely thanks to rack and pinion steering, 4-wheel independent suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS are an important part of the package...helping stop the kind of momentum that an Armada at speed has.

With a 5-speed automatic transmission and 634 pounds shy of three tons to move, however, gas mileage is not part of the good news. The EPA says 12 city/18 highway, and what we saw in our week at the wheel tells us that's probably about right. You'll get decent range out of a tank because it's a big tank...28 gallons. But at $3.50 a gallon, re-filling an empty tank will set you back $98.

2011 Nissan Armada: The view from the deck.

The Nissan Armada we drove was the SL 4X4, middle of the three trim levels (SV, SL and Platinum). At $2,450 above the SV 4X4's MSRP of $44,090, it adds some fairly serious towing capability (9,000 pounds), leather-appointed seats, 20-inch aluminum alloy wheels replace the SV's 18-inchers, plus fog lamps, heated front seats, a chrome grille, roof rack, power liftgate, side molding inserts and exhaust finisher, a rear-view camera, an upgrade to a Bose audio system with SiriusXM Satellite Radio, keyless entry, Bluetooth, a four-way power front passenger seat and a power flat-folding third row seat.

That strikes us as a fair deal. And if you want to go full-boat (sorry), the Platinum 4X4 will take $7,250 more of your money than the SL and add navigation, DVD, sonar, a moonroof and a bunch more goodies. But that's $53,790.

The Nissan Armada SL we had strikes me as the best choice at an MSRP of $45,640 and an as-tested sticker of $46,810 ($950 delivery charges and only one option...floor and cargo mats for $220).

But should you choose the Armada? Well, if you need a full-size four-wheel-drive SUV (and many folks truly do), yes. The fact is that the entire segment is made up of fully mature vehicles, closing in on either a major re-freshening, re-design or re-think. At this stage, the Nissan Armada isn't really any less advanced than the others. Choosing between them is really a matter of personal taste.

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2011 GMC Acadia Denali Review

The 2011 GMC Acadia Denali.

Almost 20 years ago,  I bought a GMC Suburban (now known as the Yukon XL). In those days, there was nothing to differentiate the GMC from the Chevrolet except for the badges and the price tag. GMC's was generally a bit more, but I found a dealer who beat all the local Chevy dealers.

It occurred to me at the time that GMC could do very well for itself by making its Suburban a much more luxurious piece than the Chevrolet...leather seats, say...and how about upgraded audio systems? Maybe automatic climate control. Nicer wheels...maybe even a sunroof.

Hard to imagine now, but this was radical thinking at the time, though within 5 years, GM embraced the concept beyond what I was thinking. The GMC version became almost Cadillac-like in its luxury...and then came Cadillac's Escalade, taking it all one giant leap further. And they sold like hot cakes.

The Suburban, Yukon XL and Escalade ESV are all still in production, and still sell, but the strike zone has moved to smaller machines. That's not keeping GM from going back to the playbook for what worked so well a decade and a half ago.

Behold the GMC Acadia Denali. The base Acadia is a reasonably priced vehicle...$32,000. And it's very much like the $29,370 Chevy Traverse. The Denali fixes that...for a price.

Rear three-quarters view of the 2011 GMC Acadia Denali.

The all-wheel-drive Acadia Denali we tested starts at $45,220. 13 grand and change more than the vehicle that underpins it all. And not a penny of it is under the hood. The base Acadia has the exact same 3.6 liter V6 mated to a 6-speed automatic as the Denali.

There's two inches less front headroom and one inch less in the rear, thanks to the standard sunroof,  and you can carry one fewer person thanks to the standard second-row buckets. Otherwise, the dimensions and statistics are the same.

So where's the $13K? On the outside, it's in fog lamps, Xenon HID headlamps, a remote tailgate release, heated exterior mirrors, chrome wheels, performance tires, a trailer hitch reciever and a Denali-specific grille.

The 2011 GMC Acadia Denali interior.

Inside, the Denali steps up with a rear-view camera (always a good idea, especially in SUVs), rear parking assist, dual zone climate control, remote vehicle start, the aforementioned sunroof, power heated driver and front passenger seats, the 2nd row buckets, memory seats, a premium sound system, rear seat audio controls, Bluetooth, a universal home remote control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, auto-dimming rear-view mirror with memory and a power lift gate.

That plus all-wheel drive, which is worth about two grand, so yeah...that's probably about $11,000 worth of options. And our tester had more...$1,890 for nav with 3 months of SiriusXM NavTraffic, $1,445 for a rear seat DVD entertainment center, including headphones, and $795 for White Diamond Tricoat paint (which is very pretty). Bottom line on ours after destination charges: $50,125.

I can't knock the end result...a very luxurious, well mannered, fast, capable SUV. I'm even okay with the price. And the mileage is in the ballpark, too: 16 city/23 highway. What I don't get is why GMC sells an Acadia other than the Denali. Unlike the Yukon/Escalade and Yukon XL/Escalade ESV deal, Cadillac doesn't have a clone of this model...so why bother selling the $32,000 version at all? Why not let that be Chevy's?  If you've got thoughts on that one, I'd love to hear them. Just click the "comments" button.

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2011 Ford F-350 Review



Remember when a "work truck" and a luxury car were on opposite ends of the vehicular spectrum? Well, those days are long gone...and the ultimate example of that is right up there above this paragraph...the Ford F-350 Super Duty.

When lines get blurred...especially lines that far apart, it's usually because something...often core principles and competencies. But not in this case. Somehow, this is all work truck and all luxury vehicle.

It starts closer to its work roots. At the base price of $49,410 for the 4X4 Crew Cab in Lariat trim, you get a rock-solid truck capable of towing 12,500 pounds.  And it comes with a nice, large, but somewhat plain interior:

As trucks go, that's not too shabby. But the tester Ford sent our way was loaded. It had the King Ranch package. Which means the interior looked like this:



They also slid the 6.7 liter V8 diesel engine under the hood...which makes 800 pounds per foot of torque. 800!  Between the engine upgrade, the King Ranch leather and chrome, the six-speed automatic transmission, the electronic locking axle, moonroof, navigation, satellite radio, and a few other goodies, the bottom line of this Ford truck was....


Ready?

Are you sitting down?

$64,770.

If I'm not mistaken, it's the most expensive factory-built Ford I've ever heard of. Certainly the most expensive I've ever driven.

And the thing is, it really doesn't make any compromises. Okay, sure, there are things you wouldn't do in a $64,770 "work truck" that you might in a less expensive one. But if you're talking about towing horse trailers, or race cars, this is like doing it with a luxury car. And in terms of luxury, no corners are cut because it's a truck. In fact, there hasn't been this kind of room in a luxury sedan in I don't know how long. About the only compromise on luxury is mastering graceful entrances and exits in evening wear.

It's not for everyone. But, contrary to the opinions of people who suggested "no one" needs a truck like this, there is a market. It's a really nice truck, and if you've got a healthy bank account and a half dozen thoroughbreds, this is your ride. The only downside I can think of is parking it (an issue that pops up for me with the HD versions of Ram, Chevy and GMC trucks, too)...but I'm guessing that's something you get used to.  There are worse problems to have.

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2011 Ford Flex Review

Nearly three years since TireKicker's first review of a Ford Flex, I'm left with many of the same emotions and questions. Actually, only one question: Why am I not seeing a lot more of them on the road?

First of all, I like the Flex...a lot. Enough to buy one with my own money, were I in the market. And this is one of the few 125 or so vehicles that pass through my hands in the course of a year where wife and kids agree. The Flex is a great big happy-maker. Room, comfort, utility and (especially when equipped with EcoBoost as the one provided to us for a week by Bell Ford in Phoenix was) power.

I also see the same things when I look at it that I did in the summer of '08...a bit of Range Rover here, a hint of Country Squire there. I also see a much more sensible approach to a car I owned and loved nearly 20 years ago.

We're a road-trip family. And when the kids were little, that meant a week or two on the road with strollers, Pak-N-Plays, and assorted other little people supplies. Back at home, it meant kids and their friends wanting to ride together to the movies, Build-A-Bear and other fun places. At the time, there was one sensible choice...so we bought a brand-new 1993 GMC Suburban. I called it the "Swiss Army Knife of cars". Keep the seats upright, and haul 8 people. Fold 'em down (well, actually, the third row had to be removed, was heavy and where do you stash the backseat of an SUV when you're not using it?), haul the big tables and chairs for the backyard birthday parties yourself and save yourself the anxiety of wondering whether the delivery guys would get there on time.

But the  'Burban had big drawbacks, too. It wouldn't fit in a standard-sized garage. It had the handling characteristics of an aircraft carrier. It weighed darn near three tons and it got 12 miles per gallon in the city and 16 on the highway. And every part except the door locks (there may be a bit of artistic license in that, but not much) needed to be replaced within the first five years.

If only there'd been a Ford Flex. Let's start with utility, shall we?

That, my friends, is the view from the tailgate of a Flex with the rear seats, the middle seats and the front passenger seat folded down. Game 7 (if needed) of the NBA Finals could be played in here. Meantime, here's your view:

Yes, that is the Limited model we drove, but there's actually a level above that, Titanium. And even without the wood and MyFord Touch system, you still get that clean design in the SE and SEL models.

Pop for the Limited, though, and you get SYNC, dual-zone automatic temperature control, leather-trimmed first and second row seats, a premium Sony audio system and a whole host of other goodies for $37, 865.  Choose all-wheel drive and it's $39,715 and go full-boat like ours, with EcoBoost and all-wheel drive and the base price is $44,000.  A base Yukon XL (what GMC calls their Suburban these days) is $42,415. Load one up so it's competitive with the Flex Limited and you'll be deep into $50,000 plus territory.

And let's talk about EcoBoost for a moment. 355 horsepower from a 3.5 liter V6. Without EcoBoost, it's 262 horsepower. That's right...a 97 hp improvement. That's boost, so where's the "Eco"? Well, an AWD Flex with the standard 262-horsepower V6 gets an EPA estimated 16 city/22 highway.  Check the EcoBoost option box, get that extra 97 horsepower and it's 16 city/21 highway.

That's right...the same city MPG. You're trading one mile per gallon on the highway for 97 additional horsepower. Useful in a vehicle that can hold this many people and that much stuff, especially when passing.

This is definitely my new Swiss Army Knife. And if the price point of the Limited version is beyond the budget, the SE starts at $29,220 and the SEL at $31,850. You can't get EcoBoost with either of those, but you'll still have a brilliantly capable machine with the utility of a big SUV and none of its drawbacks.

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Nice Work, Einstein. University Sues GM Over Use Of Dead Genius' Likeness

The above image is page one of a four-page ad that ran in People magazine last fall to promote the GMC Terrain SUV.

Well, as Rolling Stone once famously said about Jim Morrison of The Doors,

But in Einstein's case "dead" doesn't mean "he can't sue us from beyond the grave". For while Einstein didn't will his body to science (there's dispute whether his brain was preserved against his wishes) and was cremated, Einstein did leave his publicity rights to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which is suing GM for the unauthorized use of Einstein's image.

General Motors...even the new, smaller, GM, should have a legal staff that knows (or at least can learn) this stuff. The only upside for them? The university is going easy on them. The suit is for $75,000...a little less than two loaded GMC Terrains.

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6 Million GM Light-Duty Trucks Under Fed Investigation: Rusty Brakes

The feds say they've had 110 complaints, 37 confirmed by dealer inspections. Full details from Automotive News (free registration required).

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The Taxpayer-Funded $1,000 A Month Auto Lease

Your tax dollars at work. Politico has found that at least 10 members of Congress are paying $1,000 a month or more to lease cars.

Not limos...not armored SUVs....just car cars.

I'm sure, shopping around, you and I could find better deals than $1,628 a month for a GMC Yukon...or $1,279 a month on a Chevy Malibu. But not our elected officials.

Politico has the story here.

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GMC Terrain Review

For decades, GMC has been selling re-badged Chevrolet trucks. In fact, for most of that time, the badges (and a slightly higher GMC price tag) were all that separated the products. Then, just in time for the SUV and luxotruck boom, GMC hit on the idea of loading theirs up with luxury features.

Which was fine until Cadillac started selling its own tarted-up Chevys and suddenly Escalades were only a bit more expensive than Yukon Denalis.

Though Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and SAAB were the obvious targets, GMC could have been another casualty of last year's Carpocalypse.  Not enough money to develop its own product line...not enough difference between GMC and Chevy.

But GMC survived the cut and the Terrain is meant to be the template for the way forward. Based on the Chevrolet Equinox,  GMC makes a lot of changes to the appearance of the vehicle yet keeps the base price within $1,000 of the Chevy.

Move up the trim levels and the differences magnify. The tester I drove was the top-of-the-line SLT-2, $7,600 more expensive than the base Equinox, but with an impressive list of standard features (power liftgate, 18-inch wheels, rearview camera system, sunroof, leather, heated seats, climate control, a Pioneer premium sound system and more).

That actually still leaves room for options...though with a standard content level that high, there's a limit...in the case of our tester, an additional $5,140.

The 3.0 liter V6 replaced the standard 2.4 liter four at a cost of $1,500. Horsepower goes up from 182 to 264, torque from 174 pounds per foot to 222. But gas mileage takes a big hit...from an EPA estimated 22 city/32 highway to a fairly pedestrian (for this class of small SUV) 17/24. And the gas tank size goes up from 18 gallons to 20...making each fill-up a bit pricier.

Ours also had the navigation system (a $2,145 choice we'd never make, though it does add a 40 gigabyte hard drive for music storage) , 19-inch wheels ($900), trailering equipment ($350) and a cargo management package (rear cargo security cover, cargo convenience net and roof rack crossbars for $245.

Bottom line, with $745 for destination charges: $36,885.

I liked it. A very nice ride. My wife informed me a few minutes ago that if the Terrain had a third row of seats, she'd want one.

But $36,885 for a small SUV gives me pause.

It could work for GMC, though...taking the Terrain out of direct competition with Chevy but into a size and price range where they're not bumping up against Cadillac and, by comparison to that brand, seem like a bargain.

Here's how GMC's making that case:

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