If you’ve been on the hunt for a new vehicle and have finally narrowed your search down to the GMC Acadia and Terrain SUVs, you really can’t go wrong with either. Both of these GMC vehicles have sleek exterior styling, flexible and premium cabin spaces, and forward-thinking technology features. So how do you choose the one that’s right for you? Take a look at some key differences between the two to help decide.
What Size Do You Need?
The Terrain is the smallest SUV in the GMC lineup. It’s a compact crossover with space for five in the cabin. The GMC Acadia steps up a notch in size, fitting in the midsize SUV market. It has three rows of seats and room for up to seven people.
The available seating is just one part of the size difference between these two SUVs. Since the Acadia is larger, it also has more cargo space. Behind the third row, the Acadia has 12.8 cubic feet of space, but it’s easy to fold down the third row and increase this to 41.7 cubic feet. If you need to haul even more cargo, fold down both back rows, and you’ll have 79 cubic feet to work with. The Terrain has 29.6 cubic feet of space behind the back row, and you can expand it to 63 cubic feet if you fold down the rear seats.
Power, Power, and More Power
It’s not surprising that the larger GMC Acadia has a larger engine than the smaller Terrain. It also has more engine choices. It edges out the Terrain’s power even with its base four-cylinder powertrain that gets 193 horsepower, but you can also get it with a turbo four-cylinder with 230 horsepower or the more powerful V-6 that puts out 310 horsepower.
The Terrain has two engines to choose from. The base is a turbo four-cylinder with 170 horsepower, but if you want a little more oomph, you can upgrade to a turbo-four that gets 252 horsepower. If smaller with less horsepower works for you, you’ll also benefit from added fuel efficiency with the Terrain.
Standard Interior Tech Features
The Acadia and Terrain have similar interior features, with a few key differences. The GMC Acadia offers some extra amenities that growing families will appreciate, including a larger 8-inch touch screen for the infotainment system. The Terrain starts with a 7-inch touch screen, but it gets a wireless version of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The differences in standard safety systems will probably come into play if you’re shopping for a family SUV. The Terrain has the GMC Pro Safety Package with six standard driver aids. The Acadia gets Pro Safety Plus with all six systems plus rear park assist. The Acadia also comes standard with lane change alert, rear cross-traffic alert, and side blind-zone alert, but you have to add these as an option with the Terrain.
The GMC Acadia and GMC Terrain are significantly different in size and available power, but they offer similar features in the cabin. The Acadia also has more standard safety systems, but you can get these with the Terrain as options.
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