It should come as little surprise that the new GMC Terrain, a corporate twin to the redesigned Chevrolet Equinox, retains most of its sibling's strengths and weaknesses. The wild card — or, more appropriately, the elephant in the design studio — is the Terrain's styling. If it works for you, the Terrain is every bit as competitive as the Equinox. One caveat, however: Unless you need the towing capacity, avoid the V-6. The Terrain shows its best colors in four-cylinder form.

In ascending order, trim levels include the SLE1, SLE2, SLT1 and SLT2. All four come standard with the four-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is optional on any trim, and the V-6 is optional on all but the SLE1. On each trim, you get a little added content if you choose the GMC version versus the Chevy, which accounts for the Terrain's higher price. I drove a front-wheel-drive V-6 SLT1, though I've driven both engines in the mechanically identical Equinox, which you can compare to the Terrain here.

• Going & Stopping
• Noise, Ride & Handling
• The Elephant
• The Inside
• Safety & Features
• GMC Terrain in the Market