Noise, Ride & Handling

A defining attribute of GM's latest crossovers is improved noise insulation. Road and wind noise are hushed, leaving the cabin exceptionally quiet — at least until you hit a bump. The suspension isn't a particularly quiet one — it responds to potholes and expansion joints with loud, echoing noises — and, as we noted in the Equinox review, some may find the ride too firm overall.

The steering wheel turns with light effort at low speeds; it firms up progressively as you reach highway speeds, but I still found it a bit loose at 70 mph. Take an off-ramp quickly, and the Terrain has carlike resistance to body roll. Unfortunately, patches of rough pavement belie any cornering confidence: Steering response becomes sloppy, giving the Terrain a floaty sensation of being disconnected from the road. It reminds me more of traditional truck-based SUVs than car-based crossovers, to which the Terrain and its Chevy cohort belong.

    See also:

    Transmission Temperature
    Press the trip/fuel button until TRANS TEMP displays. This display shows the temperature of the automatic transmission fluid in either degrees Celsius (°C) or degrees Fahrenheit (°F). ...

    High-Beam On Light
    This light comes on when the high-beam headlamps are in use. See Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer on page 6‑3 for more information. ...

    XM™ Satellite Radio Service
    XM is a satellite radio service based in the 48 contiguous United States and 10 Canadian provinces. XM Satellite Radio has a wide variety of programming and commercial-free music, coast to coast, and ...