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.

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    Compact Spare Tire
    WARNING Driving with more than one compact spare tire at a time could result in loss of braking and handling. This could lead to a crash and you or others could be injured. Use only one compact spare ...

    Brakes
    This vehicle has disc brakes. Disc brake pads have built-in wear indicators that make a high-pitched warning sound when the brake pads are worn and new pads are needed. The sound can come and go o ...

    Rear Seat Audio (RSA) System
    Vehicles with this feature allow the rear seat passengers to listen to and control any of the music sources: radio, CDs, DVDs, or other auxiliary sources. RSA can only control music sources that t ...