[njeandgmc]

HI all. I'm in the position of trying to decide on a vehicle... or not. My 2008 Lucerne is in need of tires and I've been wanting a SUV, so now seems a good time to take the plunge before forking out the $$$ on tires. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!).

Our Buick/GMC dealer pointed out the Terrain as a possibility. I'm almost sold, but struggling with the often discussed 4 vs 6 engine. I'm definitely used to a car that goes with no hesitation, but my lean toward the Terrain is the fuel economy of the 4 cyl. We have a 2010 Acadia that is hubby's daily drive, but I do like it too. If I up the ante to the v6, I'm thinking I might as well spring for another Acadia or an Enclave(?)

I guess I don't have a question that hasn't already been asked, unless there's someone out there who made the move from a 3.8L V6 vehicle to the 4 cyl Terrain and what they think.

I've seen so many posts on here about better performance after 5,000 miles that I'm wondering if taking the Terrain for a day or two is going to actually give me a true picture of what I'm getting.


Thanks for reading as I think in text! lol

 

[John223]

Hello and welcome! Fairly new here myself - you will find a lot of useful info just search around. I have my 4 cyl Terrain for 1 month now. I "downsized" from and Edge - they are actually very similar in size (hopefully not in quality - hence the new Terrain). One of my factors was fuel economy. with a 75 mi daily round trip I opted for the 4 cylinder. Depending on your needs, and an extra $1500, the v6 is an option too. If you do mostly city/local, it seems the fuel economy is not too different. Highway, you may see more mpg with the 4. There is a good article out on the net comparing the two. I have gotten used to the 4 now, and have no problem with it. Helped to save $40-$50 per month in fuel too, hence i opted for the convienience pkg and remote start! PS - the Edge needed tires as well - saved nearly $1000 there too!

 

[Denali AWD]

I chose the V6 but others are completely happy with the I4. MPG with either engine seems to be disappointing at first compared the the EPA ratings but gets better with more miles.

Drive the 4 and the 6 and see what you think. Good luck.

 

[NoobNox]

I have the I4 in my Nox and don't regret the choice at all. My thinking is this: If you're going to use the Terrain just like a car (lets face it, CUV's aren't trucks and aren't meant for work duty) then there really isn't a reason to not go for the I4 unless you have a psychological aversion to anything less than 6 cylinders. The only other real reason to choose the V6 is if you plan to tow anything other than maybe one dirt bike or jetski....but just like roof racks, I would bet that the vast majority of trailer hitches (even on full size V8 SUV's) see little or no use throughout the life of the vehicle. I believe that both engines are good...the V6 will give you more towing power and slightly better acceleration, and the I4 has a lower upfront cost and better gas mileage. Just choose whatever is most important to you..

 

[LS3Vette]

At the end of Dec we traded our 2007 Buick LaCrosse with the 3.8 on an 2011 Terrain SLE2 with the I4. The only real difference I feel in the Terrain is from 0 to 10 mph, the Terrain doesn't have as much torq as the 3.8 engine. After 10 mph the power feels fine. I really liked the Buick but we have no regets with getting the Terrain. Gas mileage has been real good with our first 6 tank fulls getting between 22 and 27 mph in mostly city/suburban driving. Good luck with your choice...

 

[gar187er]

wow time for tires and youre deciding to get a new vehicle.....

your 3.8 in your buick put out about the same HP as our I4....you wont notice much of a change as the buick weighed in at 3800lbs.....

 

[dishdude]

I struggled with the same thing, and went for the V6. Personally, I think the 4 is fine if you don't live in a hilly area or go with AWD. 0-10 MPH as someone else pointed out drove me crazy on the test drive, which made me bump up to the V6.

I had a Saturn Aura with the same 2.4 engine (minus DI) and it never felt like it was udnerpowered, except that darn 0-10 MPH acceleration

 

[RSchleder]

We choose the V6 due to the need to tow a small travel trailer so I can't really comment on the I4. I can state, however, that our V6 improved both in mpg and performance after several thousand miles. Our Terrain now has 11,000 miles on it and we just completed a 1300 mile trip ( not towing anything) using Interstate highways and got 23.7 mpg on the trip. With the significantly improved engine performance over time, I'm pleased with this mileage.

 

[njeandgmc]

Thanks all! I'm probably going to take a Terrain for the day tomorrow and see how I like it. Now I need to read everyone's comments on the fuel economy. Just for grins, I checked on my Lucerne and it said my average mpg are 22.3. I was surprised as I expected it to be less than that. Although, my 30 miles daily round trip commute is about 1/2 highway, but not all on one highway (several ramps and turns). Now to assure myself I will see some savings at the pump.

 

[jimmys5600]

After much shopping around we leased a 2011 Terrain SLT yesterday. We went whith the 4 cly. I didn't think
the power difference was that much different than the 4. Couldn't see the extra $1500.00 for the six.
So far we are impressed with the new Terrain.

 

[njeandgmc]

Drove the Terrain yesterday.... both 4 & 6 cyl. Though I loved the 6 for power, and I could tell a difference, I decided to opt for economy and chose to go with 4. Tried to make a deal on the one I drove and wasn't pleased with the deal, so I walked away. For the rest of the story, see my post in the Equinox section http://www.terrainforum.net/index.php?topic=2363.0.

DH took the plunge too! So I suppose I need to change my user name now.