GMC lifted the curtain on the 2025 Terrain today, giving its smallest SUV a much-needed update to stay competitive in arguably the most competitive vehicle segment. As a compact SUV, the Terrain competes with best-selling models like the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, and many others, including the Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-50, and Kia Sportage. And that’s only half the list.
The Terrain hadn’t seen a complete makeover since 2018, and its class of rivals has only gotten fiercer and fresher.
The 2025 GMC Terrain receives styling updates outside and in, a more simplified lineup, and fresh tech.
Three Trims Instead of Four
GMC offers the current Terrain in four trims: SLE, SLT, AT4, and Denali. GMC is ditching the first two for the new model and introducing the Elevation trim, which will be the sole choice when the new 2025 GMC Terrain hits dealer lots later this year. In the calendar year 2025, we’ll see the 2026 GMC Terrain offered in the two higher trims – the off-road-oriented AT4 and the premium Denali. GMC hasn’t announced prices yet, but we estimate the Terrain will start in the low $30,000s.
That price would keep the GMC Terrain on the higher end of the spectrum, which is not unexpected, as the SUV comes with standard features, including heated front seats, heated steering wheel, remote start, and more.
Bold Exterior Design
The 2025 GMC Terrain wears a sharper suit than the 2024 model, but it’s still recognizably the Terrain. The SUV continues to boast a blocky, rugged aesthetic — a signature look for the GMC brand, known for its big trucks and burly SUVs like the Yukon. The 2025 Terrain’s silhouette hasn’t changed drastically, but to our eyes, it’s for the better. One of the most significant differences is the rear three-quarter panel. Where the current model has a pinched window treatment that flows from the upper part of the rear door to the tail, a thick, angular C-pillar distinguishes the new model. We see some Kia Sorento in that pillar, and that’s good.
Further jazzing things up, the 2025 Terrain will have a two-tone roof option for all trims.
Tech-forward Interior
The new Terrain’s improvements really show here. The current Terrain’s cabin looks dated — because it is. The 2025 Terrain gets a new lease on life with a beautiful, vertically oriented 15-inch touchscreen. An 11-inch digital instrument cluster lives behind the steering wheel.
Other tech features shoppers will appreciate include Google built-in, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an available 5G Wi-Fi hot spot. And for anyone ever frustrated using the current Terrain’s button-based transmission selector (raised hand, right here), we’re happy to see a stalk-based gear selector to the right of the steering wheel in the new one.
Enhanced Safety Systems
GMC says the 2025 Terrain will come with 15 safety and driver assistance features, many of which are needed to stay competitive. The Terrain will now get standard adaptive cruise control, just like its Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, and Mazda CX-50 rivals, plus blind-zone steering assist, reverse automatic braking, and intersection automatic emergency braking.
The new Terrain will also offer up to eight camera views, including an optional rear camera mirror – a first for the Terrain and a feature that helps if you don’t want to see passengers’ heads or cargo in your rearview mirror.
Familiar Powertrain
For all that’s changed with the Terrain, one major component has not: the engine. The 2025 GMC Terrain will continue to offer only one choice: a 1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that makes 175 horsepower and either 203 lb-ft of torque with all-wheel drive (AWD) or 184 lb-ft with front-wheel drive (FWD). Where all current models use a 9-speed transmission, for 2025, all-wheel-drive Terrain SUVs will get an 8-speed, while front-wheel-drive variants will employ a continuously variable automatic transmission. At launch, 2025 Terrain Elevation models will be all-wheel drive, according to GMC.
The current GMC’s powertrain is sufficient, but its power output is on the lower end of the curve in its class. In an automotive landscape where rivals offer the choice of gasoline, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid variants, some buyers might want more options under the hood of the Terrain.
