Review: 2019 GMC Terrain Denali

By Emily Chung

Spacious, reliable, and unmistakable. We put the 2019 GMC Terrain Denali through its paces. Just time for the summer, we take a look at GMC's marquee SUV and check out all the improvements and innovations for 2019. Hit jump to read more.

Exterior Design

The 2019 GMC Terrain has distinct features. Our road test was a Summit White exterior colour with 19” aluminum wheels. The Denali trim line sports a unique front grille, signature C-shaped LED daytime running lamps, and LED tail lamps. The overall design hints at ruggedness while incorporating key style cues including a floating rooftop and chrome details.

Interior Design

The GMC Terrain we road tested had a lighter colour inside and this added to the cabin feeling spacious. The front dashboard is nicely laid out with rugged knobs in the traditional GMC style. The centre console has a wireless cell phone charger, and the rear bench has access to heated seat buttons, two USB charging ports, and a 110V AC power outlet in the centre. Our road test also came with ventilated front leather seats (in addition to heated seats) which came in handy during hot days.

A few features in our road test model to note include an HD rear vision camera and automatic parking assist for parallel and perpendicular parking.

Under The Hood / Basic Maintenance

The engine bay is very compact with not a lot of room between components. Fortunately, basic do-it-yourself maintenance items are within eyesight. The battery jump posts are located up top with the engine ground clearly marked at the front of the hood. The coolant and brake fluid reservoirs are located near the driver’s side, along with the washer fluid filler neck. The coolant and brake fluid reservoirs are not completely transparent so the min/max levels may take a longer look to discern.

Child Car Seat

In terms of installing a rear-facing child car seat, the 2019 GMC Terrain is quite spacious so you may not need to move the front passenger seat too far forward to accommodate the car seat’s recline angle (depending on the size of the child car seat, of course). The rear seat bench is relatively flat so you may be able to get the correct recline angle without external aids. The cushion is also firm so you won’t be taking up too much slack when tightening the child car seat straps during installation.

The headrest of the rear seats don’t protrude far forward, though depending on your child car seat you’ll likely want to remove the head rest so that the back of the child car seat will sit flush with the car’s seatback. The UAS anchors are easily accessible at the edge of the cushion, and the tether anchors are located directly behind the seat

If you have older children that require a booster, the 2019 GMC Terrain has seat belt guides so that the belt lies flat over your child’s shoulder.

Storage / Trunk

The 2019 GMC Terrain is definitely not short on storage space. The interior door panel alone has multiple small pockets for your items, and the dashboard on the passenger side has a slot for storage. Since the vehicle comes with an electronic transmission, there isn’t a shifter in between the driver and passenger. Instead, there is a two-tiered storage compartment.

The front passenger seat folds flat, and the rear seat bench folds flush with the trunk floor. The rear seats are easy to fold down, either with a handle at the shoulder of the seat or with levers that are conveniently located in the trunk. The rear seat folding handle has a visual lock warning that shows you if the seatback is secured in the upright position. 

When you fold the rear seat bench forward, there are seat belt holders on the side panels to keep the seat belts out of the way.

The GMC Terrain comes with a spare tire, located underneath the trunk floor.

The 2019 GMC Terrain is a crossover SUV that is versatile for everyday driving or road trips. The Denali option also comes with a Skyscape power sunroof, added safety features, and luxury trim details.

Starting price for the 2019 GMC Terrain is $30,700 CAD.

Model tested:

2019 GMC Terrain Denali

2.0L L4 Turbo engine

9-speed automatic transmission

All-wheel drive

Seating Capacity: 5 people

Road Test Terrain: 60% city, 40% highway

Tested MSRP: $46,640 CAD