The July wildfires in the Western United States burned 97,000 acres of land. Disaster relief volunteer Dave Fagan, whose task was to assess the damage, traveled through 3,500 miles of bulldozed fire lines and mountain trails; and he did it in a borrowed GMC Terrain.
The experience made him a fan of the small SUV.
"The Terrain really performed," Fagan said in a statement through GMC. "When other vehicles seemed to have lost traction, the Terrain didn't, and it had great maneuverability compared to what I saw from the vehicles I drove alongside. Plus, I was impressed by the fuel economy out there where there aren't many gas stations."
The Terrain's 4-cylinder engine has an EPA rating of 22 mpg city and 32 highway. All-wheel drive models get an estimated 20 city and 29 highway. The 2013 Terrain has a new, optional 301-horsepower, 3.6-litre V-6 engine to compliment its all-wheel drive and a 3,500-pound tow rating.
"Terrain's smaller footprint that helps save weight and fuel also makes it more maneuverable on tight trails where adventurous customers might take their vehicles," said GMC lead development engineer Essy Ipakchian. "We also developed Terrain's standard StabiliTrak and optional all-wheel drive with different road conditions - rain, snow, rocks and mud - in mind."
A feature Fagan appreciated as he traversed the burned forests was the rear vision camera.
"On some narrow trails, there was only one way in and out," he said. "With tight space to turn around, the camera was very helpful. The Terrain also handled my many chargers, which made it a great mobile office."
Other features he would have found helpful were Terrain's standard hill start assist, which maintains brake pressure for 1.5 seconds to allow drivers time to press the accelerator without rolling back; and automatic grade braking, which handles the transmission gear selection on declines, keeping it in a lower gear to preserve the brakes.
"I found it outstanding," Fagan said of the Terrain. "It may be my next vehicle."
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