Jordan Rimpela
Jordan Rimpela Digital Editor
9/3/19 1:25 p.m.
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The GMC Terrain received an total redesign back in 2018. Not much is new for 2019, aside from something GMC calls the 'Black Edition'. What does this package include? For starters, it's black. Unlike Henry Ford's old "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black." mantra, you can get the Black Edition with …

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NickD
NickD PowerDork
9/3/19 2:21 p.m.

So David didn't much care for it and JG absolutely berkeleying hated it. Got it. Yeah, the shifter buttons are really dumb and are hidden way down at the bottom of the center stack by the USB ports and stuff. Every time I go to move one at work, I have to go on a quest for the shift buttons.

I will say that the diesel ones get pretty silly mileage for the size of them. I've seen a half dozen of diesel Terrains and Equinoxes and they were all getting at least 48mpg. There was even one knocking down 56mpg, which is cool. The diesel is a pretty nice piece too, as it smoothes out and quiets up once it gets off idle and you'd never know its a diesel then. The diesel option for the Equinox has bit the dust for next year though.

Feedyurhed
Feedyurhed UltraDork
9/3/19 2:37 p.m.

Why do manufacturers make new vehicles so complicated? Should be interesting if these things ever make it to the rental world.

Dootz
Dootz Reader
9/4/19 2:15 a.m.

GM car: exists

GM marketing design team: "We gotta make a Midnight/Black/Dusk edition"

Duke
Duke MegaDork
9/4/19 9:53 a.m.
Feedyurhed said:

Why do manufacturers make new vehicles so complicated? Should be interesting if these things ever make it to the rental world.

GM has been on a never-ending quest to find innovative new solutions to ergonomic questions no one ever asked since at least the late 1980s.

 

NickD
NickD PowerDork
9/4/19 10:52 a.m.
Duke said:
Feedyurhed said:

Why do manufacturers make new vehicles so complicated? Should be interesting if these things ever make it to the rental world.

GM has been on a never-ending quest to find innovative new solutions to ergonomic questions no one ever asked since at least the late 1980s.

If GM didn't make illogical decisions, they wouldn't make any decisions at all. 

irish44j
irish44j MegaDork
9/4/19 6:54 p.m.

Looks about like all the other suburban crossover unibody mom-mobile kid-haulers GRM has been reviewing recently........

EXCEPT WITH BLACK RIMZ YO.

Note to GM: The whole murdered-out thing was cool about 15 years ago when i was in my 20s. It's not yet "retro," it's just old......(kind of like me).

Suprf1y
Suprf1y UltimaDork
9/4/19 7:39 p.m.
NickD said:

 Yeah, the shifter buttons are really dumb and are hidden way down at the bottom of the center stack by the USB ports and stuff. Every time I go to move one at work, I have to go on a quest for the shift buttons.

 

When I saw them I thought of the Ford and Chryslers of the 50's and 60's.

I actually think they're a good idea. For the average driver there's no need for a shifter, it just takes up prime real estate that could be used for other things

irish44j
irish44j MegaDork
9/4/19 8:00 p.m.
Suprf1y said:
NickD said:

 Yeah, the shifter buttons are really dumb and are hidden way down at the bottom of the center stack by the USB ports and stuff. Every time I go to move one at work, I have to go on a quest for the shift buttons.

 

When I saw them I thought of the Ford and Chryslers of the 50's and 60's.

I actually think they're a good idea. For the average driver there's no need for a shifter, it just takes up prime real estate that could be used for other things

I will admit, I get highly annoyed at the shifter on my wife's CX-9. There is almost noplace to put anything there in the center area, other than the two cupholders and a tiny cubby the size of a phone.

Meanwhile, I could probably set up a little hibachi and grill some burgers on the center console of my Sequoia with the column-mounted shifter. 

The only cars that should have a shifter between the seats are ones with three pedals. For automatics, put it somewhere else, who really cares where....

That said, electric button-type shifter makes me a bit wary. I mean, buttons and switches go bad a lot more often than something with a mechanical linkage. 

NickD
NickD PowerDork
9/5/19 5:19 a.m.
Suprf1y said:
NickD said:

 Yeah, the shifter buttons are really dumb and are hidden way down at the bottom of the center stack by the USB ports and stuff. Every time I go to move one at work, I have to go on a quest for the shift buttons.

 

When I saw them I thought of the Ford and Chryslers of the 50's and 60's.

I actually think they're a good idea. For the average driver there's no need for a shifter, it just takes up prime real estate that could be used for other things

The thing is that Chrysler put them up high on the dashboard where they were easy to find (can't remember where Ford put theirs, I know Edsel had them in the center of the steering wheel). GM buried them way down at the bottom of the center stack, where you literally have to go searching for them every time. I guess I'm less against the concept and more against the execution.

Suprf1y
Suprf1y UltimaDork
9/5/19 8:08 a.m.

If you literally have to go searching for them every time. You must have a really bad memory.

To most people the button will get pushed once when they are about to leave and once when they arrive. I don't care one way or another for the location, but really don't see a problem.

morello159
morello159 Reader
9/5/19 8:47 a.m.

That said, electric button-type shifter makes me a bit wary. I mean, buttons and switches go bad a lot more often than something with a mechanical linkage. 

Cars haven't had mechanical linkages for automatic transmissions in.. what, 15, 20 years? Even column mounted shifters are purely electronic. 

Hot take - blacked out edition is much better than chrome edition. But this is uninspired garbage and I can't understand why anyone would buy one over something from Mazda, Honda, Subaru, Toyota, or hell, even Ford and Jeep. 

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
9/5/19 8:52 a.m.

This relates to Grassroots Motorsports how? 

Fueled by Caffeine
Fueled by Caffeine MegaDork
9/5/19 8:54 a.m.

GM will still sell a pant load of these when they offer "employee pricing for all" or whatever their next "Discount" scheme is..

pres589 (djronnebaum)
pres589 (djronnebaum) PowerDork
9/5/19 9:38 a.m.

They should put the shift buttons up next to the left dash vent like Chrysler did on many of their cars that came with pushbutton automatics.  My first car, a '64 Plymouth had them there, and it was great.  

I see the stylists came and made things more "interesting" by pinching the rear most side glass.  Seems really common on cars lately and it's pretty awful from my point of view, no pun intended.  Always seems like this trick gets pulled out when they don't have any other ideas.

NickD
NickD PowerDork
9/5/19 9:46 a.m.
pres589 (djronnebaum) said:

I see the stylists came and made things more "interesting" by pinching the rear most side glass.  Seems really common on cars lately and it's pretty awful from my point of view, no pun intended.  Always seems like this trick gets pulled out when they don't have any other ideas.

What is the deal with the invisible rear pillars? Seems like every CUV lately is trying to make the back of the roof look like its floating, I don't much understand it.

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