2018 GMC Terrain Denali Test Drive: Touring Yellowstone in Style

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Armed with a route book that would get us to our next destination, Kev and I were turned loose to make our way to Collective Yellowstone, the campground we were staying at for the night.

Before we get into the drive, I should talk a bit about the Terrain’s appearance. Being a Denali, it’s got a distinctive grille that’s not present on the regular GMC version; the car itself is lovely —it looks rugged yet luxurious. The Terrain is a larger vehicle than most cars, yet it still has a streamlined appearance with plenty of ground clearance for all but the roughest terrains (no pun intended).

The Terrain Denali we drove had a luggage rack on top, chrome flashes to break up any perceived monotony of a single color exterior, and it sat on 19″ ultra-bright machined aluminum wheels. The Terrain also features LED headlamps, LED signature daytime running lamps, and LED signature tail lights. Most welcome was the full-length sky-scape moonroof (with powered sunshade), which opened the top of the vehicle so that driving through the mountains was a five-sided viewing experience (lovely).

It took about an hour’s drive to reach the campsite, which turned out to be located in a remote part of a ski resort area, and during that drive we watched the weather turn from briskly cold yet sunny to rainy and ultimately to full-on snow. Evidently, Montana had a bit of an unexpected cold-snap while we were visiting, and I honestly couldn’t have been happier about that. I get to do so many media drives in perfect weather, so being able to test a vehicle through rain and then snow really illustrated how well the Terrain could handle. Here’s a video of the drive to the campsite that I made; watch how the weather changes as we go. The Terrain handled mud and snow perfectly; the SUV has AWD, and it felt very able on whatever road or conditions we encountered.

I get to do many media drives that occur in perfect weather, so being able to test a vehicle through rain and then snow really illustrated how well the Terrain could handle. Here’s a video of the drive to the campsite that I made; watch how the weather changes as we go. The Terrain handled mud and snow perfectly; the SUV has AWD, and it felt very able on whatever road or conditions we encountered.

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She got her start in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie has written for or been profiled by nationally known sites and magazines, and she has served on multiple industry hardware and software award panels. She is best known for her device-agnostic approach, enjoyment of exploring tech, gadgets, and gear, and her deep-diving, jargon-free reviews.