The Terrain is GMC's attempt to give you Yukon swagger in a compact crossover body, and the 2025 redesign nails the boxy styling, but straps a wheezy 1.5L turbo to 3,700 pounds of truck cosplay, so highway merges feel like a negotiation. The 2010-2017 four-cylinders have a PCV valve design flaw that blows rear main seals in cold climates, a $1,500 repeat failure; the 2018-2024 2.0L turbo (now discontinued) was the sweet spot for power, though some transmissions hunt gears. Buy it if you value the upscale cabin and truck aesthetic over Honda-grade efficiency and proven reliability, it's comfortable, well-priced, and solid with maintenance, just not the rational choice in a segment full of them.
Mazda built a compact crossover that drives like a sport sedan and lasts like a Toyota, then fumbled the 2026 redesign by burying climate controls in a touchscreen. The 2017-2025 generation is the sweet spot: upscale interior, engaging handling, and owners routinely hitting 200k+ miles with nothing but oil changes. The rotary dial infotainment that reviewers love actually works once you learn it. But the new model ditches those physical controls just as competitors are bringing them back, and the community is furious. Shopping used or hunting a leftover 2025? You're golden. Eyeing the 2026? You're the guinea pig for Mazda's cost-cutting experiment, and early sentiment suggests they read the room wrong. Buy the outgoing model while you still can.