I have been looking at mis-size SUVs and am very much considering buying a 4 cylinder 2012 GMC Terrain. It gets solid gas mileage 24/32 mpg, looks pretty good, has a lot of nice features like a 7 " screen, back-up camera, satellite radio, navigation, remote start (great in winter in CT), 40 gb audio / nav hard drive, lots of interior room, AWD, movable 2nd row for added comfort / room, sizeable trunk space.

Does anyone have any experience with this vehicle or have any insight to share?

Thanks.

 

My wife and I looked at them, and we like them A LOT. But for your money, the better buy will be the 2013 Escape, if you are trying to get reliability, fuel economy and space. Also, might I suggest the Kia Sorento 4 cylinder.

 

I second the Escape option

 

One of my friends has a Terrain from the first year and has had a number of minor quality problems with it, but nothing major. I just have to wonder about a 4-cylinder engine in that large of a vehicle.

 

The new ford Escape is pretty good, but well optioned 2.0 T can run you more than 37K.

 

Mazda CX-5 is also a solid choice in that area, especially if fuel efficiency is important to you.

 

I extensively researched the Terrain when it first came out and was initially impressed. However, it appeared the four cylinder was a bit underpowered thanks to the good fuel economy. There would be a trade-off with that engine, especially if you went AWD.
Interior was the weakest point. It's a generation behind in style and materials, but if you are okay with the look and feel, it has all the modern amenities (as you mentioned). Another negative was a lack of true manual shifting option with the automatic gear lever. GM continues to uses a bizarre and backward switch for changing gears.
Best thing I found with it was the price. Since these do not sell that well, they are heavily discounted by dealers and GM. I think it's a good vehicle, but there are likely better and more reliable choices out there- probably for more money or less cargo space. Also keep in mind the Terrain is due for an exstensive facelift in less than a year. The front end will be drastically changed to match GMC's latest corporate face (see 2013 Envoy pics).