Rarely in life do you get something for nothing, and in fairness, the 2013 GMC Terrain Denali’s new 3.6-liter, 301 hp direct-injection V-6 is a $1750 option that’s paired with 19-inch chrome wheels (it’s a $1500 stand-alone option on non-Denali 2013 Terrains). That said, getting 37 more horsepower and 50 lb-ft more torque without sacrificing fuel economy is a pretty good deal. GMC thinks so too and is touting the Terrain Denali’s claimed 0-60 time of 6.7 seconds as proof of the new engine’s performance.

Towing capacity for the V-6 Terrain is unchanged from 2012 at 3500 lb, but GM is claiming improved towing and passing performance with fewer downshifts due to the engine’s substantial gain in peak torque. Fuel economy figures of 17/24 for front-wheel drive and 16/23 for all-wheel drive models are unchanged from the 2012 3.0 V-6 ratings.

What’s indisputable is the objective performance improvement over the former 3.0-liter engine. In our last test of an all-wheel-drive GMC Terrain with the 3.0-liter V-6, the SUV took 8.1 seconds to go 0-60 mph. In our more recent test of a front-wheel drive Chevrolet Equinox with the 3.0, it was able to complete the benchmark sprint in 7.8 seconds. In a recent Motor Trend test, the new 3.6 in an all-wheel drive Terrain Denali did it in 6.8 seconds, within a tenth of GM’s claims, which did not specify whether the model tested was front or all-wheel drive.

Although a 0-60 time under seven seconds is properly quick for an SUV, it still can’t touch the dragstrip demon of the compact SUV world, the Toyota RAV4 V-6. In our last test of an all-wheel drive Rav4 Limited model, the 269-hp SUV zipped down the track in a surprising 6.3 seconds, proving that even the GMC’s 32-hp advantage can’t make up for the 500 lb of weight it has on the Toyota.

Source: General Motors