The GMC Terrain Denali is a fancier version of the GMC Terrain, which is a small SUV. It usually has better features and a more luxurious feel than the standard models.
A crossover SUV is a vehicle that is like a mix between a car and an SUV. It has more space and a higher seat than a regular car but is easier to drive than a big truck-like SUV.
Jaguar is a luxury car brand from Britain that makes stylish cars, including sedans and sports cars. They are known for their performance and elegance.
Car
Porsche
Porsche is a famous car brand that makes high-performance sports cars. They are known for their luxury and speed.
Audi is a car brand from Germany that makes luxury vehicles. They are known for their technology and performance, and they have a special all-wheel-drive system called Quattro.
Land Rover is a car brand that makes luxury SUVs, which are great for off-roading. They are popular among people who want a fancy vehicle that can handle rough terrain.
The GMC Sierra is a big pickup truck that can carry heavy loads and has many nice features. It's a popular choice for people who need a truck for work or personal use.
The Cadillac Escalade is a large, fancy SUV that offers a lot of space and luxury features. It's popular among people who want a comfortable ride with a lot of style.
The GMC Canyon is a smaller pickup truck that's easier to drive than bigger trucks. It's good for people who want a truck but don't need something as large as the Sierra.
Entry-level luxury SUVs are the cheapest options from luxury car brands. They look nice and have a luxury badge, but they might not have all the fancy features of more expensive models.
Magnetorheological suspension is a fancy type of suspension that can change how stiff or soft it is while driving. It uses a special fluid that reacts to magnets to make the ride smoother or sportier.
Supercruise is a feature that lets you drive without using your hands on the steering wheel, but only on specific highways. It helps keep the car at a safe distance from other cars.
Adaptive cruise control helps your car keep a safe distance from the car ahead by slowing down or speeding up automatically. It's like regular cruise control, but smarter.
Car
GMC Denali Ultimate
The GMC Denali Ultimate is a high-end version of GMC's trucks and SUVs, featuring more luxurious materials and advanced technology. It's designed for those looking for a more premium driving experience.
Car
GMC Denali
The GMC Denali is a fancy version of GMC vehicles that comes with more luxury features and better performance. It's designed to be more comfortable and stylish than the regular models.
The Chevrolet Equinox is a type of car known as an SUV, which means it's bigger than a regular car and has more space inside. People like it because it's comfortable and good on gas, making it a popular choice for families.
A turbo four is a type of engine with four cylinders that has a turbocharger, which helps it produce more power. This means it can be smaller but still strong and efficient.
An eight-speed transmission helps the car change gears more smoothly and can make it more fuel-efficient. It has eight different settings to help the engine run better at different speeds.
A 6.2-liter engine is a type of V8 engine that is larger and more powerful than smaller engines. It's used in some GMC trucks to help them carry heavy loads and drive better.
A diesel engine is a type of engine that uses diesel fuel instead of regular gasoline. It usually gets better mileage and is great for heavy vehicles because it can produce a lot of power.
A 5.3-liter engine is a smaller V8 engine that still offers good power but is more fuel-efficient than larger engines. It's used in some GMC trucks and SUVs.
The Toyota RAV4 is a family-friendly SUV that is known for being reliable and having a lot of space. It's a popular choice for many people because it's easy to drive and good on gas.
The Honda CR-V is a family-friendly SUV that offers a lot of space and comfort for passengers. It's known for being dependable and holds its value well, which makes it a smart choice for many buyers.
The Mazda CX-50 is a small SUV that looks nice and is fun to drive. It's designed to be comfortable and has a more upscale feel inside compared to other SUVs.
MSRP is the price that the car maker suggests you should pay for a new car. It's like a starting point for how much the car should cost, but dealers might sell it for more or less.
Car
Chevrolet Terrain
The Chevrolet Terrain is a small SUV that is good for carrying people and cargo. It's known for being practical and fuel-efficient.
The GMC Yukon is a big SUV that can carry a lot of people and things, making it great for families or trips. It's built to be tough and can pull heavy loads if needed.
The Ford Escape is a smaller SUV that is easy to drive and has a lot of room inside. It's a good option for families because it's comfortable and gets decent gas mileage.
The Ford Bronco Sport is a smaller SUV designed for people who like to go off-road and explore. It has a tough look and is built to handle rough terrain while still being comfortable to drive.
The Volvo XC60 is a stylish and safe SUV that is popular among families. The 2026 version has new features and improvements that make it even better than before.
The Volvo XC90 is a stylish and safe SUV that can fit a lot of passengers and their stuff. It's designed with families in mind and has many high-tech features to keep everyone safe.
The Genesis GV70 is a smaller luxury SUV that feels very comfortable and has lots of cool technology. It's a newer brand that offers good quality for the price.
The BMW X3 is a smaller luxury SUV that is fun to drive and has a nice interior. It's a good option for people who want a mix of sportiness and comfort in their vehicle.
The Porsche Macan is a small luxury SUV that feels very sporty to drive, like a sports car. It has a high-quality interior and is known for being one of the best in its class.
The BMW New Class is a new line of cars from BMW that focuses on modern design and new technology. It's meant to appeal to a younger audience and show how the brand is changing.
The Tesla Model Y is a small SUV that runs on electricity instead of gas, which is better for the environment. It has a lot of cool tech features and can go far on a single charge.
The Acura RDX is a small luxury SUV that offers a lot of space and a fun driving experience. It's known for being dependable and is a good choice for those looking for a nice vehicle.
The Mercedes-Benz GLC is a small luxury SUV that is very comfortable and has a nice interior. It's known for being smooth to drive and has many high-end features.
The Nissan Leaf is a car that runs entirely on electricity, so you don't need gas to drive it. Newer versions are being updated to go further on a single charge and come with better technology.
LIVE
Hello, and welcome to the Unnamed Automotive Podcast.
My name is Sammy Hadja-Sad, and with me as always is my good friend and fellow automotive
journalist, Benjamin Hunting.
Say hi to the people, Ben.
Greetings, human and non-corporeal listeners.
Greetings to everyone.
If this is the first time you're listening to our podcast, thank you for trying something
new.
I will reiterate, Ben and I are a pair of automotive journalists.
But more important than that, we're very good friends, right, Ben?
That's the rumor.
That is the rumor.
I think it's true.
You heard your first, folks, confirmed it.
Yeah, we've confirmed it.
It's been a rumor for a long time.
We finally confirmed it.
Finally, we're addressing it head on.
I will be releasing this.
My camp will be releasing a statement later this evening.
I will be taking a, I'll be sharing a screenshot on my Notes app to confirm it.
I will be faxing my email address for further questions.
To who?
Where?
Whoever.
Whoever needs it.
You don't have a fax.
What's the last time you said a fax?
Well, we fax everything.
That's true.
For me and my family, fax everything.
When you're not communicating with your family, what's the last time you said a fax?
Never.
I feel like there was a time...
I have to get prescriptions faxed.
That's what I was about to say.
I think doctor's offices in Canada, at least, are the last bastion of faxing, where they're
so hardcore about it, like they won't accept any other form of communication.
There's some, I think, doctor's offices where you can't even call.
You have to fax, and then they call you.
That's so unnever-vary.
Yeah.
I think that's probably...
My prescriptions are faxed from me as well.
For a while, lawyers were using a lot of faxes, and I don't think that's a thing anymore.
Because I remember having to use...
I didn't have a fax machine, or I did, but I didn't have a phone line because no one
has a phone line anymore.
As a result, you'd have to use these email to fax services online.
Do you remember those?
Email?
No, I haven't.
I've never had to use that.
It would be like a website where you could either email the website or directly from
the website, send a document that would call a fax number.
This is the most ridiculous thing.
This is like sending smoke signals to a pay phone.
Exactly.
Yeah.
So, I'm glad that those days are over.
Any fax fans out there, let us know.
Get in touch.
The other thing I want to talk about, of course, is that you can find Ben's work all over the
internet.
It usually does not involve faxing, but if it can...
It can if you wanted to.
Exactly.
Ben, tell them where you can find some non, either fax or non-fax-related content.
Oh, you hate it when I use the term content.
Yeah.
I don't like it.
It's a work of staggering heartbreak, and I don't appreciate that term being applied
to it.
You can find my work at Motor Trend, at Hagerty, at Driving.ca, and at Inside Hook.
And you can find my work at AutoTrader.ca and Driving.ca, as well as the Driving.ca
YouTube channel.
Ben, we've got some cars to talk about this week, things that we haven't talked about
in a really, really, really long time.
I'm going to leave it up to you first, because the car...
You basically teased this car as a very aggressive threat towards me about my feelings towards
it.
Why don't you just take it away here?
There's nothing aggressive about liking a vehicle, I guess, unless Sammy doesn't like
that view.
There is something very aggressive about the feeling of somebody liking a car that you
do not like.
I drove a car that, for some reason, Sammy hates, and I assume we're going to get to
the bottom of that over the course of this podcast.
It is the 2026 GMC Terrain Denali.
Now I specified Denali because the terrain was new last year, but they only had one
trim from what I understand.
It was only available as elevation, which is a really aspirational name for a trim.
I know GMC has a lot of elevation.
It's their thing.
I thought Denali's their thing.
Well, I mean, you can get an elevation version of the Sierra.
Yeah.
It's odd that it's not the elevated, like elevation, I guess, is more outdoorsy.
In any case, yeah, this year you can get Denali.
You can also get AT4, which is their Wilderness version of this vehicle, because this is
a compact entry-level crossover SUV.
It's not a real off-road vehicle.
The AT4 brings goodies to it that would suggest you can go off-road.
I'm not sure how many people are actually doing that, so it falls into that kind of
cosplay outdoorsiness that Wilderness has engendered across pretty much every manufacturer.
But the Denali is intended to be luxurious.
Denali has been largely successful for GMC.
I think that as a brand, Denali outsells a huge number of European brands combined.
If you were to look at the luxury space, a lot of that has to do with the...
You think so?
I know, so I've seen the numbers.
I remember being at a few press presentations.
It's a bit of a disingenuous statement because GMC sells big volume and they have
lots of Denali's now.
Of course, a huge volume seller like GMC is going to outsell Land Rover, Jaguar, Porsche,
and Audi combined.
That makes sense.
Where Denali really succeeds is in the large vehicles.
I find that the pickups and the SUVs like the Yukon and Sierra have been great for the most part.
There's been some missteps in recent years, but the Yukon Denali was always a cool alternative
to the Escalade if you wanted a less imposing look.
If you wanted luxury but to be more under the radar, what did you say?
Yeah, I think that's a great description of it.
They're able to balance this premium and also non-premium thing.
It's not too gaudy but still really well equipped.
I think that was the main thing I like about that.
In the past, that standard has not worked as well on smaller vehicles.
I was rarely impressed with the midsize version of the Denali pickups, the Canyon.
I just didn't really think it worked.
Small luxury has been tough across almost every manufacturer.
We've been pretty critical of entry-level luxury SUVs in general.
Sometimes they feel like you're just buying the badge and there's not really much inside from a content perspective
that makes it worth paying the upcharge for that vehicle.
Totally agree.
When I got to the terrain, I was worried it would be a similar kind of thing
because I think this might be the most affordable Denali you could get.
It starts in the United States, the Denali starts at $43,895, so probably $45 with delivery.
In Canada, I had the number here.
I want to say it's $50,000, which is $8,000 more than the base model
and a little bit more than the AT4, which sits kind of in the middle, but like the high side of the middle.
$50,000 sounds like a lot of money to pay for a small crossover in Canada,
but the reality is that's the average price of a new car transaction these days.
Everything feels like it's more expensive than we were ever paying.
I don't know if we should keep harping on that.
Well, I mean, I'm on the GMC website right now,
and every finance offer that's slashing across the screen is for 72 or 84 months.
Oh, God, my heart.
So that should tell you where we are in terms of pricing, right?
Yeah.
In any case, it's an interesting place for GMC to be.
They have the nicest version of their most affordable vehicle
that's priced at the average transaction price of a new car sale in Canada.
So in theory, a lot of people are going to look at this thing.
Right.
I think that as a package, it is very successful.
There are some curious omissions to it,
but overall, I was pleasantly surprised by everything about this vehicle.
And I know, Sammy, you just want to interject right now and tell me how wrong I am.
Have you driven the terrain at all?
I have not driven the terrain.
So I know that's a major thing that I'm coming across really abrasively here.
Well, not yet, but you're about to.
Yeah, I am about to.
I always felt, just like you mentioned before,
in terms of how luxury, compact luxury or entry-level luxury has always felt like a car that had nothing to gain except for...
or something for shoppers who had nothing to gain and they just wanted to do it for a badge.
And I've always felt like that was really...
that was a much harder sell with a GMC badge.
Yeah, because are you really bragging that you bought the Denali?
Like, does that mean something?
Yeah, and I would always feel that's not quite worth it.
If you're going to spend all that money, you want something that makes you at least feel like you spent on something premium
or expresses that you've spent something premium.
I suppose that's the power fantasy of every luxury nameplate.
The marketing fantasy, right?
The marketing fantasy.
The marketing fantasy is that you want people to feel like you are...
you've got your collar popped and you're brushing off the journey off your shoulder.
And I don't think a GMC totally sells that.
I think perhaps those Sierra's Denali's were actually really impressive
and they came with a bunch of features that made them even more impressive.
Yeah, you've got like the adaptive suspension.
The suspension, I think.
Magnoride, right?
Yeah, it was really good.
And that was really sweet.
The interiors were nice.
So to a point, right?
There was a point where GMC stumbled.
And I think the technology, Supercruise, a staple of Denali.
This is where I'm going with this.
Okay.
For a long time, the technologies were impressive.
And then there was a period, and I want to say maybe five years ago,
whenever the current generation of Sierra was new
or maybe the previous generation, I can't remember exactly,
where the Denali came out and it didn't even have adaptive cruise.
Okay.
Yeah.
And the interiors were no longer any nicer than, say, the Rams,
which were really kind of kicking a lot of butt at that time
with their regular interiors.
And I think that Denali got lost.
Well, I also think, was there a version of the...
Is there like a second Denali like now?
Isn't there like a step up Denali?
Like a Denali ultimate or something like that?
Yeah, Denali ultimate.
This bothered me.
The moment they did that, it bothered me.
I stepped off the GMC train.
Well, the pricing difference became very close with Escalade, right?
Before, where you were maybe saving like 10 or 20,000,
now you were saving like 7,000.
And at that point, I don't know if it's worth it.
Well, if you're financing it over seven years.
Well, the trucks were still nice.
I mean, I think after that stumble, GMC figured things out
and they got things back together.
No, I'm still not on board with Denali and Denali ultimate.
Makes them nameplate the nameplate.
And 84, 84X.
That's a whole other thing as well that like it bothers me.
Well, there's no 84X terrain.
So getting back to that.
So back to the terrain though.
This is a compact crossover that I think is...
I'm going to double check.
I think it's based on the Equinox.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure they share a platform.
And probably powertrains.
I don't know about that, but there's only one powertrain for the Denali.
And I think that the powertrain is perhaps the one weakness for this vehicle.
Is it the 1.5 turbo four?
It's the 1.5 turbo four, which is 175 horsepower.
And when you get all-wheel drive, it's 203 pound-feet of torque.
The front-wheel drive model is only available in Canada for elevation.
And that vehicle is 184 pound-feet of torque,
eight-speed transmission across the board.
The reason I'm saying it's the weak link
is not because there's anything wrong with this motor.
It's totally fine.
Acceleration is okay.
I actually had a situation where I needed to pass six cars
because the one at the front was going literally 30% lower than the speed limit.
And I only had so many passing zones between myself and the highway.
And I was able to do it in the Denali without any stress.
So it does do what it needs to do.
But we were talking about how Denali has traditionally meant something special.
For a long time, when you got the Denali vehicle, you got a special engine as well,
especially in the pickups.
That stopped happening.
6.2 usually, right?
6.2 or the diesel.
Or the six-liter.
Nowadays, Denali, like you were saying, there's Denali, Denali Ultimate.
So you can get a Denali with the 5.3.
We're not going to go into that right now.
But with the terrain, there's no options at all.
It's just this engine.
And I kind of feel like this was an opportunity for GMC to say,
okay, here's a two-liter engine that gives you 40 more horsepower
and 30 more pound-feet of torque.
And that would have been really cool.
And I think also, would have been something different from what everyone else is doing.
Although there's enough differences between Denali and other similarly-sized,
non-traditional luxury cars like SirCrossovers,
this would have been a way to push it past like a RAV4 or a CR-V.
And be like, look what we can do here.
Yeah.
I think the important thing to talk about with the terrain,
terrain, is that what you're drawing?
Yeah, terrain.
I just had a brain fart.
Is that it's not quite a luxury car that would compete with like a Mercedes GLC.
No, it's not even close to that, but I don't think it has to be.
But it's significantly better than the top trim of what you just mentioned,
a CR-V or a RAV4.
Yeah.
And so it's in this weird like...
It's its own thing, which is a thing.
It's like Venn diagram overlap.
That's a good thing for GMC, I think.
I think it's cool to...
I mean, we talk about how everything is so similar in the crossover space,
especially small ones.
And here's GMC where they're like, we're going to try something different.
Here's a luxury vehicle that you might not think about.
And it's like, imagine a CX-50, but it's nicer inside
and it doesn't handle the smell.
Way to go.
You really filled me up.
No, but it's like there's not really an equivalent of this vehicle out there.
Toyota doesn't make any real changes to its vehicles.
You pay more for a limited.
I think the limited is the top for the RAV4.
You get more equipment, but you don't really get a luxury experience.
And then you would get the NX.
The closest thing would be the NX.
And that's a...
It totally feels like a different car.
The NX.
What do you mean?
Lexus NX.
Oh, yeah.
No, this is...
I'm not comparing it to a Lexus.
I think you could maybe make a case that there is some crossover,
but the NX has so many different drivetrain options.
You have the plug-in hybrids.
It's...
I feel like it pushes past where Denali stops.
And so...
But back to my statement is that I think when you're really sitting on an equinox,
and not to say the equinox is like an awful car,
but to take some of the key elements of the equinox, especially powertrain,
and not improve it in one particular way and still describe it as a premium product and charge...
Yeah, but you're saying the same thing about like a Yukon Denali versus a Suburban.
Yeah.
I mean, I guess so.
And a Yukon Denali, I think you could definitely make a case is a much more luxurious vehicle
than some models of the Suburban, even if they share the same drivetrain.
I've got to double check something here.
I'm looking at the build.
No, not allowed.
I'm looking at the build for the building site for a 2026 all-wheel drive equinox.
Okay.
And it says this starts at $32,795.
In Canada?
In U.S.?
Okay.
Is that possible?
I mean, the elevation starts at $32,195.
Front-wheel drive in U.S.
I'm looking at 30...
Oh, front-wheel drive.
So I'm looking at all-wheel drive.
Okay.
So it's a $2,000 difference between these two cars at the entry level.
The all-wheel drive is $34,195.
It's the same price.
Oh, yeah.
Sorry.
One second.
So yeah, $2,000.
But the difference is you're not going to find a Denali trim in the Chevrolet one.
And that's what we're talking about.
I'm not talking about the regular terrain.
And I'm not really interested in talking about the regular terrain.
Okay, fine.
Because we're not comparing those vehicles.
We're talking about this vehicle, which is unique in its class.
Okay.
The other thing that does mechanically separate the terrain Denali from other terrains, and
I'm assuming the Chevrolet as well, is GMC claims that it tunes the suspension for more
comfort.
However, it says it uses a system that detects pavement vibration through the wheels and then
automatically tunes the dampers to, I guess, cancel those out.
The AT4 has its own suspension system that's more rugged for off-road and the elevation
has a basic suspension.
I don't know how that works.
That sounds cool if true.
Yeah, it's very hard to find technical details on it.
All you can find is a description of how it works, not necessarily the details of the
mechanics behind it.
I can tell you it's a very smooth riding vehicle.
It's not an interesting to drive from like a handling perspective, but it's extremely
comfortable.
The other real big difference, there's two other really big differences between a Denali
and other forms of the terrain.
The interior, it's the only way you can get leather.
I believe I think you only get like leather-like or nicer, like fabric somewhat not in the other
versions of the vehicle.
This is genuine leather according to GMC.
The exterior, it pushes towards more of the big rig look that you would find on a Yukon.
You get a toothy grille that has kind of a chain link look to it.
There's more chrome.
The lighting is, I think, a bit different, although not much.
It does look good.
I find that it's a squared off kind of appearance that reminds me a lot of the first generation
Ford Escape, except bigger.
I like that look.
I think it looks nice.
A look that's now been stolen by the Bronco Sport, right?
Stolen.
Those are some pretty hardcore harsh words.
Well, I mean, that boxy look was an escape part of the escape identity, and then the
escape morphed into this blobby thing.
And now the escape is just totally dead.
And the escape has died, and now the Bronco Sport exists with no hybrid powertrain.
So the features inside the car are perfectly fine.
Like you have power everything.
You have all sorts of cameras.
You have adaptive cruise control.
You have a fairly nice interior look.
What you don't have are some things that you really should have on any luxury vehicle.
The first one, a panoramic sunroof or indeed a sunroof of any kind, Sammy.
If you look at the Denali in the U.S., it says there's an available panoramic sunroof.
In Canada, it says it's supposed to be included.
My vehicle had no sunroof.
What?
How?
I went online.
I was like, how is this possible?
And I checked a few video reviews of the 2026 Denali terrain.
No sunroof there either.
And people were calling it out.
I don't understand how this happened.
I don't know if there was an early run of terrains where they just did not have access
to whoever's putting the sunroofs in the car because sometimes there's a third party.
It's strange.
It's weird.
I really think that you need to have a sunroof in a car like this.
Yeah.
It's you're paying a lot of money here.
The second thing, there's no super cruise.
And this is a big disappointment.
It's a place where GMC could really pull away from everyone and say, hey,
we have a class killer feature that we have in so many of our other vehicles.
And now we're putting it in the compact crossover and no one can match this.
And that would have really done a lot to, I mean, I already like the Denali,
but that would have pushed it up into a you should buy this trim over any other trim of the terrain.
If GM ever wants to make people buy their car, they need to offer super cruise on any of their vehicles
because it is the only it is the killer app of GM entirely.
Now, the question is, are they saving it for other vehicles that are more expensive and more premium?
So you're saying terrain Denali Ultimate is going to have super cruise?
Anything.
Anything in the GM GM in the GM portfolio, whether it's Chevrolet, it's Buick, it's GMC, Cadillac,
what other name plates are there?
I don't know.
All of them.
If they just have super cruise, they become an instant contender in whatever class they're competing in.
There was one other thing missing from the terrain that I thought was unusual and that's a head up display.
Okay.
Not even the little flappy one?
Nothing.
I thought that was strange because that's cheap to do, right?
Like relatively cheap to do.
You need the right windshield, you need a projector and you're good.
And we know GM puts them in many other vehicles.
So those three absences were confusing to me.
If all those three of those features were here, I would be like, go test this car immediately.
Now I have to qualify that and say, I think this is the best version of the terrain.
But the other versions might be compelling to you if you don't need luxury features.
I'm not sure if I could recommend the AT4 because I haven't driven it.
I don't know what it really brings to the table.
I can tell you that I liked being able to turn the all wheel drive on and off inside this vehicle.
There's a button where you can do it for the Denali.
Most of the time I kept it in front wheel drive.
When I was dealing with some of the snowy roads I was on, I put it on.
It does make a difference, especially when you're first starting off or when you're in a corner kind of deal.
But it's not necessary and you can turn it off for fuel savings.
Fuel mileage was pretty good for my vehicle.
I saw like 11.5, I think, in extremely cold weather like minus 25.
What is that in Mousary Island?
I don't know. Let me find out.
But that's not far from, officially, it's 9.5.
So you're not that far off.
No.
I mean, these winters have been brutal for me in terms of fuel efficiency.
I don't know if you've, if you're seeing the same thing.
That's your lead foot, too.
I don't remember it ever being this.
That's 20 miles per gallon combined.
Versus the official rating of 24.
And when you're, when you're literally minus 25 Celsius, which is, I want to say, like,
three degrees Fahrenheit or something, or might even be in the minuses for
Fahrenheit as well.
Maybe I think it's like minus 14.
That's very, very cold and that's going to affect your fuel mileage.
So the GMC did well there.
Overall, I like this package.
Sammy hates it. I like it.
That's why you listen because we have different opinions.
Well, I mean, my, my personal opinion is that a GMC is really struggling to present
itself as a premium product without having something that truly differentiates
itself from other SUVs.
But I haven't driven it.
You have.
And if the driving experience, you know, helps make it more like identify that,
that car as a standout vehicle, I get it.
The other part though, as, as I mentioned, it's an interesting price.
If that's the thing that will catch you, you know, get your attention.
It's not much more like the, the RS all wheel drive version of the equinox,
which is a top trim that they offer starts at around $37,000,
which isn't far off of what a Denali would be about $5,000 difference there.
Difference there.
And that might be enough for, for some people to say,
I feel like I'm getting more for, for that extra five grand.
I don't know.
To me, sometimes I just think the, the true luxury vehicles like a,
like a Lexus, let me see what a Lexus is an entry level Lexus.
Yeah.
But you're, you're comparing a luxury brand to a luxury trim of a non-luxury vehicle.
Yeah.
I don't think that's fair.
Yeah.
Okay.
Fine.
But if you were to get into an entry level NX, you'd be paying about $3,000 different
difference or $3,000 more than a fully loaded GMC terrain Denali.
And I think that's a worthy, I think it's a worthy leave.
You really do.
Cause like you're not probably not going to have the same features.
I think you get,
you're going to have heated and ventilated seats front and rear and all that stuff on
a base NX.
Let me take a look.
I don't think that I got heated seats.
That's for sure.
Yeah.
But you don't have ventilated.
I'm pretty sure you don't have second row heated.
Vented comes in on the next trim up.
Yeah.
This is why you can't compare these vehicles.
Yeah.
I'm not trying to compare.
I'm just trying to,
I mean, I was in in the next last month, right?
And you hated it.
No, I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't compare it to this.
I think it's different customers.
Okay.
I'm talking, if you have anything else left to say about the NX, about the, sorry.
Yeah.
Wow.
Yeah.
No.
Because of comments like that.
About the terrain.
I will jump in and talk about a competitor to the NX for sure.
Okay.
Are you willing?
Yeah.
I don't still want to talk about the NX anymore.
Okay.
No more NX.
Don't say XN either.
Cause I don't know what you mean.
I'm driving the 2026 Volvo XC60.
This is a car we haven't talked about for a really long time.
Almost four years, which is surprising to me, especially because the last time we did
drive the XC60, it had a plug and was a plug in hybrid version of the, of the car.
And the one I'm driving is.
And you plug in for performance too, right?
Like it wasn't a, it wasn't, it was back when Volvo was doing the whole, you'll plug in
and have a big battery and have more horsepower and more than they were interested in fuel savings,
I think.
That's right.
Now, the one I'm driving did not have that feature, but it seemed to have everything
else.
And I was, I was pleasantly surprised by it because as I mentioned, we haven't discussed
it on the podcast in a long time.
I feel like we probably have driven it in that time.
I've been driving the wagons.
I find that I got into the Polestar, which was like another continuation of the plug
in 60 series size vehicle that was performance oriented.
I think that's the last Volvo I drove.
The Polestar?
Well, except for the XC30.
The XC30.
The XC30.
Sorry.
The trim level in particular, the one that I have is known as a B five.
I thought that B used to mean battery.
That is not the case.
I thought that T used to mean something.
It's the, I don't know what's going on with their little like nomenclature.
You just got to ignore it.
It's so meaningless.
The power train in it is a two liter turbocharged four cylinder engine that makes 247 horsepower.
I think that's important to talk about because it's not that twin charge thing anymore.
That like was unceremoniously kind of like discontinued.
They kind of like pushed that away to stop talking about it.
It was kind of like a unique thing that they had, but I think complexity really got the
better end of it.
Unique doesn't always mean good.
Sometimes it means lonely.
Yeah.
Remember, there's another car that's another engine that's like that, the variable compression
engines from Nissan and infinity.
There are also these weird things that we don't know what's going on with them.
But anyways, 247 horsepower.
I was so surprised every time I put my foot on this thing about how quick it was.
It has a really decent transmission as well.
I believe it's a eight speed.
I'll double check, but a lot of really.
Yeah.
An eight speed automatic.
I think this first impression was really positive.
And then I was getting really nervous to start to start dealing with the infotainment system
because as you know, Volvo has really opted to minimize the amount of buttons in their
interiors and try to keep and they utilize an Android automotive OS.
Something that everyone's asking for.
Everyone I talked to is like, my car is too easy to use.
I would like it to be more of a challenge.
I would like to have to guess more often as to what is going to happen when I'm trying
to access things and I would like it to be impossible to use while wearing gloves.
These are the things that people are demanding from car companies.
And I am happy to say that I did not have the same issues I had as I did in the electric
Volvos that I had.
Obviously it's a different infotainment system altogether because those ones have you use
the infotainment screen to change things like the mirrors and open the trunk and stuff like
that.
That's something I didn't mention about the GMC to turn the lights on and off.
It is a screen button is screen push.
Yeah.
And I think these are features that are not featured.
These are these are hindrances.
These are obstacles.
I agree.
We need to change.
Now, fortunately, one of the things that I was really worried about was that there would
be no connection to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.
That isn't the case.
This car does have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
However, unlike so many cars that I've been driving these days, it requires a cable to
operate.
This caught me off guard because I think I've been driving like a month of like cars with
wireless Android Auto.
So I got to stop you here.
Yep.
How reliable has wireless Android Auto been for you?
There has been I think one car that did not like it.
I think they were the I think it was the Toyota BZ I drove recently that every once in a while
it would be it would just refuse to accept that my my phone had Android Auto like capabilities.
So I've driven so many vehicles recently.
The GMC had wireless and wired Android Auto.
When I would when I was on wireless, it would reboot itself fairly often, like maybe two
or three times on a long drive.
But when it reboots instantaneously, like I'd be listening to a podcast and I would lose
like a second or two and all of a sudden I'm listening to the podcast again.
And that's maybe like best case scenario.
So I just started plugging in.
But I've had to do I've had other cars though where like I'll be listening to a podcast
and it will just skip.
It will skip inside the podcast while I'm using wireless.
So and this isn't a data thing because I download all of the podcasts are local to my phone.
Most of the time I use wired because first of all, I don't have the skipping problems.
Yeah.
Second wireless chargers often can't keep up with the power demands.
I'll talk about let's talk about this.
Yeah.
My experience one when I had that issue where my phone would not connect to Android Auto anymore.
I found it I had to do and I just could not figure it out and I was getting really frustrated.
I pulled over into a lot and I was like, let's work this thing out.
And I had to reset.
There's a button on my phone that says reset all wireless connections.
What is that really inconvenient button?
I've never seen that before.
It's basically a factory reset for all of your wireless.
What kind of phone do you have an Android?
I have a pixel six pixels.
I'm sorry.
You're using a phone from 2008.
Is it?
How old is it?
Pixel six.
Aren't we at like pixel 19 now?
I think we're at pixel 10.
All right.
And you're so mean.
Why stop my train of thought?
Sorry.
I didn't know we were on an episode of the Flintstones.
My cannon string set up.
Dinosaur bone.
After that, I never had another issue with my connection.
However, in another car I was driving, I think it was a Hyundai.
I experienced what you were describing these weird hiccups or skips.
Like a dropout kind of.
It was so bizarre.
And I found out that it might have something to do with the phone overheating due to the
wireless charging.
And at the moment I removed it from the wireless charger.
I never I stopped experiencing that issue.
So some wireless charges that you get in cars these days come with ventilation.
They put fans underneath the charger itself because the charging pad gets hot when the
fan is.
Or maybe it's interference from the from the wireless charger.
Anyway, that's possible as well.
But the moment I removed it from the charging pad, it went much better.
But of course I got home with like 10 or 20% because wireless Android auto consumes a lot
of battery when it's connected.
But heat, what happens when a processor gets hot?
I mean, most computer fans would know this, but it dials down performance.
There's a safety feature inside the processor itself where the software dials back.
It's called throttling.
Yeah, it throttles down.
And so the processor consumes less power.
And as a result of that, it just doesn't perform as well.
And then you start to get performance issues across the board.
Anyways, so I was surprised that this Volvo had a wired, wired Android automotive interface.
It's a USB-C connection as well, which means I had to go and find my right cable for it.
Again, Ben is just going to start laughing at me for being.
Go and find the cable.
Like how do you not have this cable with you?
A C to C?
I just don't have it like professional automotive tester.
And like, I think for the last five years, every car has had C to C.
Because I'm just so used to wireless now.
And in my own personal cars, I have A to C, so I don't really.
In my own personal cars, I have a tape deck.
Yeah, I know you do.
You know how much battery power on my phone the tape deck uses?
Very little.
I will say that there's a bunch of little things that make this car.
So the infotainment system was a little bit less annoying than other ones that I used from Volvo.
That didn't mean it's not annoying at all, but I think it was responsive enough.
It didn't restart on me or shut down or anything like that.
I appreciate that because I think maybe half a year ago I drove an XC90 and for like entire trips,
the gauge cluster like information display didn't show anything.
It was so bizarre.
But that didn't happen to me in the XC60, so I was happy with that.
I found the interior to be very gorgeous.
Again, I think Volvo has some of the best interior design when you don't factor in their usability concerns.
And it had plenty of rear seats room for myself and for my rear-facing car seats, so I was happy with that.
And the trunk space was fairly good too.
So all these things kind of like changed my perception on the Volvo.
Maybe I was just in a bad mood last week, but like,
I was not expecting to kind of appreciate this car.
I thought it was, it's a car that is almost like and also ran in the segment.
When you look at other, if you try to rank these compact crossovers,
I think it's really hard to put the Volvo in the top like five or six.
What would be your top five or six?
I think GV70 is up there.
I think BMW X3 is up there.
Macan is very expensive, but it's like one of the best ones you can pick.
And then I think NX is great because it has so many engine choices.
It's crazy that GV70 is still going so strong despite not having been redesigned in like six years.
Yeah.
It's just such a, it has such staying power.
I think this is the last year it can do that.
Well, it was refreshed, right?
Yeah.
But I, yeah.
Because I really like the new BMW design.
I know that's really controversial because it has all sorts of weird controls inside of it,
but I think it's one of the funniest cars.
I think it's entertaining and it's unique.
It's innovative.
It's a great car.
Anyways, this thing reminds me a lot of the, of the X3 in a number of ways,
but just doesn't like stick the landing.
It drives really nicely, but at many times it feels kind of like old school.
The response, the X3's Turbo 4 is just better in every way.
Do you miss, do you miss the plug from the old XC?
XC60?
That I drove?
Yeah.
You can still get a PHEV version.
Yeah, but I'm asking you, did you miss it?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think I'm on board with plugs these days.
I think I'm more and more on board with plugs these days.
Maybe because I haven't driven a V8 in a long time.
I need to get into something with a little bit more oomph.
I could hook you up and just actually visit my house for once.
You're coming my way.
Yeah.
It's funny how that's what always happens.
Okay.
Here we go.
I love your standing invitation.
The other issue I have is that this car starts at 51,000 and tops out the one I had around 62,000.
Those are US pricing figures in Canada.
A little bit more expensive than that.
It starts at $57,000.
So about $6,000 is different.
That's quite a lot of money.
Yeah.
And my model in particular was much more expensive.
It's closer to $70,000 or maybe even more than that.
Give me a minute.
Yeah.
$70,000.
That's a lot of money.
Not many men know what their life's worth, Sammy.
And the Volvo is not that.
It's not worth that much.
I want to tell you, don't discount this car.
If you are having a difficult time picking a or finding a luxury crossover in this segment,
don't forget about the Volvo XC60.
I think it still stands up.
I would probably pick it over an Acura RDX.
I know that doesn't sound like huge praise,
but the RDX is actually kind of fun to drive sometimes.
RDX is about to be canceled as well.
Oh God.
Here we go.
How many cars are getting canceled?
I believe there will be no 2027 model and that it will come back in 2028.
Did I say 2028?
It will come back the following year as potentially a plug-in or an EV.
That's what I've heard.
Okay.
Which is weird because it's successful for Honda.
So I'm not sure what's going on there.
And I haven't driven a new GLC in a while,
but I remember it not hitting the mark for Mercedes for me.
I remember it feeling a little basic.
And the interior looked nice, but didn't feel nice.
You know what I mean?
It didn't feel like a premium product.
It looked like it had vinyl wood instead of wood applique
instead of something that had texture and grace.
I understand what you're saying.
And I feel like the Volvo actually executes on its wood trim
and its interior much nicer.
Anything else you want to talk about this week?
I can't really think of anything.
I feel like I'm dry.
I feel like the terrain Denali took a lot out of me.
Because I was so aggressive about it.
No, that's part of it.
Part of it's just getting older.
Then that's it, man.
We better close this.
We better close up this podcast before we fall asleep.
Yeah.
If you have suggestions as to what you would like to hear us talk about,
you can do so by getting in touch with us in a number of ways.
We love hearing from you.
You can get in touch with us the old-fashioned way.
Email benjaminatbenjaminhunting.com.
You can find us on social media.
Sammy is on Instagram at Sammy underscore.
Like you're laughing.
Or you can go to the website unnamedautomotivepodcast.com.
There is a form there.
I fill it out, click submit, and it shows up in our inbox.
I love that.
Wow.
You hit every part that we share usually in terms of the...
Just trying to do my best to take the load off of you.
I know we're heading into the weekend here.
It's just nice to be able to do that with grace.
The next week, we are going to be talking about some very,
very different vehicles.
I'm going to be talking about the new Nissan Leaf,
which was redesigned for 25 or 26.
And I'll be talking...
I think it's been redesigned for 26.
And I'll be talking about the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid.
Okay.
All right.
So thank you for listening.
All right.
I love that.
Thank you for listening, everybody.
And we'll be back next week.
Perfect.
Bye.
About this episode
The discussion centers around the 2026 GMC Terrain Denali and the 2026 Volvo XC60, highlighting their features, pricing, and market positioning. The hosts, Sammy and Ben, delve into the luxury aspects of the Terrain Denali, noting its competitive pricing in the compact crossover segment and its appeal despite being a GMC. They also explore the challenges of small luxury vehicles and the significance of the Denali badge. The episode features a lively debate on the merits of the Terrain's performance and luxury offerings compared to competitors.
Benjamin reviews the 2026 GMC Terrain Denali, a model we haven't even thought about since 2021! It's got good looks, plenty of equipment and a decent price... but why is Sami so annoyed by it? Maybe it has something to do with his ancient phone...
Then Sami reviews the 2026 Volvo XC60, a car the guys haven't reviewed since 2022! It has a mild hybrid system, a punchy turbo-four and decent looks, so Sami and Benjamin get to the bottom of why this car has been overshadowed by other choices in the segment. That's it for this week, thanks for listening!
