Terrain vs RAV4
The 2019 GMC Terrain Compared With The 2019 Toyota RAV4
How does the all-new 2019 GMC Terrain compare to the 2019 Toyota RAV4?
Let the experts at Lester Glenn GMC in Toms River, NJ introduce you to the advantages of driving home in a new 2019 GMC Terrain!
Safety
For enhanced safety, the GMC Terrain’s rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Toyota Rav4 doesn’t offer comfort guides on its rear seat belts.
In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Terrain are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Rav4 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
Both the Terrain and the Rav4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all-wheel drive, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.
For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Terrain the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 154 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Rav4 has not been tested, yet.
Warranty
The Terrain’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Rav4’s (6 vs. 5 years).
There are over 38 percent more GMC dealers than there are Toyota dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Terrain’s warranty.
Engine
The Terrain’s standard 1.5 turbo 4 cyl. produces 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (203 vs. 184) than the Rav4’s 2.5 DOHC 4 cyl. The Terrain’s optional 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. produces 49 more horsepower (252 vs. 203) and 76 lbs.-ft. more torque (260 vs. 184) than the Rav4’s 2.5 DOHC 4 cyl.
The Terrain’s 1.6 turbo diesel produces 56 lbs.-ft. more torque (240 vs. 184) than the Rav4’s 2.5 DOHC 4 cyl.
As tested in Motor Trend the GMC Terrain 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Toyota Rav4:
- Terrain 0 - 60 MPH | 6.8 sec
- RAV4 0 - 60 MPH | 8.8 sec
Fuel Economy and Range
In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Terrain’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) The Rav4 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.
The Terrain’s standard fuel tank has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Rav4 (15.6 vs. 14.5 gallons).
The Terrain has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Rav4 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.
Transmission
A nine-speed automatic is standard on the GMC Terrain, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Rav4.
Brakes And Stopping
The Terrain stops shorter than the Rav4:
- Terrain | 60 to 0 MPH | 130 feet
- RAV4 | 60 to 0 MPH | 134 feet
Tires and Wheels
The Terrain’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rav4 XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited’s 55 series tires.
The Terrain has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure.
The Rav4 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.
Suspension and Handling
For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Terrain’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than on the Rav4 (107.3 inches vs. 105.9 inches).
The Terrain Denali AWD handles at .79 G’s, while the Rav4 Limited pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.
The Terrain Denali AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the Rav4 Limited (27.5 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.9 seconds @ .57 average G’s).
Chassis
The Terrain uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies.
The Rav4 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.
Passenger Space
The Terrain has 4.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rav4 (103.2 vs. 98.9).
The Terrain has .5 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front hip room, 1.9 inches more rear legroom and 4.1 inches more rear hip room than the Rav4.
Cargo Capacity
Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Terrain SLE/SLT/Denali’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Rav4 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.
The Terrain’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Rav4’s swing out door blocks loading from the driver’s side.
Ergonomics
The Terrain’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge – which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Rav4 does not have an oil pressure gauge.
The Terrain’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Rav4 LE’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.
The Terrain has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Rav4 has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the XLE/XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited.
The Terrain’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Toyota charges extra for heated mirrors on the Rav4.
When the Terrain with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Rav4’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.
The Terrain SLT/Denali has standard automatic dimming rear and side view mirrors which automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Rav4 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.
The Terrain Denali’s optional Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Rav4 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.
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